Motorola has taken the wraps off of its shiny new smartphone, the Moto X,
and will let consumers customize several of the outer components of the phone
such as the front and back case. All in all, the company said, consumers have
more than 2,000 combinations to choose from and will be able to pick their
particular flavor of phone through an online design studio.
Because the phones are assembled in the United States, Motorola promises
that it will take just four days for phones to get from your brain to your
doorstep. Consumers can pick the front- and back-plates of their phones, plus
their own accent colors, wallpapers and optional engraved message. Consumers can
either pick a 16GB or 32GB version of the phone.
Cover options include everything from basic black to woodgrain and
everything in between, the company said on its official Web site.
As for the technical specifications, the phone will ship with Android 4.2.2
and has 2 GB of RAM. The Moto X sports a 4.7-inch screen, 10 MP rear-facing
camera, 2 MP front-facing camera and has the capability to shoot 1080p HD video.
The phone does have the new camera interface that lets users call up their
camera app by shaking their wrist twice and tapping anywhere on the screen to
take a picture. This is the same camera software that Motorola unveiled last
week for its new line of Droid phones.
The phone also includes advanced voice control options that users can
activate by saying “OK Google Now” at any time.
While the phone only has two options for memory, users also get 50 GB of
free storage for two years through Google Drive.
The phone will be available first on AT&T and will cost either $199.99
or $249.99 with a two-year agreement, depending on how much memory you want for
the phone. Sprint, U.S. Cellular, Verizon and T-Mobile will all carry the phone
later.
AT&T has not released information on when the phone will be available
to customers — other than to say it will be available in late August or early
September — but those interested can enter for a chance to order their phones
early through a page on AT&T’s Web site.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Windows Retailer and sort by "noteworthy
Greater than nine months in to the terrific revamping known as Windows
eight, a clear vision of its core is lastly beginning to emerge. The baked-in
apps have been streamlined and Windows eight.1 looms, ready to polish the
various rough edges located within the original release in the operating
program. But Microsoft alone can’t increase what's truly the beating heart of
Windows eight: The Windows Store.
Windows eight revolves around the Windows Store. Each and every Reside Tile that glimmers on the modern-style Start out screen will be the iconic representation of a Windows 8 app-and you may only snag Windows 8 apps in Microsoft’s personal Windows Store. As the Windows Store goes, so goes the Windows eight expertise.
How, specifically, is definitely the Windows Store performing? The obvious indicators are mixed. Windows RT devices can run only modern-style apps, not desktop apps, and they’re tanking tough. But app submissions picked up steam around the time of Microsoft’s Make conference, culminating within the shattering of your one hundred,000-app barrier in early July, and they’re nevertheless going (somewhat) robust.
That’s a fantastic milestone for Microsoft, but it is still paltry in comparison to the about 1 million apps in Google Play and 900,000 apps in Apple’s App Shop. So it’s a very good time to take the pulse with the Windows Store once again: Is one hundred,000 apps enough to maintain a body delighted? As I did last February, I spent days scouring the Windows Retailer and taking notes in five significant categories: games, music apps, video apps, social apps, in addition to a catch-all “other” category-to see how nicely Microsoft covered each and every. Here’s how they all measured up.
In my original Windows Shop evaluation, I noted that the game choice was an early highlight-and it has only gotten stronger given that February. The number of offered apps has tripled in that time. When the roughly 13,500 available games don’t hold a candle to the vast Android and iOS libraries, there is certainly more than sufficient to keep you distracted for months to come. A good deal of them are ports from other platforms, but, hey, they play just as nicely on Windows.
In reality, they play so nicely that we’ve had two separate roundups of killer Windows eight games, with pretty tiny overlap. In case you open the Games tab inside the Windows Retailer and sort by "noteworthy," you’ll locate dozens and dozens of high-quality titles. (I’ve been playing Royal Revolt nonstop lately.) Microsoft Studios in specific has released a bevy of bodacious games like Pinball FX2, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, along with the Gunstringer.
Speaking of which, two games from Microsoft Studios-Skulls with the Shogun and Halo: Spartan Assault-aren’t just a blast-they’re also far-reaching, letting you play with gamers on Windows Phone and Xbox Live at the same time as with fellow Windows Store shoppers. That kind of cross-platform knowledge is an thrilling tease with the potential of Windows eight gaming in a 1 Microsoft form of globe. Here’s hoping it continues.
That’s to not say that all is well in Winny’s world, nonetheless. As described, even though the Windows Store game choice is impressive, it can not compare to the selections for iOS or Android-you won’t locate any mobile Walking Dead games or Grand Theft Auto ports here.
Windows eight revolves around the Windows Store. Each and every Reside Tile that glimmers on the modern-style Start out screen will be the iconic representation of a Windows 8 app-and you may only snag Windows 8 apps in Microsoft’s personal Windows Store. As the Windows Store goes, so goes the Windows eight expertise.
How, specifically, is definitely the Windows Store performing? The obvious indicators are mixed. Windows RT devices can run only modern-style apps, not desktop apps, and they’re tanking tough. But app submissions picked up steam around the time of Microsoft’s Make conference, culminating within the shattering of your one hundred,000-app barrier in early July, and they’re nevertheless going (somewhat) robust.
That’s a fantastic milestone for Microsoft, but it is still paltry in comparison to the about 1 million apps in Google Play and 900,000 apps in Apple’s App Shop. So it’s a very good time to take the pulse with the Windows Store once again: Is one hundred,000 apps enough to maintain a body delighted? As I did last February, I spent days scouring the Windows Retailer and taking notes in five significant categories: games, music apps, video apps, social apps, in addition to a catch-all “other” category-to see how nicely Microsoft covered each and every. Here’s how they all measured up.
In my original Windows Shop evaluation, I noted that the game choice was an early highlight-and it has only gotten stronger given that February. The number of offered apps has tripled in that time. When the roughly 13,500 available games don’t hold a candle to the vast Android and iOS libraries, there is certainly more than sufficient to keep you distracted for months to come. A good deal of them are ports from other platforms, but, hey, they play just as nicely on Windows.
In reality, they play so nicely that we’ve had two separate roundups of killer Windows eight games, with pretty tiny overlap. In case you open the Games tab inside the Windows Retailer and sort by "noteworthy," you’ll locate dozens and dozens of high-quality titles. (I’ve been playing Royal Revolt nonstop lately.) Microsoft Studios in specific has released a bevy of bodacious games like Pinball FX2, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, along with the Gunstringer.
Speaking of which, two games from Microsoft Studios-Skulls with the Shogun and Halo: Spartan Assault-aren’t just a blast-they’re also far-reaching, letting you play with gamers on Windows Phone and Xbox Live at the same time as with fellow Windows Store shoppers. That kind of cross-platform knowledge is an thrilling tease with the potential of Windows eight gaming in a 1 Microsoft form of globe. Here’s hoping it continues.
That’s to not say that all is well in Winny’s world, nonetheless. As described, even though the Windows Store game choice is impressive, it can not compare to the selections for iOS or Android-you won’t locate any mobile Walking Dead games or Grand Theft Auto ports here.
Monday, July 15, 2013
'The Walking Dead: 400 Days' an incredible expansion
The surprise success and glowing accolades bestowed upon interactive
adventure The Walking Dead is largely due to two characters: Lee and Clementine.
The ex-convict and young girl in search of her parents captivated players eager
to learn how they would fare together in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
Bonding with these two felt natural, making the twists and turns The Walking
Dead would take all the more gutwrenching.
But for expansion The Walking Dead: 400 Days, studio Telltale Games takes a different approach, focusing on the journeys of five survivors during the first 400 days of the apocalypse. Although players might not forge as powerful a connection as they did with Lee and Clementine, the expansion is another impressive example of Telltale's storytelling skills.
The Walking Dead: 400 Days is based near a truck stop, where an unidentified character views notes plastered on a board. It displays pictures of the expansion's five characters: Vince, Shel, Russell, Bonnie and Wyatt. Each person's story takes place at a certain point during the first 400 days of the apocalypse. For example, Vince's tale picks up on Day 2 of the outbreak, while Shel's adventure starts 236 days into the apocalypse.
The expansion serves as a bridge between the first series of The Walking Dead episodes and the upcoming second season. Choices made in the initial season carry over, and decisions made in 400 Days impact what happens in season two. There's also no set order to the mini-episodes, as each players can choose how they want to view the stories.、
For players new to The Walking Dead series, it's an interactive adventure that combines context-based action with expertly-written dialogue. The game consistently presents players with several challenging decisions that impact how the story unfolds.
As with the original Walking Dead, 400 Days' storytelling is top notch. Players may not spend as much time with the five characters, but each of their short stories is equally fascinating. There's Shel, who's taking care of her younger sister while inside a makeshift safehouse in an abandoned diner, and Vince, who finds himself on a prison bus for murder. Every story features a different perspective of the outbreak, yet boasts the same sudden turns and challenging dilemmas.
Also, the scenarios Telltale creates in 400 Days play out wonderfully. One encounter features a struggle with a gunman where players must frantically fight off a gunman while fumbling to escape. Between the combination of well-timed button presses and exploring with the thumbsticks, it's a dramatic sequence that finds players quickly -- and anxiously -- skirting death and leaving unharmed. It's hard to explain in too much detail without giving away key points of the story, but Telltale again conveys action in a way that heightens tension.
But for expansion The Walking Dead: 400 Days, studio Telltale Games takes a different approach, focusing on the journeys of five survivors during the first 400 days of the apocalypse. Although players might not forge as powerful a connection as they did with Lee and Clementine, the expansion is another impressive example of Telltale's storytelling skills.
The Walking Dead: 400 Days is based near a truck stop, where an unidentified character views notes plastered on a board. It displays pictures of the expansion's five characters: Vince, Shel, Russell, Bonnie and Wyatt. Each person's story takes place at a certain point during the first 400 days of the apocalypse. For example, Vince's tale picks up on Day 2 of the outbreak, while Shel's adventure starts 236 days into the apocalypse.
The expansion serves as a bridge between the first series of The Walking Dead episodes and the upcoming second season. Choices made in the initial season carry over, and decisions made in 400 Days impact what happens in season two. There's also no set order to the mini-episodes, as each players can choose how they want to view the stories.、
For players new to The Walking Dead series, it's an interactive adventure that combines context-based action with expertly-written dialogue. The game consistently presents players with several challenging decisions that impact how the story unfolds.
As with the original Walking Dead, 400 Days' storytelling is top notch. Players may not spend as much time with the five characters, but each of their short stories is equally fascinating. There's Shel, who's taking care of her younger sister while inside a makeshift safehouse in an abandoned diner, and Vince, who finds himself on a prison bus for murder. Every story features a different perspective of the outbreak, yet boasts the same sudden turns and challenging dilemmas.
Also, the scenarios Telltale creates in 400 Days play out wonderfully. One encounter features a struggle with a gunman where players must frantically fight off a gunman while fumbling to escape. Between the combination of well-timed button presses and exploring with the thumbsticks, it's a dramatic sequence that finds players quickly -- and anxiously -- skirting death and leaving unharmed. It's hard to explain in too much detail without giving away key points of the story, but Telltale again conveys action in a way that heightens tension.
The explanation, he says is that Computer
Microsoft nowadays released an update to OneNote for Windows RT and Windows
8, adding Workplace 365 help and making the on-screen keyboard dismissible.
You'll be able to download the new version now directly in the Windows Shop.
The biggest addition with this release is undoubtedly the capability to sign in with your Office 365 account. This suggests you could now very easily open your operate notes.
To complete so, tap around the Much more Notebooks drop-down menu inside the left pane, tap the plus button that says “Add a work or school account to view more notebooks,” and sign in together with your function or college account. It is best to see a list of not too long ago made use of notebooks seem in the left pane; tapping any of them should open it.
Subsequent up around the list is usually a modest but critical tweak towards the way OneNote’s touch keyboard operates. Though the feature has usually allow you to type anyplace, Microsoft has finally admitted that “you do not would like to kind.”
Because of this, you can now dismiss the on-screen keyboard so it is possible to see the whole screen for reading. In Windows 8 and Windows RT, the on-screen keyboard shows up whenever you tap into a text box and goes away whenever you tap outdoors. Tapping “outside” in OneNote suggests tapping into any empty space.
Some may perhaps see this as a minor detail, but it is in fact rather crucial within the touchscreen world that Microsoft has suddenly located itself in. Tweaks like this 1 make the difference involving a very good app along with a wonderful 1.
When these are the only two improvements Microsoft chose to highlight, the app has received a bit more within this release. The complete changelog is as follows.
In creating Windows eight, Microsoft produced a massive bet that adding touch capabilities to personal computers would aid revive an market that was having eaten away by smartphones and tablets. But Creative Techniques president Tim Bajarin, writing more than at Time, says his analysis has identified that generating touch such a vital part of private computers was a serious strategic error on Microsoft’s element. The explanation, he says, is that Computer users are so used to utilizing mice and keyboards that they see no benefit to touching their screens to have work carried out. So even though touch interfaces make best sense for smaller, portable devices including smartphones and tablets, they make small sense for personal computers which have bigger windows 7 ultimate activation key displays and that already come with trackpads or mice.
“While adding touch input to screens will not be a undesirable issue, persons getting able to adapt swiftly to touch as a primary type of user interface input on bigger PCs does not take place overnight,” Bajarin writes. “Early on, Apple’s scientists studied the kinesiology of arm movements in connection to keyboards and mice, and concluded that implementing any gestures in to the user interface worked greatest by way of a trackpad. The company also determined that picking the hand up in the keyboard location and moving it to touch the screen was unnatural, and factored that in to the final choice to add gestures towards the Magic Trackpad instead.”
The biggest addition with this release is undoubtedly the capability to sign in with your Office 365 account. This suggests you could now very easily open your operate notes.
To complete so, tap around the Much more Notebooks drop-down menu inside the left pane, tap the plus button that says “Add a work or school account to view more notebooks,” and sign in together with your function or college account. It is best to see a list of not too long ago made use of notebooks seem in the left pane; tapping any of them should open it.
Subsequent up around the list is usually a modest but critical tweak towards the way OneNote’s touch keyboard operates. Though the feature has usually allow you to type anyplace, Microsoft has finally admitted that “you do not would like to kind.”
Because of this, you can now dismiss the on-screen keyboard so it is possible to see the whole screen for reading. In Windows 8 and Windows RT, the on-screen keyboard shows up whenever you tap into a text box and goes away whenever you tap outdoors. Tapping “outside” in OneNote suggests tapping into any empty space.
Some may perhaps see this as a minor detail, but it is in fact rather crucial within the touchscreen world that Microsoft has suddenly located itself in. Tweaks like this 1 make the difference involving a very good app along with a wonderful 1.
When these are the only two improvements Microsoft chose to highlight, the app has received a bit more within this release. The complete changelog is as follows.
In creating Windows eight, Microsoft produced a massive bet that adding touch capabilities to personal computers would aid revive an market that was having eaten away by smartphones and tablets. But Creative Techniques president Tim Bajarin, writing more than at Time, says his analysis has identified that generating touch such a vital part of private computers was a serious strategic error on Microsoft’s element. The explanation, he says, is that Computer users are so used to utilizing mice and keyboards that they see no benefit to touching their screens to have work carried out. So even though touch interfaces make best sense for smaller, portable devices including smartphones and tablets, they make small sense for personal computers which have bigger windows 7 ultimate activation key displays and that already come with trackpads or mice.
“While adding touch input to screens will not be a undesirable issue, persons getting able to adapt swiftly to touch as a primary type of user interface input on bigger PCs does not take place overnight,” Bajarin writes. “Early on, Apple’s scientists studied the kinesiology of arm movements in connection to keyboards and mice, and concluded that implementing any gestures in to the user interface worked greatest by way of a trackpad. The company also determined that picking the hand up in the keyboard location and moving it to touch the screen was unnatural, and factored that in to the final choice to add gestures towards the Magic Trackpad instead.”
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
HTC Misses Estimates as One Smartphone Fails to Boost Sales
HTC Corp. (2498), the Taiwanese smartphone maker, posted second-quarter
profit that missed analyst estimates as the release of its flagship One handset
failed to reverse a slide in sales. Shares dropped.
Net income fell to NT$1.25 billion ($42 million) in the three months ended June, the Taoyuan, Taiwan-based company said July 5. That’s down 83 percent from a year earlier and trails the NT$2.17 billion average of 19 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Taiwan’s largest smartphone maker, which has seen its stock slump 80 percent in the past two years, released the HTC One into the U.S. in April, the same month Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) put its flagship Galaxy S4 on sale. New marketing plans and executive changes may help the company rebuild its brand after its global ranking fell to ninth behind Chinese handset makers ZTE Corp. (000063) and Huawei Technologies Co.
