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Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Microsoft Office 2007 Product Key Free Download
microsoft office 2007 full version free download
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Thursday, 12 December 2013
MICROSOFT PRODUCT KEYS
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Monday, 7 October 2013
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 Service Pack 1
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Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Redistributable Package Free Download
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Saturday, 28 September 2013
Sony Smartwatch 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Gear TechBeat
How Do You Make The Thinnest Pane Of Glass? By Accident! Posted: 23 Sep 2013 01:20 PM PDT On face value, it appears to be a scientist's version of a 'knock knock' joke. In actual fact though, graduate student Pinshane Huang and Professor David Muller of Cornell and Germany's University of Ulm were laughing all the way to the Guiness Book of world records with the thinnest pane of glass in the world. A Happy Accident The two scientists were originally trying to form graphene, which is a two dimensional form of carbon. While they were at work on the project, they discovered a mark of some kind on the graphene. As they examined the unwanted blemish on their desired graphene, the electron microscope picked up a silicon/oxygen composition which was the same as glass.  It's believed that some kind of air leak was responsible for causing a reaction between the copper foils and the quartz furnace used to make the graphene. This reaction led to the production of the world record breaking glass. A Proven Point So how thin is the thinnest pane of glass in the world? Precisely one molecule thick (or thin). What was even more astonishing and rewarding for the scientists was the fact that using the powerful microscope, they were actually able to see something else. Because the average pane of glass is millions of times thicker than Huang and Muller's discovery, observing it through a microscope simply produces a tangled mess of atoms. The simple two atom thick glass gave Muller another 'first' in the history of science when he was able to see the exact structure of glass first hand. As if the day wasn't already full of discovery, the image taken by the electron microscope of the structure of the glass bore remarkable resemblance to a sketch that was drawn many years ago. Physicist W.H. Zachariasen had an idea of what the structure of glass would look like and in 1932 he put his money where his mouth was by way of a sketch. The accidental creation of the thinnest pane of glass in the world finally gave support to Zachariasen's theory. The Future The ultra thin glass might have various practical uses including use for transistors in smartphones. |
Record Your Dreams With ‘Shadow’ App Posted: 23 Sep 2013 01:03 PM PDT How many dreams can you remember these days? How familiar is the feeling that you've had an extraordinary dream but the more you focus on it the faster it slips away? The new mobile application titled 'Shadow' aims to change all of that by enabling you to track and record your dreams. There has always been an interest in finding out just exactly what goes on in our brains when we're not thinking about it. It seems that the 'Shadow' app will help us to find out exactly what sneaky our subconscious mind is trying to tell us, or hide from us during our sleep.  The Vision The interest in sleep patterns is by no means new to the scientific community. The neurology of sleep has been explored for years but scientists are no closer to discovering how our dreams and their content affects us in day to day life or vice versa. It's known that we are able to access information during our sleep that we can't during our awakened state. Unfortunately, 95% of that information disappears within 5 minutes of waking up. It is the opinion of many people that the benefits of remembering our dreams could range from increased self-awareness to acting as a self-guide through difficult times. Shadow aims to build a real time data base of people's dreams. By doing so, users are able to learn any patterns to their dreams. They will find out whether their dreams are affected by social, physical or environmental factors. How It Works In the basic sense, the Shadow app is an alarm clock. Yet instead of waking the user abruptly like a traditional alarm clock would, the app brings us round from the sleeping state at a reduced rate. On awakening the user will:
