In an effort to keep pace with the growing number of free or low-cost desktop productivity tools available online, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) said Monday that it plans to introduce a Web-based version of its
Microsoft Plans Free Version Of Office 2010
In an effort to keep pace with the growing number of free or low-cost desktop productivity tools available online, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) said Monday that it plans to introduce a Web-based version of its
Google's My Location Comes to Desktops
Survey: Many businesses plan to skip Windows 7
BLUETOOTH TECHNOLOGY GETS FASTER WITH BLUETOOTH 3.0
From its annual All Hands Meeting in Tokyo this week, the Bluetooth SIG formally adopted Bluetooth Core Specification Version 3.0 High Speed (HS), or Bluetooth 3.0. This latest iteration of the popular short-range wireless technology fulfills the consumers’ need for speed while providing the same wireless Bluetooth experience – faster. Manufacturers of consumer electronics and home entertainment devices can now build their products to send large amounts of video, music and photos between devices wirelessly at speeds consumers expect.
Bluetooth 3.0 gets its speed from the 802.11 radio protocol. The inclusion of the 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL) provides increased throughput of data transfers at the approximate rate of 24 Mbps. In addition, mobile devices including Bluetooth 3.0 will realize increased power savings due to enhanced power control built in.
“Like Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights, this latest version was ‘born to go fast,’ said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. ”Utilizing the 802.11 radio was a natural choice as it provides efficiencies for both our members and consumers – members get more function out of the two radios they are already including in devices, and consumers with Bluetooth v3.0 HS products will get faster exchange of information without changing how they connect. We are excited to expand the possibilities of the PAN.”
This newest version of Bluetooth technology builds on the inherent qualities of the current 2.1 EDR version, including Simple Secure Pairing and built-in, automatic security. And as with all versions of the Bluetooth specification, Bluetooth 3.0 HS provides developers, manufacturers and consumers with the benefit of backwards compatibility, enabling both the expansion and enhancement of this technology with every new specification release. Once products reach the market, the easiest way for consumers to learn which devices are compatible with other Bluetooth enabled devices is to visit the Bluetooth Gadget Guide.
Applications:
With the availability of Bluetooth version 3.0 HS, consumers can expect to move large data files of videos, music and photos between their own devices and the trusted devices of others, without the need for cables and wires. Some applications consumers will experience include:
- Wirelessly bulk synchronize music libraries between PC and music player or phone
- Bulk download photos to a printer or PC
- Send video files from camera or phone to computer or television
Availability :
The Bluetooth SIG’s formal adoption of the specification is only the first step in the product lifecycle. News out today from wireless chip manufacturers and Bluetooth SIG member companies Atheros, Broadcom, CSR, and Marvell shows the second step – getting silicon solutions to device manufacturers – is already underway. End products for consumers are expected to be in the market in 9 to 12 months
Technical Specifications :
This new specification release includes several major enhancements (learn more here – page requires member login):
- Generic Alternate MAC/PHY (AMP)
- 802.11 Protocol Adaptation Layer (PAL)
- Generic Test Methodology
- Enhanced Power Control
- Unicast Connectionless Data
About Bluetooth® Wireless Technology:
Bluetooth wireless technology is the global short-range wireless standard for personal connectivity of a broad range of electronic devices. The technology continues to evolve, building on its inherent strengths – small-form factor radio, low power, low cost, built-in security, robustness, ease-of-use, and ad hoc networking abilities. More than nine new Bluetooth enabled products are qualified every working day and 18 million Bluetooth units are shipping per week. There are over two billion Bluetooth devices in the marketplace and that number climbs daily, making it the only proven wireless choice for developers, product manufacturers, and consumers worldwide.
About the Bluetooth SIG:
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, consumer electronics, automotive and network industries, is driving development of Bluetooth wireless technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes Promoter group companies Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, along with over 11,000 Associate and Adopter member companies. The Bluetooth SIG, Inc. headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. For more information please visit www.bluetooth.com.
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Feedly - RSS Reader Review
Well traditionally most non tech-savvy people browse the web in a very old fashioned way. They fire up their browser, enter the URL, click enter and they are on! And they do this everytime they are hungry for new information/news. Well visiting websites manually to check for news does serve the purpose and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However as the web has evolved in the last couple of years and more and more information is cluttering up the web - it has brought in a new problem, which is “information overload”.
The concept of RSS is exactly the same. You sort of pick the sites/blogs that you like and mostly visit at all times. You know for sure that you’ll keep on coming back to these sites everyday to check if there is anything new on there. But do you know that most of these websites offers something called “RSS” that actually lets you to subscribe to that website for FREE? Yes, thats right! And every time they have a new article or information the news gets delivered to something called a “RSS Reader”.
Now RSS Readers doesn’t necessarily has to be a software that you need to install on your computer. There are also many web based, and simple browser based RSS readers that just works fine, in fact great! Personally I’m a huge fan of Google Reader, which is google’s web based RSS reader. But there are also other desktop RSS reader that you can install on your computer and have access to all your feeds (your subscriptions). My favorite RSS reader for desktop probably would be - FeedDemon . But anyway I sort of dedicated this post to my current and most favorite RSS reader - Feedly!
