Lifesperience

Google Nexus 5 next to Nokia Lumia 822 Many years ago, my first "smartphone" was a Windows Mobile device named the HTC Titan. Many will recognize it by its Sprint name, the "HTC Mogul", and for its time, it was a great device compared to what was out there.  Sure, Windows Mobile 6.1 on that hardware wasn't the fastest for its time, but it was pretty close to what Android offers today.  You could customize it with different launchers, app stores, browsers, tons of apps, roms, etc.  The biggest issue was that the OS wasn't particularly finger friendly since it was made for stylus use, but as Windows Mobile got updated, Microsoft was able to remedy that, and HTC made it even better with their "Sense" skin. Then Microsoft killed Windows Mobile long before Windows Phone was ready.  To add fuel to the fire, the new Windows Phone 7 would be similar to the iPhone of the time. A highly locked down system with Microsoft in charge, little to no expandab...

As of August 9th, the libretto blog, which Retroarch is based on, posted some interesting news regarding the direction that the project.   Lead developer, Squarepusher  has announced that following the next release of the popular emulation platform,(slated to be version 1.1) the project will be streamlined to create what amounts to an open source operating system for many different types of architectures.  The ultimate goal will be to create "Retroboxes" that will allow one to play not just emulators, but original software on everything from low end arm architecture, to high end Intel rigs. The developer has expressed his frustration with dealing with closed sourced consoles and operating systems, and the performance hits from Android, as well as Linux.  The blog post also discusses his feelings on "open" consoles like OUYA and the upcoming Steam boxes in a direct, earnest way that makes a lot of sense.  Also mentioned are kickstarter and indiegogo campaign...

Android's Chrome Web Browser in "Immersive Mode" on my Nexus 7. Since their introduction in Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich", on screen buttons are a dividing point among many Android enthusiasts.   The pro's usually mean less bezel on your device, less hardware that could go bad, and button standardization.   The con is a very simple one.  It eats into your available screen space, making your screen seem smaller than it really is, and getting in the way of your content. Android's Chrome Web Browser in normal view on my Nexus 7. In reading and web browsing, they really do take up a lot of screen space, especially when you add things like tabs, the status bar, etc.  With the release of Android 4.4 "Kit Kat", Google attempted to remedy this issue with the release of "Immersive Mode" for Android.  What this mode does is hide all elements from your screen, EXCEPT for your content.  This means a lot more room to read, game, w...