The stock dropped as much as 5.4 percent to NT$192 in Taipei today, the lowest since November 2005, and was 4.4 percent lower as of 9:18 a.m. Taiwan’s benchmark Taiex index lost 0.3 percent.
Revenue for the quarter fell to NT$70.7 billion compared with the NT$72.8 billion average of 21 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The company had forecast sales of about NT$70 billion.
HTC lost the early momentum of unveiling its HTC One in February prior to Samsung’s Galaxy S4 as a shortage of camera components forced it to delay shipments. A smaller version of the flagship will be released this quarter, Bloomberg News reported last month.
HTC fell to ninth in the global smartphone market during the first quarter, with 2.4 percent share, according to data from Bloomberg Industries and IDC.
Net income fell to NT$1.25 billion ($42 million) in the three months ended June, the Taoyuan, Taiwan-based company said July 5. That’s down 83 percent from a year earlier and trails the NT$2.17 billion average of 19 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Taiwan’s largest smartphone maker, which has seen its stock slump 80 percent in the past two years, released the HTC One into the U.S. in April, the same month Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) put its flagship Galaxy S4 on sale. New marketing plans and executive changes may help the company rebuild its brand after its global ranking fell to ninth behind Chinese handset makers ZTE Corp. (000063) and Huawei Technologies Co.
The stock dropped as much as 5.4 percent to NT$192 in Taipei today, the lowest since November 2005, and was 4.4 percent lower as of 9:18 a.m. Taiwan’s benchmark Taiex index lost 0.3 percent.
Revenue for the quarter fell to NT$70.7 billion compared with the NT$72.8 billion average of 21 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The company had forecast sales of about NT$70 billion.
HTC lost the early momentum of unveiling its HTC One in February prior to Samsung’s Galaxy S4 as a shortage of camera components forced it to delay shipments. A smaller version of the flagship will be released this quarter, Bloomberg News reported last month.
HTC fell to ninth in the global smartphone market during the first quarter, with 2.4 percent share, according to data from Bloomberg Industries and IDC.
Microsoft’s WPC, as its title implies
Microsoft will hand around its most up-to-date edition from the running
program, Home windows eight.1, to OEMs in late August, Microsoft’s Windows
advertising chief informed its companions on Monday morning.
Speaking at its Around the world Companion Meeting (WPC), Tami Reller,
company vp and main advertising and marketing officer for Home windows, claimed
that Microsoft would make the RTM (release to producing) version of Windows
8.one to OEMs by late August. Microsoft didn't say when Windows eight.one would
be launched to shoppers in its closing form, but background suggests that
Microsoft must a minimum of be on course to ship by Oct.
Microsoft’s WPC, as its title implies, is Microsoft’s chance to talk its roadmaps to its companions; Microsoft began its partner software about 20 years ago. In accordance to main govt Steve Ballmer, 90 % of the profits Microsoft realizes “in a way, form or form” is produced through the companions Ballmer resolved currently as component of a three.5-hour keynote tackle.
In mixture, all those partners experienced “quite a fantastic yr,” Ballmer claimed, with all of its associates escalating six.5 per cent above past 12 months, on base sales of $650 billion.
Ballmer’s information, mainly because it has actually been upgrade to windows 8 pro pack, was that Microsoft has reinvented by itself being a equipment and solutions organization, as an alternative to merely a computer software agency. “Windows has constantly been more a tool than a piece of program; it described a category of unit called the Personal computer,” he stated, whether they be, tablets, all-in-ones, convertibles, plus more.
Ballmer said that Microsoft’s companions might be demonstrated how Microsoft has enhanced in the cloud, specifically how Microsoft straddles the public and private cloud; “big information,” including how Microsoft programs to share Bing research facts with builders and supply general public facts to non-public clouds with the Azure Information Marketplace; how Microsoft’s social initiatives straddle several different merchandise; and cellular, specially how Microsoft supports its individual products and solutions from itself and many others.
Microsoft’s WPC, as its title implies, is Microsoft’s chance to talk its roadmaps to its companions; Microsoft began its partner software about 20 years ago. In accordance to main govt Steve Ballmer, 90 % of the profits Microsoft realizes “in a way, form or form” is produced through the companions Ballmer resolved currently as component of a three.5-hour keynote tackle.
In mixture, all those partners experienced “quite a fantastic yr,” Ballmer claimed, with all of its associates escalating six.5 per cent above past 12 months, on base sales of $650 billion.
Ballmer’s information, mainly because it has actually been upgrade to windows 8 pro pack, was that Microsoft has reinvented by itself being a equipment and solutions organization, as an alternative to merely a computer software agency. “Windows has constantly been more a tool than a piece of program; it described a category of unit called the Personal computer,” he stated, whether they be, tablets, all-in-ones, convertibles, plus more.
Ballmer said that Microsoft’s companions might be demonstrated how Microsoft has enhanced in the cloud, specifically how Microsoft straddles the public and private cloud; “big information,” including how Microsoft programs to share Bing research facts with builders and supply general public facts to non-public clouds with the Azure Information Marketplace; how Microsoft’s social initiatives straddle several different merchandise; and cellular, specially how Microsoft supports its individual products and solutions from itself and many others.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Is Sony prepping an Android phone with 4K video capture?
It’s just a rumor at this point, but it’s possible that Sony will be coming
to market with a new Android smartphone with a 20-megapixel sensor capable of
capturing 4K-resolution video meant for Ultra HD TVs.
As reported by the Xperia Blog, system software for the phone codenamed “Honami” was uncovered which indicated that video capability will handle the higher 4K standard because of the power inherent in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 chip. The chip’s specs state that it can handle both 4K and also stereoscopic 3D video and still images at a total resolution of 55-megapixels.
New camera modes are expected to be introduced to make use of these advanced features, though it’s not clear what will ultimately make it to the final product. The rumors also suggest that Sony will put its own stamp on Android to differentiate itself more from the crowded and competitive Android market. But again, details are vague, other than a revamped interface, apps and the new camera.
If this comes to fruition, it would be the first reported smartphone to offer 4K Ultra HD video capture, though there are standalone video cameras that can already do so. Ultra HD is still very new, and despite efforts to lower prices, content remains elusive, with true 4K-resolution Blu-ray discs only coming to market next year at the earliest. Sony has said a 4K streaming service is slated for launch this summer, but there has been no word yet on an exact date for that, nor how much content will be available and what it will cost to stream it.
Much like 3D first came to market, this may be a push to spur 4K adoption through user-generated content that can be played back directly onto a 4K Ultra HD TV. There’s also the possibility that competitors will be doing the same, particularly since Samsung, LG and Toshiba have also been working on 4K Ultra HD TVs.
As reported by the Xperia Blog, system software for the phone codenamed “Honami” was uncovered which indicated that video capability will handle the higher 4K standard because of the power inherent in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 chip. The chip’s specs state that it can handle both 4K and also stereoscopic 3D video and still images at a total resolution of 55-megapixels.
New camera modes are expected to be introduced to make use of these advanced features, though it’s not clear what will ultimately make it to the final product. The rumors also suggest that Sony will put its own stamp on Android to differentiate itself more from the crowded and competitive Android market. But again, details are vague, other than a revamped interface, apps and the new camera.
If this comes to fruition, it would be the first reported smartphone to offer 4K Ultra HD video capture, though there are standalone video cameras that can already do so. Ultra HD is still very new, and despite efforts to lower prices, content remains elusive, with true 4K-resolution Blu-ray discs only coming to market next year at the earliest. Sony has said a 4K streaming service is slated for launch this summer, but there has been no word yet on an exact date for that, nor how much content will be available and what it will cost to stream it.
Much like 3D first came to market, this may be a push to spur 4K adoption through user-generated content that can be played back directly onto a 4K Ultra HD TV. There’s also the possibility that competitors will be doing the same, particularly since Samsung, LG and Toshiba have also been working on 4K Ultra HD TVs.
And users of the new interface have found
Windows eight, which debuted past calendar year, was meant to bring
Microsoft's flagship working system into the post-PC period although continuing
to serve regular Laptop buyers. Unfortunately, this need to provide both camps
has yielded a program that serves neither specifically effectively.
Windows eight is oblivious to your context by which it truly is staying employed and disregards how consumers might desire to communicate with it. Its new "Modern" interface, which was designed with touch screens in your mind, but which standard Pc end users can't avoid, represents an important action backward in operate for them. And users of the new interface have found a slim variety of applications available for it.
Together with the new software package, users can elect to have their computers load the standard desktop interface once they convert them on -- rather than being forced to go through the trendy interface 1st. Microsoft has also restored the familiar -- and widely missed -- Start off button for the desktop taskbar.
Home windows 8 permitted customers to split the screen between two Contemporary purposes, but would only dedicate a couple of quarter with the display screen to 1 of these, when the other received the rest. While using the update, end users can display a lot more than two Modern day purposes without delay -- whenever they have got a big enough screen -- and may modify the amount of display space each will get. Likewise, consumers of Home windows eight.one can see two or more tabbed browser windows in Net Explorer, some thing they can't do along with the authentic variation of the working method.
And Microsoft appears to get focusing on boosting the amount and high quality on the applications people can make a choice from. There are now greater than one hundred,000 applications within the Windows eight retail outlet, and also the company announced at its developer meeting previous thirty day period that apps from Facebook, Flipboard plus the Countrywide Soccer League -- which can be well-known on iPads and Android products -- are to the way.
Microsoft has also included some new options to Windows eight.one. Between the very best certainly are a lookup element that queries the gadget, the world wide web and also the Home windows app retail outlet simultaneously; and a function that could automatically update your applications and sync them throughout your Windows products.
While these improvements are welcome, they don't resolve Home windows 8's fundamental complications. It's even now blithely unaware on the context during which its being utilised. Despite the brand new "boot to desktop" mode, you will still normally discover you within the Present day interface, even on a keyboard-and-mouse Laptop. And there's a fantastic chance that although you happen to be devoted to the trendy interface, you can expect to discover your self fumbling with the desktop, endeavoring to click icons which were designed for a pointer -- not your fingertips.
Relatively than restoring a well-used element, the new Commence button is just a facade. It won't carry back again the previous Home windows Get started menu, but merely takes customers back again on the Modern day household display. Buyers can configure it to point out all their applications rather -- in a very full-screen Present day view -- but even that check out doesn't copy every one of the attributes of your previous Commence menu.
Even with the brand new capabilities, the trendy interface remains a poor in good shape for standard Computer system users. The ability to indicate two -- or even three -- apps at any given time is not really a substitute for remaining capable to watch, stack and rapidly change concerning several windowed folders and programs.
And then you can find the app situation. Irrespective of the latest additions, the Home windows application keep gives end users significantly considerably less alternative than app suppliers to the iPad and Android products. For example, just one of your present leading ten paid out and top rated ten totally free apps out there with the iPad, is available as a Fashionable Home windows app.
http://www.discounts4software.com/microsoft-windows-server-2008-cid15
Windows eight is oblivious to your context by which it truly is staying employed and disregards how consumers might desire to communicate with it. Its new "Modern" interface, which was designed with touch screens in your mind, but which standard Pc end users can't avoid, represents an important action backward in operate for them. And users of the new interface have found a slim variety of applications available for it.
Together with the new software package, users can elect to have their computers load the standard desktop interface once they convert them on -- rather than being forced to go through the trendy interface 1st. Microsoft has also restored the familiar -- and widely missed -- Start off button for the desktop taskbar.
Home windows 8 permitted customers to split the screen between two Contemporary purposes, but would only dedicate a couple of quarter with the display screen to 1 of these, when the other received the rest. While using the update, end users can display a lot more than two Modern day purposes without delay -- whenever they have got a big enough screen -- and may modify the amount of display space each will get. Likewise, consumers of Home windows eight.one can see two or more tabbed browser windows in Net Explorer, some thing they can't do along with the authentic variation of the working method.
And Microsoft appears to get focusing on boosting the amount and high quality on the applications people can make a choice from. There are now greater than one hundred,000 applications within the Windows eight retail outlet, and also the company announced at its developer meeting previous thirty day period that apps from Facebook, Flipboard plus the Countrywide Soccer League -- which can be well-known on iPads and Android products -- are to the way.
Microsoft has also included some new options to Windows eight.one. Between the very best certainly are a lookup element that queries the gadget, the world wide web and also the Home windows app retail outlet simultaneously; and a function that could automatically update your applications and sync them throughout your Windows products.
While these improvements are welcome, they don't resolve Home windows 8's fundamental complications. It's even now blithely unaware on the context during which its being utilised. Despite the brand new "boot to desktop" mode, you will still normally discover you within the Present day interface, even on a keyboard-and-mouse Laptop. And there's a fantastic chance that although you happen to be devoted to the trendy interface, you can expect to discover your self fumbling with the desktop, endeavoring to click icons which were designed for a pointer -- not your fingertips.
Relatively than restoring a well-used element, the new Commence button is just a facade. It won't carry back again the previous Home windows Get started menu, but merely takes customers back again on the Modern day household display. Buyers can configure it to point out all their applications rather -- in a very full-screen Present day view -- but even that check out doesn't copy every one of the attributes of your previous Commence menu.
Even with the brand new capabilities, the trendy interface remains a poor in good shape for standard Computer system users. The ability to indicate two -- or even three -- apps at any given time is not really a substitute for remaining capable to watch, stack and rapidly change concerning several windowed folders and programs.
And then you can find the app situation. Irrespective of the latest additions, the Home windows application keep gives end users significantly considerably less alternative than app suppliers to the iPad and Android products. For example, just one of your present leading ten paid out and top rated ten totally free apps out there with the iPad, is available as a Fashionable Home windows app.
http://www.discounts4software.com/microsoft-windows-server-2008-cid15
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Apple hires former Yves Saint Laurent CEO for 'special projects'
Apple Inc has hired the former chief executive of French luxury group Yves
Saint Laurent for "special projects" reporting to Chief Executive Officer Tim
Cook.
"We're thrilled to welcome Paul Deneve to Apple," spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. "He'll be working on special projects as a vice president reporting directly to Tim Cook."
Deneve, who joined Yves Saint Laurent in 2011 after holding senior positions at fashion brands Courreges, Nina Ricci and Lanvin, held several sales and marketing jobs at Apple in Europe between 1990 and 1997.
It is unclear what special projects Deneve will be overseeing at Apple, which is still looking for someone to head its retail operations following the ouster of John Browett last year after less than a year on the job.
"We're thrilled to welcome Paul Deneve to Apple," spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. "He'll be working on special projects as a vice president reporting directly to Tim Cook."
Deneve, who joined Yves Saint Laurent in 2011 after holding senior positions at fashion brands Courreges, Nina Ricci and Lanvin, held several sales and marketing jobs at Apple in Europe between 1990 and 1997.
It is unclear what special projects Deneve will be overseeing at Apple, which is still looking for someone to head its retail operations following the ouster of John Browett last year after less than a year on the job.
Home windows eight handed Mac OS
Microsoft’s Windows 8 is currently a more common functioning process
compared to the reviled Home windows Vista, getting rid of a supply of
embarrassment as Microsoft’s most up-to-date OS gradually proceeds to collect
steam.
In accordance to Internet Applications’ NetMarketshare tracker, Home windows 8 captured 5.10 % of all desktop techniques the company tracks for the month of June. Vista’s marketplace share now stands at four.sixty two %. Naturally, each will need a few months (or a long time) just before they go Home windows XP and Home windows seven, equally of which dipped about fifty percent a proportion point’s value of share to complete the month with 44.37 % and 37.17 %, respectively.
There was excellent information within the browser front as well: Internet Applications also documented that World-wide-web Explorer 10 surged four.26 percentage points to complete with 13.fifty two per cent in the desktop market place.
That marked the main time that IE10, which shipped with Home windows eight (but can also be readily available for Windows seven), passed World-wide-web Explorer 9.0, which fell 3.68 points to 11.71 percent on the desktop industry.
The two numbers carry on to verify the momentum for Windows 8, which has struggled to lift its head previously mentioned both equally third-party operating techniques, together with its have rivals inside the Microsoft nest.
Home windows eight handed Mac OS X 10.eight in February. If Home windows 8 continues to raise its share at its latest rate of about 0.5 percentage details for each month-and if Home windows XP continues to say no at with regards to the exact rate-Microsoft would need about 32 months, or until eventually about February 2016, for Windows eight to go Windows XP.
Analytics agency StatCounter also place Home windows 8 over Windows Vista in its worldwide measurements of browser knowledge. StatCounter claimed that Windows eight captured 6.44 p.c of all PCs, vs . 5.ninety four percent at the commencing of June. StatCounter reported, nevertheless, that the variations of Mac OS X put together, at eight.fifty two percent, were nevertheless higher than Home windows eight.
StatCounter also described that Home windows eight handed Vista in June, when Vista share stood at five.4 percent.
Although the divisions concerning running programs were rather clear-cut, assessing the place the varied browsers stand involves a little additional slicing and dicing of your details.
