Lichdom review: A masterful magic system hobbled by ho-hum gameplay

Lichdom Lichdom is the first game to really get magic right. Unfortunately it does so at the cost of most everything else.

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I almost feel bad for the skeletons running towards me. Almost. I call ice down from the sky, a massive hailstorm that freezes the entire group in place. With a flick of the wrist my hand lights on fire, a fireball conjuring in my palm. I throw it at the nearest skeleton and it literally explodes. Shatters into dust.

The others break free of my ad-hoc ice prison, renewing their onslaught. One swings an enormous sword at me, but I get a magic barrier up just in time. The entire canyon erupts into flames from my shield, trees and grass burning to black. When the flames die down, no skeletons remain.

I almost feel bad.

Lichdom is Xaviant's attempt to strip the artifice out of video game magic. Going all the way back to tabletop role-playing, games have had to concoct all sorts of constraints in order to make it so an archer or a swordsman or a rogue could viably compete against magic. We've dealt with mana bars. We've dealt with memorizing spells. We've dealt with cooldowns. Video game mages have been neutered in the name of "balance."

Not in Lichdom. Through hordes both dead and living you'll unleash a torrent of magic in pursuit of revenge against some guy who killed your wife and slaughtered a whole bunch of innocent people for who even cares what reason.

The story is the biggest letdown in Lichdom—it's terrible. It moves from one cliché to the next without even pausing, much of it conveyed through Princess Leia-style holograms and off-the-beaten-path book collections. You even fight fantasy-ninjas at one point, in a town that doesn't hide its Asian architectural influences very well. And to top it all, the voice acting half-heartedly tromps through dialogue that has all the nuance of a soap opera.

This heard-it-a-million-times revenge story is the thinnest of pretexts to force you down a series of linear corridors. Quickly glancing at screenshots may give you the impression Lichdom is a wide-open RPG, thanks to our confirmation bias that every single fantasy-themed game is an RPG, but it's not. It's more like a first-person shooter with magic, replete with set-pieces arranged along a solitary path.

It feels like a proof-of-concept for a much larger game that Xaviant isn't ready to make. The centerpiece of Lichdom is the magic system. You can equip three spells (sigils) at a time, with the game giving you a choice between two new spells at periodic intervals. Each of these spells then breaks down into three separate modes: a missile attack, a shield/defensive attack, and an area-of-effect attack.

For instance, your first sigil is fire. You can shoot a fireball, block an enemy attack and (if timed correctly) release an explosion of flames from your position, or call fire down from the sky on an area. Same with ice, with lightning, with kinesis, et cetera.

As if that weren't complex enough, there's an entire spell-crafting system based upon tiered loot. You collect spell components from enemies and objects in the world, then use those components to craft new spells. Crafted spells can align to one of three affinities—destruction is based on pure damage, control is focused on restricting enemy movement, and mastery is a damage multiplier/debuff.

There's a lot of depth here. A lot of depth that's never explained to you. Not even the basics. Everything in that last paragraph is what I cobbled together from playing the game, and some of it I'm not even sure is right still. It took me four hours to figure out what "Mastery" did—by reading a forum post. It fits the "You're learning magic as you go" story, but it's frustrating when you're spending a ton of time in the crafting menu trying to eke one or two more points of damage from a spell and confused whether what you're doing is even making a difference.

Frustration mounts when you hit some outrageous difficulty spikes. The first boss in particular took me over an hour to defeat. Up until that point I'd only died once, fighting mobs of skeletons and other undead. Suddenly you're confronted with a hulking creature that can kill you in two, maybe three, hits. What's worse, every time you die you have to replay the same twenty second scene before jumping back in the fight.

Then you beat it and it's back to the same old run-headfirst-into-your-fireball skeleton mobs, as if the difficulty spike never even occurred. It's weird and poorly balanced and I can see plenty of people reaching that boss fight and never turning the game on again. And while that's the most egregious difficulty spike, it's far from unique.

