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Monday, 4 March 2013
Latest Hp laptop- Hp Envy dv6
Around the World With Windows Store Apps
From a physics Ph.D. student-turned-app builder to chimps launching an indie game studio, app builders across the globe are bringing amazing experiences to Windows 8 and enjoying success along the way.
This week, thousands have descended upon Barcelona, Spain, for Mobile World Congress, the world’s premier mobile industry event. In honor of this international gathering, we’re celebrating Windows Store apps from around the world, along with stories of the people working behind the scenes to bring those apps to life on Windows 8.
New Lab Envisions the Future of Work and Play
Microsoft today unveiled its reimagined Envisioning Center, which offers a hands-on experience with the future of business and leisure — and also serves as a laboratory for the company’s engineering teams.
The future of work and play is on display at Microsoft’s reimagined
Envisioning Center, the result of collaboration between the company’s
Strategic Prototyping team and Office Labs. Visitors can work on
interactive desks, talk with colleagues through digital walls, and cook
in a Kinect-enabled kitchen. Microsoft expects thousands of customers to
explore the new space each year.
“We want to excite customers about the direction we're heading in
and show that we are constantly thinking about new scenarios based on
trends and real work in Microsoft Research and the business groups,”
says Jonathan Cluts, director of Microsoft’s Strategic Prototyping team.
“These scenarios are based on reality, not science fiction.”
“We don’t imagine that we’re predicting the future,” says Anton
Andrews, director of Envisioning in Office Labs. “But it’s case of
staying on the cutting edge of the conversation, and promoting that
conversation.
”
HTML5 flaw in leading browsers invites junk data storage
HTML5 Web Storage defines an API (application programming interface) that allows websites to store more data inside browsers than was previously possible by using cookies, which are restricted to a size of maximum 4KB.
The localStorage attribute of the Web Storage API allows websites to store between 2.5MB and 10MB of data per origin—domain name—depending on the browser used. Google Chrome enforces a limit of 2. MB, Mozilla Firefox a limit of 5MB, and Internet Explorer a limit of 10MB.
"Chrome, Safari, and IE currently do not implement any such 'affiliated site' storage limit," Web developer and security researcher Feross Aboukhadijeh said in a recent blog post. Since website owners can generate subdomains at will, they can exploit this loophole to effectively gain unlimited storage space on visitors' computers, he said.
Aboukhadijeh created a proof-of-concept website that uses this trick to fill visitors' hard disk drives with junk data. The site was tested with Chrome 25, Safari 6, Opera 12, and IE 10, and was capable of writing 1GB of data every 16 seconds on a Macbook Pro equipped with a solid state drive (SSD), the researcher said.
"For 32-bit browsers, like Chrome, the entire browser may crash before the disk is filled," Aboukhadijeh said. The attack does not work in Firefox because "Firefox's implementation of localStorage is smarter," he said.
The Chrome developers acknowledged the issue in an entry on the Chrome bug tracker , but finding a fix might not be easy. According to some people involved in the discussion, limiting the localStorage space for subdomains in relation to the limit for their respective domains might create problems on sites like Github Pages or Appspot that provide users with their own subdomains to create projects.
BlackBerry Z10 gets first software update
The Z10 running on the BlackBerry 10 operating system has got its first firmware upgrade based on user feedback. BlackBerry 10.0.10.85 brings a number of improvements including better battery life, according to the firm. See also: BlackBerry 10 Price in UK: Q10 & Z10
BlackBerry said: "You've been using it for weeks, and we've been listening to your feedback, and have been working on an update just for you. It's already available from some carriers and we're working closely with all our carrier partners to get it to you as soon as possible."
Five fixes
The top improvement, according to BlackBerry, is third-party app performance, which means devleopers can build faster and smoother apps. BlackBerry said to lookout for new apps this month including WhatsApp.In at number two is a fix for Gmail calendars, improvements for call logging and conversations in the BlackBerry Hub, and importing contacts from online sources. BlackBerry has also enhanced the camera performance in low light.
At number four is an improvement to the way in which the Z10 handles video playback, and last but not least is better battery life. The software comes with more than 60 battery-saving improvements, and BlackBerry said heavy users should see a longer average usage per charge cycle.