Official Google Twitter Accounts
Karen Wickre who is from Google’s Blog & Twitter Team writes:
Like lots of you, we’ve been drawn into Twitter this year. After all, we’re all
about frequent updates ourselves, and there’s lots happening around here that we
want to share with you. Of course, we enjoy watching, and contributing to, the
tweetstream (we hope you find our tweets useful, too). Because there are many
programs and initiatives across the company, we’ve got a number of active
accounts. Here’s a list of the current ones. We’ll update this list from time to
time.
Here is a screen shot of the list since it was last updated:
I initially counted a total of 44 twitter accounts on that list, but according to Techcrunch, Google may have missed one of their own account from the region list. So that makes the total account 45!
Its really great to see that a company of Google’s size is open to change and adapting new (3rd party services). I mean just think about it, they are one of the biggest media company out there, why should they even care about monitoring and contributing to the twitter space?
Twitter has millions of users now, and its growing at a rapid rate. I think its really important for the companies to realize the importance of establishing a relationship with their customers. Undoubtedly twitter really makes this process very easy. Hopefully we will see more and more companies using twitter effectively in the near future.
Apple iPhone OS 3.0 Ninja Tips & Tricks
Get the most from your iPhone or iPod Touch with 3.0 firmware update with these tips for better Web browsing, app access, keyboard tricks, and the lowdown on free AT&T Wi-Fi access.
The iPhone 3.0 firmware update, recently released from Apple, includes a host of new features that make the iPhone and iPod Touch more powerful and easier to use. It runs on all iPhone models: the new iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 3G, and the original iPhone, as well as the iPod Touch.
We've rounded up tips and tricks for making the most of the iPhone enhancements, including how to get the most from the keyboard, simplifying mapping locations and dialing the phone, and using the iPod.
Read on for enlightenment on how to become an iPhone black belt.
Shine A Light On Spotlight :
Spotlight is one of the nicest new features of the iPhone 3.0 operating system. The iPhone stores tons of information, more than an off-the-shelf desktop computer a decade ago. That information was often tucked away in hard-to-find corners of the Calendar, Contacts, Mail, or Notes apps. Applications were often hard to find; they sprawled on nine screens (11 in the new iPhone 3.0), and they were difficult to organize.
iPhone 3.0 lets you search for information on the iPhone quickly, simply by typing a search term into the Spotlight iPhone application.
The easiest way to get to the Spotlight application is to tap the hardware home button twice, slowly, holding the button down after the second tap. Another way to access Spotlight: Go to the home screen, then touch the screen and slide your finger right.
I find Spotlight most useful as an app launcher, but by default the apps aren't the first things that come up in iPhone search. To change the order that Spotlight displays search results, select Settings, then General, then Home, then Search Results.
Remember that location, it's difficult to find. Yes, the settings for the search app are difficult to find -- let's savor the irony together.
You'll see a list of searchable locations. Delete the ones you don't want to search by unchecking them, and change the search order by grabbing the icons on the right side of the screen and moving them up and down. I've made Applications the first set of search results, because that's what I'm most interested in searching.
Comfort zones: Windows vs. Linux
Where's your comfort zone? Windows, Mac, Linux? An unintellectual, emotional attachment to an operating environment often determines what consumers buy and may determine whether Google Chrome can ultimately compete with Windows.
In the consumer laptop space, specifically Netbooks, there isn't much hope for a Linux-based operating system like Google Chrome in the near term. So, first the bad news.
Market researcher iSuppli released a report Friday that I agree with. It begins with the usual, saying that Google's Linux-based Chrome operating system sets the stage for a battle of the Titans (Google versus Microsoft). But what it said after that affirmed my own convictions (and echoed comments I had heard before from other analysts).
"The small penetration of Linux in Netbooks is not due to any technical shortcomings," said Matthew Wilkins, principal analyst, compute platforms research for iSuppli. "Because the vast majority of people who buy Netbooks are consumers, who do not have a high degree of knowledge of the key players in the OS market, they are going with the names that they know. And in PCs, that name is Microsoft."
The report continues: "For Google to be successful, it needs to promote and position its brand so that non-tech-savvy consumers will be comfortable buying a Netbook running its operating system rather than one from Microsoft. This will be a major challenge."
In other words, it's hard to move people out of their comfort zone, particularly if the alternative is fractured like Linux. But there's a silver lining for Google's OS. The comfort zone is shifting. If consumers spend more time on a social-networking site (Facebook, Twitter) or a Web-based productivity environment (Google search, Gmail, Google docs) that becomes their comfort zone (the so-called "cloud") rather than the Windows, or Apple, desktop.
Of course, that's all just theory unless something else happens. What's that extra something? Give consumers a high-profile, respected brand like Google packaged with a slick Netbook and more than a few more could break their ties with Windows (because it becomes irrelevant). Particularly if the price is right.