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Potential Sale For Blackberry Posted: 23 Sep 2013 12:38 PM PDT After announcing on Friday that 4,500 jobs will be cut, smartphone maker Blackberry has said that it has agreed in principle to sell to a consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion.  In a statement Blackberry said that Fairfax, its largest shareholder, had offered $9 a share in cash to buy the struggling company. In New York, trading of Blackberry shares was stopped temporarily pending the announcement. In the announcement, the company said it had “signed a letter of intent agreement under which a consortium to be led by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited has offered to acquire the company subject to due diligence”. The statement continued with: “Diligence is expected to be complete by November 4, 2013. The parties’ intention is to negotiate and execute a definitive transaction agreement by such date.” Despite these first steps with Fairfax, Blackberry has made it clear that it will still “actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations” with other potential buyers. Fairfax’s chairman and chief executive said, “We believe this transaction will open an exciting new private chapter for Blackberry, its customers, carriers and employees. “We can deliver immediate value to shareholders, while we continue the execution of a long-term strategy in a private company with a focus on delivering superior and secure enterprise solutions to Blackberry customers around the world.” Analysts think that this could be the best option for Blackberry, being able to re-invent and re-organise itself without the scrutiny from Wall Street investors. Brian Colello from Morningstar said, “Based on the company’s disastrous earnings warning on Friday, I think a deal had to happen and the sooner the better. This is probably the only out for investors and the most likely outcome. “The benefit to this sort of takeover is the ability for Blackberry and the consortium to reinvent the company without public scrutiny. It appears that the end game is going to be whether Blackberry can emerge as a niche supplier of highly-secured phones to enterprise customers and governments.” Only time will tell if it is possible for Blackberry to re-emerge from this set-back and once again lead the way in the smartphone market. |
Sony Smartwatch 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Gear Posted: 23 Sep 2013 06:26 AM PDT The smartwatch has been around for some time but the technology of the devices brought to market so far haven't been the Secret Service/James Bond style that everyone pictures when they say the word "smartwatch". Now though, Sony and Samsung seem to have stepped up their game and are going head to head in a considerably more exciting battle of the smartwatches than we've seen to date. Sony Smartwatch 2 Spec Overview
So what does it all mean? Well for a start, the Samsung Galaxy Gear seems to have a sharper display. In fact Samsung are proud to say that the display is bright enough not to be affected by sunlight. No cupping your hand over the smartwatch's face to tell the time. Both the Samsung and the Sony are nicely designed although the Sony Smartwatch 2 offers a little more flexibility for its users with interchangeable straps. Both watches are extremely app friendly (of course), but Samsung have an advantage with this as they've secured partnerships with some of the more popular app developers. Also, when it comes to running apps, the Samsung model might be slightly better as the CPU is faster than its competitors. Bond, James Bond For anyone who wants to pretend they're a spy, the Samsung features some brilliant tools. There's a 1.9 megapixel camera contained in the strap of the camera for the photo opportunity that needs instant capture without fiddling around for a camera or smartphone. Users can also make calls directly from the watch which has a built in microphone and speaker, as well as the Samsung 'S Voice' voice recognition tool. The second version of the Sony Smartwatch doesn't feature these benefits although users can use the watch to call friends and family but only with a Bluetooth headset as there isn't a mic or speakers. But what kind of spy could do without a waterproof watch? Sony's watch allows its user to swim whereas the Samsung will only protect them from a shower. Which is Best? The one thing that will undoubtedly let the Samsung watch down is the fact that it is only compatible with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. A short way down the road there will be updates to make it compatible with the S3, S4 and Note 2. In comparison, the Sony watch is compatible with any android phone that operates Android 4.0. the options are almost endless. Now though, other companies are hot on the heels of Sony and Samsung trying to push the limits of the smartwatch all the time. |
Voyager Officially Leaves Solar System Posted: 23 Sep 2013 04:42 AM PDT In 1977, two unmanned space crafts were launched to explore space and report back to NASA with information about the major planets: Voyager 1 and 2. Within the first 12 years of launching, both Voyagers returned information about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Now though, after 36 years of being in space, NASA is extremely proud to announce that Voyager 1 has left the solar system. Delayed Response In actual fact, although NASA announced the Voyager's departure from the solar system quite recently on September 12th 2013, it appears the leaving date itself was way back in 2012 – August 25th to be precise. So why the big delay on the celebrations?  