Recommended Posts

I find it likely that when you repeatedly do the same thing that has failed numbers of times in the past, success is far from assured. But good luck to MS with that.

There is a tug-of-war between two polar opposites - those that wish to advance, and the complacent.

 

The complacent are of the opinion that Windows reached its zenith with 7 - and should not advance further.  (Problem - where do you go if you can't go forward?)

 

What honestly scares me about that is there are all too many cases of a stalled or complacent OS first losing developers, then losing the user base, and finally outright dying.

 

Apparently, the complacent largely don't care.  (That is, in fact, why I wonder what their real motive is - I doubt they are stupid; still, I doubt they are being all that honest, either.)

Daring to advance is not exactly safe, but it's a lot safer in a business sense than standing still.

It's a part of this discussion and directly related to the fud you were going to spread. Either discuss or don't bother replying... Oh wait you can't discuss it further because you'll just dig yourself in to a deeper hole.

The truth hurts, no wonder you dug up my reply from how many pages back just to rehash something that is so true. Deal with it mate, just because you don't agree, doesn't mean you are entitled to make sarcastic replies and using the word "FUD" to take me on.

There is a tug-of-war between two polar opposites - those that wish to advance, and the complacent.

I would submit that both camps want to advance equally. The problem is they disagree on what the term "advance" actually means.

The truth hurts, no wonder you dug up my reply from how many pages back just to rehash something that is so true. Deal with it mate, just because you don't agree, doesn't mean you are entitled to make sarcastic replies and using the word "FUD" to take me on.

Or, bear with me on this, I was reading through the thread and saw your post and replied, pretty sure that's how these community forum things work ;)

The long and short of it all is all OS's have inconsistencies, learn to live with it. And stop getting upset over such minor things.

Or, bear with me on this, I was reading through the thread and saw your post and replied, pretty sure that's how these community forum things work ;)

The long and short of it all is all OS's have inconsistencies, learn to live with it. And stop getting upset over such minor things.

So if you are reading through the thread as you so rightfully claim to , why don't I even see you try to take on PGhammer, Dotmatrix or them folk like how you do with me? See what I'm getting at? I don't need to reply to you, because honestly..... there is no point.

I find it likely that when you repeatedly do the same thing that has failed numbers of times in the past, success is far from assured. But good luck to MS with that.

They're on the right track with unifying everything. A responsive, universal OS is better than multiple OSs, that have little in common.

Dot Matrix, on 15 Feb 2015 - 17:08, said:

They're on the right track with unifying everything. A responsive, universal OS is better than multiple OSs, that have little in common.

 

Multiple OSes that fit the form factor they're made for are better than a universal, "lowest common denominator" OS... in my opinion of course...

So if you are reading through the thread as you so rightfully claim to , why don't I even see you try to take on PGhammer, Dotmatrix or them folk like how you do with me? See what I'm getting at? I don't need to reply to you, because honestly..... there is no point.

Again, stop taking it so personally. What you said was inaccurate, i pulled you up on that fact, you get upset. That's not a mature response, the mature response would be to discuss these inconsistencies. Clearly you're not going to do that so there's little point you continuing to reply to me.

As for why i didn;t reply to Dot or PG etc, it's really none of your business who i choose to reply to or why, however i shall let you know in this case, it was mainly because i recently had a very similar discussion with another person, therefore it was of interest to me, not any more.

It seems like the biggest point of debate in Windows 10 is the UI. I loved the new of Vista and then really loved Windows 7 when it came out. They had a beautiful UI that was pleasant to look at and fun to use. While a step backwards, Winows 8's UI was still alright. Now they have this blocky, God-awful looking start menu and hiring, flat, single color Winow graphics. People seem to be suffering from some mass hysteria that dictates this boring flat look is cool and more productive.mi even went as war as to post a picture of Windiws 3.1 as a joke and people respond that it looks great. Whoever is in charge of designing the he GUI at MS must be good because they have the majority of users brainwashed. They clearly have no idea how to build a UI though. They took the modern looking icons of Vista/7 and turned them into ugly pixelated Windows 3.1 style icons. As for window graphics, they got rid of the nice looking elements with a 3D look, gradients, and glowing and turned them into dumbed down 1 color flat simple images. Someone explain to me how making the UI boring and ugly makes it more productive.