BlackBerry said the 150MB download is typically available over the air (OTA), and users will get a notification. It will be roll out globally over the next few weeks, but users can also check manually in the software settings section of the menu.
Facebook's News Feed to get a new look
Currently there are no details on the changes. "Come see a new look for News Feed," reads an invitation emailed to journalists on Friday.
The social network will be unveiling the changes March 7 at its Menlo Park, California, headquarters.
Facebook's News Feed appears in the center column of a user's home page, displaying a constantly updated list of stories and posts from people and Pages that users follow on the site. Facebook has been tweaking it since it launched in 2006.
The feature's algorithms for displaying certain friends' posts but not others has led to some complaints from users over the years, while others have expressed concern that it has become too noisy by increasingly displaying advertisements based on users' "likes."
As often happens with Facebook changes, there's likely to be an interest on any impact the News Feed revamping may have on user privacy.
Timeline changes also coming?
Facebook appears to be testing changes to its Timeline feature, according to ReadWrite.com, which posted some screenshots and commentary on Timeline changes apparently being rolled out to users in New Zealand.Chrome 26 hits beta with a new spell-checking engine
“Today’s Chrome Beta release brings improved spell checking to the browser,” wrote Google software engineer Rachel Petterson in a Tuesday blog post.
Syncing the custom dictionary
Specifically, Google has refreshed the dictionaries for Chrome’s default spell-checker, which now includes support for three additional languages: Korean, Tamil, and Albanian.
Perhaps more generally exciting—particularly for users with multiple devices—is that for those who sync their settings, the custom dictionary now gets shared across devices.
“So, you won’t need to teach that new Chromebook how to spell your name,” Petterson noted.
Google Chrome BlogThe new spell checking engine—which has been available in Google Docs for some time—even understands proper nouns such as "Justin Bieber" and "Skrillex,” Petterson noted.
Mac support to follow
Chrome 26.0.1410.12, as it's officially called, also contains a number of other new improvements, including a developer preview of app launcher on Windows; forced compositing mode and threaded compositing on Macs; desktop shortcuts for multiple users on Windows; updated menu styling in the Windows version's user interface; and an asynchronous DNS resolver on Mac and Linux.
The new changes will show up for Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS users “in the coming weeks,” Petterson said, with Mac support following after that. In the meantime, you can check them out for yourself in the newest Chrome Beta, which is now available as a free download.
Instagram fans await Polaroid Socialmatic Camera in 2014
In the first quarter of 2014, you’ll be able to buy a Polaroid-branded instant digital camera that will let you shoot photos, apply Instagram filters, share them on Facebook and Instagram, and print your snapshot on Polaroid-style paper.
The idea makes sense considering that both Polaroid and Instagram appeal to people because of their hipster vibes.
It can’t be denied—tons of people get a kick out of Instagram. In fact, the service says more than 100 million people use it every month. Unless you’re a photography purist, Instagram is fun to use if you’re creatively-inclined, and transforms ordinary photos into retro-style artistic creations that you can share with friends and followers in just a few clicks on your mobile device.
The square-shaped Polaroid Socialmatic Camera is a concept developed by ADR and fittingly resembles Instagram’s little square app icon. Although actual product specs have yet to be announced, when the concept was unveiled last May it was shown to feature interchangeable lenses, an LED flash, a touchscreen, optical zoom, 16GB of memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and, of course, its own printer on board.
In the meantime, if you can’t wait to transform your Instagram pics into something you can hold in your hand, you might try SnapBox. It’s an affordable and relatively quick way to turn your Instagram art into masterpieces printed onto canvas and stretched onto classy black frames.
To use it, you choose any photo on your mobile device or computer and email it to snapbox@snapboxez.com.
After a little while you’ll receive via email a preview of your art. You just choose what size you want it printed, including square shapes perfect for Instagram shots such as 5-by-5 and 9-by-9, as well as whether you want it delivered to your house for a nominal fee, or shipped for free to a retail store near you.
