Comments for Ahmed Eltawil's Blog

Comment on No dice for Skype & Netflix on BlackBerry PlayBook by Ahmed Eltawil

Ahmed Eltawil — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:48:13 +0000

The UI experience on PlayBook’s QNX platform so far isn’t consistent at all. Yes, there are some consistent actions (like swiping from the top of an app for options), but the UI elements and icons aren’t consistent like on other more popular platforms. And having to side-load Android apps messes up the experience ten fold.

At this point in time you’re probably right, an Android tablet would’ve offered a better experience and app selection (obviously) but you can’t beat the PlayBook’s price either.

I am just hoping all this BB10 hype that RIM is generating pays off in the end and doesn’t end up in people’s memories like WebOS.

Comment on No dice for Skype & Netflix on BlackBerry PlayBook by DM

DM — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:21:07 +0000

I just bought a Playbook last week for $150. (16gig). I thought it was a steal considering the hardware specs and build quality. I actually like QNX too. I’ve used Android and IOS extensively, and I have to say that QNX was a breath of fresh air. Seems like something that could make substantial strides in turning a tablet into a real work machine with its multitasking abilities. That being said, I came to the crushing reality that hardware and OS only make up for half the experience. Apps are truly that important, and lack of an abundant app ecosystem is far more crippling than I would have ever imagined. Don’t get me wrong, the casual web browser and light emailer will have a fine time with the Playbook off the shelf, but tech heads like myself will feel incredibly restricted by the small selection of apps, as well as the obvious exclusion of many key apps and services. Even beyond the lack of apps, often times the ones that are available are not certified apps, but rather 3rd party licensed apps. As you mentioned, Facebook didn’t make the Facebook app on the Playbook, and that becomes painfully obvious when comparing the QNX version with IOS or Android’s version. QNX apps tend to look and function like IOS or Android Beta apps from 2 years ago. The finesse and polish are missing, as well as cutting edge functions. Thankfully I managed to sideload a few android apps after upgrading to OS2.0, but many of the ones that I hoped to work, didn’t. The ones that do work can be a little quirky with GUI differences between QNX and Android, and the sideloaded apps appear to run in a container of sorts that sandboxes those apps into their own runtime. While they do work, interaction with those apps always feels slightly disconnected from the rest of the OS.

All in all, I have a cheap web browser and email device. I wouldn’t necessarily include video in that list because of the lack of Netflix app support and the lack of Silverlight support (needed for web Netflix). If I had to make the decision again, I’d live with Android on the tab 7.0. I’m just happy I didn’t shell out $499. for this thing back when it was released.

Comment on When will the selfishness end? by Ahmed Eltawil

Ahmed Eltawil — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:43:01 +0000

I guess only time will tell. Thanks for your input

Comment on Delete a project saved on Project Server 2010 by Ahmed Eltawil

Ahmed Eltawil — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:41:40 +0000

I am glad I could help

Comment on Delete a project saved on Project Server 2010 by Gururaj

Gururaj — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:38:35 +0000

Thanks a lot Ahmed. Accepting Microsoft is the greatest blunder made by Human Kind.

I was searching for all the possible ways to delete this project. Never would have imagined, even in my wildest dream, this to be the solution.

Comment on When will the selfishness end? by Matthew Hodgkins

Matthew Hodgkins — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:29:35 +0000

I was similar (but not as bad!) as the teenagers you describe. Moving out and becoming self independent and having to pay for everything yourself makes you change, and fast.

Comment on Attaching Expression Web 4 to Team Foundation 2010 by jackie

jackie — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:43:54 +0000

what if i am creating a new site for the first time. how do i connect to tfs. i have team explorer installed

Comment on Android Gingerbread, Anything but Exciting by Ahmed Eltawil

Ahmed Eltawil — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:48:16 +0000

I feel your frustration. It’s one of the reasons why I had to move away from Android. Google will always remain a Search and Advertising company. Consumers and their needs is the last thing on their mind, unless it generates them more profits.

I am still shocked that they still won’t support Arabic (or any left to right languages) in Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Comment on Android Gingerbread, Anything but Exciting by frustrated

frustrated — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:17:15 +0000

Salam Ahmed,
couldnt agree more on what you wrote..

what shocks is that 2.2 froyo supported arabic nicely,, how come newer version 2.3 gingerbread falls back instead of improving support!!!

Comment on Sunday, June 26th 2011 by Seika

Seika — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:01:35 +0000

They don’t, at least not in a way I imagined. Applications still don’t blend into the hubs and become indistinguishable from the rest of the os.

Besides, it’s a great idea for a perfect world but applications with similar function will become not just redundancy but a clutter.