  • Like 2

Multiple OSes that fit the form factor they're made for are better than a universal, "lowest common denominator" OS... in my opinion of course...

Why is Windows 10 an LCD? It's still a full featured OS. Responsive design doesn't take anything away from that.

Multiple OSes that fit the form factor they're made for are better than a universal, "lowest common denominator" OS... in my opinion of course...

"Fit the formfactor" - sounds like a niche OS to me.  Like WindowsRT as OS - which failed due to being way late.  Android has capabilities beyond its formfactor - this is proven every day.  iOS?  It has multiple form-factors - the only thing keeping it from taking on OS X directly are the legions of OS X fanatics that would have a collective herd of cattle should that happen.  (Apple itself could care less.)  How it appears to me (and please - let me know if I'm wrong about it - and why) they basically want Windows to remain as it was with 7 - support only for keyboards and mice.

It seems like the biggest point of debate in Windows 10 is the UI. I loved the new of Vista and then really loved Windows 7 when it came out. They had a beautiful UI that was pleasant to look at and fun to use. While a step backwards, Winows 8's UI was still alright. Now they have this blocky, God-awful looking start menu and hiring, flat, single color Winow graphics. People seem to be suffering from some mass hysteria that dictates this boring flat look is cool and more productive.mi even went as war as to post a picture of Windiws 3.1 as a joke and people respond that it looks great. Whoever is in charge of designing the he GUI at MS must be good because they have the majority of users brainwashed. They clearly have no idea how to build a UI though. They took the modern looking icons of Vista/7 and turned them into ugly pixelated Windows 3.1 style icons. As for window graphics, they got rid of the nice looking elements with a 3D look, gradients, and glowing and turned them into dumbed down 1 color flat simple images. Someone explain to me how making the UI boring and ugly makes it more productive.

Explain to me how the icons are pixelated? Flat, minimalist design is the "in' thing right now. Everything from personalized business cards, to interior decorating is using these design concepts. Microsoft and Google adapting these concepts for their operating systems are merely an extension of that. Simplistic design is helping make technology more accessible to people that would otherwise find it too complex. It's also helping create professional looking, but relaxed business applications, as evidenced by the Surface Hub, Modern Office templates, etc that are easy to understand and use.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/stories/design/

Dot Matrix, on 15 Feb 2015 - 17:50, said:Dot Matrix, on 15 Feb 2015 - 17:50, said:

Why is Windows 10 an LCD? It's still a full featured OS. Responsive design doesn't take anything away from that.

 

We'll see. Windows 8 the day it came out was definitely an "LCD". I hope W10 will be great on desktops but the new calculator is not a good indication. And please don't compare living rooms with computer UI, it's not a great comparison

We'll see. Windows 8 the day it came out was definitely an "LCD". I hope W10 will be great on desktops but the new calculator is not a good indication. And please don't compare living rooms with computer UI, it's not a great comparison

What's wrong with the new Calculator? And yes, I am comparing the computer UI to living rooms (and more), because that is where the designers are pulling their designs from. Metro was initially conceived based on the numerous typography, and iconography we see in the world around us.

Again, stop taking it so personally. What you said was inaccurate, i pulled you up on that fact, you get upset. That's not a mature response, the mature response would be to discuss these inconsistencies. Clearly you're not going to do that so there's little point you continuing to reply to me.

As for why i didn;t reply to Dot or PG etc, it's really none of your business who i choose to reply to or why, however i shall let you know in this case, it was mainly because i recently had a very similar discussion with another person, therefore it was of interest to me, not any more.

:laugh: Ok cool Mikechipshop. Still don't know why you'd think you are making me upset. I get upset at real world problems, not at someone on Neowin in a desktop thread who thinks he has a point.