What’s impressive is not only how affordable SnapBox is, but also the quality of the frames and artistic feel of the finished product. Instagram makes them look more interesting than the originals, which, again, is the beauty of the app and the reason it resonates with so many people.
And now with nearly instant printing tailored just for Instagram on the horizon, it’s a good bet even more people will find the app a fun way to express their creativity.
Culled from pcworld.com
Samsung Galaxy S4 to launch in 6 models
It what would be a very Apple-style launch, SamMobile has reported that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will launch in black and white colour options and three different storage capacities - 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
Although large storage options will be available, the Galaxy S4 will supposedly have a microSD card slot for adding more.
The site is also reporting that the Samsung wants to put out one Galaxy S4 model which supports 4G LTE and 3G mobile networks, which makes sense.
There's also news on the possible processor for the Android smartphone. Qaulcomm's Snapdragon 600 chip may be used instead of the Exynos 5 Octa 8-core processor. This is because the Qualcomm is LTE enabled but the Samsung Exynos is not.
The Exynos could easily be coupled with a separate 4G LTE chip but SamMobile said "our insider told us that Samsung is mostly sure to use Snapdragon instead of Exynos."
Other possible Galaxy S4 specifications include 2GB of RAM, 4.99in Full HD screen, a 13Mp camera, 2Mp front facing camera, wireless charging and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
It will have to go up against the iPhone 5, Sony Xperia Z, HTC One and a wave of incoming phablets announced at this year's MWC.
Bank of America says hackers lifted its data from a partner
A group affiliated with Anonymous that calls itself the "Anonymous Intelligence Agency: Par:AnoIA" released what it claims is 14GB of data belonging to the bank and other organizations, including Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, and TEKsystems.
Email correspondence in the data suggests that TEKsystems was a contractor working for Bank of America and charged with monitoring public activity by hacker networks targeting the bank.
"In this instance, a third-party company was compromised," according to a Bank of America statement released last week. "This company was working on a pilot program for monitoring publicly available information to identify information security threats."
Officials with TEKsystems and Allegis group could not be immediately reached.
In a news release, Par:AnoIA said the data came from an unsecured server in Tel Aviv. "The source of this release has confirmed that the data was not acquired by a hack but because it was stored on a misconfigured server and basically open for grabs," the group said.
Hactivists target corporations
Large corporations have become increasingly interested in monitoring social networks and hacker forums for indications that they may come under attack. Companies that specialize in that kind of monitoring have also been targeted by groups such as Anonymous.HB Gary Federal, a California security consultancy, was compromised by Anonymous in 2011 after the company had researched the real identities of some Anonymous members. That breach disclosed emails describing a proposal to help Bank of America's law firm, Hunton and Williams, discredit the whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks.
For its part, the banking industry has drawn the ire of Anonymous since it cut off payment processing of donations to WikiLeaks.
Email reveals corporate research
Par:AnoIA's data dump includes a batch of more than 500 emails with brief reports on the Occupy Wall Street movement and hacking groups such as TeaMp0isoN and UGNazi. It also contained briefings on public releases of credit-card numbers. The sources for the information were public sources, including Twitter, Pastebin, and The Pirate Bay, according to the emails.
All four have deleted their LinkedIn profiles, but the profiles still appear in Google's cache. One analyst's profile was live as recently as three days ago.
Par:AnoIA said its release also includes the application OneCalais, which collects unstructured information from news stories, blogs and research reports. The software is made by ClearForest, an Israeli company owned by Thomson Reuters. Officials with Thomson Reuters and ClearForest could not be immediately reached.
The compromised data also contained salary information on executives, although much of it appears to be publicly available.
Culled from pcworld.com
Friday, 1 March 2013
Firefox OS should make Microsoft sharpen Windows Phone 8 sales plan
Microsoft officials at Mobile World Congress here conceded that the company's Windows Phone 8 platform must be differentiated from the technology of market leaders Android and iPhone, as well as newcomers like Firefox in order to grow above a 5% share of the smartphone market.
"Firefox's arrival indicates the smartphone industry is so competitive and dynamic," said Greg Sullivan, a senior product manager for Windows Phone, in an interview with Computerworld at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) here this week. "It's far from game over in the mobile space."