At the moment, Voyager 1 is over 11 billion miles or 17 billion kilometers away from Earth. NASA can't see the spacecraft at all. All that is visible is a radio signal that is being bounced back to Earth from the Voyager which looks like a pale blue light. Unlike travelling out of town, there are no signs which tell concerned onlookers exactly where the Solar System ends. Instead, scientists must look for clues in the direction and number of cosmic rays as well as a difference in magnetic fields. However, the signs just didn't appear to be there. It wasn't until information from a plasma blast that hit the voyager in April 2013 that NASA had any indication that the Voyager was outside of the solar system. The Clue Is In The Plasma In March 2012, the sun emitted a huge blast of plasma which took 13 months to hit the Voyager. When it did hit though and the information was read by NASA experts, they were astonished to see that the density of the plasma was 40 times what they expected it to be. In short, it was the density of plasma they expected to find outside of the solar system. Following this discovery, NASA quickly began to backtrack and look for any other signs of interstellar activity and found another similar event back in October to November the same year. A rise in tone from the plasma instrument on the voyager indicated that the spacecraft left the solar system on August 25th 2012 which is now known as the day when the first man made object went into interstellar space. Officially. The post Voyager Officially Leaves Solar System appeared first on TechBeat. |
FBI Asked Microsoft For Access To Encryption Software Posted: 23 Sep 2013 02:01 AM PDT Sources have revealed that the FBI have a history of asking software companies for backdoors in their encryption software to help them catch criminals. The backdoors would provide government agencies with the ability to wiretap people's computers. As the news broke out that the NSA had spent millions on malware that can be used to override security software, more information on government hacking schemes have come to light. It now seems that the FBI have also been leaning on tech companies to poke holes in their encryption software to allow the agencies easy access to people's private files on their computers.  Loaded Questions Peter Biddle was the head engineer of Microsoft's encryption program BitLocker. During a recent interview, Biddle told Mashable that back in 2005 when he was working on BitLocker, he had been approached several times by government agents and asked to put a backdoor in the software. Although the computer software programmer couldn't remember which agency it was that approached him, he could recount the conversations that he had with the agents stating that "at least once the question was more, 'If we were to officially ask you, what would you say?'" In all of the accounts of government agencies asking tech companies to create these back doors, there is one common theme; the question is always asked in a subtle way, dropped in to the middle of a conversation and quickly brushed over if the answer isn't appealing to the agent. In fact, the agencies are very careful not to be caught on record asking for such things. Nico Sell, the lady responsible for the mobile phone privacy app, Wickr was also approached by the FBI and asked "So are you gonna give us a backdoor?" When Sell pushed back and asked for a written request along with the name of the agent's manager, the agent immediately stopped with his requests. FBI Deny Allegations Although the FBI have gone on record as being concerned about encryption software allowing criminals (in particular pedophiles) to hide their activity from agencies, an FBI spokesperson responded to the allegations by saying "The FBI does not ask for backdoors. Period." However, the FBI will continue to push for an expansion on the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act which tells digital communications companies to build software that can easily be wiretapped by agencies. |
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Free Download
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Saturday, 20 July 2013
Xbox Concept GAME Store Opens In London
Xbox Concept GAME Store Opens In London Posted: 14 Jul 2013 05:00 AM PDT An Xbox-dedicated "one-of-a-kind concept store" has been opened by GAME in the BoxPark Retail Mall on Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, London, UK. The concept store will be exclusively promoting and retailing Microsoft Xbox products, with the sale of hardware and software, including limited edition "My Xbox" console skins and the new slim line Xbox 360. Customers can also interact with the products on offer and will have playable gaming pods and the store features a head-to-head challenge area. "Our partnership with GAME represents another way Microsoft is investing in retail and creating a unique offering for both partners and consumers, as we continue to build on the Xbox 360's success as the number one selling console in the UK," said Microsoft's Jon Grimes. This new store is hoping to boost sales and encourage players to stay loyal to Xbox, following the massive backlash from controversial features of the new Xbox One. In a move which received praise from GAME, Microsoft u-turned on their policy which limited lending and selling of used games as well as changing the constant internet connection requirement. Players will now only need to connect to the internet during the initial system set up. In spite of this though, the future of the Xbox One console is still uncertain amongst the new playing platforms that have emerged in the last eight years since the release of the massively popular Xbox 360 console. Online and smartphone content is currently the fastest growing sector in the global video game industry, which DFC Intelligence expects to be worth around