As I said, it feels like this magic system deserves a more expansive game. Lichdom is great because it shows what magic could be like in other games. CryEngine 3 does a fantastic job rendering particle effects, and unfettered spell-casting is given the respect it deserves.

But Lichdom is clearly a game built around a system instead of the other way around. This one aspect of Lichdom is phenomenal, but the other myriad components are passable at best. I don't think Xaviant went quite as far as they could've—it's easy to find one spell tactic that works and stick with it, and kiting the dumb AI is still the easiest and most effective way to stay alive—but the bigger failings lie in story, in level design, and in basic tutorializing. Many times I found myself slightly bored by another corridor, another arena, another mob of enemies, another forced story bit.

Boredom in a game where I can call fire down from the sky? That shouldn't be possible.

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Review: For a tune-up suite, System Mechanic is a good choice

Iolo's System Mechanic is a $40 tune-up utility designed to fix, speed up, de-clutter and protect your PC.

When the scan is complete, System Mechanic 11.5 presents a full list of problems and offers fixes.

When put against popular free options such as CCleaner, System Mechanic is definitely heavier on resources, but is also richer on options. I pitted them against one another in a standard registry scan, and System Mechanic found just over 800 problems that CCleaner didn't detect.

System Mechanic is sold as an all-around PC care solution, and as such, includes no fewer than 36 different clean-up, management, performance, protection, and diagnostic tools. You can find each of these individual tools in the Toolbox, and you can use each one separately to target specific PC issues. Alternatively—and this is the recommended option—you can run a complete PC scan to detect problems such as misaligned and fragmented files, security vulnerabilities, errors in system drive, registry problems, system clutter, etc. You can opt for the quick scan, estimated at one to two minutes, or the deep scan, estimated at five to seven minutes.

When tested on my system, the deep scan lasted almost 25 minutes, including a hard-disk errors scan that you skip if you catch the prompt on time. Upon completion, System Mechanic called my system status "Critical," complete with a scary dial pointing at the very bottom of the scale. At this point, you can either choose to blindly repair all problems, or start digging into the individual findings.

System Mechanic includes many built-in tools, including a full hard drive optimizer.

The nice thing about System Mechanic is the way it makes itself relevant to many types of users. Don't know anything about these things? Click the big shiny "Repair All" button and be done with it, although this comes with the risk of deleting something important. Even if you choose to click "View Problems," there are still several ways to go about repairing your issues. For each problem found, you can either let System Mechanic make repairs in its own way, or open a specific wizard where you can see exactly where the problems are, find out more about them, and choose exactly which ones you want to repair. Each type of problem comes with a completely different wizard, made specifically for it, and in some of these, you can even toggle between Standard and Expert mode to access even more options. All in all, version 11.5 makes it fairly easy to understand the specifics of each detected problem, although some problems such as Internet configuration still lack specific details.

Reviewing scan results and repairing problems is part of the System Mechanic's Dashboard tab. From there, you can also toggle AcceleWrite, which supposedly ensures files are written with maximum efficiency on your hard-drive. Under the ActiveCare tab, you can enable various automated tasks which are supposed to keep your PC optimized after repairs are complete. For example, you can set the program to automatically optimize your startup configuration, automatically recover unused memory, automatically backup your registry, and more. The Internet Security tab keeps track of your malware, anti-virus, and firewall protection, and the Reports tab includes the IntelliStatus board where you can see your entire system status at a glance, and optimize things quickly.

System Mechanic 11.5 also brings a social twist to the tune-up business with the Soluto-like community results that can help you decide what to do about your PC's issues. Can't decide if a program should be in your startup? Get some inspirations from what other users decided to do.

When pondering a solution, you can sometimes see what other users have chosen to do.

It also comes with the usual SafetyNet,  an undo feature to use if you've gone and erased something really important. Done playing with it for now? Closing the System Mechanic window actually eliminates the process and closes the program, but a small agent stays on your desktop at all times, making sure you know the status of your system, and that you can get instant access to repair options.