It seems like the biggest point of debate in Windows 10 is the UI. I loved the new of Vista and then really loved Windows 7 when it came out. They had a beautiful UI that was pleasant to look at and fun to use. While a step backwards, Winows 8's UI was still alright. Now they have this blocky, God-awful looking start menu and hiring, flat, single color Winow graphics. People seem to be suffering from some mass hysteria that dictates this boring flat look is cool and more productive.mi even went as war as to post a picture of Windiws 3.1 as a joke and people respond that it looks great. Whoever is in charge of designing the he GUI at MS must be good because they have the majority of users brainwashed. They clearly have no idea how to build a UI though. They took the modern looking icons of Vista/7 and turned them into ugly pixelated Windows 3.1 style icons. As for window graphics, they got rid of the nice looking elements with a 3D look, gradients, and glowing and turned them into dumbed down 1 color flat simple images. Someone explain to me how making the UI boring and ugly makes it more productive.

LOL i stopped reading at "I love the new of vista" "They had a beautiful UI".

 

God, I hated the rounded corners of windows in both vista\7. Than again im more into simple design and not into blingy,gaudy looking design.

 

Win 10 is not even done with the UI, taskbar transparency and menu transparency is coming in the next couple builds.

There is a tug-of-war between two polar opposites - those that wish to advance, and the complacent.

The complacent are of the opinion that Windows reached its zenith with 7 - and should not advance further. (Problem - where do you go if you can't go forward?)

What honestly scares me about that is there are all too many cases of a stalled or complacent OS first losing developers, then losing the user base, and finally outright dying.

Apparently, the complacent largely don't care. (That is, in fact, why I wonder what their real motive is - I doubt they are stupid; still, I doubt they are being all that honest, either.)

Daring to advance is not exactly safe, but it's a lot safer in a business sense than standing still.

A decade ago I walked into the break room and a zdnet magazine maybe pcmag.com had a cover with longhorn. I saw aero and thought cool. Then sat down and a strange thought I never would think entered my head. Windows XP does everything anyone can ever want.

XP has security, groups, real multitasking, acl, NT kernel etc.

Longhorn was just eye candy and bloat which would use more resources for the same tasks now since winfs was gone.

I became sad and shocked. A geek shouldnt be like thi??

I was right. 2 years later in 2007 I got a laptop with Vista. OMG UGH. XP couldn't have been put on so fast. Thought hard disk would spin out of control.It had 2 gigs of ram too and still??!

Win 7 has instant search and better security.

But stay behind you say? XP works and so does 7. Why upgrade? They are like cars now. No difference between them 10 years old or current. They run the same and only replace them when they die.

Does Joe Six pack really need 50,000 mips i5 to run word and do his taxes? No. Therefore he will keep old hardware with whatever OS came with it.

Sorry little reason to leave 7.

XP has security

 

Stop.... Stop! The laughing, it HURTS!

 

9czRygkcE.gif

 

 

Does Joe Six pack really need 50,000 mips i5 to run word and do his taxes? No. Therefore he will keep old hardware with whatever OS came with it.

 

Joe "six pack" does a lot more with tech than Word or taxes. In fact, these can be done on a tab - Better news for Windows 10!

A decade ago I walked into the break room and a zdnet magazine maybe pcmag.com had a cover with longhorn. I saw aero and thought cool. Then sat down and a strange thought I never would think entered my head. Windows XP does everything anyone can ever want.

XP has security, groups, real multitasking, acl, NT kernel etc.

Longhorn was just eye candy and bloat which would use more resources for the same tasks now since winfs was gone.

I became sad and shocked. A geek shouldnt be like thi??

I was right. 2 years later in 2007 I got a laptop with Vista. OMG UGH. XP couldn't have been put on so fast. Thought hard disk would spin out of control.It had 2 gigs of ram too and still??!

Win 7 has instant search and better security.

But stay behind you say? XP works and so does 7. Why upgrade? They are like cars now. No difference between them 10 years old or current. They run the same and only replace them when they die.

Does Joe Six pack really need 50,000 mips i5 to run word and do his taxes? No. Therefore he will keep old hardware with whatever OS came with it.