Overall, Web Applications places IE in a very commanding direct, with fifty six.fifteen percent of the market place, versus fifty five.98 per cent in May-thanks to Microsoft bundling IE with PCs, needless to say. Web Purposes puts Firefox at 19.15 per cent, down from twenty.63 %, and Chrome at seventeen.17 %, down from 15.seventy four %.
Mix all Chrome variations, even so, as StatCounter does, as well as full share for Chrome climbs to 42.19 p.c, down from the high of forty two.68 % a month in the past. StatCounter puts all variations of Firefox five.0 and higher in a put together share of 19.14 p.c.
The underside line? Chrome, IE, and Firefox all continue being feasible browser platforms, with ongoing advancements to each.
http://www.windows7retailbox.com/microsoft-windows-7-professional-3264-bit-full-retail-pack-p-3527.html
In accordance to Internet Applications’ NetMarketshare tracker, Home windows 8 captured 5.10 % of all desktop techniques the company tracks for the month of June. Vista’s marketplace share now stands at four.sixty two %. Naturally, each will need a few months (or a long time) just before they go Home windows XP and Home windows seven, equally of which dipped about fifty percent a proportion point’s value of share to complete the month with 44.37 % and 37.17 %, respectively.
There was excellent information within the browser front as well: Internet Applications also documented that World-wide-web Explorer 10 surged four.26 percentage points to complete with 13.fifty two per cent in the desktop market place.
That marked the main time that IE10, which shipped with Home windows eight (but can also be readily available for Windows seven), passed World-wide-web Explorer 9.0, which fell 3.68 points to 11.71 percent on the desktop industry.
The two numbers carry on to verify the momentum for Windows 8, which has struggled to lift its head previously mentioned both equally third-party operating techniques, together with its have rivals inside the Microsoft nest.
Home windows eight handed Mac OS X 10.eight in February. If Home windows 8 continues to raise its share at its latest rate of about 0.5 percentage details for each month-and if Home windows XP continues to say no at with regards to the exact rate-Microsoft would need about 32 months, or until eventually about February 2016, for Windows eight to go Windows XP.
Analytics agency StatCounter also place Home windows 8 over Windows Vista in its worldwide measurements of browser knowledge. StatCounter claimed that Windows eight captured 6.44 p.c of all PCs, vs . 5.ninety four percent at the commencing of June. StatCounter reported, nevertheless, that the variations of Mac OS X put together, at eight.fifty two percent, were nevertheless higher than Home windows eight.
StatCounter also described that Home windows eight handed Vista in June, when Vista share stood at five.4 percent.
Although the divisions concerning running programs were rather clear-cut, assessing the place the varied browsers stand involves a little additional slicing and dicing of your details.
Overall, Web Applications places IE in a very commanding direct, with fifty six.fifteen percent of the market place, versus fifty five.98 per cent in May-thanks to Microsoft bundling IE with PCs, needless to say. Web Purposes puts Firefox at 19.15 per cent, down from twenty.63 %, and Chrome at seventeen.17 %, down from 15.seventy four %.
Mix all Chrome variations, even so, as StatCounter does, as well as full share for Chrome climbs to 42.19 p.c, down from the high of forty two.68 % a month in the past. StatCounter puts all variations of Firefox five.0 and higher in a put together share of 19.14 p.c.
The underside line? Chrome, IE, and Firefox all continue being feasible browser platforms, with ongoing advancements to each.
http://www.windows7retailbox.com/microsoft-windows-7-professional-3264-bit-full-retail-pack-p-3527.html
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Facebook is pulling ads from racy, violent pages
Facebook is pulling ads from pages that contain violence or sexual
content.
The social network said that on Monday, it will expand its definition of pages and groups that are too controversial to carry advertisements.
Facebook has sought to strike a balance between giving its 1.1 billion users the freedom to post what they want and providing advertisers with space to sell their products.
In May, Facebook lost more than a dozen advertisers, at least temporarily, after the activist group Women, Action and the Media urged an advertising boycott to protest hate speech on the Facebook site. The controversial content included grisly photos and mottos that encouraged rape, abuse and other violence against women.
The company said then that it would review its guidelines, update training for employees and increase accountability for those who post such matter. It also said it would work more closely with women's groups. Some of the companies that initially pulled their ads — including automaker Nissan and the car-sharing service Zipcar — said then that they were pleased with Facebook's response.
Facebook had already banned ads on certain pages. The new policy will expand on the categories affected by the ban. In the past, a company selling adult-theme products could have ads running on the right side of the page, for instance. Those pages will be ad-free starting Monday.
"We recognize we need to do more to prevent situations where ads are displayed alongside controversial Pages and Groups," the company said in a statement Friday. "So we are taking action."
Facebook will continue to remove entire pages if they are deemed to violate its terms of service. The new policy covers pages that are permitted, but controversial.
Facebook said the new restrictions won't have a meaningful impact on its business.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The social network said that on Monday, it will expand its definition of pages and groups that are too controversial to carry advertisements.
Facebook has sought to strike a balance between giving its 1.1 billion users the freedom to post what they want and providing advertisers with space to sell their products.
In May, Facebook lost more than a dozen advertisers, at least temporarily, after the activist group Women, Action and the Media urged an advertising boycott to protest hate speech on the Facebook site. The controversial content included grisly photos and mottos that encouraged rape, abuse and other violence against women.
The company said then that it would review its guidelines, update training for employees and increase accountability for those who post such matter. It also said it would work more closely with women's groups. Some of the companies that initially pulled their ads — including automaker Nissan and the car-sharing service Zipcar — said then that they were pleased with Facebook's response.
Facebook had already banned ads on certain pages. The new policy will expand on the categories affected by the ban. In the past, a company selling adult-theme products could have ads running on the right side of the page, for instance. Those pages will be ad-free starting Monday.
"We recognize we need to do more to prevent situations where ads are displayed alongside controversial Pages and Groups," the company said in a statement Friday. "So we are taking action."
Facebook will continue to remove entire pages if they are deemed to violate its terms of service. The new policy covers pages that are permitted, but controversial.
Facebook said the new restrictions won't have a meaningful impact on its business.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Although standard classes are out for summertime
School leaders say about $2,500 in destruction was completed to the
Godfrey-Lee university district athletic sophisticated early Sunday morning by
mysterious vandals.
“We’ve experienced some damaged home windows down there just before, but practically nothing to this extent,” said Godfrey-Lee Superintendent David Britten.
Law enforcement are investigating the early morning vandalism at Lee Discipline, which transpired concerning about 5 and 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, June thirty.
Britten stated stability cameras confirmed a pickup truck travel in to the unlocked area, which is situated off Godfrey Avenue SW at Lee Avenue in Wyoming, beside the district’s Early Childhood Schooling Heart and also the East Lee Campus alternative substantial university.
Soon after busting a few parking lot lights to darken the world, Britten explained the vandals broke into your football field’s press box, harming the public announcement process.
The vandals broke an grownup training moveable classroom window for the complicated and destroyed a faculty vehicle. They also broke via a garage door into the baseball subject push box and stole a flat screen Tv set, Britten said.
Police had been alerted into the vandalism from the school alarm technique, which Britten thinks the vandals activated by trying to enter the elaborate fieldhouse.
The incident lasted a few half hour, he stated. The initial harm estimate is about $2,five hundred even so the district is still compiling a injury inventory.
These types of disrespect demonstrated to the neighborhood useful resource is disappointing, reported Britten.
“Schools are having difficulties because it is,” he mentioned. “To believe that anyone has that minor regard they would steal from their own individual group is upsetting.”
Although standard classes are out for summertime, the athletic sophisticated is utilized for Tiny League baseball and several sporting camp activities, he reported, in addition as some summertime college systems.
The intricate has actually been hit by vandals before, but to the lesser diploma. Britten recalled an incident wherever a person previously broke in to the elaborate concession region kicked out some windows.
The fairly isolated community advanced was not gated “because we accustomed to roll it shut and it didn’t make any difference,” he mentioned. “There’s a great deal of unobserved ways to climb a fence and obtain in there.”
Britten stated the district may possibly take into consideration adding some added lighting for a safety measure when bond-funded track and area advancements get started this summertime.
“We’ve experienced some damaged home windows down there just before, but practically nothing to this extent,” said Godfrey-Lee Superintendent David Britten.
Law enforcement are investigating the early morning vandalism at Lee Discipline, which transpired concerning about 5 and 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, June thirty.
Britten stated stability cameras confirmed a pickup truck travel in to the unlocked area, which is situated off Godfrey Avenue SW at Lee Avenue in Wyoming, beside the district’s Early Childhood Schooling Heart and also the East Lee Campus alternative substantial university.
Soon after busting a few parking lot lights to darken the world, Britten explained the vandals broke into your football field’s press box, harming the public announcement process.
The vandals broke an grownup training moveable classroom window for the complicated and destroyed a faculty vehicle. They also broke via a garage door into the baseball subject push box and stole a flat screen Tv set, Britten said.
Police had been alerted into the vandalism from the school alarm technique, which Britten thinks the vandals activated by trying to enter the elaborate fieldhouse.
The incident lasted a few half hour, he stated. The initial harm estimate is about $2,five hundred even so the district is still compiling a injury inventory.
These types of disrespect demonstrated to the neighborhood useful resource is disappointing, reported Britten.
“Schools are having difficulties because it is,” he mentioned. “To believe that anyone has that minor regard they would steal from their own individual group is upsetting.”
Although standard classes are out for summertime, the athletic sophisticated is utilized for Tiny League baseball and several sporting camp activities, he reported, in addition as some summertime college systems.
The intricate has actually been hit by vandals before, but to the lesser diploma. Britten recalled an incident wherever a person previously broke in to the elaborate concession region kicked out some windows.
The fairly isolated community advanced was not gated “because we accustomed to roll it shut and it didn’t make any difference,” he mentioned. “There’s a great deal of unobserved ways to climb a fence and obtain in there.”
Britten stated the district may possibly take into consideration adding some added lighting for a safety measure when bond-funded track and area advancements get started this summertime.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Consumers have their hands full with mobile devices
Consumers are filling their hands, pockets and purses with smartphones and
tablets. One mobile device, it seems, is not enough.
Statistics bear this out. Increasingly, consumers from Silicon Valley to the Midwest, South and Silicon Alley are employing a business phone — increasingly, Android — as well as a fun phone filled with apps, usually iPhone. Add to that the ubiquitous tablet, and you have an armload.
Dual tablet-smartphones use is reflected in soaring sales figures for tablets — they are expected to whiz past PC sales for the first time in 2015, market researcher IDC says — and smartphones. Some 1.75 billion smartphones were sold last year, says researcher Gartner. (PC shipments surpassed 350 million in 2012.)
"Consumers are using devices based on what they need and when," says Bob Tinker, CEO of MobileIron, a mobile management and security company. "It could be a smartphone at a restaurant or a tablet on a train. It all depends on the task and space available. But they have multiple options."
Many of the new users in the family are kids: 37% of teens have smartphones, compared with 23% in 2011, says Pew Research Center.
What it all means in the real world is that mobile devices seemingly are everywhere. Restaurateur John McDonald watches customers stack their phones and tablets on tables or recharge them at restaurant bar outlets to replenish batteries.
"Before, it was either you used Apple or BlackBerry," says McDonald, a restaurant owner and entrepreneur in New York who recently added a Samsung smartphone to his handheld stash.
"Smartphones are our new, smaller PCs — and they are everywhere," says Rich Miner, general partner at Google Ventures, an investor in Divide, an app for the management of multiple smartphones.
Samsung has fragmented the market's dynamic and become the world's No. 1 smartphone seller, with sleek design, appealing technology and aggressive marketing.
Consumers juggle between phones to maximize battery use. And the choices of consumers have gravitated from traditional PC operating systems to Apple's iOS to, now, Android phones. The key is whose software — and apps — win out in the end, says Howard Hartenbaum, a general partner at August Capital.
Yes, some even employ the mullet strategy, named after the awkward haircut made infamous by country singer Billy Ray Cyrus in the 1990s — short in front (business), long in back (party).
Of course, there are consequences with so many devices in fewer hands, such as competition for Wi-Fi at major events and bloated phone bills.
Some $50 billion is wasted each year in the U.S. on unused voice, texts and data, says market researcher Validas.
That has spawned apps such as Divide and Zact, which help manage the cost of smartphones as they multiply among family members. FreedomPop offers a free service similar to Zact, which is a paid-subscription model.
Statistics bear this out. Increasingly, consumers from Silicon Valley to the Midwest, South and Silicon Alley are employing a business phone — increasingly, Android — as well as a fun phone filled with apps, usually iPhone. Add to that the ubiquitous tablet, and you have an armload.
Dual tablet-smartphones use is reflected in soaring sales figures for tablets — they are expected to whiz past PC sales for the first time in 2015, market researcher IDC says — and smartphones. Some 1.75 billion smartphones were sold last year, says researcher Gartner. (PC shipments surpassed 350 million in 2012.)
"Consumers are using devices based on what they need and when," says Bob Tinker, CEO of MobileIron, a mobile management and security company. "It could be a smartphone at a restaurant or a tablet on a train. It all depends on the task and space available. But they have multiple options."
Many of the new users in the family are kids: 37% of teens have smartphones, compared with 23% in 2011, says Pew Research Center.
What it all means in the real world is that mobile devices seemingly are everywhere. Restaurateur John McDonald watches customers stack their phones and tablets on tables or recharge them at restaurant bar outlets to replenish batteries.
"Before, it was either you used Apple or BlackBerry," says McDonald, a restaurant owner and entrepreneur in New York who recently added a Samsung smartphone to his handheld stash.
"Smartphones are our new, smaller PCs — and they are everywhere," says Rich Miner, general partner at Google Ventures, an investor in Divide, an app for the management of multiple smartphones.
Samsung has fragmented the market's dynamic and become the world's No. 1 smartphone seller, with sleek design, appealing technology and aggressive marketing.
Consumers juggle between phones to maximize battery use. And the choices of consumers have gravitated from traditional PC operating systems to Apple's iOS to, now, Android phones. The key is whose software — and apps — win out in the end, says Howard Hartenbaum, a general partner at August Capital.
Yes, some even employ the mullet strategy, named after the awkward haircut made infamous by country singer Billy Ray Cyrus in the 1990s — short in front (business), long in back (party).
Of course, there are consequences with so many devices in fewer hands, such as competition for Wi-Fi at major events and bloated phone bills.
Some $50 billion is wasted each year in the U.S. on unused voice, texts and data, says market researcher Validas.
That has spawned apps such as Divide and Zact, which help manage the cost of smartphones as they multiply among family members. FreedomPop offers a free service similar to Zact, which is a paid-subscription model.
These types of access to the encryption process
The Countrywide Stability Agency has backdoor access to all Windows
computer software considering that the release of Windows 95, in accordance to
informed resources, a advancement which follows the insistence with the agency
and federal regulation enforcement for backdoor “keys” to any encryption,
according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
Owning such “keys” is crucial with the export of any encryption permitted underneath U.S. export manage legal guidelines to international consumers.
The NSA plays a notable part in deliberations around no matter if these types of items might be exported, and routinely turns down any requests above a specific megabyte degree that exceeds NSA’s complex ability to decrypt it. Which is been the conventional for many years for NSA, as well as the departments of Protection, Commerce and Condition.
Laptop or computer stability specialists mention that the Windows software package driver utilized for protection and encryption features includes uncommon attributes which give NSA that backdoor entry.
These protection specialists have discovered the driving force as ADVAPI.DLL. It enables and controls several different protection functions. These professionals mention that on Home windows, it truly is located at C:\\Windows\system listing of anyone’s computer that employs Home windows software.
Nicko van Someren suggests the motive force incorporates two distinctive keys. One particular was employed by Microsoft to regulate cryptographic functions in Windows even though yet another in the beginning remained a mystery.
Then, two months in the past, a U.S. stability agency concluded which the 2nd critical belonged to NSA. Evaluation with the driver revealed that just one was labeled Vital while the opposite was labeled NSAKEY, according to resources. The NSA key apparently had been created to the software package by Microsoft, which Microsoft resources really do not deny.
This has permitted restricted use of Microsoft’s source code computer software which allows for these kinds of programming.
Access to Windows resource code is supposed to become very compartmentalized, in fact producing such steps much easier for the reason that a lot of the persons working over the software package would not begin to see the accessibility.
These types of access to the encryption process of Home windows can enable NSA to compromise a person’s whole operating process. The NSA keys are stated to become contained inside all variations of Home windows from Home windows 95 OSR2 onwards.
Acquiring such the key critical within your Home windows working process makes it “tremendously less difficult with the NSA to load unauthorized stability expert services on all copies of Microsoft Home windows, and once these stability companies are loaded, they're able to properly compromise your overall functioning process,” according to Andrew Fernandez, main scientist with Cryptonym Company of North Carolina.