In the sometimes seedy tune-up community, System Mechanic gives off a professional air, and feels like a pretty powerful tool. System Mechanic doesn't promise anything it doesn't deliver, and can provide total PC control even for beginner users. But if truth be told, a combination of free tools, common sense, and some patience can probably yield the same results. If you're already looking to buy a tune-up suite, iolo System Mechanic is a solid option, and one $40 license is valid for all the computers in your household.

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

Yaara is a foodie, horse-lover, and biologist who enjoys being a geek as a full-time job.
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Manage Your Files With System Navigator

If you want to move a file from folder A to folder B, or delete a few files here and there, then Windows Explorer has your basic needs covered. But if you want to do a little bit more with your files—share them on your favorite social networks, work with archived files, or secure your files—you need a file manager with a little more oomph. You need a file manager like ExeOne's System Navigator ($35, thirty-day free trial).

System Navigator features a dual-window interface that makes it easy to move and copy files.After you install System Navigator, it replaces Microsoft's Windows Explorer as your navigational system for your PC. The change does take some getting used to, as System Navigator replaces Windows' familiar folders with a more intricate interface that's full of unfamiliar icons and plenty of text. The result can be intimidating at first, as it1s hard to know where to begin. Add to that the fact that ExeOne's help is limited, and it's easy to feel lost in System Navigator.

If you're prepared to learn about System Navigator's many options through trial and error, you'll soon be impressed by just how much this utility has to offer. Its dual-window interface lets you quickly move and copy files, without the incessant dragging and dropping that Windows Explorer requires. If you want to preview the file in question, System Navigator lets you do that, too. You can even perform limited photo editing from within the preview, a nice touch if you only need to make a quick fix.

System Navigator includes plenty of advanced features, too. You can upload photos directly to social networks like Facebook and Flickr; you can create and unpack archived folders; and you can share files using the built-in FTP and SFTP client. If you want to burn files to a disc, System Navigator offers direct access to your computer's burner, and if you want to search for files, this utility offers an excellent built-in searching tool.

Getting used to System Navigator takes a bit of time, and learning your way around this full-featured file manager takes a bit of effort. But if you want to have complete control over your computer and its many files, you'll find that time and effort well spent.

—Liane Cassavoy

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Logitech Alert 750e Outdoor Master System Review: Terrific Resolution, but Supports Only Six Cameras

Both Logitech's outdoor (shown here) and indoor cameras deliver exceptional video quality.The most impressive feature of the Logitech Alert video surveillance system is the quality of its cameras, both in terms of the resolution of their video (960 by 720 at 15 frames per second) and their physical construction (the cases are fabricated from zinc, not plastic). The downside is their cost--and the fact that you can’t deploy more than six cameras.

You’ll need to buy a master system that includes either one indoor or one outdoor camera (priced at $300 or $350, respectively), and then purchase additional cameras for $200 (indoor), $230 (indoor with night vision), or $280 (outdoor with night vision) each. For our evaluation, we set up a four-camera system consisting of two outdoor cameras, one indoor camera, and one indoor night-vision camera. Assuming that you start with a master system that includes an outdoor camera, this package would cost $1060. (All prices are as of June 13, 2012.)

Networking

The setup we evaluated utilizes HomePlug AV powerline networking. In this kind of networking, electricity and ethernet data packets (including audio and video) travel over the same cable. This arrangement means you must have an AC receptacle within the vicinity of each camera you deploy, but you don’t need to string cable from your router or your computer to make any connections; you just plug Logitech’s HomePlug AV adapter (included with each master system) into an outlet near your router. Logitech provides a 10-foot ethernet ribbon cable with each camera, but you can purchase longer cables if you need them (a 50-foot cable is priced at $20, and a 100-foot cable costs $40). Each camera must be connected to a somewhat large HomePlug AV adapter (the indoor model plugs directly into a receptacle; the weatherized outdoor models, which have short pigtail plugs, should be secured to a wall).