It seems obvious that Firefox will run on lower-cost smartphones, but the market is still waiting to see what kinds of devices emerge to run it. Meanwhile, Windows Phone can produce a high quality user experience across a variety of low- and high-end devices, Sullivan contended.
Nokia's Windows Phone 8-based Lumia 920 offers "killer hardware," Sullivan said, adding that the company this week also introduced the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop called the new phones a bid to "push innovation to more people." (Only the Lumia 520 will be sold in the U.S., by T-Mobile, so far.)
Microsoft didn't have a booth at MWC, but used shuttle buses to ferry reporters to a hotel where officials showed off how a Windows Phone 8 lets users run an application over various platforms, including a PC and Xbox in a combined Microsoft "ecosystem," Sullivan said.
"The notion is that I have all different ways to get to stuff," Sullivan said.
Microsoft officials here conceded that the company needs to do a better job of showing consumers that they can run Office 365, Excel and other productivity apps on various kinds of computers—a message Microsoft tried to spread when Windows Phone 7 was first introduced.
Still, users have complained that they must pay for three different versions of many games and apps to run them on three different platforms, such as Xbox, PC and smartphone.
MicrosoftSullivan said it is possible that Microsoft will eventually have a single app store for buying applications that work on different devices. So far, Windows Phone and Windows 8 share the same kernel, but are not synonymous and need to be different to allow app developers to accommodate different screen sizes and resolutions and many other factors, Sullivan said.
Windows Phone has attracted honors and recognition for some basics, including its "live tiles" concept on the interface that allows a person to set up a "theoretically endless" number of applications to run on the home screen, Sullivan said.
BlackBerry picked up some of the live tile concept in its new BlackBerry 10 smartphone, the Z10, and some Android phones are even showing design (if not function) similarities to the live tiles concept, Sullivan said.
"It's flattering to see others adopt elements of the Windows Phone design and philosophy," he said.
Google's Sergey Brin rips smartphones, shows off Glass
Brin wore the Google Glass device as he spoke Wednesday at a TED conference in Long Beach, Calif. He made it clear that his vision for the future of search is that people won't have to make queries or disconnect from personal interactions to get the information they need.
"When we started Google 15 years ago, my vision was that information would come to you as you need it," said Brin, according to a TED blog. "You wouldn't have to search query at all... But for now, we get information by disconnecting from other people, looking down into our smartphone."
No smartphone screens
Brin isn't comfortable with staring down onto a smartphone screen."Is this the way you're meant to interact with other people?" he asked conference attendees. "Is the future of connection just people walking around hunched up, looking down, rubbing a featureless piece of glass? It's kind of emasculating. Is this what you're meant to do with your body?"
Brin talked about Glass and the future of digital connectivity on the same day that Google closed the application period for testing the wearable computers. The company on Feb. 20 announced it was looking for Glass "explorers" and asked applicants to tell how they would use the computerized glasses in 50 words or less.
Brin, during his talk, referred to the first explorers as "a few early, bleeding-edge adopters."
Those applicants, who must be over 18 and live in the U.S., need to be ready to pay up for being an early adopter. Google said the first explorers will need to pay $1,500 plus tax for the glasses, along with travel expenses to attend a special "pick-up experience" in New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles.
When Google called for explorer applications, the company also released a video showing people using the glasses while skydiving, dancing, playing with their children and riding a roller coaster.
The video also shows off the Glass interface, which is a translucent pane on the right eye glass shows options for taking photos, shooting videos, getting directions, sharing, search and showing maps with graphic overlays.
The glasses, which Google noted are now called Glass instead of Google Glass, also are designed to enable users to activate all these options with voice control.
Voyager car smartphone looks to make driving and dialing safe
The Israeli telco is showing off its new “connected car smartphone” at Mobile World Congress. At first glance, this phone looks like a large, somewhat clunky smartphone with a touchscreen and physical keys. But pick it up and—oh wait, you can’t. That’s because the Voyager isn’t really a smartphone, it’s an in-vehicle installation that happens to run Android and make phone calls.