Keep in touch together with the most important breaking news stories about significant developments round the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the high quality, on the internet intelligence information source edited and published by the founding father of WND.
Owning such “keys” is crucial with the export of any encryption permitted underneath U.S. export manage legal guidelines to international consumers.
The NSA plays a notable part in deliberations around no matter if these types of items might be exported, and routinely turns down any requests above a specific megabyte degree that exceeds NSA’s complex ability to decrypt it. Which is been the conventional for many years for NSA, as well as the departments of Protection, Commerce and Condition.
Laptop or computer stability specialists mention that the Windows software package driver utilized for protection and encryption features includes uncommon attributes which give NSA that backdoor entry.
These protection specialists have discovered the driving force as ADVAPI.DLL. It enables and controls several different protection functions. These professionals mention that on Home windows, it truly is located at C:\\Windows\system listing of anyone’s computer that employs Home windows software.
Nicko van Someren suggests the motive force incorporates two distinctive keys. One particular was employed by Microsoft to regulate cryptographic functions in Windows even though yet another in the beginning remained a mystery.
Then, two months in the past, a U.S. stability agency concluded which the 2nd critical belonged to NSA. Evaluation with the driver revealed that just one was labeled Vital while the opposite was labeled NSAKEY, according to resources. The NSA key apparently had been created to the software package by Microsoft, which Microsoft resources really do not deny.
This has permitted restricted use of Microsoft’s source code computer software which allows for these kinds of programming.
Access to Windows resource code is supposed to become very compartmentalized, in fact producing such steps much easier for the reason that a lot of the persons working over the software package would not begin to see the accessibility.
These types of access to the encryption process of Home windows can enable NSA to compromise a person’s whole operating process. The NSA keys are stated to become contained inside all variations of Home windows from Home windows 95 OSR2 onwards.
Acquiring such the key critical within your Home windows working process makes it “tremendously less difficult with the NSA to load unauthorized stability expert services on all copies of Microsoft Home windows, and once these stability companies are loaded, they're able to properly compromise your overall functioning process,” according to Andrew Fernandez, main scientist with Cryptonym Company of North Carolina.
Keep in touch together with the most important breaking news stories about significant developments round the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the high quality, on the internet intelligence information source edited and published by the founding father of WND.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Samsung's Latest Is Galaxy S 4 Zoom, 'Only Device You'll Ever Need'
Samsung says the Galaxy S 4 Zoom, its 10th new phone in the last three
months, is the "ultimate smartphone and camera experience in one."
Samsung introduced the Galaxy S 4 Zoom June 12, calling it "the only device you'll ever need."
The combination high-end camera and smartphone was unveiled 12 weeks after Samsung introduced the Galaxy S 4, its latest flagship smartphone. Since then, Samsung has also introduced the Star, the Nemo, the Win, the Mega, the Core, the Galaxy S Mini, the Galaxy S 4 Active and, just two days ago, the entry-level Galaxy Ace 3.
Who says creating great things takes time?
The S 4 Zoom runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), has a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 960 by 540 and can connect to up to six different band sets of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, as well as 3G, 2.5G, WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth and A-GPS.
To the technology features of the Galaxy S 4, it adds 10x optical zoom, a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, and OIS and Xeon Flash.
Samsung calls it the "ultimate smartphone and camera experience in one."
A feature called the Zoom Ring solves the matter of spotting a must-have photo while on a call. A twist of the Zoom Ring activates an In-Call Photo Share feature, so users can capture and send the image to whomever they're talking to. (Presumably, one can also just do a lot of uh-hum-ing, snap the photo and not share it with the person one is supposed to be conversing with.)
The Zoom Ring can also activate Quick Launch and Shortcut features, for instant access to various camera modes.
A Photo Suggest feature can help budding photographers grab a great shot by connecting them to a library of images showing how others have done it, and even suggesting nearby locations from which to gain the best vantage point.
In the same vein, Smart Mode Suggest takes into account light levels, focal length and face detection, and an optical image stabilizer helps to steady the lens when the user's in a shaky situation.
A Story Album feature lets users arrange images and videos in a timeline to share with friends, as well as edit images, and through a Samsung deal with Blurb, prints can be ordered directly from the device.
Using the Samsung Link, images can be transferred to a laptop or tablet, and with HomeSync they can be sent to a personal cloud.
"As communication continues to become increasingly visual in nature, people wish to capture and share their moments in the highest quality possible, but often do not have the space or inclination to carry a dedicated camera for this purpose," JK Shin, Samsung president, CEO and head of IT and Mobile Communications, said in a statement. "The Galaxy S 4 Zoom changes this forever."
The camera-phone includes Samsung S Voice, S Translator and ChatOn; 8GB of internal memory; and a microSD slot supporting up to 64GB.
It measures 4.94 by 2.5 by 0.61 inches and weighs 0.24 pounds. By contrast, the Android-running Galaxy Camera that Samsung introduced last year measures 5.1 by 2.8 by 0.75 inches and weighs 0.66 pounds.
Samsung offered no details about availability or pricing.
Samsung introduced the Galaxy S 4 Zoom June 12, calling it "the only device you'll ever need."
The combination high-end camera and smartphone was unveiled 12 weeks after Samsung introduced the Galaxy S 4, its latest flagship smartphone. Since then, Samsung has also introduced the Star, the Nemo, the Win, the Mega, the Core, the Galaxy S Mini, the Galaxy S 4 Active and, just two days ago, the entry-level Galaxy Ace 3.
Who says creating great things takes time?
The S 4 Zoom runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), has a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 960 by 540 and can connect to up to six different band sets of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, as well as 3G, 2.5G, WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth and A-GPS.
To the technology features of the Galaxy S 4, it adds 10x optical zoom, a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, and OIS and Xeon Flash.
Samsung calls it the "ultimate smartphone and camera experience in one."
A feature called the Zoom Ring solves the matter of spotting a must-have photo while on a call. A twist of the Zoom Ring activates an In-Call Photo Share feature, so users can capture and send the image to whomever they're talking to. (Presumably, one can also just do a lot of uh-hum-ing, snap the photo and not share it with the person one is supposed to be conversing with.)
The Zoom Ring can also activate Quick Launch and Shortcut features, for instant access to various camera modes.
A Photo Suggest feature can help budding photographers grab a great shot by connecting them to a library of images showing how others have done it, and even suggesting nearby locations from which to gain the best vantage point.
In the same vein, Smart Mode Suggest takes into account light levels, focal length and face detection, and an optical image stabilizer helps to steady the lens when the user's in a shaky situation.
A Story Album feature lets users arrange images and videos in a timeline to share with friends, as well as edit images, and through a Samsung deal with Blurb, prints can be ordered directly from the device.
Using the Samsung Link, images can be transferred to a laptop or tablet, and with HomeSync they can be sent to a personal cloud.
"As communication continues to become increasingly visual in nature, people wish to capture and share their moments in the highest quality possible, but often do not have the space or inclination to carry a dedicated camera for this purpose," JK Shin, Samsung president, CEO and head of IT and Mobile Communications, said in a statement. "The Galaxy S 4 Zoom changes this forever."
The camera-phone includes Samsung S Voice, S Translator and ChatOn; 8GB of internal memory; and a microSD slot supporting up to 64GB.
It measures 4.94 by 2.5 by 0.61 inches and weighs 0.24 pounds. By contrast, the Android-running Galaxy Camera that Samsung introduced last year measures 5.1 by 2.8 by 0.75 inches and weighs 0.66 pounds.
Samsung offered no details about availability or pricing.
Guthrie explained within the put up
Microsoft has launched numerous updates to Windows Azure to really make it
a lot easier for builders to make back again ends to mobile customer
applications.
The brand new abilities include cell expert services these types of as tailor made API help, Git resource manage support, Node.js Node Packaged Modules (NPM) assist and a new .Web API by means of NuGet. In addition, Microsoft is giving a cost-free 20MB SQL databases selection for mobile companies and Websites, too as Android thrust notification guidance.
"Windows Azure Cell Services delivers the ability to simply stand up a mobile backend which will be utilized to aid your Home windows 8, Windows Cell phone, iOS, Android and HTML5 shopper programs," reported Scott Guthrie, corporate vice chairman with the server and equipment enterprise at Microsoft, in the June 14 website write-up.
Setting up along with the initially preview, in accordance to Guthrie, Microsoft supported the flexibility for developers to simply increase their facts back-end logic with server-side scripting that executes as portion of client-side CRUD operations towards their cloud back data tables. Nonetheless, together with the new updates, Microsoft is extending this help even more and introducing the power for builders to also make and expose personalized APIs from their Cellular Companies back conclude and easily publish them to their mobile consumers without having to associate them using a data table.
"This capability allows a complete established of recent scenarios?aincluding the opportunity to work with facts resources apart from SQL Databases (by way of example: Table Solutions or MongoDB), broker calls to third get together APIs, integrate with Home windows Azure Queues or Provider Bus, function with tailor made non-JSON payloads (e.g. Home windows Periodic Notifications), route client requests to products and services back on-premises (e.g. with the new Windows Azure BizTalk Providers), or simply put into action functionality that does not correspond to your database procedure," Guthrie explained within the put up. "The tailor made APIs might be penned in server-side JavaScript (applying Node.js) and may use Node's NPM offers. We're going to also be adding guidance for tailor made APIs penned utilizing .Internet later on at the same time."
"This functionality enables a complete established of latest scenarios?aincluding the opportunity to get the job done with information resources besides SQL Databases (for example: Table Expert services or MongoDB), broker calls to third social gathering APIs, integrate with Home windows Azure Queues or Company Bus, work with custom non-JSON payloads (e.g. Windows Periodic Notifications), route shopper requests to solutions again on-premises (e.g. while using the new Windows Azure BizTalk Providers), or simply put into action operation that does not correspond to some database procedure," Guthrie mentioned inside the publish. "The customized APIs might be composed in server-side JavaScript (utilizing Node.js) and can use Node's NPM offers. We'll also be including guidance for tailor made APIs created employing .Internet down the road at the same time."
The new launch permits personalized APIs being prepared using Node.js, and also the tailor made API programming model follows the Node.js convention for modules, and that is to export functions to take care of HTTP requests.
"Integrating authentication and authorization with Custom APIs is really effortless with Mobile Expert services," Guthrie wrote. "Just like with info requests, personalized API requests take pleasure in the similar built-in authentication and authorization guidance of Cell Expert services (together with integration with Microsoft ID, Google, Fb and Twitter authentication suppliers), and it also allows you to simply combine your Custom API code with other Mobile Services capabilities like force notifications, logging, SQL, etc."
The brand new abilities include cell expert services these types of as tailor made API help, Git resource manage support, Node.js Node Packaged Modules (NPM) assist and a new .Web API by means of NuGet. In addition, Microsoft is giving a cost-free 20MB SQL databases selection for mobile companies and Websites, too as Android thrust notification guidance.
"Windows Azure Cell Services delivers the ability to simply stand up a mobile backend which will be utilized to aid your Home windows 8, Windows Cell phone, iOS, Android and HTML5 shopper programs," reported Scott Guthrie, corporate vice chairman with the server and equipment enterprise at Microsoft, in the June 14 website write-up.
Setting up along with the initially preview, in accordance to Guthrie, Microsoft supported the flexibility for developers to simply increase their facts back-end logic with server-side scripting that executes as portion of client-side CRUD operations towards their cloud back data tables. Nonetheless, together with the new updates, Microsoft is extending this help even more and introducing the power for builders to also make and expose personalized APIs from their Cellular Companies back conclude and easily publish them to their mobile consumers without having to associate them using a data table.
"This capability allows a complete established of recent scenarios?aincluding the opportunity to work with facts resources apart from SQL Databases (by way of example: Table Solutions or MongoDB), broker calls to third get together APIs, integrate with Home windows Azure Queues or Provider Bus, function with tailor made non-JSON payloads (e.g. Home windows Periodic Notifications), route client requests to products and services back on-premises (e.g. with the new Windows Azure BizTalk Providers), or simply put into action functionality that does not correspond to your database procedure," Guthrie explained within the put up. "The tailor made APIs might be penned in server-side JavaScript (applying Node.js) and may use Node's NPM offers. We're going to also be adding guidance for tailor made APIs penned utilizing .Internet later on at the same time."
"This functionality enables a complete established of latest scenarios?aincluding the opportunity to get the job done with information resources besides SQL Databases (for example: Table Expert services or MongoDB), broker calls to third social gathering APIs, integrate with Home windows Azure Queues or Company Bus, work with custom non-JSON payloads (e.g. Windows Periodic Notifications), route shopper requests to solutions again on-premises (e.g. while using the new Windows Azure BizTalk Providers), or simply put into action operation that does not correspond to some database procedure," Guthrie mentioned inside the publish. "The customized APIs might be composed in server-side JavaScript (utilizing Node.js) and can use Node's NPM offers. We'll also be including guidance for tailor made APIs created employing .Internet down the road at the same time."
The new launch permits personalized APIs being prepared using Node.js, and also the tailor made API programming model follows the Node.js convention for modules, and that is to export functions to take care of HTTP requests.
"Integrating authentication and authorization with Custom APIs is really effortless with Mobile Expert services," Guthrie wrote. "Just like with info requests, personalized API requests take pleasure in the similar built-in authentication and authorization guidance of Cell Expert services (together with integration with Microsoft ID, Google, Fb and Twitter authentication suppliers), and it also allows you to simply combine your Custom API code with other Mobile Services capabilities like force notifications, logging, SQL, etc."
Friday, June 14, 2013
Facebook releases information on NSA requests for user data
Looking to shield itself from a growing public backlash over damaging
revelations that it turned over user data to the National Security Agency's
clandestine Internet surveillance program Prism, Facebook said late Friday it
had reached an agreement to divulge some details about the government requests
it receives for information about its users.
Ted Ullyot, Facebook's general counsel, said the company had urged authorities "to allow more transparency and flexibility around national security-related orders we are required to comply with."
The result, he said, is Facebook's first-ever report on requests from the government for its users' information.
Facebook says that in the second half of 2012, the total number of requests for user data that it received from all local, state and federal authorities was between 9,000 and 10,000. Those requests targeted between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts. Facebook complied with 79% of the requests, it said.
The information does not break out national security requests.
"The government will only authorize us to communicate about these numbers in aggregate and as a range," Ullyot said. "This is progress, but we're continuing to push for even more transparency."
In a statement, a Google spokesman said the deal that Facebook struck with the government was not sufficient.
"We have always believed that it's important to differentiate between different types of government requests. We already publish criminal requests separately from National Security Letters. Lumping the two categories together would be a step back for users," he wrote. "Our request to the government is clear: to be able to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures, separately."
Google has gone to greater lengths than any other Web company to disclose the nature and number of government requests for information about its users through its semiannual "transparency report."
Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other technology giants have been pressing the Obama administration to allow them to publicly disclose more information about the national security requests they get under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.
The three-decade-old law lets intelligence agencies monitor the communications of non-U.S. citizens who are believed to be outside the United States and involved in terrorist or other criminal activities.
FISA bars companies from even acknowledging they have received such requests. That secrecy has created a firestorm of controversy after revelations that technology companies have been turning over foreign users’ data to NSA.
Google published an open letter this week to Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller to give it more freedom to share with users the number and scope of national security requests.
"Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the U.S. government unfettered access to our users' data are simply untrue," Google’s chief legal officer, David Drummond, wrote.
Facebook and Microsoft made similar public statements.
Ted Ullyot, Facebook's general counsel, said the company had urged authorities "to allow more transparency and flexibility around national security-related orders we are required to comply with."
The result, he said, is Facebook's first-ever report on requests from the government for its users' information.
Facebook says that in the second half of 2012, the total number of requests for user data that it received from all local, state and federal authorities was between 9,000 and 10,000. Those requests targeted between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts. Facebook complied with 79% of the requests, it said.
The information does not break out national security requests.
"The government will only authorize us to communicate about these numbers in aggregate and as a range," Ullyot said. "This is progress, but we're continuing to push for even more transparency."
In a statement, a Google spokesman said the deal that Facebook struck with the government was not sufficient.
"We have always believed that it's important to differentiate between different types of government requests. We already publish criminal requests separately from National Security Letters. Lumping the two categories together would be a step back for users," he wrote. "Our request to the government is clear: to be able to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures, separately."
Google has gone to greater lengths than any other Web company to disclose the nature and number of government requests for information about its users through its semiannual "transparency report."
Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other technology giants have been pressing the Obama administration to allow them to publicly disclose more information about the national security requests they get under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.
The three-decade-old law lets intelligence agencies monitor the communications of non-U.S. citizens who are believed to be outside the United States and involved in terrorist or other criminal activities.
FISA bars companies from even acknowledging they have received such requests. That secrecy has created a firestorm of controversy after revelations that technology companies have been turning over foreign users’ data to NSA.