the $82 billion mark in the next four years. The mobile platform has expanded, prompting general game titles to draw in larger audiences, leaving the traditional console market under threat. David Cole, DFC Intelligence analyst stated: "New console systems from Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony are expected to help the console segment regain some momentum in the 2014 to 2015 time frame. However, the steadiest growth is on the PC and mobile side." David Howard, a representative of GAME added: "The GAME Xbox store at BoxPark takes the shopping experience to the next level, presenting the world with a bold new face for retail and showcasing the very best of Xbox to the UK gaming community. This concept store comes with a wealth of potential and we look forward to revealing more about our plans in the near future." Could we eventually see a Playstation concept store too? |
Want Some Privacy? Get A Typewriter! Posted: 14 Jul 2013 03:00 AM PDT The Russian government has decided to purchase new typewriter equipment. According to the Russian procurement service website, the Federal Guard Agency has ordered 486,000 Roubles worth of electric typewriters. Could it be they feel this is the solution to privacy issues? Well to put it more into context, the amount spent on this equipment equates to $15,000, about 20 typewriters.  So to be fair they are not overhaluing their whole system for documenting the country’s goings-on but what is interesting is that according to a source for Russia’s Izvestiya newspaper; the Defense ministry, the Emergencies ministry and the “special services” are already using non-electronic devices to produce documents. Even President Putin is supposedly receiving some correspondence this way. “After scandals with the distribution of secret documents by WikiLeaks and the exposes by Edward Snowden,” the anonymous source explained, “it has been decided to expand the practice of creating paper documents” — especially because each document can be traced back to its unique typewriter signature. So if you are concerned about security, maybe a typewriter could be the answer. Some Brooklyn-based writers told the New York Times how much they love using typewriters. Users love the fact that they don’t have the delete key to fall back on, that they have to commit to their thoughts. They also don’t have to worry about recharging the device! Would you consider using a typewriter? Tell us your thoughts. |
Microsoft Hint Skype Calls Can Be Intercepted & Handed to The NSA
 Posted: 19 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT A recent statement by Microsoft on the National Security Agency (NSA), indirectly hints that any communication via Skype could be intercepted and given to the NSA. In a blog post the company said it “[assumes] that all calls, whether over the Internet or by fixed line or mobile phone, will offer similar levels of privacy and security.” In other words, Skype calls are no different to traditional phone calls made by a landline or cellphone. So the U.S goverment, through the PRISM program, can force Microsoft to hand over any Skype communication; something which they have always denied is technically possible. Privacy researcher Ashkan Soltani says “They’re implying that until they can say more, all they’re going to say is ‘don’t assume Skype is different.’" In a tweet, ACLU’s principal technologist and senior policy analyst Christopher Soghoian echoed Soltani’s thoughts: “Microsoft, a company with dozens of cryptographers, aims to offer same security and privacy for Internet calls as regular phones (aka none).” In 2008, Skype was owned by eBay and claimed that due to “peer-to-peer architecture and encryption techniques,” it was impossible for them to comply with wiretap requests. When Microsoft were asked to explain the sentence, a spokesperson said that when the company was last asked about that, it declined to comment and its position has not changed since. Documents leaked by Edward Snowden suggest that Microsoft has changed Skype’s architectuure making it possible to provide audio and video calls. In response to the allegations that they have actively helped the NSA and FBI, Microsoft released a long statement. “To be clear, we do not provide any government with the ability to break the encryption, nor do we provide the government with the encryption keys,” Smith wrote. “When we are legally obligated to comply with demands, we pull the specified content from our servers where it sits in an unencrypted state, and then we provide it to the government agency.” Microsoft has also sent a letter to the U.S Attorney General Eric Holder, requesting that he get involved and allow them to reveal more details on how it responds to government requests. They have made requests to the Depatment of Justice, the FBI and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) but so far the court has not responded to Microsoft’s requests. “We believe the U.S. Constitution guarantees our freedom to share more information,” reads Smith’s blog post. “The United States has been a role model by guaranteeing a Constitutional right to free speech. We want to exercise that right. With U.S. Government lawyers stopping us from sharing more information with the public, we need the Attorney General to uphold the Constitution.” |