Since Logitech routes the cameras' video through its own servers, you don’t need to futz with port forwarding or other complex router settings to enable remote viewing of your cameras. You can view live video from any PC, smartphone, or tablet with Internet access. To view recorded video or to control the system remotely, however, you’ll need to sign up for Logitech’s Web & Mobile Commander service (first year included, $80 per year after that).

The software can show all six cameras, but five are limited to very small windows. Fortunately, you can switch the order.We encountered no problems in our evaluation, but you should note that powerline networking can be problematic in some environments: If your home or facility has poor-quality electrical wiring, or if your circuits must also support machines that draw high amounts of electrical current, for example, powerline networking might deliver poor performance or fail altogether. If that describes your situation, or if you just don’t like powerline networking, Logitech also offers the same outdoor and indoor cameras set up to run on Power over Ethernet. The outdoor PoE model costs $240, and the indoor model is priced at $190 (currently Logitech does not sell the indoor night-vision camera configured for PoE). In addition to buying the cameras themselves, you’ll need to deploy a PoE ethernet switch to support these models (such devices start at about $80 for a four-port Fast Ethernet switch).

The Cameras

All cameras are equipped with microphones and motion detectors. You can fine-tune the latter using Logitech’s software, drawing independent zones within each camera’s field of view, and adjusting the camera’s sensitivity so that only large objects or significant motion will trigger the camera to record. You can also set up the software so that when the camera detects motion, it can send you an email or dispatch an instant message to your phone with a clip from the video. In our experience, however, this setting generated so many messages that we soon turned the messaging feature off.

Logitech’s cameras save motion-triggered video recordings to an on-board MicroSD card (a 2GB card is provided, but the cameras can support cards with up to 32GB of storage space). If you have a Dropbox account, you can set up the cameras to transfer recordings to the cloud automatically. Even without Dropbox, however, you can put the host PC to sleep when you’re not using it for other tasks, and save energy. When the PC is awake and Logitech’s software is running, the program will automatically prompt the cameras to archive their recordings to the host PC’s hard drive.

The cameras have excellent night vision up to 65 feet. Don't try to save money by putting an indoor camera in a window pointed outside, however, because the LEDs will reflect off the glass.Although Logitech’s cameras each carry a very good wide-angle lens, we wish that the company also offered a pan/tilt model. And if the cameras were outfitted with a speaker output, you could build a two-way video intercom system around them.

Bottom Line

The Logitech Alert system is top-shelf in nearly every respect: The cameras are rugged, they produce exceptional resolution, they record audio, they don’t rely on a host PC, and they’re easy to install and configure--even for remote viewing. We also appreciate the fact that they’re available in both powerline and PoE configurations, just like the Trendnet TV-IP322P. The one drawback is that the system is limited to a maximum of six cameras; although that isn't a problem for most homes, it might be inadequate for some businesses. If you’re looking for a video surveillance system you can deploy quickly, and if the six-camera limit isn’t a deal-breaker for you, we can’t recommend a better choice. The Swann DVR-4 2600 is almost as easy to deploy, but it's limited to four cameras and has a more restricted range.

Note: This review is part of a roundup of video surveillance systems. For more, read our introduction to the roundup.

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Today’s Deal: Advanced System Optimizer v3 Download for $29.95

Being tech journalists, we don’t typically like to advocate for the mob of registry cleaners, system organizers, and security checkers out there. But we have to recognize that not everyone is savvy enough to dive into Windows and tackle the nasty mess of an unmaintained PC. For those of you–our own mothers, fathers, grandparents, and other non-techy family folk–we’re suggesting Advanced System Optimizer, which is available for download for $29.95.

Here’s a list of what Advanced System Optimizer can help you with:

Registry Cleaner, Defrag, and Optimizer. These tools cleans the gunky mess known as the Registry and de-frags the system to better manage future info dumps.Disk Cleaner and Optimizer, which defrags the hard disk and improves storageWindows Optimizer and Driver Updater for tuning up settings in Windows and auto-updates drivers to save you the hassle of digging into programs and hardware settings.Backup Manager for saving system backups and collections of files worth protecting by duplication.Secure Deletion for safety removing files from your system once and for all.