Photo by Sarah Jacobsson PurewalStill, the Voyager does run Android, and Accel’s spokespeople assured me that it’s capable of running any Android app (even those that offer streaming video). So it’s more of a smartphone than today’s OEM in-vehicle touchscreens, which are typically limited by app selection and other features in the name of safety.
Like other smartphones, the Voyager also makes phone calls. However, you can’t put the phone up to your ear, because, well, it’s mounted to the car. The phone does have a one-touch voice dialing button, so you can call people without having to pick up the phone. (You can also dial numbers using the physical number pad).
The phone can use your existing phone number via a twin SIM card—basically, your operator can give you a SIM card that exactly mirrors the SIM card in your actual smartphone. Then, when someone calls your phone number, both phones will ring and you can choose which phone to pick up.
Of course, the Voyager can also accept a regular SIM, but then you’ll have a car-specific phone number (and you’ll also have to pay for another data plan).
The Voyager will be sold as a kit, complete with phone, mounting tools, and an OBD (on-board-diagnostics) dongle. The OBD dongle can be plugged into your car’s OBD port, so you can monitor your car’s health via the Voyager smartphone. According to Accel spokespeople, the unit will require a professional installation—albeit a quick one.
A “connected car smartphone” is an interesting concept, but I wonder if there’s really a place for it. Assuming you’ve got a smartphone, and possibly a touchscreen in the head unit of your car, do you need an extra mounted touchscreen in smartphone form? Possibly not.
But it might help you out legally. Many places only allow interaction with touchscreens and/or mobile devices if they are mounted in the car (such as mounted GPS units). So maybe the Voyager will let you play Angry Birds and watch YouTube videos while you’re driving, though I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
The Voyager is expected to hit European and U.S. markets later this year, and will cost between $500 and $600.
Wet computing' lets you submerge electronics for cooling without frying them
Normally, electronics and liquids don't mix—just ask your laptop after you douse it with your morning cup of coffee. But Dr. Jon Summers, who leads the team of researchers responsible for this attempt, says that the liquid they're using is amazing stuff. Unlike most other liquids, 3M Novec, the non-flammable coolant that the Leeds team used, does not conduct electricity. This means that it shouldn't fry electronic equipment that comes in contact with it.
Liquid-cooled computers aren't exactly a completely unknown phenomenon. We've seen mineral oil in a variety of awesome casemods before. That said, the most impressive thing about this attempt is exactly how much energy is being saved here.
According to the researchers, this liquid coolant system is a "silent, next-generation liquid cooling process that relies on the natural convection of heat," which should be good news to anyone who can't stand the incessant humming of computer fans.
The Icetope system reportedly uses just 80 watts of power and is capable of functioning without normal data center facilities like air-conditioning, humidity control systems and air purification. To put that in perspective, that's only about as much as what a standard light bulb uses. Meanwhile, a Falcon Northwest Tiki gaming system that PCWorld tested last summer has a 450-watt power supply. Not bad.
Review: Tweriod tells you when to tweet
To sign up for Tweriod, you simply grant the service access to your Twitter account and it goes to work, analyzing the performance of your past 200 tweets, your followers' past tweets, and those of the people you follow. In several minutes, it generates a report which you can view online at your Tweriod dashboard. The free version of Tweriod is limited to 1,000 followers and only lets you generate a report once a month. The Premium version, which is available in monthly versions starting at $4 or for one-time reports starting at $5 each, removes these restrictions.
Tweriod's report is presented in a neat, clean layout that's easy to comprehend. It shows you what times you have the most exposure, and breaks it out into weekends, weekdays, and specific days of the week. It also shows you what time most of your followers are online, and again breaks it out into weekends, weekdays, and specific days of the week. It even includes an hourly breakdown of your online followers. All of these specifics are a very nice touch, as they allow you to examine your Twitter account in great detail and plan accordingly.
Tweriod has a lot in common with Timely, which is no longer available to consumers. Timely, which is now available only in an enterprise-level version for Demandforce customers, analyzes a user's tweets and then publishes them automatically based on when it thinks they'll have the most impact. Tweriod, meanwhile, doesn't actually publish your tweets; it just tells you when you think they'll have the most reach. Tweriod does let you post tweets, but it publishes them immediately: It does not let you schedule them based on the results of its analysis.