Windows Phone 8 to Get Vine, Path & Flipboard Posted: 19 Jul 2013 05:00 AM PDT Windows users have a lot to look forward to these days. Not too long ago, Nokia unveiled its new high end phone the Lumia 1020, which has a ridiculously high resolution camera. While it probably won’t be the go-to phone of the average Windows Phone user, the device will certainly have its takers. Then there is the news of Surface RT price cuts. Those two things alone make it good times to be on the Windows side.  In any case, we are set to see Vine, Path, and Flipboard on Windows Phone 8 devices soon. I say soon, although news aggregator Flipboard has not revealed any info as to when the app will be ready. We do know, however, that Flipboard has a huge following on iOS and Android. As for Path, I used to hear about it more, and while it does have its fair share of users (not to mention funding), it does not seem to stand out as much. Still, they are more than alive, and they are working directly with Nokia to bring the app to Windows phones. In a blog post, the guys at Path highlighted their focus on the new supercamera Nokia phone, so this should be an interesting collaboration. Last, we have Vine, the relatively new kid on the block. Again, details about its arrival on Windows Phone 8 are not out, but the fact has been confirmed. In other news, Instagram is staying out of the fray, so perhaps, Vine will come out on top with this move. |
Intel Involved in Making Better 3D Movies Posted: 19 Jul 2013 04:00 AM PDT The Intel Corporation is tapping a new business opportunity in South Korea and it is not anything to do with supplying more mobile chips to Samsung Electronics Co. It is actually helping to make better three-dimensional movies. The Korean animation film market lacks the technological finesse of their Western counterparts, this explains why science fiction movies are not popular locally or form a part of the big, global Korean hits. But the global chip maker is testing the market, by providing its high-end processor chips and cloud computing technology to Dexter Studios to make Mr. Go, a new Korean movie that features a 3-D gorilla character named Ling Ling.  While computer graphics are used in a variety of areas, the data storage capacity needed to make detailed computer graphics like those used in natural disaster movies or Sci-Fi movies are enormous, experts say. "For the depiction of a realistic move of a big wave, each and every drop of water is drawn through detailed and complicated calculations of an equation," H.S. Lee, president of Intel Korea said during a news conference in Seoul recently. "The same goes for the movement of an animal’s fur." Dexter Digital, the film studio's CG unit, says Mr. Go's Ling Ling comes with 2 million to 3 million strands of fur. "Without the right hardware performance, it would have been impossible to make the movie," said Lee Yoon-suk, the planning and marketing director at Dexter Studios. The company used supercomputers that ran on Intel's Xeon E5 processors to make the film. The audience will get to decide for themselves now the movie has been released, if they find the baseball-playing, computer-generated gorilla endearing enough to make it a summer hit movie. The movie will be available in other Asian countries later this month. Intel Korea's Mr. Lee said the company plans to continue cooperating with Dexter Studios, noting that the CG business will develop into a key industry for South Korea in the future. |
Xbox One & PS4 Pre-Orders Double Previous Generations Posted: 19 Jul 2013 03:00 AM PDT For all the fuss about which next-generation console is better, both Xbox One & PS4 are actually selling like hot cakes. Last week Amazon ran out of launch bundles for both gaming systems and yesterday it was reported that pre-order numbers are already double those of previous generation consoles. According to the CEO of games publisher Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, some retailers are reporting Xbox One and PlayStation 4 pre-order numbers that are double those of predecessors Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Guillemot did not name the retailers in question, but said they were all receiving more orders than before.  Both next-generation consoles are currently sold out at Best Buy and GameStop, while Amazon ran out of day-one editions last week. Amazon announced that standard editions were still available for pre-order, but without a clear delivery date. It is yet unclear whether the stock for both consoles' launch editions will be replenished. PS4 beating Xbox One? But even if both consoles are selling so well, it seems PlayStation 4 still has the edge, at least according to Amazon's best sellers chart. The PS4 Standard Edition was still in the top 5 best sold products in the video game category on Friday, while the same edition of the Xbox One is nowhere in sight in the top 20 category, although it is available for pre-order. It remains to be seen if this ranking will hold for long, but what's certain is that the PlayStation 4 has been a more popular choice with gamers so far. Gaming industry analysts say the more affordable price tag, its technical specs and the overall more favorable publicity since launch have gone a long way to helping Sony's new console secure a solid lead. Both Xbox One & PS4 will launch this holidays season. Microsoft will release the new console in 21 countries in November, for a retail price of $499 in North America. Sony has not officially revealed a launch date, but the new PlayStation will retail for $399. Have you already pre-ordered you next-generation console? Which one did you get and why? Let us know in the comments below. |
