FAKE DELETE

This is my favorite because, like its formatting counterpart, Fake Delete mimics the Windows file-delete dialogs. It even goes as far as using your actual file list instead of generic filenames! This also has the “it-was-all-a-joke” screen after it’s done running.

When executing these pranks, please be considerate to whether your intended victim is mildly-panicky or really panicky, and whether your mark has some kind of panic disorder or heart problem. It’s all fun and games until someone goes to the hospital. Otherwise, have fun!
Are you familiar with any cool fake viruses? What are your favorite computer pranks? Give us some of your most evil, yet good-natured, ideas in the comments.



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Windows-Android hybrids: Beauties or beasts?

Since Microsoft first introduced the versatile Tablet PC over a decade ago, the idea of having a device that was effective as both a hand-holdable tablet and a full-on PC has been a siren’s song in tech. In the case of the Tablet PC, it was always a little too clunky, a little too expensive, and a generation behind in power — so it never sold well. Asus started nibbling at the space with its Transformer products, but until now they have been Android-only — so while they can look like a laptop, they can’t run PC software. Until this week. Asus claims its new AiO (All-in-One) will support both full-up Windows as a desktop and Android as a (huge 18-inch) tablet. Does the AiO mark the coming of age for hybrid devices, or is it another Frankenstein doomed to be relegated to the back pages of Wikipedia like the Tablet PC?

Why Android and Windows make sense together

Windows 8 tablets are attracting a lot of attention for their potential to run all the desktop applications we’ve come to rely on over the years in the trendy form of a tablet. Whether it’s needing Photoshop, Quicken, your favorite games, or just plain Microsoft Office, it isn’t easy to simply dump the PC and move to a tablet right now — even one with a keyboard like the Asus Transformer. A Windows 8 tablet — especially one using an x86 chip — could solve that problem nicely. Unfortunately, Windows 8 tablets won’t run many of the nifty tablet applications developed for Android and iOS. Sure, some top ones will be ported, and as Windows 8 becomes popular more will be moved over. But it will be years before Windows 8 catches up on tablet applications — if it ever does.

By running both Windows and Android, a hybrid device has the potential to support the best of both worlds. It would operate as a full-on desktop or laptop when assembled, or as an Android tablet when used as a hand-held device.

Android emulator or ARM chip?

Hybrids are likely to be built in two very different ways. The first will simply be a version of the Asus Transformer with an x86 chip running an emulator like BlueStacks. Asus already has a deal for BlueStacks on its other PCs, so it makes sense to try something similar with its tablets. The big advantage of this design is simplicity: Only one processor to worry about, and a proven form factor for the product.

The other, more radical, way to build a hybrid is epitomized by the newly announced AiO. Specs are scant, but while it definitely will feature an x86 chip in the dock, it is likely that the “tablet-only” mode running Android will be accomplished using an ARM chip in the tablet portion. That allows for better battery life and for leaving the x86, along with all the other “PC” hardware, in the dock. It can also guarantee full Android compatibility and performance comparable to that of a dedicated tablet.

The downsides of the dual-processor approach will be cost and complexity. Adding an ARM chip by itself won’t cost much, but it’ll require its own memory and support chips. The device will also need to integrate the two operating systems enough that users can share files and not become too confused when switching back and forth — the prototype crashed during its maiden demo at E3 trying to do just that. So, while the concept is very appealing, the devil will be in the details. I don’t think I’d want to be the first one on my block to buy one.


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Looking through the Xbox SmartGlass

Microsoft kicked off its E3 press event with a Master Chief-sized bang with a Halo 4 trailer, and the exciting news did not stop there. About halfway through the event, the president of Xbox Live, Mark Whitten, stepped on stage to demonstrate a new way of interacting with the Xbox 360 that Microsoft is calling SmartGlass. An evolution of the existing Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8, SmartGlass will allow users to interact with the Xbox using an iOS, Android, or Windows mobile device. Devices with SmartGlass technology can share media, control the Xbox, and act as a secondary display for complementary information such as media playback controls, maps in strategy games, and a touchscreen controller for the upcoming Internet Explorer browser for Xbox.