Sorry little reason to leave 7.

 

You were right. A geek shouldn't be like that. A technology enthusiast shouldn't have looked at Longhorn/Vista and only seen the shine. It laid the groundwork for major changes in how the OS worked behind the scenes. An enthusiast would've seen that.

 

An educated enthusiast would also have figured out a decade ago that WinFS was a unicorn. It was just some magical concept people never really understood but wholeheartedly believed was The Future

Joshie, on 15 Feb 2015 - 15:50, said:

You were right. A geek shouldn't be like that. A technology enthusiast shouldn't have looked at Longhorn/Vista and only seen the shine. It laid the groundwork for major changes in how the OS worked behind the scenes. An enthusiast would've seen that.

 

An educated enthusiast would also have figured out a decade ago that WinFS was a unicorn. It was just some magical concept people never really understood but wholeheartedly believed was The Future

 

But 8 is just a cell phone on a desktop. 

 

 

I develop on Windows 8.1.  I tried on my cell phone, but it didn't work.  I think you are lying, sir.

... and in the end XP was still the better OS which just worked and wasn't buggy and didn't run like crap back in

Are you kidding? XP had next to no stability. It ran worse than a drunk and tired driver. Even now on the network I support, XP has a pretty cruddy track record of being the worst to troubleshoot. Most times, the PC just gets reimaged rather than have someone troubleshoot the OS.

Are you kidding? XP had next to no stability. It ran worse than a drunk and tired driver.

 

The kid part of "kidding" sounds about right. I'm getting the impression this is someone who simply wasn't around or aware yet of XP during its first 2-3 years on the market. Aside from being a significant jump in hardware requirements over the Windows 2000 it was built from, and aside from being panned as a "Fisher Price" OS, aside from the vitriolic hatred spewed by users introduced to product activation for the first time in Windows, aside from people declaring there was no reason to upgrade because Windows 2000 was the better choice and worked just fine (sound familiar?), aside from gamers sticking to Windows 9x for its superior DOS compatibility well into the 200x's, aside from all of that, well... No, that's pretty much all that needs to be said. The Cult of XP Nostalgia has been soundly and thoroughly mocked into irrelevance over the years, and the only confusing thing happening here is that for someone to be too young to remember the early days of XP, it makes no sense for them to have an old geezer attitude about technology only needing to be good-enough-for-grandma.

 

Some people out there simply have no idea what the markets are out there. They can't see beyond their own bubble of needs and wants. When a technology company starts doing something that they can't relate to, it makes them angry, and they declare it stupid and pointless and, speaking for all these imaginary people just-like-them, insist "nobody wants this". These are like the political nutcases who believe their opinions match those of the silent majority they speak for.

 

If nothing else, this guy is ready to age into dementia at his future talk radio show on an AM frequency in fly-over country.

Joshie, on 15 Feb 2015 - 18:28, said:

The kid part of "kidding" sounds about right. I'm getting the impression this is someone who simply wasn't around or aware yet of XP during its first 2-3 years on the market. Aside from being a significant jump in hardware requirements over the Windows 2000 it was built from, and aside from being panned as a "Fisher Price" OS, aside from the vitriolic hatred spewed by users introduced to product activation for the first time in Windows, aside from people declaring there was no reason to upgrade because Windows 2000 was the better choice and worked just fine (sound familiar?), aside from gamers sticking to Windows 9x for its superior DOS compatibility well into the 200x's, aside from all of that, well... No, that's pretty much all that needs to be said. The Cult of XP Nostalgia has been soundly and thoroughly mocked into irrelevance over the years, and the only confusing thing happening here is that for someone to be too young to remember the early days of XP, it makes no sense for them to have an old geezer attitude about technology only needing to be good-enough-for-grandma.

 

Some people out there simply have no idea what the markets are out there. They can't see beyond their own bubble of needs and wants. When a technology company starts doing something that they can't relate to, it makes them angry, and they declare it stupid and pointless and, speaking for all these imaginary people just-like-them, insist "nobody wants this". These are like the political nutcases who believe their opinions match those of the silent majority they speak for.