Facial Recognition Method Reads Vein Patterns Posted: 19 Jul 2013 02:00 AM PDT Facial recognition methods are generally regarded as a pretty reliable method of biometric identification, but if you've seen one too many Mission: Impossible episodes, you'll know that they are not by any means failproof. However, a new facial recognition method developed by researchers with India's Jadavpur University brings a unique take on traditional facial ID system: it can identify someone based on their face's blood vessel patterns.  Apparently vein patterns are as unique as one's fingerprint, but a lot tougher to duplicate, so security specialists have begun looking at ways of using these patterns for identification systems for a while now. Many palm and fingerprint scanners on the market are already able to analyze vein patterns, even from a distance, with the help of infrared technology. The same kind of technology was used by Indian scientists when developing their facial vein pattern identification system. By using a thermal imaging camera, the system performs an infrared scan of a person's face. The resulting image is then processed and analyzed by a computer, being run through a special algorithm that can detect all the veins and arteries, down to the smallest capillaries. The system has an impressive accuracy rate of 97% and according to scientists, it is virtually impossible to foil, unlike other biometric systems that are based on fingerprint or eye scanning. Fabricating a realistic mask that can accurately simulate another person's facial pattern is almost impossible. Moreover, no matter how good the mask is, the infrared camera would still detect the imposter's own blood vessel patterns, researchers explained. The impressive accuracy rate of this method makes it ideal for high-security systems. For the best results, scientists suggest using this method together with other forms of identification such as photo ID, PIN codes, security cards, etc. What do you think of this method of identification based on facial vein patterns? Is it as reliable as it sounds? |
Friday, 12 July 2013
Windows 8.1 New Features
 Posted: 10 Jul 2013 07:00 AM PDT In view of endless debate over Windows 8 and the confusion because of its new features, Windows took a little while to come back with a worthy answer. With its newer version, Windows 8.1, it has few things to present to its critics. Windows 8.1 Carries New FeaturesThe Return of the Windows Start Button While this feature was always a part of Windows since its beginning, no one liked the idea of Windows 8 not having this feature. The Windows button in Windows 8 only looks different and has touch capability, but it can be accessed when you press the Windows key on your keyboard. Users did not like this, and so, Windows has placed the button where it is more visible. It’s believed that users will like this for more than one reason. They’ll know it’s there because they can see it, and they will also have the option of using the touch screen option. Windows Also Introduced the Hands-Free Mode Windows has created a brilliant array of apps that has pleased most users. It has even created recipe apps that collect recipes from top chefs so that you can learn how to cook great meals. However, how would you read through the recipes and flip pages when your hands are full of cooking materials? Well, you don’t have to touch your screen with Windows 8.1 if you have your web cam on. All you need to do is wave your hand over your page on screen, and the page will turn. Your web-cam will pass on the signal via the Hands-free app. Universal Search Previously, the ‘search’ option on the right side of your screen always existed, but it was never quite visible. Now you can do so much more with it because it is Universal, and allows you to search Bing as well as your folders, applications, and files, in one box. You Now Have Updated and New Apps Similar to the smartphone and the tablet, Windows 8 and 8.1 both have apps. These apps are quite different from the regular ones you come across, and they are available through your touch-screen. Microsoft has offered you the ability to use your computer as a tablet because these items are available on your touch-screen. Windows deserves much credit for designing them, and they are all highly useful. To name a few, there is a scientific calculator, a Health and Fitness application that can monitors your exercise and diet, a Reading List, where you can save your reading material and updates for current apps. Windows Now Gives You 3-D Printer Support Microsoft claims Windows 8.1 is the first operating system that functions smoothly with desktop 3-D printers such as the Solidoodle and Makerbot. These 3-D printers will use an API and a driver, similar to that of a 2-D printer. All these new features have been pleasing Windows lately, and Windows seems to be getting things right. All the criticism that they faced in recent months will lose its intensity with each user trying out 8.1 |