Advanced System Optimizer is a useful tool for simplifying other actions on your PC too. Check out the full list at the link below.

You can get the software suite for $29.95 at Hermanstreet.com

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Hands-On With Mercedes Benz’s mbrace 2 System

The system, which will debut in early May in the SL 65 AMG, relies on a standard in-dash display, as well as a rotary knob and a function buttons. The fact that the display isn’t a touchscreen may seem jarring in this day and age, but we actually found the rotary knob provided a great amount of control. We can also see the knob as being a more practical feature than a touchscreen, especially when you’re traveling over bumpy roads that may cause you to accidentally choose the wrong option.

Data Connection

Mercedes representatives told us that the decision to include a data connection in the car, rather than through a tethered cellphone, because the data connection will always be on. The connection also serves as a means for Mercedes dealers to pull information down about your vehicle’s health. With a tethered connection, that information would only be available when you cellphone was in the car with you. The included data connection also provides Mercedes with the ability to push system updates to customers’ vehicles, rather than forcing them to visit a dealership for an upgrade.

During our time with mbrace 2 the data connection was spotty at best, a result of the interference from other connections in the convention center. Mercedes, however, assures us that the connection will be much more stable when it is installed in an actual vehicle.

Apps

In addition to the data connection, mbrace 2 is bringing with it a host of new Mercedes-developed apps including a Mercedes specific Facebook app, as well as Yelp, Google Local Search and AP News feeds. Each app features a standard operating mode, for when the car is stationary, and a reduced operating mode for when you are moving. The AP News app, for example, will provide users with complete articles when the while is parked, but when moving, you’ll only be able to view article headline. If you happen to spot a particularly interesting article, you can have mbrace email the text to you.

The Google Search app allows you to search for the location of various points of interest in your area and immediately bring the directions up on your system’s navigation panel. Perhaps the coolest feature of the Google Search app is its Google Street View integration. To use it, simply find the location you want to navigate to, right lick using the joystick, and select Street View. The image will then be displayed on your vehicle’s display. Turn the control knob left or right and you can rotate the image a full 360 degrees just as you would while using Street View in your web browser.

Mercedes says they have an army of 40 developers working on apps for their vehicles and expects to release a slew more in the coming months.

mbrace 2 App

In adition to its in-car functionality, mbrace 2 will also mark the launch of Mercedes’ new mbrace smartphone app. Available for both iOS and Android devices, the app allows users to unlock their vehicle, activate the horn and lights, call for concierge service and remotely lock and unlok their doors. But the killer feature of the new app is its Valet Minder, which allows you to set up a virtual fence around a certain area via your smartphone. If your vehicle goes outside of the fence boundary, it wil send an automated alert to the app telling you where the car has gone. It’s a great feature for using with both valet’s, in case they have dreams of going all “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on your ride, or if you have a young driver in the house.

Wrap Up

From what we’ve seen, Mercedes may have one of the most comprehensive in-car tech offerings on its hands. We’re a bit warey of the idea of having a 3G connection strapped to your vehicle, but the benefits of having at least some Internet access with you at all times are a huge plus. The fact that the company is developing apps for its own vehicles is an even more impressive feat. Still we’ll reserve our final judgement until we see the system running in a vehicle in early May.

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MojoMotor: Easy-to-Use Website Content Management System

Here is a problem both website designers and owners share: Once a website is created, who has to update its content over time? And how should they do it? The traditional solution for this problem is a CMS, or content management system, such as WordPress (aimed mainly at blogs) or Weebly. MojoMotor is one such content management system, but it prides itself on "doing less" and providing a lightweight interface both for developers and content editors.