Google published an open letter this week to Atty. Gen. Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller to give it more freedom to share with users the number and scope of national security requests.
"Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the U.S. government unfettered access to our users' data are simply untrue," Google’s chief legal officer, David Drummond, wrote.
Facebook and Microsoft made similar public statements.
Finest Obtain because of into the profusion
Microsoft Corp said it might open five hundred particular retailers within
existing Greatest Acquire Co Inc shops inside the United states marketing solely
Windows-based tablets and computers and also other Microsoft solutions in an
exertion to revitalize product sales of its flagship functioning program.
The world's premier software package organization, which previously features a chain of 70 or so of its very own Microsoft Retailers and kiosks inside of shopping malls, reported on Thursday the initiative would increase more than 1,two hundred Best Get Microsoft-trained profits associates that can help shoppers.
Microsoft's new Windows 8 running technique has marketed greater than one
hundred million copies given that start in October, but revenue of recent
tablets and PCs managing the computer software, and its personal Surface area
pill, haven't been as robust mainly because it hoped. An up to date variation
called Windows eight.one is scheduled for release afterwards this 12 months.
A part of the challenge has actually been that Microsoft has struggled to obtain the attention of consumers at substantial merchants including Finest Obtain because of into the profusion and recognition of Apple Inc's iPad and tablets functioning Google Inc's Android procedure.approach, which incorporates dedicating additional area to more-profitable products like tablets and cell telephones.
Most effective Buy, the world's largest buyer electronics chain, has also been trying to use its clout with suppliers to fight on the internet and discount rivals and increase in-store targeted visitors, profits and profitability.
The world's premier software package organization, which previously features a chain of 70 or so of its very own Microsoft Retailers and kiosks inside of shopping malls, reported on Thursday the initiative would increase more than 1,two hundred Best Get Microsoft-trained profits associates that can help shoppers.
A part of the challenge has actually been that Microsoft has struggled to obtain the attention of consumers at substantial merchants including Finest Obtain because of into the profusion and recognition of Apple Inc's iPad and tablets functioning Google Inc's Android procedure.approach, which incorporates dedicating additional area to more-profitable products like tablets and cell telephones.
Most effective Buy, the world's largest buyer electronics chain, has also been trying to use its clout with suppliers to fight on the internet and discount rivals and increase in-store targeted visitors, profits and profitability.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
First Borders, then Best Buy. Now Amazon's gunning for Safeway
For the last five years, Amazon has been working to figure out an online
business that has claimed its share of carnage -- grocery delivery.
Here in the company's backyard, it's deployed a fleet of green, refrigerated trucks to bring produce, meats, boxes of cereal, and more to customers' front doors 24 hours a day, whenever they choose. And the company has tinkered with pricing formulas, as well as the kind of goods it offers, trying to come up with the right mix that engenders loyalty and still earns a profit.
Asked, after so many years of experimentation, if the company planned to move AmazonFresh beyond Seattle at the company's annual shareholder meeting last month, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos sounded optimistic about the possibility, if decidedly noncommittal. He said that the AmazonFresh team has "made progress on the economics over the last year," adding that the company has "been doing a lot of experiments" to figure out how to please customers and make money.
Amazon has apparently hit on that formula. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that it quietly rolled out AmazonFresh to a second market: Los Angeles. And Reuters reported that Amazon will bring the service to the San Francisco Bay Area later this year, and could launch it in as many 20 other cities in the United States and abroad, depending on how well AmazonFresh fares in the two California markets. Amazon declined to comment for this article.
Why does Amazon want to deliver groceries -- a business where so many before it, notably Webvan and HomeGrocer, have failed? It's all about getting more retail dollars from consumers. Amazon's ambitions are as vast as its product selection; it wants to be a digital shopping mall where consumers turn for their every need, be it books, movies, clothes, electronics, or even groceries.
"Like everything, (AmazonFresh) is a wallet share play -- Amazon's attempt to capture more of the consumer's dollar," said Forrester analyst Sucharita Mulpuru-Kodali.
AmazonFresh has the potential, perhaps more than any other Amazon business, to habituate customers into buying from the company regularly. Unlike buying books, movies, and so much else that Amazon offers, shopping for groceries is a weekly, or even daily, activity. If Amazon can persuade consumers to buy their milk, bread, shampoo and laundry detergent from AmazonFresh, it may well move itself one step closer to convincing them to purchase other items from the company as well.
The grocery delivery service isn't just about capturing more retail dollars, though. Amazon will be able to capture more data about customers as well. Just as it uses its insights about the books that customers have purchased in order to recommend similar titles, it can learn more about consumers based on groceries they buy. Those details can be plugged into algorithms that can predict what might be of interest, then target products and ads to those shoppers.
Moreover, AmazonFresh moves Amazon even closer to its customers, who often rely on the United Parcel Service or the U.S. Postal Service to deliver its goods. With AmazonFresh, customers get goods directly from Amazon.
And in the long-running Seattle trial, they can order more than just cheese and crackers. Along with groceries, shoppers can pick up Walter Isaacson's best-selling book "Steve Jobs" for $17.74, a set of $299 Bose QuietComfort 15 noise-canceling headphones, and the B.O.B. Revolution SE baby stroller for $335.56. And they can get it all within hours of placing their order. AmazonFresh could help Amazon figure out delivering online purchases at a speed most of its retail rivals can't touch.
For all the promise, there are plenty of pitfalls for Amazon. Despite the bloodshed in the online grocery business during the dot.com boom, there's still plenty of competition. Two companies, FreshDirect and Peapod, continue to develop their own online grocery delivery services, focusing primarily on the east coast. Walmart is testing its Walmart To Go service in a handful of U.S. cities. And a handful of supermarket chains, such as Safeway, offer home delivery in certain markets.
In addition to the competition, Amazon will have to accept the slim margins of the grocery business. That's rarely been an issue for Amazon, which has throughout its existence, squeezed rivals from markets by selling goods for the narrowest of profits.
In the grocery business, though, margins are already tiny. Amazon will be hard-pressed to compete on price. Indeed, surveys by The Seattle Times and Seattle-based Geekwire show that prices at AmazonFresh are often higher than at local markets. What's more, Amazon charges $10 to deliver most orders under $100.
Amazon has tinkered with its formula in Seattle to find success. Here, AmazonFresh has rolled out "Seattle Spotlight," a section of the site that offers foods from some of the city's best known spots, such as Top Pot Doughnuts, the Pike Place Fish Market, and Caffe Vita. It even offers dinner fare such as lasagna and panna cotta La Spiga, a top Italian restaurant, and comfort food, such as meatloaf and chipotle mac n' cheese from Skillet, another popular dining spot.
"This is going to be very, very expensive for them," Forrester's Mulpuru-Kodali said. "It's going to be hard to make a profit in this space and even Amazon doesn't have infinite resources to lose money forever."
But for Amazon, the gambit isn't about making money from online grocery delivery. It's about getting people in the habit of buying everything they could possibly need from Amazon. If the company can pull that off, it knows the profits will eventually come.
Here in the company's backyard, it's deployed a fleet of green, refrigerated trucks to bring produce, meats, boxes of cereal, and more to customers' front doors 24 hours a day, whenever they choose. And the company has tinkered with pricing formulas, as well as the kind of goods it offers, trying to come up with the right mix that engenders loyalty and still earns a profit.
Asked, after so many years of experimentation, if the company planned to move AmazonFresh beyond Seattle at the company's annual shareholder meeting last month, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos sounded optimistic about the possibility, if decidedly noncommittal. He said that the AmazonFresh team has "made progress on the economics over the last year," adding that the company has "been doing a lot of experiments" to figure out how to please customers and make money.
Amazon has apparently hit on that formula. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that it quietly rolled out AmazonFresh to a second market: Los Angeles. And Reuters reported that Amazon will bring the service to the San Francisco Bay Area later this year, and could launch it in as many 20 other cities in the United States and abroad, depending on how well AmazonFresh fares in the two California markets. Amazon declined to comment for this article.
Why does Amazon want to deliver groceries -- a business where so many before it, notably Webvan and HomeGrocer, have failed? It's all about getting more retail dollars from consumers. Amazon's ambitions are as vast as its product selection; it wants to be a digital shopping mall where consumers turn for their every need, be it books, movies, clothes, electronics, or even groceries.
"Like everything, (AmazonFresh) is a wallet share play -- Amazon's attempt to capture more of the consumer's dollar," said Forrester analyst Sucharita Mulpuru-Kodali.
AmazonFresh has the potential, perhaps more than any other Amazon business, to habituate customers into buying from the company regularly. Unlike buying books, movies, and so much else that Amazon offers, shopping for groceries is a weekly, or even daily, activity. If Amazon can persuade consumers to buy their milk, bread, shampoo and laundry detergent from AmazonFresh, it may well move itself one step closer to convincing them to purchase other items from the company as well.
The grocery delivery service isn't just about capturing more retail dollars, though. Amazon will be able to capture more data about customers as well. Just as it uses its insights about the books that customers have purchased in order to recommend similar titles, it can learn more about consumers based on groceries they buy. Those details can be plugged into algorithms that can predict what might be of interest, then target products and ads to those shoppers.
Moreover, AmazonFresh moves Amazon even closer to its customers, who often rely on the United Parcel Service or the U.S. Postal Service to deliver its goods. With AmazonFresh, customers get goods directly from Amazon.
And in the long-running Seattle trial, they can order more than just cheese and crackers. Along with groceries, shoppers can pick up Walter Isaacson's best-selling book "Steve Jobs" for $17.74, a set of $299 Bose QuietComfort 15 noise-canceling headphones, and the B.O.B. Revolution SE baby stroller for $335.56. And they can get it all within hours of placing their order. AmazonFresh could help Amazon figure out delivering online purchases at a speed most of its retail rivals can't touch.
For all the promise, there are plenty of pitfalls for Amazon. Despite the bloodshed in the online grocery business during the dot.com boom, there's still plenty of competition. Two companies, FreshDirect and Peapod, continue to develop their own online grocery delivery services, focusing primarily on the east coast. Walmart is testing its Walmart To Go service in a handful of U.S. cities. And a handful of supermarket chains, such as Safeway, offer home delivery in certain markets.
In addition to the competition, Amazon will have to accept the slim margins of the grocery business. That's rarely been an issue for Amazon, which has throughout its existence, squeezed rivals from markets by selling goods for the narrowest of profits.
In the grocery business, though, margins are already tiny. Amazon will be hard-pressed to compete on price. Indeed, surveys by The Seattle Times and Seattle-based Geekwire show that prices at AmazonFresh are often higher than at local markets. What's more, Amazon charges $10 to deliver most orders under $100.
Amazon has tinkered with its formula in Seattle to find success. Here, AmazonFresh has rolled out "Seattle Spotlight," a section of the site that offers foods from some of the city's best known spots, such as Top Pot Doughnuts, the Pike Place Fish Market, and Caffe Vita. It even offers dinner fare such as lasagna and panna cotta La Spiga, a top Italian restaurant, and comfort food, such as meatloaf and chipotle mac n' cheese from Skillet, another popular dining spot.
"This is going to be very, very expensive for them," Forrester's Mulpuru-Kodali said. "It's going to be hard to make a profit in this space and even Amazon doesn't have infinite resources to lose money forever."
But for Amazon, the gambit isn't about making money from online grocery delivery. It's about getting people in the habit of buying everything they could possibly need from Amazon. If the company can pull that off, it knows the profits will eventually come.
Leblond also talked up some formerly disclosed
Some Windows OEMs showed off coming compact form-factor Home windows 8
tablets as element of Computex this 7 days.
Microsoft failed to get the wraps off its rumored 8-inch Area on the clearly show. Though the corporation did share a couple of much more tidbits about a lot of the variations it's creating to Windows 8 together with the 8.1 "Blue" launch that can likely make these smaller sized devices far more usable.
Among the new small-screen gadgets that Microsoft's companions showed this week were the 8-inch Acer Iconia W3 (with the outsized keyboard); the Lenovo MiiX 8, an 8-inch tablet with a stylus and 3G; 8-inch AMD Temash-based reference machines from Gigabyte and Quanta that corporations can personalize; as well as the 7-inch quad-core Inventec gadget.
A person from the critical alterations Microsoft is touting for this coming era of gadgets is improved portrait-mode help. Home windows Corporate Vice president of System Administration Antoine Lebond discussed what's approaching the portrait-mode entrance for the duration of his remarks at Computex this 7 days:
We did some function in Home windows eight.one to own portrait-specific Get started monitor layouts that work a great deal improved. The entire applications which can be in the box truly function just as very well in portrait mode as they function in landscape.
We did some get the job done within the product interface amount about edge detection and such things as that for making it easier to possess smaller sized bezels on these products so that OEMs and folk who build products similar to this could establish exactly the sorts of gadgets they need, and Home windows eight.one will probably be good on them.
Which is fantastic news for anyone that has been pissed off when looking to use their Surface RT or Professional -- or other Home windows eight or Home windows RT tablets -- in portrait method to no avail.
Leblond also talked up some formerly disclosed Windows 8.1 features, including the Metrofied Computer Configurations, far more flexible Snap selections, and touch-keyboard autosuggestion improvements as generating smaller-screen Home windows 8 gadgets workable.
Microsoft's disclosure before this 7 days that it'll make Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote (Office Dwelling & Student 2013) available on sub-10-inch Intel-based Windows eight.1 products left some scratching their heads, as desktop versions of these apps on Business office are not touch-optimized.
I'm wondering if Microsoft might be making the Metro/Windows Store versions of these applications available while in the box, instead. The Metro-Style versions of these four apps are in development as part of Microsoft's "Gemini" wave of products. Maybe there's a Metro version of your Office Home & Student 2013 SKU coming?
http://www.windows7retailbox.com/microsoft-office-professional-plus-2010-full-retail-pack-p-3547.html
Microsoft failed to get the wraps off its rumored 8-inch Area on the clearly show. Though the corporation did share a couple of much more tidbits about a lot of the variations it's creating to Windows 8 together with the 8.1 "Blue" launch that can likely make these smaller sized devices far more usable.
Among the new small-screen gadgets that Microsoft's companions showed this week were the 8-inch Acer Iconia W3 (with the outsized keyboard); the Lenovo MiiX 8, an 8-inch tablet with a stylus and 3G; 8-inch AMD Temash-based reference machines from Gigabyte and Quanta that corporations can personalize; as well as the 7-inch quad-core Inventec gadget.
A person from the critical alterations Microsoft is touting for this coming era of gadgets is improved portrait-mode help. Home windows Corporate Vice president of System Administration Antoine Lebond discussed what's approaching the portrait-mode entrance for the duration of his remarks at Computex this 7 days:
We did some function in Home windows eight.one to own portrait-specific Get started monitor layouts that work a great deal improved. The entire applications which can be in the box truly function just as very well in portrait mode as they function in landscape.
We did some get the job done within the product interface amount about edge detection and such things as that for making it easier to possess smaller sized bezels on these products so that OEMs and folk who build products similar to this could establish exactly the sorts of gadgets they need, and Home windows eight.one will probably be good on them.
Which is fantastic news for anyone that has been pissed off when looking to use their Surface RT or Professional -- or other Home windows eight or Home windows RT tablets -- in portrait method to no avail.
Leblond also talked up some formerly disclosed Windows 8.1 features, including the Metrofied Computer Configurations, far more flexible Snap selections, and touch-keyboard autosuggestion improvements as generating smaller-screen Home windows 8 gadgets workable.
Microsoft's disclosure before this 7 days that it'll make Phrase, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote (Office Dwelling & Student 2013) available on sub-10-inch Intel-based Windows eight.1 products left some scratching their heads, as desktop versions of these apps on Business office are not touch-optimized.
I'm wondering if Microsoft might be making the Metro/Windows Store versions of these applications available while in the box, instead. The Metro-Style versions of these four apps are in development as part of Microsoft's "Gemini" wave of products. Maybe there's a Metro version of your Office Home & Student 2013 SKU coming?
http://www.windows7retailbox.com/microsoft-office-professional-plus-2010-full-retail-pack-p-3547.html
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Microsoft is also discovering a fresh system of bundling
It absolutely was inescapable: Microsoft experienced no decision but to
pursue the small-sized tablet section if it hopes to be related. Customers are
significantly voting with their wallets that lesser pill sort factors tend to be
the solution to go. Apple has now jumped into that industry section using the
iPad Mini, an implicit concession that Steve Careers was erroneous when he
proclaimed which the fantastic tablet sizing was all over ten inches.
Up to now, Microsoft's forays in to the tablet market happen to be with bigger units, like its have Surface pill that sports activities a ten.6-inch display screen windows 7 ultimate full version. Most Windows 8 and Windows RT units built by OEMs have also been inside the full-sized phase. That's all changed together with the Acer Iconia W3 which was just unveiled at Computex Taipei.