 

If nothing else, this guy is ready to age into dementia at his future talk radio show on an AM frequency in fly-over country.

 

I bought XP when it 1st came out. I put Windows 2000 back on my system ... err roommate stole my XP cd. Windows 2000 worked fine until around 2006.

 

.. and DOT XP has a NT kernel making it super reliable and during 2005 it was hot stuff! Windows 98 was on its way out then but still kicking. I loved XP and yes I do not remember any issues at all with it expect Trojans before Sp 2 put some DEP and hardened some of the c libraries.

 

Sorry good enough for Grandma is good enough for 90% of all users. FYI I moved off XP by 2009 to Vista then all to 7 by 2010. I have not run it on my home computers for a half decade now as it has security issues compared to Windows 7 and it lacks instant search.

 

But as angry as you and DOT want to be for 8.x not taking off the marketshare does not lie. Users want 7 and XP and only will upgrade when their hardware dies. Yes using Word and opening a tab or two is what 85% of users do. The fact that I remember Pentium IVs with 512 megs of ram as late as 2013 ring testament that the users found them acceptable.

 

Iphones and Androids make upgrading pcs less of an issue as these suite their needs better than a pc for browsing which is all a pc is used for. Office professionals make up just 1/3 of the work force believe it or not. No need for a pc besides a consumption device.

 