MojoMotor's installation interface is stylish, but requires familiarity with database configuration settings.For a content editor, MojoMotor can't be much simpler to use: There is no administrative backend to log in to, or a complex workflow with multiple page states and drafts. You do need to log in so that MojoMotor knows you're allowed to edit, but once that's done, the only special bit of interface you see is a toolbar on top of the screen. The rest of your browser window contains your website just like everyone sees it, but with one important difference: You can edit the text and images.

MojoMotor features an easy WYSIWYG editor for website text.While you're viewing the website in MojoMotor's administration interface, certain parts of the page (such as its main content area, usually) are marked as editable and highlighted in color. To edit, just click anywhere in the highlighted area, and it morphs into a WYSIWYG editor with a simple toolbar for formatting text, creating links, and uploading images. You don't need to know HTML, Markdown, or any other special syntax. You do need to make sure that any images you upload are in the correct size for the website.

The default theme provided with MojoMotor looks a bit like a basic WordPress installation.MojoMotor is easy to use for designers, too. To design a website in MojoMotor, you don't have to know PHP: MojoMotor websites are created as static HTML files with special MojoMotor tags that the system uses to make certain areas user editable. This makes MojoMotor an ideal tool for front-end designers who can create great layouts, HTML, and CSS, but don't know the first thing about back-end coding and working with PHP.

Behind the scenes, MojoMotor works by using special tags.MojoMotor is not a one-size-fits-all solution: It is clearly aimed at small websites containing just a handful of pages. The system doesn't even include a built-in blogging engine, but third-party website MojoAddons offers a plug-in, MojoBlog, that lets users create a blog within their MojoMotor installation. Fortunately, MojoMotor makes it very easy to migrate your project to ExpressionEngine, a CMS from the same vendor that can easily support large-scale websites.

Because MojoMotor focuses on a specific use case and doesn't try to please everyone, it succeeds in creating a truly simple way to develop and maintain small personal and business websites. Its reasonable price tag and extensibility add to its allure, as well.

--Erez Zukerman

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Database System GS-Base Is Easy as a Spreadsheet--And the Price is a Steal

At $20, GS-Base 9 is very inexpensive and requires virtually no prior database knowledge to use. Furthermore, it uses a number of metaphors and options which should be very familiar to those comfortable with spreadsheets, a fact that makes it useful to a large set of business users who rarely venture away from Excel. Indeed, it shares many of the functions and syntax found in Citadel's inexpensive, but functional, GS-Calc spreadsheet program.

GS-Base offers grid, field, and pivot table views, but not much flexibility beyond that.Creating a database is GS-Base is straightforward; so is creating the tables within that database. The user follows the basic pattern of creating fields and setting their types. Once created, the table structure can be edited, using clear dialog box that displays the fields in a tree structure on the left, and the relevant options and values on the right.

Field types in GS-Base are fairly limited: Text (for short text, like names or addresses), Number, Date, and File/Image. Numbers can be formatted as currency, integer, and so on, but you can't directly specify that a field can only be an integer. You can, however, enter a formula into the field that will perform a conversion on entered data, such as rounding down entered values. Or, you're supposed to be able to; I was unable to get the formula to return anything but an error.

This really is the heart of all of my issues with GS-Base; there are too many small bugs that keep popping up and undermining what could be a very useful tool.

GS-Base allows you to specify formulas for fields, rather than having them contain entered values, and this is where a lot of the program's functionality lies. You can use formulas use to create references to other tables, for example look up an item's price and availability by referencing the item's name. The formula syntax of GS-Base is very similar to that of most spreadsheet programs: Few database developers would establish a relationship via "VLookup". In Version 9 of GS-Base, an auto-increment feature, which is virtually essential to make this style of relationship practical, has been... sort of... added. You can set a field to autoincrement, and then hit Ctrl-T after you enter a row to set the field value appropriately. While this is easier than manually entering a unique ID, it's still inferior to the expected behavior of an autoincrement field filling the data in automatically.