The Iconia W3 is being billed given that the "industry's first 8-inch Home windows 8 pill," and its eight.1-inch exhibit will compete right along with the iPad Mini's seven.9-inch screen. An Intel Atom chip is identified inside, which promises all-day battery overall performance. Intel has long been making headway in tablet wins, such as scoring a place in Samsung's new Galaxy Tab three 10.one (also with the Atom processor). Intel's pricier chips also add to your larger cost of your Iconia W3, that will retail for $379.
Microsoft is also discovering a fresh system of bundling in a simple version of Office with scaled-down devices. That may provide the Iconia W3 a leg up in productiveness from the iPad Mini, though the display's resolution is unimpressive at one,280 x 800. Brain you, that's higher when compared to the iPad Mini's existing one,024 x 768, but this really is 2013 and Apple is anticipated to maneuver to Retina iPad Minis inside of a make a difference of months. Over and above just resolution, the Iconia W3 has inadequate viewing angles and coloration reproduction, based on the Verge.
The Iconia W3 may possibly not possess a fantastic shot at competing while using the iPad Mini, but extra importantly the gadget signifies Home windows 8's entry like a platform into your small-sized segment. That is a a lot greater offer for Microsoft than it truly is for Acer. Now the computer software big has to release a 7-inch Surface.
It can be been a annoying route for Microsoft traders, who've watched the corporation fail to capitalize around the incredible development in cellular in excess of the previous 10 years. Nonetheless, along with the release of its personal pill, in addition to the commonly anticipated Windows 8 running system, the corporate is seeking to generate a splash in this booming marketplace. In a new top quality report on Microsoft, a Motley Idiot analyst clarifies that although the chance is big, so tend to be the issues. The report features typical updates as important occasions take place, so be sure to say a copy of the report now by clicking right here.
Up to now, Microsoft's forays in to the tablet market happen to be with bigger units, like its have Surface pill that sports activities a ten.6-inch display screen windows 7 ultimate full version. Most Windows 8 and Windows RT units built by OEMs have also been inside the full-sized phase. That's all changed together with the Acer Iconia W3 which was just unveiled at Computex Taipei.
The Iconia W3 is being billed given that the "industry's first 8-inch Home windows 8 pill," and its eight.1-inch exhibit will compete right along with the iPad Mini's seven.9-inch screen. An Intel Atom chip is identified inside, which promises all-day battery overall performance. Intel has long been making headway in tablet wins, such as scoring a place in Samsung's new Galaxy Tab three 10.one (also with the Atom processor). Intel's pricier chips also add to your larger cost of your Iconia W3, that will retail for $379.
Microsoft is also discovering a fresh system of bundling in a simple version of Office with scaled-down devices. That may provide the Iconia W3 a leg up in productiveness from the iPad Mini, though the display's resolution is unimpressive at one,280 x 800. Brain you, that's higher when compared to the iPad Mini's existing one,024 x 768, but this really is 2013 and Apple is anticipated to maneuver to Retina iPad Minis inside of a make a difference of months. Over and above just resolution, the Iconia W3 has inadequate viewing angles and coloration reproduction, based on the Verge.
The Iconia W3 may possibly not possess a fantastic shot at competing while using the iPad Mini, but extra importantly the gadget signifies Home windows 8's entry like a platform into your small-sized segment. That is a a lot greater offer for Microsoft than it truly is for Acer. Now the computer software big has to release a 7-inch Surface.
It can be been a annoying route for Microsoft traders, who've watched the corporation fail to capitalize around the incredible development in cellular in excess of the previous 10 years. Nonetheless, along with the release of its personal pill, in addition to the commonly anticipated Windows 8 running system, the corporate is seeking to generate a splash in this booming marketplace. In a new top quality report on Microsoft, a Motley Idiot analyst clarifies that although the chance is big, so tend to be the issues. The report features typical updates as important occasions take place, so be sure to say a copy of the report now by clicking right here.
It truly is been a disheartening path for Microsoft traders
It was inescapable: Microsoft experienced no selection but to go after the
small-sized tablet segment if it hopes to generally be pertinent. Consumers are
increasingly voting with their wallets that smaller pill kind aspects are the
technique to go. Apple has now jumped into that market segment with the iPad
Mini, an implicit concession that Steve Employment was improper when he
proclaimed the perfect pill size was about 10 inches.
Thus far, Microsoft's forays in the pill industry are with greater units, such as its possess Surface tablet that sports a 10.6-inch display. Most Windows 8 and Home windows RT products built by OEMs have also been while in the full-sized phase. Which is all changed along with the Acer Iconia W3 that was just unveiled at Computex Taipei.
The Iconia W3 is remaining billed as being the "industry's to start with 8-inch Windows 8 pill," and its eight.1-inch display will contend directly while using the iPad Mini's 7.9-inch display screen. An Intel Atom chip is found within, which guarantees all-day battery functionality. Intel continues to be making headway in tablet wins, such as scoring a location in Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 3 ten.1 (also with the Atom processor). Intel's pricier chips also contribute to your bigger value of the Iconia W3, which can retail for $379.
Microsoft is also discovering a completely new approach of bundling inside of a fundamental edition of Office environment with lesser units. That will provide the Iconia W3 a leg up in productivity towards the iPad Mini, although the display's resolution is unimpressive at 1,280 x 800. Intellect you, that is greater as opposed to iPad Mini's present 1,024 x 768, but that is 2013 and Apple is anticipated to maneuver to Retina iPad Minis in a very matter of months. Further than just resolution, the Iconia W3 has weak viewing angles and colour copy, in accordance with the Verge.
The Iconia W3 might not have a great shot at competing with all the iPad Mini, but much more importantly the system signifies Home windows 8's entry to be a system into your small-sized segment. It is a a great deal greater deal for Microsoft than it is for Acer. Now the program giant ought to release a 7-inch Surface.
It truly is been a disheartening path for Microsoft traders, who've watched the corporation fall short to capitalize on the outstanding progress in mobile more than the past decade. Having said that, together with the launch of its very own tablet, as well as the widely predicted Windows eight functioning method, the corporation is seeking to produce a splash with this booming industry. In a very new high quality report on Microsoft, a Motley Fool analyst points out that when the opportunity is large, so are the issues. The report includes typical updates as vital situations arise, so be certain to assert a duplicate of the report now by clicking in this article.
Thus far, Microsoft's forays in the pill industry are with greater units, such as its possess Surface tablet that sports a 10.6-inch display. Most Windows 8 and Home windows RT products built by OEMs have also been while in the full-sized phase. Which is all changed along with the Acer Iconia W3 that was just unveiled at Computex Taipei.
The Iconia W3 is remaining billed as being the "industry's to start with 8-inch Windows 8 pill," and its eight.1-inch display will contend directly while using the iPad Mini's 7.9-inch display screen. An Intel Atom chip is found within, which guarantees all-day battery functionality. Intel continues to be making headway in tablet wins, such as scoring a location in Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 3 ten.1 (also with the Atom processor). Intel's pricier chips also contribute to your bigger value of the Iconia W3, which can retail for $379.
Microsoft is also discovering a completely new approach of bundling inside of a fundamental edition of Office environment with lesser units. That will provide the Iconia W3 a leg up in productivity towards the iPad Mini, although the display's resolution is unimpressive at 1,280 x 800. Intellect you, that is greater as opposed to iPad Mini's present 1,024 x 768, but that is 2013 and Apple is anticipated to maneuver to Retina iPad Minis in a very matter of months. Further than just resolution, the Iconia W3 has weak viewing angles and colour copy, in accordance with the Verge.
The Iconia W3 might not have a great shot at competing with all the iPad Mini, but much more importantly the system signifies Home windows 8's entry to be a system into your small-sized segment. It is a a great deal greater deal for Microsoft than it is for Acer. Now the program giant ought to release a 7-inch Surface.
It truly is been a disheartening path for Microsoft traders, who've watched the corporation fall short to capitalize on the outstanding progress in mobile more than the past decade. Having said that, together with the launch of its very own tablet, as well as the widely predicted Windows eight functioning method, the corporation is seeking to produce a splash with this booming industry. In a very new high quality report on Microsoft, a Motley Fool analyst points out that when the opportunity is large, so are the issues. The report includes typical updates as vital situations arise, so be certain to assert a duplicate of the report now by clicking in this article.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Samsung targets the Xperia Z, announces the new, waterproof Galaxy S4 Active
Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S4 Active smartphone, ready to
take on the Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZR. The phone has been rumored for a while
and previously expected to be unveiled at the company’s June 20 show in London,
leaving us wondering what the company has left for the event.
Aimed at people who, “focus on living life to the fullest,” according to Samsung, the S4 Active is probably more likely to be purchased by those who focus on being a bit clumsy, as the case has been stamped with an IP67 rating, making it waterproof to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes, and resistant to harmful dust particles. The S4 Active has a slightly chunkier body than the regular Galaxy S4, measuring 9.1mm at its thickest point compared to the S4’s 7.9mm. It’s also heavier, as it weighs 151 grams, which is 20 grams more than the standard S4.
But the question on many people’s lips will be has Samsung altered the internal specs of the S4 Active, or has it truly made a competitor to the Sony Xperia Z? The answer is, almost. The S4 Active retains the 1.9GHz quad-core processor seen in most Galaxy S4 smartphones, and the screen still measures 5-inches and has a 1080p resolution. It’s not a Super AMOLED panel though, and Samsung’s press releases calls it simply a TFT LCD. The camera has been downgraded to 8-megapixels, but it does come with an Aqua Mode for improved underwater shots, similar to Sony’s Xperia ZR.
Android 4.2, TouchWiz, and lots of software features
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean is the operating system, and whole host of Samsung features are included in the TouchWiz user interface, including Air View, Air Gesture, Smart Pause, Smart Scroll, S Health and S Translator. The screen can also be used with gloved hands, which could be handy if the S4 Active is used as Samsung intends.
There’s only one version of the S4 Active listed, and it comes with 16GB of internal memory (of which Samsung says 11GB is available for use), plus it has 4G LTE connectivity, a 2-megapixel video call camera, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, and the same 2600mAh battery cell found in the Galaxy S4. What’s not clear is if it’s removable, something which may be unlikely due to the S4 Active’s waterproof nature.
The Galaxy S4 has proven insanely popular already, and while the Xperia Z has also been doing very well, anyone wanting a high-end waterproof phone now has a second choice. We’d imagine Sony will be a little concerned about the S4 Active, despite the Xperia Z beating it on paper in several ways, particularly as it has been struggling to find carrier support in the U.S. for the device.
Samsung will be putting the S4 Active on sale this summer, and initially it’ll be coming to the U.S. and Sweden, with other countries to follow. You’ll be able to buy the phone in three colors, grey, blue or orange, but the price hasn’t been stated.
Aimed at people who, “focus on living life to the fullest,” according to Samsung, the S4 Active is probably more likely to be purchased by those who focus on being a bit clumsy, as the case has been stamped with an IP67 rating, making it waterproof to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes, and resistant to harmful dust particles. The S4 Active has a slightly chunkier body than the regular Galaxy S4, measuring 9.1mm at its thickest point compared to the S4’s 7.9mm. It’s also heavier, as it weighs 151 grams, which is 20 grams more than the standard S4.
But the question on many people’s lips will be has Samsung altered the internal specs of the S4 Active, or has it truly made a competitor to the Sony Xperia Z? The answer is, almost. The S4 Active retains the 1.9GHz quad-core processor seen in most Galaxy S4 smartphones, and the screen still measures 5-inches and has a 1080p resolution. It’s not a Super AMOLED panel though, and Samsung’s press releases calls it simply a TFT LCD. The camera has been downgraded to 8-megapixels, but it does come with an Aqua Mode for improved underwater shots, similar to Sony’s Xperia ZR.
Android 4.2, TouchWiz, and lots of software features
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean is the operating system, and whole host of Samsung features are included in the TouchWiz user interface, including Air View, Air Gesture, Smart Pause, Smart Scroll, S Health and S Translator. The screen can also be used with gloved hands, which could be handy if the S4 Active is used as Samsung intends.
There’s only one version of the S4 Active listed, and it comes with 16GB of internal memory (of which Samsung says 11GB is available for use), plus it has 4G LTE connectivity, a 2-megapixel video call camera, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, and the same 2600mAh battery cell found in the Galaxy S4. What’s not clear is if it’s removable, something which may be unlikely due to the S4 Active’s waterproof nature.
The Galaxy S4 has proven insanely popular already, and while the Xperia Z has also been doing very well, anyone wanting a high-end waterproof phone now has a second choice. We’d imagine Sony will be a little concerned about the S4 Active, despite the Xperia Z beating it on paper in several ways, particularly as it has been struggling to find carrier support in the U.S. for the device.
Samsung will be putting the S4 Active on sale this summer, and initially it’ll be coming to the U.S. and Sweden, with other countries to follow. You’ll be able to buy the phone in three colors, grey, blue or orange, but the price hasn’t been stated.
Outlook RT also is going to be delivered in ultimate variety
Microsoft is likely to make available as a part of its forthcoming Windows
8.one "Blue" launch of Home windows consumer the rumored Outlook 2013 RT mail
customer, business officers verified on June 5
Microsoft's Main Financial Officer of Windows, Tami Reller, manufactured the announcement during the Computex demonstrate in Taipei, proclaiming that Office RT can be a leading enterprise and purchaser element ask for.
A preview of a Desktop -- not a Metro-Style/Windows Shop -- version of Outlook which has been adapted to run about the ARM will debut with the Home windows 8.one RT working method on June 26, 2013. When Microsoft releases to production Windows eight.one RT (a date rumored to generally be some time all-around August or September this 12 months), Outlook RT also is going to be delivered in ultimate variety, officials said.
Outlook RT will run on Microsoft's ARM-based Surface RT products, too as any/all other ARM-based Home windows RT tablets and PCs. As I blogged before this yr, it will be positioned to be a complement, not a alternative to, the built-in Home windows Mail consumer on Home windows eight and Home windows RT PCs. Outlook RT will functionality exactly the same as Outlook 2013, in terms of the way it is installed and taken care of.
At this time, Microsoft isn't going to involve Outlook as element of the Place of work House & Student 2013 RT suite that it bundles along with the Home windows RT running system. Only Word RT, Excel RT, PowerPoint RT and OneNote RT are included. All of these are Desktop versions, not Metro-Style/Windows Keep apps. That claimed, Microsoft is building Metro-Style versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint (plus an updated variation of Metro-Style OneNote) which it's expected to launch this fall as a part of its "Gemini" wave of products.
At Computex, Reller also is mentioned to have announced that Microsoft is going to be making accessible Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote offered on Home windows 8.1 PCs and tablets out of your box. The preinstallation from the core Office environment apps on x86-based Surfaces was expected by some after Microsoft recently announced that new 256 GB Surface area Pros would be readily available in Japan with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OnetNote preinstalled. I asked Microsoft officials to confirm that these four apps are going to be mounted by default on Home windows eight.one gadgets, but received no word back.
Update: It seems to get that only "smaller" x86-based Windows Blue devices will come preloaded with Business office 2013 Dwelling & Student.
A recently unearthed Microsoft roadmap indicated that Microsoft might be holding off on delivering Outlook RT until October 2014. Either that roadmap was old or Microsoft officers decided to accelerate the release of Outlook RT. Now I'm wondering whether other dates on that roadmap might be incorrect. If so, I'm curious whether the Softies might deliver Office environment for iOS and Android sooner than October 2014, as the roadmap indicated.
Microsoft's Main Financial Officer of Windows, Tami Reller, manufactured the announcement during the Computex demonstrate in Taipei, proclaiming that Office RT can be a leading enterprise and purchaser element ask for.
A preview of a Desktop -- not a Metro-Style/Windows Shop -- version of Outlook which has been adapted to run about the ARM will debut with the Home windows 8.one RT working method on June 26, 2013. When Microsoft releases to production Windows eight.one RT (a date rumored to generally be some time all-around August or September this 12 months), Outlook RT also is going to be delivered in ultimate variety, officials said.
Outlook RT will run on Microsoft's ARM-based Surface RT products, too as any/all other ARM-based Home windows RT tablets and PCs. As I blogged before this yr, it will be positioned to be a complement, not a alternative to, the built-in Home windows Mail consumer on Home windows eight and Home windows RT PCs. Outlook RT will functionality exactly the same as Outlook 2013, in terms of the way it is installed and taken care of.
At this time, Microsoft isn't going to involve Outlook as element of the Place of work House & Student 2013 RT suite that it bundles along with the Home windows RT running system. Only Word RT, Excel RT, PowerPoint RT and OneNote RT are included. All of these are Desktop versions, not Metro-Style/Windows Keep apps. That claimed, Microsoft is building Metro-Style versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint (plus an updated variation of Metro-Style OneNote) which it's expected to launch this fall as a part of its "Gemini" wave of products.