Jelly Bean Overtakes Gingerbread Posted: 10 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT Jelly Bean is now used on just under 38% of all active Android devices. The latest figures show which versions of Android are actually being used in the real world, have been published by Google. This new data shows that Android 4.x, which includes Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly bean, runs on over 61% of devices, while Jelly Bean itself (Android 4.1 and Android 4.2) runs on just under 38% of devices.  This is the first time that Jelly Bean has taken the lead from the Gingerbread operating system, which has stayed active even though it has been superseded several times. However, Gingerbread's use is in decline, at the beginning of this year Android 2.3 was running on just under half of all active Android devices and Jelly Bean had just a 10% share. Ice Cream Sandwich was popular with just under 30% usage. If we skip forward six months in time, now Jelly Bean is king having taken the lion share from Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich. Google generates these numbers based on "data collected during a 14-day period ending on July 8, 2013″ and use Google's new counting method. Since April 2013, the data now contains the number of devices that are used to visit the Google Play Store, rather than any device that simply checked-in to Google servers. Google have said that this is a more accurate way to count the users who are actually active in the Android sphere. As for the rest of the field Android 2.1 and 2.2 are still used on 4.5 % of devices while Android 1.6 Donut and Android 3.2 Honeycomb barely register at less than 1% (0.1%). The reason for Gingerbread's longevity is likely because of its low system requirements. It is still possible to buy low end Smartphones running Gingerbread today. Since it can run on devices with only 256MB of memory and it doesn't need a very fast GPU then for emerging markets it is still a very viable option. How long it will remain that way is unclear, however the fact that Jelly Bean has finally taken the lead coupled with Android 4.x runs on over 61% of active devices, it seems that the end is almost upon Gingerbread…Ah well, it had a good run. . |
Dell to Enter The Wearable Computing Niche? Posted: 10 Jul 2013 05:00 AM PDT With the availability of Google Glass to the general public coming closer and closer, the interest in wearable computing has never been this strong. Of course, the concept has always been a topic of interest for forward thinkers, and it is also a bone of content for those who see a lot of potential danger. But, as much as some people may have closed their minds to the concept, wearable computing is the future of gadgets. And if the whispers about tech icon Dell are anything to go by, the wearable computing niche is really something to look into.  Add to that the shrinking PC market, and it is only understandable that the brains running Dell are looking at other options. If they want to continue being a top brand, that is. I do not know a single soul who gets excited when Dell is mentioned, but that does not mean the company may not have anything to add to the game. They might not be as far as Google Glass yet, but Sam Burd, VP of personal computing at Dell, has said that they are “exploring ideas in that [wearable computing] space”. He went as far as to say that wearing a watch on your wrist is “pretty interesting, pretty appealing”. Of course, we assume that he was referring to the likes of the Pebble and Cookoo watches. Still, this does not mean that Dell is totally going to abandon the PC. Burd stated this rather clearly in spite of the abysmal financial returns his department has had. Will Dell be able to make waves – even mere splashes – in the wearable computing niche? |
Mozilla’s Smartphone OS Launches in Spain Posted: 10 Jul 2013 04:00 AM PDT One of the world's leading Internet browser providers has joined the smartphone business with a new operating system. Mozilla's smartphone OS was officially released in Spain. First details about the operating system emerged at the Barcelona Mobile World Congress in February and Mozilla has just released the first two smartphones equipped with the new Firefox operating system.  The two smartphones, a ZTE Open and an Alcatel OneTouch Fire, are only available in Spain for the time being. Mozilla partnered with Telefonica on the project, which aims at making available a series of more affordable smartphones to the general public. The phones will retail for 69 euros or about $90. Pre-paid versions also come with 30 euros worth of credit. Both models will be equipped with standard smartphone features such as phone calls, text messaging, email, maps, camera and Firefox web browsing. Each of the phones has 512MB internal memory and is provided with a microSD card slot to increase storage space. The smartphones do not feature HD screens, but are equipped with 1 GHz Qualcomm processors and Ardeno 200 graphics cards. The Firefox OS is open source and developed using HTML5, which Mozilla hopes will appeal to web developers who can easily use the system to create their own apps. It is not yet known when the Mozilla OS smartphones will be available for U.S. consumers. For the time being, Mozilla is marketing the phones on emerging markets such as Poland, Spain, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil, markets where the new OS will be a significantly more affordable option than the more expensive iPhones or last generation Android powered devices. Mozilla executives acknowledge that it will be difficult for the Firefox OS to find success on a market that is 90% dominated by Android and iOS together, but are confident that the low price point and open-source features will make it a popular choice among those loking for an alternative to traditional smartphone operating systems. What do you think are Mozilla's chances to succeed? Would you like to try out a Firefox OS smartphone? |