The most useful feature of GS-Base is the built-in pivot table feature. This allows for rapid totals and sub-totals of information, with the ability to easily switch how information is categorized and broken down. That this feature is so prominent further cements the concept that this is "The database for spreadsheet users."

GS-Base shows all data in a single window which can be subdivided in many ways, but which always fills the main program window. It is not possible to look at two tables concurrently on the same screen. You can see the "Table View" and the "Field View" for the same table concurrently, but can't swap them from left to right, or decide which should be on the top or the bottom. On the plus side, the memo field display does allow formatting of text, including changing font and size.

GS-Base has a lot of raw potential and fills a niche as an extremely low cost product that still offers the ability to do relational tables and meaningful analysis of data via the built-in pivot functionality. The wealth of formulas available for data fields, including aggregate formulas, could make this ideal for many small business, personal, and academic uses--if only there were fewer small frustrations.

--Ian Harac

GS-Base is an easy-to-use and portable database that will help you to transform your data into tables and quickly look up any information you need. Using this simple all-in-one solution you can save your time when printing forms, letters and labels or when sending personalized e-mail messages with customized attachments. Main features include: * Over 12 million records and 2047 fields in one table; any number of tables in one file. * Managing any type of data: numbers, plain text fields, long formatted text documents, images and any files. * Around 300 standard built-in formulas that can be used to automatically calculate field values, create filtering expressions or to create links between tables. * Pivot tables. * Extensive searching capabilities - searching for duplicate records or field values, full-text searches etc.; multiple sort keys. * Standard editing and formatting tools and options; Excel-compatible formula syntax, predefined numeric styles and user-defined styles. * Merging and Unmerging records: easy batch record updates based on other tables. * Printing tables, forms and labels; page templates. * Sending personalized e-mail messages with customized attachments. * Password protection and encryption, AutoSave and AutoClose. * Clean installation (no registry entries are required). * Saving tables as PDF. * Importing, exporting and editing text, dBase III-IV, Clipper, FoxPro 2.x and Excel 2003 XML files.

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Hands-on With Mozilla’s Boot to Gecko Mobile Operating System

Mozilla designed Boot to Gecko to create a more open mobile operating system which can run well on lower-end hardware. A company rep told us that Mozilla’s team posts all of its source code as soon as the code is done, something he noted that competitors don’t do. Even updates t0 Android, which is an open-source OS, are sometimes held back or delayed from source code release. 

Because the code is completely open source, handset makers and developers don’t need Mozilla’s cooperation to tweak it as they see fit. A Mozilla rep posited that phone vendors could end up creating their own versions of Boot to Gecko that look quite different. He also told us that developers could use the open source code to create their own custom ROMs so that users of current Android phones could change operating systems.

This week, Mozilla announced that Telefonica, a carrier that serves countries in both Europe and Latin America, will be coming out with devices based on the Boot to Gecko project. Mozilla says that companies like Telefonica are interested in its OS, because it runs so well on phones with low-end specs. By offering phones with single-core, low-MHz CPUs and less RAM that still get great performance, carriers can target cost-conscious customers in developing countries.

Start Speed & Interface

One of the first thing’s we noticed about Boot to Gecko was how fast it … booted. We couldn’t get any specific times down, but suffice it to say Gecko started much faster than the average Android start speed.

Running on one of Samsung’s Galaxy S II devices, Gecko looked spectacular. The lock screen has the feel of an Android lock screen, with the time prominently located in the center of the display, on top of an attractive wallpaper. To unlock the screen, users have the choice of swiping  up or down which reminds us a bit of Windows 7.5 lock screen, which requires you to slide up in order to reveal the home screen.

At the top of the screen, you’ll find an Android-like status bar completely with the time, battery status and Wi-Fi signal and data connection status, as well as a SIM card status indicator. The home screen itself is made up of a 3 x 3 matrix of shortcut icons to various apps and features installed on your phone. Three available panels mean you get a total of 27 different matrix cells to work with.