For scheduling, Tweriod pushes users to Buffer, a free service that analyzes overall Twitter trends (not your individual accounts) and automates the posting of tweets based on that information. Buffer, which also works with other social networks including Facebook and LinkedIn, lets you schedule tweets or will automate the posting of them for you.
Tweriod's tools will be useful for anyone who's wondering why their tweets aren't quite taking off. While it can't help you compose better tweets, it can offer advice on the best time to post them. I do wish it had a scheduling feature built in, but its integration with Buffer is a tolerable workaround.
Note: The Download button on the Product Information page takes you to the vendor's site, where you can use the latest version of this Web-based software.
Gesture controls coming soon to your phone or tablet
BARCELONA—Gesture control technology has already found a place in TVs, in gaming systems like Microsoft Kinect, and in at least one free-standing interface from Leap Motion, which lets you control your PC with hand movements.
Most of these companies have no products, only prototypes. But device makers are very interested in letting us control their devices with hand gestures that mimic the touch gestures we already use to direct the operating systems and apps in our devices.
I saw gesture technologies here in Barcelona that use either ultrasound, infrared light, or a camera to detect the gestures of the user. Let's start with ultrasound.
Recognizing gestures with sound
The Norwegian company Elliptic Labs showed off its ultrasound-based gesture tech at MWC.The prototype tablet it demonstrated for me had a series of small holes around the edges of the screen that emit ultrasound bursts.
Elliptic Labs[See Windows 8 Gesture suite in action.]
The company hopes to license its “Windows 8 Gesture Suite” to Windows-based tablet makers. The Suite lets the tablet recognize a series of gestures that are based on the touch gestures already understood by the OS, like the oft-used side-swipe movements.
Gesture for the camera
The Israeli company PointGrab has a somewhat simpler way of enabling gestures.The company's technology is just a piece of software with algorithms that use the phone or tablet's existing camera to detect hand motions, as shown in the image above.
CEO Haim Perski points out that the solution is easier than other gesture technologies, because there's no additional technology that a device maker has to design into the device.
Perski demonstrated the tech by using it to control a camera app that his company developed. The app, called CamMe, lets you control the camera on your phone or tablet hands-free by making a hand-closing gesture in front of the camera. The app then waits a few seconds and takes the shot.
[CamMe for iOS]
Motion and light
The Swedish company Neonode takes yet another approach to the problem.Neonode's idea is to let the user control the action on the screen by gesturing on the table around a smartphone or on the borders of the screen on a tablet.
The company showed me a smartphone outfitted with a plastic sleeve with tiny holes around the sides that emit infrared light. The pulses of light bounce off the users fingers to detect motion.
Neonode[Watch a Neonode game-playing and music demo.]
Neonode is also working with some large automakers on infrared-based gesture control for drivers.
The company showed me a steering-wheel prototype with rows of infrared light sensors over which the driver could move his fingers to control things like audio volume, heating and air conditioning, headlight brightness, and even a telephone dialer. All of these controls show up on a screen built into the windshield.
If operating the stereo and answering phone calls in the car can be done without taking one's hands off the steering column, it could truly make driving in today's connected cars a lot safer.
When will gesture control arrive?
It's hard to say exactly how mature and stable these gesture control technologies would be in real-life products. But the demos I saw here seemed to work well, and the benefit to the user is clear.I'd wager that gesture control will show up in tablets first. Gestures are a natural in tablets because we like to watch video and play games on the larger screens, and the video and games would look a lot better if not viewed through a layer of fingerprints. Also, gesture controls allow us to keep our greasy mitts off the screen.
By Mobile World Congress 2014, a handful of phones and tablets will very likely have shipped with some type of gesture control. Ultrabooks and other PCs with built in gesture control should arrive quickly too.
Gesture control will take a little longer to show up in cars because automakers tend to move more slowly in building in new tech. But in-car gesture control seems like a winner of an idea. Watch for it on show floors around 2015 or 2016.
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