At Computex, Reller also is mentioned to have announced that Microsoft is going to be making accessible Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote offered on Home windows 8.1 PCs and tablets out of your box. The preinstallation from the core Office environment apps on x86-based Surfaces was expected by some after Microsoft recently announced that new 256 GB Surface area Pros would be readily available in Japan with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OnetNote preinstalled. I asked Microsoft officials to confirm that these four apps are going to be mounted by default on Home windows eight.one gadgets, but received no word back.
Update: It seems to get that only "smaller" x86-based Windows Blue devices will come preloaded with Business office 2013 Dwelling & Student.
A recently unearthed Microsoft roadmap indicated that Microsoft might be holding off on delivering Outlook RT until October 2014. Either that roadmap was old or Microsoft officers decided to accelerate the release of Outlook RT. Now I'm wondering whether other dates on that roadmap might be incorrect. If so, I'm curious whether the Softies might deliver Office environment for iOS and Android sooner than October 2014, as the roadmap indicated.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
What’s a Haswell? Intel names new chip after 84-person Colorado town
Intel has named its new microprocessor chip the Haswell, a name which diverges sharply from its more technical sounding chip names like Core 2 Duo and i7. But the name Haswell has roots which are even further off the technological map. In fact you’ll have to squint to find it on any map. The Intel chipset is named after the tiny town of Haswell, Colorado, with a population of eighty-four people and it less than one square mile in size. The hundred year old town is essentially just a group of houses built along the side of the Missouri Pacific Railroad near the state’s eastern border. So what does the town of Haswell have to do with the new Intel chip which bears its name?
Not a thing. Intel tells the Denver Post that one of its employees was looking through the U.S. zip code database for town names which might be suitable as product names, and chose Haswell without having any familiarity with the city itself. The tiny Colorado town is getting more publicity thanks to Intel than it’s likely gotten in its entire history since having been established in 1908. But while we’ll have to see whether the Hawsell processor turns the town of Haswell into a tourist destination for tech aficionados, the new chip will have an immediate impact on the tech industry.
Apple and various PC vendors which use Intel’s mobile processors in their laptops or tablets will be competing to be the first to deliver a Haswell based device to market, as the new low power chip allows for longer battery life or slimmer devices with smaller batteries.
Microsoft could adapt to an market described by touchscreens
Does anybody care about Home windows RT? The beleaguered running program
has long been shunned by producers and shoppers alike as a consequence of its
convoluted interface that even Microsoft staff members have problem
comprehension and detailing to potential prospects. Now Microsoft is reportedly
scheduling on reducing the price with the operating method in an make an effort
to encourage a person beyond its individual headquarters that Home windows RT is
well worth, very well, something.
Windows RT need to have already been a straightforward provide. It absolutely was the 1st variation of Windows designed especially for tablets and supplied the base for your Surface tablet, which was intended to point out that Microsoft could adapt to an market described by touchscreens and tablets in its place of mice and computer towers. Microsoft made use of Windows RT to be a platform off of which it could reinvent itself like a products and products and services business and, when it was executing so, prepare the planet to get a new Windows. The sole trouble is always that, based on the numerous assessments of Windows eight, Home windows RT, and also the gadgets they electrical power, along with the much-discussed decrease of the common Computer system business, we are not fairly completely ready for Microsoft’s vision in the foreseeable future.
There are couple Windows RT products available. Samsung and Acer have both of those spoken out versus the running technique, declaring which they are not confident if the market place is prepared for a windowless Windows. HTC a short while ago canceled ideas for any 10-inch Home windows RT pill because “it cost far too a lot and desire for RT machines continues to be weak,” in accordance to Bloomberg. Paying for a Area pill - the one that does not operate Home windows 8 - is most likely the only sure-fire strategy to find a Home windows RT unit in most important stores, and also they may have confirmed unpopular. Home windows RT is most likely the only working system bearing the Home windows name that has not powered numerous barely-differentiated devices from each pc company - even Windows Vista, a widely-derided edition on the OS, proved to get a lot more popular.
Compare that with Windows 8, which a short while ago matched Home windows 7 since the fastest-selling functioning method in record and is also accustomed to electricity everything from all-in-one PCs to ultrabooks and hybrid units which will perform as tablets and notebook PCs. Windows RT has been panned by critics and mainly overlooked by companies and consumers; Windows eight has become obtained a bit superior and executed about in addition to you’d expect from the new version of Home windows. And exactly what does Home windows 8 do superior than Home windows RT? Effectively, really, it only makes it much easier to faux that Microsoft never ever overhauled Windows’ interface and rather released a different vanilla update into the system. That, by its quite character, signifies that Windows 8 just cannot be the longer term of Windows.
Windows RT arrives nearer to fitting the monthly bill. If Microsoft were to help make the functioning method a lot more user-friendly and forestall it from bouncing consumers in between its new interface and also the “traditional” desktop seemingly at random it would come even nearer to just what the company intended when it redesigned Windows. It could also make Home windows glimpse and behave extra similar to the Xbox One, that has turn into an ever more critical facet of Microsoft’s small business. Microsoft wants to turn out to be a gadgets and solutions corporation, and recognized the need to create solutions and platforms that did not basically include extra complexity or smaller updates to your Home windows developed so many yrs ago.
Reducing the expense of licensing Windows RT in all probability won’t make it a lot more popular to manufacturers, especially not although Windows 8 is on the market. But that doesn’t indicate that one thing like Home windows RT isn’t the future of Microsoft. Windows 8 is quite obviously a stop-gap involving Windows seven and whatever the organization decides to call its upcoming functioning process, and also the a single right after that, and the like. Microsoft has provided us a glimpse at its eyesight for that future of computing with Home windows RT, the Xbox Just one, and Windows Cell phone - now it simply just should make that vision a fact. Or it could continue to develop solutions that seem similar to their predecessors whilst the units, services, and software package we use go on to change at an more and more speedy tempo, due to the fact that’s labored out definitely perfectly so far.
From www.windows7retailbox.com
Windows RT need to have already been a straightforward provide. It absolutely was the 1st variation of Windows designed especially for tablets and supplied the base for your Surface tablet, which was intended to point out that Microsoft could adapt to an market described by touchscreens and tablets in its place of mice and computer towers. Microsoft made use of Windows RT to be a platform off of which it could reinvent itself like a products and products and services business and, when it was executing so, prepare the planet to get a new Windows. The sole trouble is always that, based on the numerous assessments of Windows eight, Home windows RT, and also the gadgets they electrical power, along with the much-discussed decrease of the common Computer system business, we are not fairly completely ready for Microsoft’s vision in the foreseeable future.
There are couple Windows RT products available. Samsung and Acer have both of those spoken out versus the running technique, declaring which they are not confident if the market place is prepared for a windowless Windows. HTC a short while ago canceled ideas for any 10-inch Home windows RT pill because “it cost far too a lot and desire for RT machines continues to be weak,” in accordance to Bloomberg. Paying for a Area pill - the one that does not operate Home windows 8 - is most likely the only sure-fire strategy to find a Home windows RT unit in most important stores, and also they may have confirmed unpopular. Home windows RT is most likely the only working system bearing the Home windows name that has not powered numerous barely-differentiated devices from each pc company - even Windows Vista, a widely-derided edition on the OS, proved to get a lot more popular.
Compare that with Windows 8, which a short while ago matched Home windows 7 since the fastest-selling functioning method in record and is also accustomed to electricity everything from all-in-one PCs to ultrabooks and hybrid units which will perform as tablets and notebook PCs. Windows RT has been panned by critics and mainly overlooked by companies and consumers; Windows eight has become obtained a bit superior and executed about in addition to you’d expect from the new version of Home windows. And exactly what does Home windows 8 do superior than Home windows RT? Effectively, really, it only makes it much easier to faux that Microsoft never ever overhauled Windows’ interface and rather released a different vanilla update into the system. That, by its quite character, signifies that Windows 8 just cannot be the longer term of Windows.
Windows RT arrives nearer to fitting the monthly bill. If Microsoft were to help make the functioning method a lot more user-friendly and forestall it from bouncing consumers in between its new interface and also the “traditional” desktop seemingly at random it would come even nearer to just what the company intended when it redesigned Windows. It could also make Home windows glimpse and behave extra similar to the Xbox One, that has turn into an ever more critical facet of Microsoft’s small business. Microsoft wants to turn out to be a gadgets and solutions corporation, and recognized the need to create solutions and platforms that did not basically include extra complexity or smaller updates to your Home windows developed so many yrs ago.
Reducing the expense of licensing Windows RT in all probability won’t make it a lot more popular to manufacturers, especially not although Windows 8 is on the market. But that doesn’t indicate that one thing like Home windows RT isn’t the future of Microsoft. Windows 8 is quite obviously a stop-gap involving Windows seven and whatever the organization decides to call its upcoming functioning process, and also the a single right after that, and the like. Microsoft has provided us a glimpse at its eyesight for that future of computing with Home windows RT, the Xbox Just one, and Windows Cell phone - now it simply just should make that vision a fact. Or it could continue to develop solutions that seem similar to their predecessors whilst the units, services, and software package we use go on to change at an more and more speedy tempo, due to the fact that’s labored out definitely perfectly so far.
From www.windows7retailbox.com
Monday, June 3, 2013
Apple declares WAR on Spotify: iRadio bags streaming rights
Apple is reportedly finalising plans for an internet radio station that
will launch the fruity firm into a bitter conflict with streaming music services
offered by Spotify, Google and Pandora.
Cupertino has signed a deal with Universal Music Group granting Apple the rights to UMG's recorded music but not to any music publishing rights, which covers songs written by Universal artists.
Apple has also signed a deal with Warner Music Group for both recorded music and music publishing rights. It is thought to still be in talks with Sony Music Entertainment and its subsidiary Sony/ATV, which is co-owned by Michael Jackson's estate and holds the rights to the Beatles' songs as well as modern ditties penned by Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.
Apple will want to have all the loose ends tied up before its annual WWDC conference on 10 June. Tim Cook is expected to wheel out new Macbook models to replace the current range.
The new music service, dubbed iRadio by the tech press, is expected to be free and paid for by advertising, although there may be the option to take a subscription which will get rid of the corporate messages.
Despite the enormous popularity of streaming music, it is not particularly lucrative for performers and songwriters. Lady Gaga was reported to have received just over £100 from Spotify in 2009 after her song Poker Face was played more than a million times. Just last year, publishers were fighting off Pandora's attempt to lessen the percentage of revenues it pays them, which according to the New York Times is about 4 per cent. The same article claims the major labels want Apple to hand over something in the region of 10 per cent.
This desire to cash in on a notoriously unprofitable sector may have been a sticking point in Apple's negotiations with the music giants. The rumoured iRadio has been on the cards for some time, but making it happen has proven difficult for Cupertino.
However, despite teething problems, any Apple-endorsed streaming music service has the potential to be extremely profitable, as it would allow customers to preview music and then buy it directly from iTunes.
Cupertino has signed a deal with Universal Music Group granting Apple the rights to UMG's recorded music but not to any music publishing rights, which covers songs written by Universal artists.
Apple has also signed a deal with Warner Music Group for both recorded music and music publishing rights. It is thought to still be in talks with Sony Music Entertainment and its subsidiary Sony/ATV, which is co-owned by Michael Jackson's estate and holds the rights to the Beatles' songs as well as modern ditties penned by Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.
Apple will want to have all the loose ends tied up before its annual WWDC conference on 10 June. Tim Cook is expected to wheel out new Macbook models to replace the current range.
The new music service, dubbed iRadio by the tech press, is expected to be free and paid for by advertising, although there may be the option to take a subscription which will get rid of the corporate messages.
Despite the enormous popularity of streaming music, it is not particularly lucrative for performers and songwriters. Lady Gaga was reported to have received just over £100 from Spotify in 2009 after her song Poker Face was played more than a million times. Just last year, publishers were fighting off Pandora's attempt to lessen the percentage of revenues it pays them, which according to the New York Times is about 4 per cent. The same article claims the major labels want Apple to hand over something in the region of 10 per cent.
This desire to cash in on a notoriously unprofitable sector may have been a sticking point in Apple's negotiations with the music giants. The rumoured iRadio has been on the cards for some time, but making it happen has proven difficult for Cupertino.
However, despite teething problems, any Apple-endorsed streaming music service has the potential to be extremely profitable, as it would allow customers to preview music and then buy it directly from iTunes.
This is the equal of likely into a supercar
Worldwide Pc revenue plunged 14% year-on-year inside the first quarter of
2013, and far of the blame was heaped around the lukewarm reception to Windows
eight. Microsoft's new functioning method was meant to offer a lift for the
ailing field but has ostensibly failed to carry out so.
Microsoft states that it's currently shifted 100 million Home windows eight licenses, which matches the revenue pace of Home windows 7, but 6 months in to the launch of the previous, NetApplications studies that Windows eight only contains a three.82% share of your desktop OS marketplace, when Windows seven and Windows XP nonetheless dominate with 44.72% and 38.31% respectively. Back again when Home windows seven was also 6 months old it previously had an 11.94% share, NetApplications suggests.
"Users are locating Windows eight to offer a compromised encounter that doesn't excel both like a new mobile interface or in a very basic desktop interface," explained Jay Chou, senior investigate analyst, in accordance to Reuters. "As a outcome, several consumers uncover a drop inside the conventional Computer working experience without the need of getting substantially from new capabilities like contact. The end result is usually that quite a few shoppers are anxious about upgrading to Windows eight, to state absolutely nothing of business consumers who're continue to just stepping into Windows seven."
Microsoft, to its credit history, is taking lively ways to deal with the many consumer issues about Windows eight. The tech big will debut the free of charge Windows 8.1 update (code-named "Blue") later on this calendar year, which can let consumers the option of launching the OS that has a button about the base left-hand corner of their screens that is comparable on the iconic 'Start' menu of earlier Windows iterations.
Will the update change the destiny of Home windows 8? Richard Windsor, founding father of the mobile-focused blog Radio No cost Mobile and a previous tech analyst at Nomura, says that it's nearly irrelevant, for the reason that since Apple has stopped attaining marketplace share during the Computer system earth, Laptop end users will eventually should improve to Windows 8, supplied the Microsoft hegemony of your sector. And so the Redmond, Washington-based enterprise will never be too anxious with regard to the fate of Home windows eight at this stage.
The proposition is usually that of a Microsoft ecosystem, "a unified practical experience across all gadgets that is definitely built-in and straightforward to utilize. But helpful and pleasant is not really what people see. Likely customers are introduced with what I make reference to as Blue Squares of Loss of life," he claims, noting that the difficulty went away with Windows seven but sad to say resurfaced with Home windows 8.
"When a consumer picks up a Windows Telephone or simply a Windows eight device at retail she or he is offered that has a screen jam packed with blue or purple squares labeled People, Maps, New music, Games and so forth. Hit any one of such squares and practically nothing is found. Generally, the device is not really even related. This is the equal of likely into a supercar showroom with $100,000 within your again pocket rather than getting equipped to get a test push," opined Windsor.
"Furthermore, Microsoft delivers a reliable expertise from console / Tv set as a result of Personal computer, tablet and phablet all of the strategy to the cellular phone. These devices are by no means displayed collectively and thus likely potential buyers hardly ever comprehend this is really an ecosystem for every gadget. How on the planet Microsoft expects consumer to get Home windows Telephones and Windows 8, when it does not show them what it's effective at and how huge its scope is, is often a mystery."
"As for [Original Products Manufacturers], the most effective factor they could do is appear up with machines which have been modern, cost-effective, which present new persuasive encounters in the Windows 8 ecosystem. You can see this together with the rise of convertibles, ultrabooks, along with the upcoming start of processors like Intel's Haswell, which purports to considerably expand the battery life of personal computers," Haynes additional. "If they don't, the OEMs will find a growing number of folks actively trying to get to abandon Windows 8 and starting up the move in direction of tablet computing as a substitute of laptops and desktops.
Microsoft states that it's currently shifted 100 million Home windows eight licenses, which matches the revenue pace of Home windows 7, but 6 months in to the launch of the previous, NetApplications studies that Windows eight only contains a three.82% share of your desktop OS marketplace, when Windows seven and Windows XP nonetheless dominate with 44.72% and 38.31% respectively. Back again when Home windows seven was also 6 months old it previously had an 11.94% share, NetApplications suggests.
"Users are locating Windows eight to offer a compromised encounter that doesn't excel both like a new mobile interface or in a very basic desktop interface," explained Jay Chou, senior investigate analyst, in accordance to Reuters. "As a outcome, several consumers uncover a drop inside the conventional Computer working experience without the need of getting substantially from new capabilities like contact. The end result is usually that quite a few shoppers are anxious about upgrading to Windows eight, to state absolutely nothing of business consumers who're continue to just stepping into Windows seven."