Wood Battery for Large-Scale Energy Storage Posted: 10 Jul 2013 03:00 AM PDT While traditional batteries cater to most of our everyday energy storage needs, they are generally not a feasible solution for large-scale energy storage, both in terms of cost and environmental sustainability. So how about using a wood battery instead? As strange as it may sound, scientists are researching a battery model that uses wood fibers coated in tin and believe that this could be an efficient and environmentally friendly solution for large-scale storage.  Cellulose fibers were found to help nanobatteries keep their structure One of the biggest obstacles to developing stable sodium-ion batteries so far has been the fact that they have a very short life due to a phenomenon known as sodiation. More specifically, every charge and discharge of ions leads to the anode swelling and the battery falling apart after as little as 20 charging cycles. But by using wood fibers, Maryland University scientists have managed to create longer lasting nanobatteries. The paper-thin wood fibers were coated with carbon nanotubes to become electrically conductive and then wrapped the array with a tin film. Given that wood fibers are softer than the stiff bases generally used in traditional batteries, they were able to withstand the sodiation process and the anode's repeated swelling and shrinking. The wood nanobattery was thus able to survive over 400 charging cycles. Even at the end of the battery life, the wood fibers were wrinkled, but still intact. Scientists found inspiration for the project in the trees. A tree's wood fibers hold water rich in minerals, which makes them ideal for the storage of liquid electrolytes and this makes them an active part of the battery, not only the base. The wood battery is still in development. Sodium generally does not store energy as efficient as lithium, so it's unlikely to see the technology used in our everyday gadgets. But a sodium-ion battery's cycling performance, cheap raw material and impressive capacity will make it a highly efficient solution for storing large amounts of energy from renewable sources. What do you think of the new design? Could the sodium-ion battery hold the key for solving a possible energy crisis, by offering large-scale energy storage to virtually every community with zero environmental impact? [Image via treehugger] The post Wood Battery for Large-Scale Energy Storage appeared first on TechBeat. |
Google Pays Out to AdBlock Plus Posted: 10 Jul 2013 02:00 AM PDT Adblock Plus is a popular plugin for filtering advertisements, but it won’t hide Google ads by default. That’s because the company pays for inclusion in a whitelist. If you have ever wanted to keep annoying, intrusive advertisements off of your computer screen? Then you have probably installed Adblock Plus, a freeware product that has been downloaded by millions of users. What you probably did not know, however, is that Adblock Plus is not as indiscriminate as you would think; though the program hides a number of advertisements by default, advertising monoliths like Google can and do pay Eyeo, the company running Adblock Plus, to keep their advertisements on the company's Acceptable Advertisements whitelist. By default then, Adblock Plus does indeed display adverts from those who pay and are visible when Adblock is enabled!  “Scandalous!” I hear you cry! But the policy is not exactly new. Eyeo have implemented the Acceptable Ads white list two years ago, back in 2011, partly to prevent the depriving of small websites of valuable advertising revenue. The move was also pragmatic: as per the Frequently Asked Questions section on the Abdblock Plus website. Managing a portfolio of white listed advertisements can be expensive and so charging larger companies to participate keeps the Acceptable Ads initiative viable. The inclusion of a white list in ad blocking software may seem insincere, but Eyeo co-founder Till Faida thinks of it as a way to promote positive change in the online advertising sphere. In a recent interview, Faida suggests the company's philosophy is more about reaching a compromise between internet users and advertisers than shutting advertisers out completely. Less in your face ads are a start, apparently: the Acceptable Ads policy mandates that advertisements be nonintrusive. Considering a number of points; the number of small internet publishers that rely solely on ads for income, and the services companies like Google, provide at no charge, Eyeo's policies looks reasonable. Adblock Plus' current approach allows legitimate advertisements while discouraging harmful ones and in doing so helps. A greater transparency in these matters is necessary, granted, knowing exactly how much Eyeo charges certain advertisers would be a wonderfully clear beginning, but the balance that Eyeo has struck between internet users and advertising companies is sound. |
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