So no I am defending the user here. Not that I love XP but rather it meets their needs and if MS didn't stop providing security updates would not recommend changing them. Truth is truth.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • ...but you're Johnny, from Australia?    
    • Glow 26.9 by Razvan Serea Glow provides detailed reporting on every hardware component in your computer, saving you valuable time typically spent searching for CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, and other stats. With Glow, all the information is conveniently presented in one clean interface, allowing you to easily access and review the comprehensive hardware details of your system. Glow provides detailed information on various system aspects, including OS, motherboard, processor, memory, graphics card, storage, network, battery, drivers, and services. The well-organized format ensures easy access to the required information. You can export all the gathered data to a plain text file, facilitating sharing with others for troubleshooting purposes. No installation needed. Just decompress the archive, launch the executable, and access computer-related information. Glow runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit versions. Glow 26.9 changelog: New Features The processor hardware detection engine has been significantly enhanced beyond traditional Intel and AMD architectures. Native support is now available for modern platforms such as Apple Silicon (M-Series) and the newly introduced NVIDIA Spark. In addition, all ARM-based processors can now be accurately distinguished between ARM32 and ARM64 architectures, providing precise hardware reporting. This marks a major milestone for Glow's hardware detection capabilities. The RAM manufacturer identification algorithm has been expanded. JEDEC vendor codes for popular brands such as Patriot, PNY, Team Group, GeIL, Lexar (Longsys), and Asgard/Gloway have been integrated into the database. This significantly reduces the likelihood of incorrect or "Unknown Manufacturer" results and improves overall hardware detection accuracy. New Public IP Address and Internet Service Provider (ISP) features have been added to the Network section. To ensure reliability, this information is retrieved from the trusted service ipwho.is. When Hiding Mode is enabled, no requests are sent and these features remain hidden, as they may expose sensitive information. The search engine used in the Installed Drivers, Installed Services, and Installed Applications sections has been enhanced. You can now perform more flexible and accurate searches using initials, partial matches, and loosely arranged character sequences. The TS Preloader loading bar has been rebuilt using our modern TS Custom Controls graphics library, developed entirely in-house. As a result of this infrastructure upgrade, the loading bar now features smooth rendering and rounded corners that align with the visual style of Windows 11. [TS Updater] A new validation algorithm has been added to check whether the target application is currently running before the update process begins. Bug Fixes Resolved a condition that could prevent TS Preloader from shutting down safely during rare application crash scenarios. Fixed a text alignment issue in the Network section affecting the display of DNS addresses. Alignment is now rendered correctly. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue that could prevent the updated application's executable "*.exe" file from being located after the update process. [TS Updater] Fixed a bug that could leave outdated "*.sha256" files in the application directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed a rare issue that could cause subfolders to be moved into the root directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue during the first launch that could cause flickering and a temporary white window appearance due to Windows Defender interactions. Changes A small improvement has been made to the internet connectivity detection algorithm. Connectivity checks are now performed in the background with minimal impact on the user interface thread. The keyboard shortcuts in the top menu have been reorganized and simplified to provide a consistent experience across all Türkaysoft applications and to avoid potential conflicts with standard Windows shortcuts. The TS Preloader splash image has been updated with a Türkiye-themed stadium design to celebrate Türkiye's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—its first appearance in 24 years. Congratulations, Türkiye! The TS Custom Controls module has been updated to version 26.6, delivering improved stability and a more polished visual appearance. [TS Updater] The application icon has been redesigned to provide a more modern and refined look. Note: Always unzip the program before using it. Otherwise you may get an error. Download: Glow 26.9 | 1.8 MB (Open Source) Links: Glow Homepage | Screenshot | Github Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • DWARF mini review: the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures by Steven Parker DWARFLAB reached out to me asking if I was interested in checking out the DWARF mini, which is a portable astronomy telescope designed for amateur astronomers. Why do I say it's for amateurs? Well, for starters, it's not what you'd call "high end"; it's more of a professional-grade starting point for amateurs serious about capturing what's up there in our night and day skies. A typical amateur astronomer is most likely thousands of dollars deep into the hobby, and I will make no claims that this DWARF mini (at a fraction of the cost) could replace it all, okay? Well, if you read on, it will be clearer what I am trying to convey. Disclosure: DWARFLAB provided a free sample without any editorial input or review pre-approval. I have always been interested in looking up and observing the night sky. I see satellites crossing the sky above my garden most nights, and I am always looking at the moon. Yeah, I have a 200MP camera on my phone, but at 200X zoom, AI takes over and makes the pretty moon pictures that I snap, the DWARF mini does not, you get an actual true picture of what you can barely see with the naked eye. Before we start, let's share the highlights of the DWARF mini in bite-sized format: Pocket-Sized & Ultra-Lightweight Weighing just 1.85 lbs (840g), the DWARF mini easily fits into a backpack or large pocket. Its all-in-one, compact design makes it the ultimate grab-and-go digital telescope for hiking, camping, or traveling to dark-sky locations. Intuitive App Control & Built-in Sky Atlas Go from unboxing to your first shot in just 3 minutes! The DWARFLAB App provides a seamless experience with an interactive star map. Simply select your target and start