Swiping between panels was smooth as silk. In fact, according to Mozilla, swiped panels move across the screen at a blazing 60 fps. Below the app matrix at the bottom of the screen is a notifications bar that pops up whenever you get a new message. The notifications area was just fixed, not operational on our demo unit, but it seemed to fit elegantly within the confines of the screen, without taking up too much real estate.

Dialer & Contacts

Gecko’s dialer, like the rest of the operating system, is also an HTML 5 web app. In fact, even the dial tone uses an HTML 5 file. The dialer, and in fact all of Gecko, also supports haptic feedback.

We also were able to get a look at a prototype of Gecko’s contacts app. The feature loads your contacts from a database stored on your device that can be accessed by certain privileged apps. Gecko also works with Mozilla Sync, which will allow users to sync their contacts with Mozilla’s servers where they can be downloaded to another Gecko phone or accessed through Firefox or a compliant browser.

Apps & Marketplace

Thanks to its HTML 5 roots, Mozilla’s project Gecko offers the distinct benefit of being able to run apps pulled directly from the web. The nice thing is you generally won’t notice when a game is linked from the web. According to Mozilla, developers will be able to simply tell Gecko where an app lives on the web through its URL and place an icon for it on the operating system’s home screen.

We saw a demonstration in which a game was pulled from the web onto Gecko through the web and it launched as quickly and play as smooth as a natively stored game would. To appear in Mozilla’s app store, most games and apps must have an offline component so they can run even when connectivity disappears. Developers need to simply use HTML’s Application Cache feature to enable offline use.

Because the entire Boot to Gecko OS is based on HTML 5, most HTML 5 programs on the web can be run through Gecko, even if they were created before the operating system was. HTML 5 also means that web developers won’t have to learn a new programming language to create content for Gecko.

The Boot to Gecko Marketplace wasn’t live during our demo of the operating system, but we were able to get a quick look at a sample page  to get a taste of what to expect. The main screen features two large panels for popular apps. Below that are two more panels displaying popular apps.

Videos & Graphics

Boot to Gecko uses an HTML 5 video element for video playback. Videos play at HD (if the screen supports it) and offer sound, although we were unable to hear any during our hands-on due to the ambient noise from the show floor. Mozilla also said that the same full-screen playback we saw on the Galaxy S II will be available on lower-end phones. The Boot to Gecko build we saw was using the Galaxy S II’s CPU for playback, which is taxing on the device’s battery. However, we were assured that the Gecko team is working on that.

During our demo, we were also able to see how the HTML 5-based Gecko can take full advantage of a device’s hardware. We were able to check out an Open GL-based animation of a crystal skull (not the Indiana Jones type) floating over a sea of lava. As a Mozilla rep swiped across the screen, the skull pivoted around its axis, reflecting the changing light patterns caused by the lava. We were told the demo moved at roughly 30fps, which is certainly serviceable.

Compatibility

Boot to Gecko sits on top of a Linux Kernel and requires access only to basic hardware like the phone’s accelerometer, compass, camera, GPS and Open GL-capable graphics chip. Beyond that there are no major requirements, meaning that the operating system can be ported to a variety of devices and software.

For the Galaxy S II and other Android-compatible handsets, Mozilla is placing the Gecko code on top of Android’s hardware abstraction layer, allowing the operating system to take control of the phone’s various pieces of hardware. On the Galaxy S II, Mozilla’s developers took out the existing android, pulled out the proprietary drivers and added in the Gecko specific drivers and put the whole bundle back on the phone. The entire process is very similar to the way current Android mods like Cyanogen ROM are made.

Final Thoughts

So far we like what we saw out of Boot to Gecko. Its interface and UI are pleasant to look at and the stylish touches, such as being able to swipe the lock screen up or down, are certainly welcome. Perhaps the most impressive part of the operating system was its ability to run HTML 5-based apps, even when the handset we were looking at had no connectivity at all . We’ll reserve any final judgements on the operating system until it is completed, but for now its safe to say Mozilla is on the right track.

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