BenchmarkXPRT Development Community Blog

The things we do now

on August 18, 2016

We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the Microsoft Store added an option to indicate holographic support, which we selected for TouchXPRT. So, it was no surprise to see Microsoft announce that next year, they will release an update to Windows 10 that enables mainstream PCs to run the Windows Holographic shell. They also announced that they‘re working with Intel to develop a reference architecture for mixed-reality-ready PCs. Mixed-reality applications, which combine the real world with a virtual reality, demand sophisticated computer vision, and applications that can learn about the world around them.

As we’ve said before, we are constantly watching how people use their devices. One of the most basic principles of the XPRT benchmarks is to test devices using the same kinds of work that people do in the real world. As people find new ways to use their devices, the workloads in the benchmarks should evolve as well. Virtual reality, computer vision, and machine learning are among the technologies we are looking at.

What sorts of things are you doing today that you weren’t a year ago? (Other than Pokémon GO – we know about that one.) Would you like to see those sorts of workloads in the XPRTs? Let us know!

Eric

Posted in Benchmarking, computer vision, Future of performance evaluation, Holograph, Machine learning, TouchXPRT, TouchXPRT 2016, Virtual reality |

New device shopping tool helps consumers make smarter buying choices

By Eric Hale

on August 16, 2016

Durham, NC—The Benchmark XPRT Development Community has launched a shopping tool that includes side-by-side comparisons of today’s leading devices. The tool is part of the XPRT Weekly Tech Spotlight’s Back to School Roundup, which highlights leading devices and helps families and students choose the right tools for their educational needs. The tool lets buyers compare all‑in‑one PCs, Chromebooks, convertibles, laptops, and tablets running Chrome OS, OS X, and Windows.

“Our new tool lets buyers make comparisons using results from the XPRT benchmarks,” said Bill Catchings, co-founder of Principled Technologies, Inc., which administers the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community. “Heading back to school often means tech purchases, so we launched the tool with our Back to School Roundup.”

Principled Technologies tests the devices in the Spotlight using the industry standard BenchmarkXPRT tools: WebXPRT, MobileXPRT, TouchXPRT, CrXPRT, BatteryXPRT, and HDXPRT. In addition to the benchmark results, the side-by-side comparisons include photographs, device specs, and prices.

The XPRT Weekly Tech Spotlight debuted February 16, making it easier for consumers to shop for a new laptop, smartphone, tablet, or PC. Recent devices in the spotlight include the Intel Skull Canyon NUC, LG Chromebase, Acer Aspire Z3-715, Dell Inspiron 24 3459, HP Chromebook 14, and Apple MacBook Air 11. More devices come on line weekly; see the full list on the XPRT Weekly Tech Spotlight page.

Vendors interested in having their devices featured in the XPRT Weekly Tech Spotlight can visit the website for more details.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of technology marketing and learning & development services. It administers the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visit www.PrincipledTechnologies.com.

Company Contact
Eric Hale
Principled Technologies, Inc.
1007 Slater Road, Suite #300
Durham, NC 27703
XPRTSpotlight@PrincipledTechnologies.com

Posted in Press Releases |

Side by side

By Eric Hale

on August 11, 2016

We’re making a big upgrade to the Spotlight: It will now let you make side-by-side comparisons of any of the devices we’ve featured. You’ll also be able to filter devices by type.

We’ve also added pricing information to the Spotlight. The price of a device can vary a lot, depending on the options you select. We give you the price we paid for the device as we tested it. Because prices can vary over time, we also give the date when we bought the device.

We think these changes will make the Spotlight an even more powerful tool for helping with buying decisions.

We also created a special page, the Back to School Roundup. It provides side-by-side comparisons of 13 of the hottest devices to help families and students choose the right ones for their educational needs. We include a range of device types—all-in-ones, Chromebooks, convertibles, laptops, and tablets—and operating systems—Chrome OS, OS X, and Windows.

Going forward, we’ll be adding more advanced querying features. Of course, we’ll also add new devices every week.

Check it out! And, if you have any ideas about how to make the XPRT Weekly Tech Spotlight more useful, let us know!

Eric

Posted in BenchmarkXPRT, Chrome OS, Chromebooks, Cross-platform benchmarks, Education, OS X, Windows 10, XPRT Weekly Tech Spotlight |

Smarter shopping for Windows 10 devices

By Eric Hale

on August 4, 2016

Microsoft released the Windows 10 Anniversary Update for PCs and tablets on Tuesday. (The Anniversary Update for Windows 10 Mobile is rolling out on August 9.) Justin explained a couple of weeks ago how to run HDXPRT on current builds of Windows 10, and we have verified that those instructions work for the released version of the Anniversary Update.

We’ve also made sure that TouchXPRT runs with the Anniversary Update. When we uploaded the latest TouchXPRT version to the Microsoft Store, we checked the box to say it supports holographic devices. We expect it will work, but we don’t have a HoloLens available for testing. We would love to hear from anyone who has the developer version of the HoloLens about any issues and any tips for resolving them.

If you’re considering buying a Windows 10 tablet or phone, you should be using TouchXPRT to inform your decision. TouchXPRT 2016 is a Universal Windows application, compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. Like all the XPRTs, it produces a simple “bigger is better” score. You can find TouchXPRT scores online and in the XPRT Weekly Tech Spotlight.

Of course, you can also download and run TouchXPRT yourself. It’s available in the Windows Store or from TouchXPRT.com. Knowing the TouchXPRT score for your device is a great way to set a baseline for your next purchase!