exploring without the steep learning curve of traditional setups. Auto GOTO & 360° Pivot Freedom Enjoy pinpoint automated tracking with full 360° rotation. Powered by a high-sensitivity Sony IMX662 sensor (1/2.8-inch, 2.9μm pixels), it captures amazing, low-noise astro details, bringing faint nebulas and star clusters to life with stunning clarity. Pro-Level EQ Mode & Long Exposure Unlock advanced deep-space imaging with Equatorial (EQ) Mode. Supporting impressive single-frame exposures up to 90 seconds and featuring built-in light pollution filters, it easily cuts through city glow to reveal intricate celestial structures. Smart Cloud Processing & All-Ages Fun Effortlessly enhance your raw data with integrated cloud processing for professional-grade results. Perfect for beginners, kids, and adults, this telescope makes exploring and sharing the wonders of the universe an exciting, family-friendly adventure. The packaging is a pretty minimal affair with the outer box opening like a flap to reveal the plastic mould of the DWARF mini sitting in it. Below, the Sun filter, charging cable, cleaning cloth, and documentation can be found. DWARFLAB also provided a Mini Hydraulic Tripod ($89.99), and I highly recommend getting it if you plan on purchasing the DWARF mini, as it fully supports the motorized tracking feature of the telescope; plus, at 840g, the weight of the telescope, you will need a tripod that supports more than the weight of a smartphone anyway. What's in the box DWARF Mini Smart Telescope × 1 Sun Filter x 1 Type-C to Type-C Cord x 1 Cleaning Cloth x 1 User Guide With that out of the way, here are the full specs: DWARF mini Dimensions (DWH): 60.70 mm x 100.38 × 183.61 (2.39" x 3.95" x 7.23") Weight: 840g (1.85lbs) Aperture diameter: 30 mm (telephoto), 3.4 mm (wide angle) Image Sensor: SONY IMX662 1/2.8" (Telephoto) OmniVision OS02K10 1/2.8" (Wide-angle) Focal length: 150 mm (telephoto), 6.7 mm (wide-angle) Equivalent focal length: 1016 mm (telephoto), 45 mm (wide-angle) Shutter Speed: Tele - 1/10000-90s, Wide - 1/10000-30s Maximum exposure time: 90s (telephoto & wide-angle), Both in EQ mode Rotation range: Lens: 225°, Base: 360° Effective Pixels: 2.07M Maximum Resolution: 1920 × 1080 (Telephoto & Wide-angle) Built-in filters: Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (Telephoto), Astro (Wide-angle) Output: JPG, FITS, TIFF, MP4 Shooting Mode: Photos, Videos, Astronomy, Burst Shooting, Time-lapse Photography Storage: 64 GB Battery: Built-in 7000 mAh, supports external USB charging Charging Port: Type-C NPU: 1 TOPS Features: WiFi, NFC NFC One-Touch Connection Astronomy Post-Processing/Appointment Shooting/Astronomy Mosaic Wi-Fi Transmission Range: 15m (open environment) Color: Black Compatibility: iOS & Android smartphones/tablets Warranty: 2-years (24-months) MSRP: $399 Design Charge port On/off button Lens On the DWARF mini itself, it is a pretty minimal affair. On one side, there is a Type-C USB port to charge the non-removable 7000 mAh battery, and on the other side, a large button to power on or off the telescope. The button is flanked by an LED that is green when connected via the DWARFLAB app, or lights up red when being powered off. Below the button, there are four LEDs that indicate battery power. The DWARF mini does not have any sharp edges as all sides are rounded off; it has a good heft to it, but the weight of it feels quite balanced in the hand, so it isn't top or bottom-heavy. On the front there is the DWARFLAB logo which is quite small and there are no other markings on it. The tripod offers full 360° rotation of the motorized base, which allows for tracking for the time-lapse mode, but also for the 90-second captures of nearer objects in the sky, such as the Sun or the moon. Usage To get started, simply power on the DWARF mini and open the DWARFLAB app, tap on Connect, and it will scan for the DWARF mini over the Wi-Fi network. The device supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth for discovery, so connection issues were minimal in my experience with it. As previously noted in the specs, the DWARF mini will stay connected with a phone or tablet up to 15 meters in an open environment, such as a backyard. Lighting status Powering on: The green circular light will rotate and breathe in turn Powering off: The red circular light is gradually extinguished Connecting: Green light strip rotating Connected: Green light strip solid/always on 4 lights 1= 0-25%, 2= 25-50%, 3= 50-75%, 4= 75-100% battery power To view the full lighting status, such as tracking mode and connection failure, you can check the user guide on the official DWARFLAB page. DWARFLAB app Above, you can see the steps undertaken to connect the DWARFLAB app to my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Weirdly, I got an alert that a firmware update failed to get uploaded to the DWARF mini the first time, but upon retrying, it worked. Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device. Results I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May. Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro. The difference is clear. Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon. Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit. The Sun The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well. Tracking Sun Resulting (stacked) shot Live zoom The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p. Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom. I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it. Conclusion The good The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astrology accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures. The bad Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that. Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun. Where to buy and a coupon Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astrology, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me. The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below. DWARF mini for $399 on the official site DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S. Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21) As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader Dis Continued
    • The name, you mean? If so, it's actually the objects common name. There's another one called NGC 7293 which is also known as Helix Nebula (because we're looking at a helix structure top down) but other times also known as the Eye of God. You'll understand when you see it
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      505
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      272
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      75
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      71
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!