From the outset, SmartGlass appears to be an attempt to beat the Wii U’s tablet-based asymmetric gameplay to market — but in reality, once we strip out the punditry and hyperbole, Microsoft’s new tech isn’t really comparable.

In simple terms, Xbox SmartGlass is a platform for developers to build upon that allows them to tap into displays and inputs from sources beyond the Xbox 360 itself. Microsoft is encouraging partners to bring together all those bits of hardware to enhance functionality with games and in other Dashboard apps. The company used the E3 event to demonstrate what is possible with its new platform, but the only Microsoft-developed software that users will get their hands on is Internet Explorer for Xbox. Beyond that, it is up to third party developers to tap into their imaginations and push the boundaries of the “Xbox 360 experience.” SmartGlass opens the doors to lots of possibilities for more control and immersion with just about everything users can do with an Xbox, including watching movies, listening to music, playing games, browsing the web, and interacting with the Xbox Dashboard and its apps.

Gaming

PC gamers have had multi-display gaming readily available for several years now, and before Nvidia Surround and AMD Eyefinity brought multiple displays under a single canvas to be used as one large screen, gamers used the secondary display(s) to house chat or VOIP clients, in-game maps, and other related information while gaming on the primary display. Microsoft’s SmartGlass is bringing similar functionality to the Xbox, but instead of another TV or monitor, it harnesses smaller displays in users’ mobile computers and smartphones. In a way, this is a better approach for Xbox as it allows developers to not only have a second (or third, or forth) display to play around with, but it also provides access to touchscreen inputs and internal sensors like accelerometers.

The example that Microsoft provided during its E3 keynote was new functionality in a Madden football game, which would allow gamers to use a touchscreen device to draw up plays and then run them, while also playing the game using a controller. For the most part, SmartGlass devices are not meant to be a replacement of the Xbox 360 controller. Rather, it’s meant to be a supplementary input device for areas where the controller isn’t well-suited (like drawing plays or typing). Other possibilities include using secondary screens for codex pages (like those in Mass Effect and Dragon Age); menus; game maps; and more pixel space for additional game and/or character stats. In that vein, Microsoft showed off a SmartGlass device being used to display additional information on the Halo 4 UNSC ship Infinity. Then, the Xbox tossed a Xbox Live friend request up on the SmartGlass display without interrupting the game on the main display. From there, Mark Whitten was able to accept the friend request and enter a multiplayer match, all without breaking out of the game.

Having more screen space and additional input methods will allow users to get more immersed in games and have more control using the best input for the situation, whether it’s voice, touch, gesture, or the traditional Xbox controller. Some sites have suggested that the SmartGlass technology is a response to the Wii U’s secondary display, but it seems to me to be a natural evolution for the Xbox 360 by integrating all platforms of Microsoft devices (computers, tablets, smartphones) into one cohesive beast. Microsoft’s PC system has had mutli-display gaming for years, and it is now the console platform’s turn. Further, game developers now have the opportunity to integrate not only Kinect gesture and voice input but touchscreen, GPS, accelerometer and other sensor data.

Multimedia

Although primarily a gaming machine, in recent years Microsoft has been pushing the multimedia capabilities of the Xbox 360. Everything from the music and video applications to television programming are available on the Xbox 360. SmartGlass takes that functionality even further by allowing the Xbox to play streamed video from mobile devices and Windows 8 computers — functionality that was hinted at with the “Play on Xbox” option in the music and video applications in the Windows 8 Consumer and Release Preview builds — allowing you to carry your media in a portable form while watching it on the big screen. Further, SmartGlass works the opposite way by using secondary displays as remote controls (play, pause, rewind, fast forward) and context-sensitive informational displays. For example, the Xbox will be able to present actor information, plot explanations, maps, and other content on your tablet or smartphone while the TV show or movie is playing on the TV.

Considering people already use smartphones and tablets while watching TV at home to browse the web, allowing those devices and the Xbox to share information with each other is a smart move. Also, the ability to seamlessly stream and control media playback is something that other technologies (such Intel’s WiDi, for example) have so far failed to provide.


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