It's been done before. A charismatic device like the iPhone proves that. In that case, consumers left the tenuous comfort zone of their interface-challenged cell phones in droves and embraced the iPhone.
But this doesn't happen often. And you need a very big, truly innovative company like Apple or Google to pull it off.
Bing and Google: Users Are Willing to Try New Things
The Google OS Becomes Reality: Google Announces the Google Chrome OS
10 Things We’re Dying to Know About Chrome OS
This week the blogosphere was abuzz with the late-breaking news about Google’s new Chrome OS, a combination of the Chrome browser and windowing system running on top of a Linux kernel. But more important than what’s being announced is what hasn’t been said. People already have a lot of questions about the Chrome OS and the answers may ultimately determine how well it succeeds as a true competitor to both Microsoft and Apple, as is being widely speculated. We’ll explore some of those questions in this post.
Free: It Works, It Cries, It Bites
Chris Anderson’s new book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price (available for free in text form and as an audio book), is stirring controversy and a spicy conversation around the blogosphere. The current wave of discussion started with a critical review by Malcolm Gladwell in the New Yorker. In his review, Gladwell defends journalism and goes negative on “Free.” Seth Godin, who till then had stayed out of the debate, penned an instantly classic Godin post titled “Malcolm is wrong.”
Mike Masnick
followed on TechDirt with an insightful post in which he attributes some of Gladwell’s confusion to the way that Anderson wrote the book. Masnick says that the book does not provide enough details on the mechanics and applications of Free. (I haven’t read the book, so I can’t comment on that.) Fred Wilson joined the conversation with a sharply delivered post on Freemium and Freeconomics. He gives examples of the kinds of Free that actually work.
SEE MORE WEB TRENDS COVERAGE IN OUR TRENDS CATEGORY
Does Twitter Deserve a Nobel Peace Prize? Maybe Not Yet, But It Could Someday
I think the idea is serious enough to warrant some closer consideration. I think those little narcissistic bites of information and the platform people publish them on are serious enough to warrant taking this opportunity to consider what it all really means. You might assume that these most recent platitudes are just about Twitter’s celebrated role in Iran – but in fact there’s a lot more going on. Twitter is changing the human experience in important ways, for those fortunate enough to experience it.
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Apple iPod touch 8 GB 2nd Generation LATEST MODEL
Just turn iPod touch on its side and flick through your music to find the album you want to hear. Click to enlarge.
Carry hours of video with you, and watch it on a crisp, clear 3.5-inch widescreen color display.
In Control
While watching your video, tap the display to bring up the onscreen controls. You can play/pause, view by chapter, and adjust the volume. You also can use the new volume controls on the left side of iPod touch. Want to switch between widescreen and full screen? Simply tap the display twice.
Sync and Go
Need some entertainment for your next flight or road trip? With iTunes on your Mac or PC, you can sit at your computer and choose the movies and TV shows you want to sync to your iPod touch.
Games
With its groundbreaking technologies, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand.
Get in the Game
Developers all over the world are creating exciting games unlike anything you’ve ever seen on an iPod or mobile device. Many games come alive with stunning 3D graphics and immerse you in the action with the advanced technologies in iPod touch. There’s even a built-in speaker, so you can hear all the action.
Fingertip
ControlMany games for iPod touch use Multi-Touch to give you precise, fingertip control over game elements. Use your finger to drag your pieces around the board in chess or dice games. Or pinch to enlarge or shrink your view, rotate your character left or right, or just tap to make a selection.
Tilt, Turn, and Go
The built-in accelerometer actually responds to your movements, so you can tilt and turn your iPod touch to control the action. It’s perfect for racing games–where your entire iPod touch acts as a steering wheel–and for tap-and-tilt games like Super Monkey Ball, in which your character rolls to your movements.
The App Store
Even if games aren’t your thing, there’s an iPod touch application for you. Thousands of applications in almost every category–entertainment, social networking, sports, photography, reference, and travel–are a tap away at the App Store.
Sync it Back
iPod touch at Starbucks
Home Screen
Customize Your Home Screen
Go Home
Add Apps, Web Clips, and More
Safari
Browse Anywhere
Search and Find
Zoom with a View
Clip it.
Microsoft throws Bing into Hotmail mix
The company announced the new feature yesterday, which allows users to add Bing image and video search results directly into Hotmail messages.
RegAd Redmond had been piloting its “Quick Add” feature in Windows Live search. The software giant said on the Windows Live Wire blog that users could now easily add restaurant reviews, movie times, images and other stuff sourced from the interwebs with just one click of the mouse.
Search results are now streamed on the right-side of the Hotmail window and can be added into outgoing emails or replies.
However, it only pulls in a few results. If you need to run through an exhaustive list of images, for example, then the system will guide you over to Bing, which doesn't provide a useful button to add your result back into Hotmail once you've tracked it down.
Also, the Quick Add menu remains a static feature when composing email in Hotmail. Users can't minimise it, but those in the know can work around it with a special browser extension.
As for availability, Microsoft has only rolled out the new tool to Australia, Canada, China, India, the US and the UK so far. ®
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