Microsoft, to its credit history, is taking lively ways to deal with the many consumer issues about Windows eight. The tech big will debut the free of charge Windows 8.1 update (code-named "Blue") later on this calendar year, which can let consumers the option of launching the OS that has a button about the base left-hand corner of their screens that is comparable on the iconic 'Start' menu of earlier Windows iterations.
Will the update change the destiny of Home windows 8? Richard Windsor, founding father of the mobile-focused blog Radio No cost Mobile and a previous tech analyst at Nomura, says that it's nearly irrelevant, for the reason that since Apple has stopped attaining marketplace share during the Computer system earth, Laptop end users will eventually should improve to Windows 8, supplied the Microsoft hegemony of your sector. And so the Redmond, Washington-based enterprise will never be too anxious with regard to the fate of Home windows eight at this stage.
The proposition is usually that of a Microsoft ecosystem, "a unified practical experience across all gadgets that is definitely built-in and straightforward to utilize. But helpful and pleasant is not really what people see. Likely customers are introduced with what I make reference to as Blue Squares of Loss of life," he claims, noting that the difficulty went away with Windows seven but sad to say resurfaced with Home windows 8.
"When a consumer picks up a Windows Telephone or simply a Windows eight device at retail she or he is offered that has a screen jam packed with blue or purple squares labeled People, Maps, New music, Games and so forth. Hit any one of such squares and practically nothing is found. Generally, the device is not really even related. This is the equal of likely into a supercar showroom with $100,000 within your again pocket rather than getting equipped to get a test push," opined Windsor.
"Furthermore, Microsoft delivers a reliable expertise from console / Tv set as a result of Personal computer, tablet and phablet all of the strategy to the cellular phone. These devices are by no means displayed collectively and thus likely potential buyers hardly ever comprehend this is really an ecosystem for every gadget. How on the planet Microsoft expects consumer to get Home windows Telephones and Windows 8, when it does not show them what it's effective at and how huge its scope is, is often a mystery."
"As for [Original Products Manufacturers], the most effective factor they could do is appear up with machines which have been modern, cost-effective, which present new persuasive encounters in the Windows 8 ecosystem. You can see this together with the rise of convertibles, ultrabooks, along with the upcoming start of processors like Intel's Haswell, which purports to considerably expand the battery life of personal computers," Haynes additional. "If they don't, the OEMs will find a growing number of folks actively trying to get to abandon Windows 8 and starting up the move in direction of tablet computing as a substitute of laptops and desktops.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Desktop diehards will discover a gift waiting around for them in Windows
8.1, the approaching improve colloquially dubbed ?°Windows Blue.?± A fantastic,
horrible, oh-so-teasing current.
In its place, clicking the previous familar button will dump you to the modern UI Begin display. Although the brand new attribute is noteworthy for incorporating a practical visual cue to an functioning technique rife with concealed menus, it isn?ˉt what precisely people today begging for your return with the Begin button ended up on the lookout for.
One particular much-clamored-for, keyboard- and mouse-friendly aspect are going to be building a debut in Windows 8.1, on the other hand. The update adds the option besides immediately for the desktop, bypassing the fashionable UI start off display fully. (Essentially, you can boot into various alternate spots, like the All Apps watch.)
An additional new choice adds the ability to carry your desktop history in excess of into the modern interface, fostering a far more unified really feel across the OS. If that doesn?ˉt float your boat, new Start out monitor colors and backgrounds will even be readily available, like some animated aspects. You could also opt for to utilize a slideshow of the photographs for your personal lock display, in result obtaining your Pc double to be a definitely pricey digital photograph body when you?ˉre not actively working with it.
Everything reported, the vast majority of Windows eight.1?ˉs enhancements are created to bolster the fashionable atmosphere, not the desktop.
Probably the most welcome advancement may be the addition of thoroughly customizable Snap sights. No longer will you be locked into your two app, quarter-screen Snap limitations of Home windows 8 vanilla. Windows eight.1 adds a chance to resize Snap applications to any ratio you?ˉd like, and features a possibility to Snap three apps side-by-side-by-side. You?ˉll also be capable to possess several instances of an app open up and Snapped; Microsoft?ˉs site submit lists two Online Explorer Windows as an example.
Loathe how that each newly mounted app gets plopped in your Start out screen? You won?ˉt the moment Windows 8.one hits, because that frustrating ?°feature?± is going the way in which in the dodo. As a substitute, any applications set up in the Windows Retail outlet will seem beneath a different ?°New?± filter from the All Apps watch, from which you'll selected to pin applications towards the Start off monitor for those who so want. Yay self-determination!
In its place, clicking the previous familar button will dump you to the modern UI Begin display. Although the brand new attribute is noteworthy for incorporating a practical visual cue to an functioning technique rife with concealed menus, it isn?ˉt what precisely people today begging for your return with the Begin button ended up on the lookout for.
One particular much-clamored-for, keyboard- and mouse-friendly aspect are going to be building a debut in Windows 8.1, on the other hand. The update adds the option besides immediately for the desktop, bypassing the fashionable UI start off display fully. (Essentially, you can boot into various alternate spots, like the All Apps watch.)
An additional new choice adds the ability to carry your desktop history in excess of into the modern interface, fostering a far more unified really feel across the OS. If that doesn?ˉt float your boat, new Start out monitor colors and backgrounds will even be readily available, like some animated aspects. You could also opt for to utilize a slideshow of the photographs for your personal lock display, in result obtaining your Pc double to be a definitely pricey digital photograph body when you?ˉre not actively working with it.
Everything reported, the vast majority of Windows eight.1?ˉs enhancements are created to bolster the fashionable atmosphere, not the desktop.
Probably the most welcome advancement may be the addition of thoroughly customizable Snap sights. No longer will you be locked into your two app, quarter-screen Snap limitations of Home windows 8 vanilla. Windows eight.1 adds a chance to resize Snap applications to any ratio you?ˉd like, and features a possibility to Snap three apps side-by-side-by-side. You?ˉll also be capable to possess several instances of an app open up and Snapped; Microsoft?ˉs site submit lists two Online Explorer Windows as an example.
Loathe how that each newly mounted app gets plopped in your Start out screen? You won?ˉt the moment Windows 8.one hits, because that frustrating ?°feature?± is going the way in which in the dodo. As a substitute, any applications set up in the Windows Retail outlet will seem beneath a different ?°New?± filter from the All Apps watch, from which you'll selected to pin applications towards the Start off monitor for those who so want. Yay self-determination!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Apple CEO Cook mum on new products, says 'we have more game changers in us'
Apple CEO Tim Cook stayed true to form during an on stage interview at the
All Things D conference here. "We release products when they're ready (and) we
believe very much in the elements of surprise," Cook told an audience packed
with tech luminaries, investors, and journalists. "I have no plan of changing
that."
In a wide-ranging interview that covered taxes, his management style, even Google Glass, Cook was short on specifics about any futuristic plans. But for those of us product guys, Cook did provide a few clues on what might be coming next.
"We have several more game changers in us," Cook said.
We already know that on June 10 at its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Apple plans to show off new versions of the iOS software used in iPhones, iPads and iPod touches and the OS X software that is at the core of Macintosh computers. Cook wouldn't disclose what the new software might look like or what features might be included. He did confirm that iOS is under the watchful eye of famed Apple designer Jony Ive. "Jony has contributed significantly to the look and feel of Apple over many, many years and could do that for our software as well," he says."
I for one am counting on seeing something fresh at WWDC and would be disappointed if that doesn't turn out to be the case. And I say that as a fan of iOS. A "flat" user interface, for one, has been the subject of online rumors but we'll see.
As to whatever the final result turns out to be, "I'll let you judge," Cook told the D crowd.
I'm one of those folks who have increasingly been seduced by the larger screens on Samsung's and other Android phones and phablets (combination phone-tablet) . So I'm ready for an even larger display iPhone 6 or whatever Apple ends up calling the next version of its flagship phone. Again Cook was non-committal, but then he didn't rule anything out either. "A large screen today comes with a lot of trade-offs," he says. "People do look at the size. But they also look at things like did the photo show the proper color, the white balance. battery life…longevity. What our customers want is for us to weigh those and make a decision."
Cook said Apple remains interested in improving the television experience but — this is becoming a broken record — he was skimpy with the details. He did say that Apple has now sold 13 million Apple TV set-top boxes, about half in the last year. You'll recall that this is the product line Steve Jobs used to refer to as a "hobby" business. In any case there is definite growth there—Cook says Apple used to sell Apple TVs in the hundreds of thousands.
When you look at the TV, "it's not an experience that has been brought up to date for this decade," Cook says. "I don't want to go further on this...there is a very grand vision."
Another development to watch is what Apple might do with, well, a watch, or at least other types of wearable computers. Cook, who had praise for the Nike FuelBand he wears, says he hasn't seen any wearable computers that do more than one thing well.
And it seems unlikely that Apple, for now anyway, is going to do anything along the lines of Google Glass, a product whose broad appeal Cook questions.
On wearable computers generally, Cook says many issues still have to be solved, "but it's an area ripe for exploration" with "tons of companies playing in this."
Even if he didn't say so, I imagine anyway that Apple will be one of those companies
In a wide-ranging interview that covered taxes, his management style, even Google Glass, Cook was short on specifics about any futuristic plans. But for those of us product guys, Cook did provide a few clues on what might be coming next.
"We have several more game changers in us," Cook said.
We already know that on June 10 at its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Apple plans to show off new versions of the iOS software used in iPhones, iPads and iPod touches and the OS X software that is at the core of Macintosh computers. Cook wouldn't disclose what the new software might look like or what features might be included. He did confirm that iOS is under the watchful eye of famed Apple designer Jony Ive. "Jony has contributed significantly to the look and feel of Apple over many, many years and could do that for our software as well," he says."
I for one am counting on seeing something fresh at WWDC and would be disappointed if that doesn't turn out to be the case. And I say that as a fan of iOS. A "flat" user interface, for one, has been the subject of online rumors but we'll see.
As to whatever the final result turns out to be, "I'll let you judge," Cook told the D crowd.
I'm one of those folks who have increasingly been seduced by the larger screens on Samsung's and other Android phones and phablets (combination phone-tablet) . So I'm ready for an even larger display iPhone 6 or whatever Apple ends up calling the next version of its flagship phone. Again Cook was non-committal, but then he didn't rule anything out either. "A large screen today comes with a lot of trade-offs," he says. "People do look at the size. But they also look at things like did the photo show the proper color, the white balance. battery life…longevity. What our customers want is for us to weigh those and make a decision."
Cook said Apple remains interested in improving the television experience but — this is becoming a broken record — he was skimpy with the details. He did say that Apple has now sold 13 million Apple TV set-top boxes, about half in the last year. You'll recall that this is the product line Steve Jobs used to refer to as a "hobby" business. In any case there is definite growth there—Cook says Apple used to sell Apple TVs in the hundreds of thousands.
When you look at the TV, "it's not an experience that has been brought up to date for this decade," Cook says. "I don't want to go further on this...there is a very grand vision."
Another development to watch is what Apple might do with, well, a watch, or at least other types of wearable computers. Cook, who had praise for the Nike FuelBand he wears, says he hasn't seen any wearable computers that do more than one thing well.
And it seems unlikely that Apple, for now anyway, is going to do anything along the lines of Google Glass, a product whose broad appeal Cook questions.
On wearable computers generally, Cook says many issues still have to be solved, "but it's an area ripe for exploration" with "tons of companies playing in this."
Even if he didn't say so, I imagine anyway that Apple will be one of those companies
I have grown keen on applying my HP Envy x2
Say that which you will with regards to the ability of Window 8 to manage
just about every kind of laptop or computer in existence, it can accomplish that
relatively properly. Guaranteed there are some matters easier to do in Home
windows 8 on the touch pill, and various responsibilities extra all-natural over
a desktop or notebook. It is really distinct Microsoft has tried to manage each
person state of affairs feasible.
I have grown keen on applying my HP Envy x2, and achieve this as being a touch pill as well as a notebook. Occasionally the laptop use is strictly while using the trackpad as well as other moments by using the contact display screen. It's flexible and lets me make use of the control approach which makes the most perception to the offered process. I am unable to visualize utilizing Windows eight with out a touch display.
Despite having maintaining monitor of all the different management methods doable to take care of most of the person scenarios attainable, Windows eight includes a magic formula underbelly that is certainly somewhat spooky. This magic formula daily life is the place Windows eight does each of the behind-the-scenes servicing expected to maintain items functioning easily. It almost appears to be just as if all the time I get factors carried out utilizing the method, the system is checking for updates to help keep points working optimally.
There are actually not less than 3 levels of routine maintenance that I'm informed of that Windows eight is functioning in mystery. The primary could be the OEM degree, and while that's not technically Windows eight it can be component of the system procedure so it feels the identical.
HP, the maker from the Envy x2, has become aggressive at updating its product drivers and also releasing firmware updates to keep the components operating correctly with Windows 8. These may be setup to only come about with handbook intervention, but I don't choose to miss out on vital updates like these so I've them take place routinely on the regular routine.
These components updates demand a procedure reboot to acquire applied, so I dutifully allow the technique to reboot to acquire every thing up-to-date. This typically exposes the hidden underbelly of Home windows 8 as about 50 percent the time a reboot implies it is implementing other Windows Updates that were downloaded in secret. That is the next stage of maintenance in Windows eight.
You have noticed the reboot display in Home windows eight that says it is actually configuring updates having a development indicator. At times these implement promptly and also other periods it would choose a moment or two. The point is Windows 8 grabbed the updates with none sign it absolutely was happening, and afterwards sat on them until finally the next technique reboot.
That would seem for being an inexpensive approach to prevent interrupting the user, nevertheless it would seem about 50 percent the reboots I do stop up using an unforeseen software of Windows Updates. That solution life of Home windows 8 seems being fairly lively every one of the time underneath my function sessions. It's a bit odd that Home windows 8 isn't going to give a sign that an update is going on while in the history. It isn't a major offer but could well be the courteous matter to try and do.
Occasionally I manually go into your Windows Update place while in the options to find out what may be lurking there. Normally it exhibits a Home windows Defender update is there being applied immediately eventually down the road. Since these updates hold my anti-malware up-to-date I always strike the backlink to go ahead and use them. They only just take some seconds to use so I do not fully grasp why it absolutely was waiting around for a long time in the future to use them. They require no reboot nor any person motion, so why wait to update right after it is aware of it has to be finished?
I have grown keen on applying my HP Envy x2, and achieve this as being a touch pill as well as a notebook. Occasionally the laptop use is strictly while using the trackpad as well as other moments by using the contact display screen. It's flexible and lets me make use of the control approach which makes the most perception to the offered process. I am unable to visualize utilizing Windows eight with out a touch display.
Despite having maintaining monitor of all the different management methods doable to take care of most of the person scenarios attainable, Windows eight includes a magic formula underbelly that is certainly somewhat spooky. This magic formula daily life is the place Windows eight does each of the behind-the-scenes servicing expected to maintain items functioning easily. It almost appears to be just as if all the time I get factors carried out utilizing the method, the system is checking for updates to help keep points working optimally.
There are actually not less than 3 levels of routine maintenance that I'm informed of that Windows eight is functioning in mystery. The primary could be the OEM degree, and while that's not technically Windows eight it can be component of the system procedure so it feels the identical.
HP, the maker from the Envy x2, has become aggressive at updating its product drivers and also releasing firmware updates to keep the components operating correctly with Windows 8. These may be setup to only come about with handbook intervention, but I don't choose to miss out on vital updates like these so I've them take place routinely on the regular routine.
These components updates demand a procedure reboot to acquire applied, so I dutifully allow the technique to reboot to acquire every thing up-to-date. This typically exposes the hidden underbelly of Home windows 8 as about 50 percent the time a reboot implies it is implementing other Windows Updates that were downloaded in secret. That is the next stage of maintenance in Windows eight.
You have noticed the reboot display in Home windows eight that says it is actually configuring updates having a development indicator. At times these implement promptly and also other periods it would choose a moment or two. The point is Windows 8 grabbed the updates with none sign it absolutely was happening, and afterwards sat on them until finally the next technique reboot.
That would seem for being an inexpensive approach to prevent interrupting the user, nevertheless it would seem about 50 percent the reboots I do stop up using an unforeseen software of Windows Updates. That solution life of Home windows 8 seems being fairly lively every one of the time underneath my function sessions. It's a bit odd that Home windows 8 isn't going to give a sign that an update is going on while in the history. It isn't a major offer but could well be the courteous matter to try and do.
Occasionally I manually go into your Windows Update place while in the options to find out what may be lurking there. Normally it exhibits a Home windows Defender update is there being applied immediately eventually down the road. Since these updates hold my anti-malware up-to-date I always strike the backlink to go ahead and use them. They only just take some seconds to use so I do not fully grasp why it absolutely was waiting around for a long time in the future to use them. They require no reboot nor any person motion, so why wait to update right after it is aware of it has to be finished?
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