Eric

Posted in HDXPRT, Holograph, TouchXPRT, TouchXPRT 2016, Windows 10, Windows 10 Anniversary Update, XPRT Weekly Tech Spotlight |

Why we sponsored the XPRT Women Code-a-thon

By Jennie Faries

on July 28, 2016

Have you been watching our “Women Coding for Change” series? Sarah wrote about them four weeks ago, and we just released the latest video in the series. We’re thrilled to be sharing them with you, and as part of the team that worked on them, I wanted to tell you a little about why we created these videos.

We wanted to give you, the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community, a window into the code-a-thon itself. We wanted to introduce you to the participants and show their work. But most importantly, we wanted to shed some light on the issue this code-a-thon addressed: the enormous gender gap in computer science.

As you may have already seen in “The Problem,” women hold just 22% of software development jobs. In high school, girls are only 22% of AP Computer Science test-takers. Women are generally underrepresented in STEM fields, but computer science is an especially male-dominated field.

Maybe that doesn’t sound like a problem to you. But the fact is, this gender gap hurts all of us. As technology becomes a larger part of all of our lives, the people who build and test technology increasingly shape how—and for whom—the world works. When women aren’t part of that group, it’s more likely that new technology won’t work as well as it could for everyone. Because computer scientists are 78% men, computer science as a whole is missing valuable input from those with different experiences.

And that’s just the beginning. The field is growing faster than we can keep up with it. In four years, 1.4 million computing-related jobs will be open in the United States. But at current graduation rates, we won’t be able to fill even a third of those jobs. That’s partially because there are so few women in computer science. If we could get more women to join the field, we’d be much closer to having 1.4 million skilled computer science workers to take those jobs and help our economy.

There’s one last reason we wanted to make these videos: representation. A 2013 study found that in family films and prime time TV, women represented only between eight and 34 percent of computer scientists. When young women see depictions of computer scientists in the media, they’re likely seeing people who don’t look like them.

The “Women Coding for Change” series shows an alternative picture. Women were the vast majority of participants and coordinators in the XPRT Women Code-a-thon. In the video series, viewers can meet those women and hear about their experiences.

That’s why the BenchmarkXPRT Development Community co-sponsored the code-a-thon in the first place. And it’s why we think these videos are so important. Once you understand the problem, you’re better able to help. (For more on how to take action, click here.) All of us need to be actively working to fix this issue. Take a look at the first six videos, and watch for new episodes coming soon.

Posted in BenchmarkXPRT development community, Women Coding for Change, Women in STEM, XPRT Women Code-a-Thon |

An anniversary update

By Justin Greene

on July 21, 2016

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update release is scheduled for August 2, and we’ve been running the XPRTs on the Windows Insider preview builds. While we can’t publish performance data from developer builds, we’re happy to say that WebXPRT and TouchXPRT run well on the Anniversary Update.

The story for HDXPRT 2014 is more complicated. Back in May, we reported that it would not run on more recent versions of Windows. However, we’ve identified steps that enable HDXPRT to run on the current stable Windows 10 build, as well as the latest Anniversary Update preview. It’s running well, but it’s possible that testers will encounter other issues as Microsoft releases new builds.

We have included the steps below. We’re considering an update to HDXPRT 2014 that will incorporate these changes. If you have any comments or suggestions related to HDXPRT, please let us know.

Justin

Summary
In addition to the normal system configuration requirements for HDXPRT, testers must also overwrite HDXPRT’s CPU-Z files with newer versions and change the default browser from Microsoft Edge to Internet Explorer. After configuring the system for HDXPRT testing, testers may encounter errors related to administrative privileges when attempting to launch Microsoft Edge. Returning User Account Control settings to their default pre-configuration state resolves the problem.

Process
1. Install the latest version of CPU-Z.
      a. Open any browser and download the latest version of CPU-Z for Windows
          (currently CPU-Z 1.76).
      b. Install CPU-Z on the system, using the default settings and installation path.
2. Install the HDXPRT 2014 benchmark using the default installation process. Reboot the system
    after installation.
3. Copy all the files from the C:\Program Files\CPUID\CPU-Z\ directory to the C:\Program Files
    (x86)\HDXPRT\bin, and overwrite the existing CPU-Z files.
4. Change the default browser from Microsoft Edge to Internet Explorer:
      a. Open the Windows Settings app and select System/Default apps.
      b. Under Web browser, click the Edge icon, and select Internet Explorer from the list.
      c. At the Before you switch window, click Switch anyway.
      d. Close the Settings app.
5. Adjust SmartScreen and security settings:
      a. Open Internet Explorer.
      b. Go to Settings/Internet options/Security, and make the following changes for the Internet
           and Trusted Sites zones:
            i. Select Custom Level.
            ii. Disable SmartScreen Filter.
            iii. Under Launching applications and unsafe files, click Enable (not Secure).
            iv. Click OK, and click Apply. If a warning message appears, click Yes.
6. Restart the system.
7. Open HDXPRT and run the benchmark normally.

If, after installing HDXPRT, you encounter an error related to administrative permissions when trying to open Microsoft Edge, return User Account Controls to the default setting, and restart the system. The default User Account Control setting is the third notch from the bottom: “Notify me only when apps try to makes changes to my computer.”

Posted in BenchmarkXPRT development community, Collaborative benchmark development, HDXPRT, HDXPRT 2014, Performance benchmarking, TouchXPRT, Uncategorized, WebXPRT 2015, Windows 10, Windows 10 Anniversary Update |

The things we do now

New device shopping tool helps consumers make smarter buying choices

Side by side

Smarter shopping for Windows 10 devices

Why we sponsored the XPRT Women Code-a-thon

An anniversary update

Check out the other XPRTs: