New features coming to Windows Phone's Mango revealed

The ability to chat with friends over Xbox Live is just one of the new features coming to Windows Phone's Mango update.

The impending firmware download, which will push the operating system to Windows Phone 7.5, is due out this fall.

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At an official media unveiling two months ago, Microsoft said more than 500 new features will be coming with the Mango update.

These include new integration with Twitter and LinkedIn, group messaging and "pictures history" features, enhanced 3D visual technology, and Internet Explorer 9 software that is identical to the PC version.
In addition, according to new details that are pouring out from a recently updated Mango development kit (courtesy of the website WPSauce), here are a few more features that will be coming to WP7.5:
- Streaming video or music content from the phone's Web browser will continue even if users open up another app or put the phone in sleep mode.

- Expanded Xbox Live connectivity - voice chatting with other Xbox Live users, attending or hosting Xbox Live parties, and possibly even playing online Xbox 360 games in real-time with console players.
- Extremely deep Facebook integration, tying the user's login credentials directly to the phone, eliminating the need to log in over and over.

In other words, Mango looks to be one heck of an update. The only thing to worry about is whether or not the update will happen as scheduled. Microsoft hasn't exactly boasted a stellar record with Windows Phone software updates up to this point.

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Asus leads the tablet war against Apple

Asustek is apparently the largest, non-iOS tablet vendor - with shipments totaling a fairly healthy 400,000 units during the first half of 2011. 



Indeed, Asustek's $400 entry-level tablet PC has apparently boosted demand in the US, prompting the company to prep a second-gen EEE Pad Transformer.

 

According to DigiTimes, the upcoming tablet - expected to launch in late 2011 - will be powered by Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 and run Ice Cream Sandwich, Google's next-gen Android operating system.

Asus is also expected to introduce its Eee Pad Slider in July ($650-$800), and its 7-inch Eee Pad MeMO 3D in Q4 2011 along with the Padfone, which runs Ice Cream Sandwich and features an Nvidia Tegra 3 chip. 


In addition, Asus may debut a Tegra 3-equipped notebook running Google Chrome at the end of 2011.
While offloading 400,000 units to consumers eager for more Honeycomb goodness is certainly an impressive feat, Android tablet vendors such as Asus certainly have a ways to go before competing with Apple on a level playing field.

As DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim notes, the Android universe is experiencing "growing pains," with Honeycomb being only one of the many "challenges" the rapidly evolving ecosystem is slowly overcoming as it attempts to challenge iOS. 



However, the analyst emphasized that the next major iteration of the operating system - dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich - would attempt to bring all Android categories (smartphones, tablets and TVs) under a single version of the OS.

"This will help to potentially increase the number of applications that can run on the different platforms, with the idea that if you develop software for one platform, it will be able to run on others. This will certainly help to drive interest in the platform for developers and consumers.

"[Nevertheless], retail challenges still exist and may be getting worse as channels that aren't accustomed to selling technology are making a go at the tablet market with limited success," Shim cautioned.

 

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New industry analysts: Android experiencing "growing pains"

Numerous industry analysts, journalists and devs have described Google's tablet-optimized Honeycomb OS as "half-baked" or "unpolished."

To be sure, senior DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim believes the Android universe is experiencing "growing pains," with Honeycomb being only one of the many "challenges" the rapidly evolving ecosystem is slowly overcoming as it attempts to compete with Apple.

"It's evident the early Android-based tablets aren't selling as well as many expected, and some brands we spoke to indicated that the late arrival of the OS could be a good thing," Shim explained.

"One brand said its engineers saw a significant difference between 3.0.1 and 3.1, so instead of coming out earlier in the year, the brand decided to wait until 3.1 was ready to release a device. Dell recently went as far as to say it would only come out with its 10.1-inch tablet in China because executives felt that the position of Android in the US was still unclear and that the platform was still immature."

Nevertheless, Shim emphasized Google is "working rapidly" to advance the OS, as it refines Honeycomb and enables a number of new features to make the tablet-specific operating system more intuitive and efficient.

For example, the latest iteration of the OS offers support for USB-connected peripherals, resizable home screen widgets, support for more external input devices, such as keyboards, mice, joysticks and gamepads.

 In addition, the updated Honeycomb seems much more stable when running on the 10.1-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab.

"The apps run more reliably and consistently, and the platform hasn't crashed yet," he confirmed.

"[Yes], there are still some issues with running Adobe Flash, and the update process wasn't as seamless as it could have been. Based on some forum postings, other users had similarly uncertain update experiences."

The analyst also noted that the next major iteration of the operating system - dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich - would attempt to bring all Android categories (smartphones, tablets and TVs) under a single version of the OS.

"This will help to potentially increase the number of applications that can run on the different platforms, with the idea that if you develop software for one platform, it will be able to run on others. This will certainly help to drive interest in the platform for developers and consumers.



"However, retail challenges still exist and may be getting worse as channels that aren't accustomed to selling technology are making a go at the tablet market with limited success," Shim added.

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Intel WiDi-enabled laptop: Zyxel joins wireless display club with WiHD-based Aerobeam kit

D-Link's recently available MainStage would make a great accessory for those with an Intel WiDi-enabled laptop. But if you have another laptop or want to connect any HDMI-enabled devices to your big HDTV screen, the Aerobeam WirelessHD (WiHD) kit, model WHD6215, that Zyxel introduced today will make a better investment.

 

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 This is the first wireless display product the networking vendor has introduced. Similar to the D-LinkMainStage and the Netgear Push2TV, the WHD6215 allows you to wirelessly connect devices, such as a laptop or a DVD player, to a big-screen TV.

 

While the MainStage is based on Intel's WiDi wireless display standard, ZyXEL's WHD6215 Kit is based on the WiHD technology standard, which is again based on the 60GHz wireless networking standard, similar to that of wireless routers.

 

WirelessHD technology is capable of providing multigigabit data rates, making streaming multiple HD content possible. Zyxel says the kits offer wireless streaming up to full 1080p HD, including 3D content and audio up to 7.1 surround sound. The WHD6215 receiver can also work with up to four transceivers at a time, meaning it can connect up to four devices to one TV simultaneously.

 

The kit will work with any device that would normally use an HDMI cable and doesn't have built-in support for WirelessHD. All you have to do is plug the transceiver to the player and the receiver to the TV using the HDMI ports, and you're good to go. The two devices can stay connected wirelessly from up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) away.

 

The WHD6215 will be available in early July with an estimated street price of around $200. The kit includes one transceiver and one receiver.

 

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HTC 7 Pro Brings Windows Phone 7 OS to Cellular South

Cellular South is now offering the HTC 7 Pro, the company’s first Windows Phone 7 OS offering, for sale to its customers. The smartphone is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm snapdragon and runs on the Windows Phone 7 OS featuring Live Tiles with the glance-and-go experience. A slide out QWERTY keypad and tilt-up display complements the mobile gadget.

The 3.6-inch WVGA touch screen shows off the Windows Live Tiles feature. Live Tiles, depending on the particular app, displays up to the moment updates of things such as email, news, weather, or game notifications. A 5MP camera comes with flash, autofocus, and zoom. The HTC 7 Pro also shoots video with its 720p HD camcorder.

“The HTC 7 Pro is the perfect device for power users who want to combine the ultimate in business efficiency with the ability to take full advantage of their leisure time” said Sherry Stegall, senior vice president for sales and customer operations at Cellular South.

16GB of internal memory helps to store files, video, and digital stills. The on the go person will appreciate the web browser which allows access to Bing Search and Maps. The Maps app allows for turn by turn directions and other capability such as street level view by either voice command or by typing.

The HTC 7 Pro gives the busy professional access to email by using Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. With the Office Hub the user will be able to work with and share with coworkers Microsoft Office files. OneNote and Sharepoint Workspace are also offered.

When the busy office work is done the user can relax with other Hubs including Pictures, Music + Video and the Games Hub to name a few. Xbox Live can be accessed via the Games Hub giving the user a gaming experience they will appreciate. All this and more will be offered by the largest privately owned wireless provider in the U.S. for under $200 (after a $50 mail in reward card) with a new 2 year agreement.

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Facebook reportedly planning new HTML5 platform

Facebook is organizing its efforts to branch out to the iPhone and iPad, but doesn't want Apple in its way.
The social networking giant is working on a sweeping new platform designed for devices that use HTML5 - in other words, mobile devices made by Apple.

The website Tech Crunch is citing people "familiar with the project" as calling the new initiative almost like its own operating system.

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It's such a big undertaking that Facebook even created a cool name for it - Project Spartan.
That is to say, once users log into the HTML5-optimized version of Facebook, they'll be able to run apps, chat, and do pretty much all the social networking activities they regularly need to, without ever opening an actual iPhone app.

The reason, say Tech Crunch's sources, is to take Apple out of the equation and to "break the stranglehold they have on mobile app distribution."

HTML5 does exist on other devices, and is slowly emerging to become a mobile standard in online content, but for now it is tied very closely to the iOS operating system and its built-in Safari browser.

Other mobile browsers are actually able to run full Flash content, the standard that has been supported by computers and other devices for much longer.

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Kobo E-reader Hack Lets You Recharge Using Solar Panels

Have a Kobo e-reader and want to be environmentally friendly at the same time? A hack on Instructables will allow you to do just that by charging the e-reader with solar panels instead. So in a sense, you may never need to charge the device again.

The hack, devised by Instructables user "Flapke," uses solar panels along with a Schottky diode. From there, you have to take the e-reader apart and cutting out a hole for the panels to fit.

When adding the panels, Flapke notes that you'll want to make sure you line them up in parallel (negative to positive and so forth) and wire them together. To make sure the solar cells stay put, use some double-backed tape. Then carefully wire the panels to the battery with the Schottky diode (again keeping note of positive to negative), tidy away any stray wires.

This hack sounds useful, but you'll probably need to give your Kobo a fair bit of sun exposure to really see the benefits. Flapke points out that due to the uneven charging curves of lithium-ion battery-powered e-readers (they'll charge quickly to a point, but then charge more slowly until full), the current of the solar panels cannot exceed 10% of the full capacity. If capacity is full, make sure you don't over-charge the e-reader by keeping it out full sunlight, unless you want the device to stop working.

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Review - Top 10 iPhone Passcodes to Avoid

Attention iPhone users: You're not fooling anyone if you're using 1234, 0000, 2580, 1111, 5555, 5683, 0852, 2222, 1212, 1998 as your smartphone passcode.

Those are the 10 most common and predictable iPhone passcodes used, according to the developer of a free iOS app called Big Brother Camera Security that snaps pictures of anyone using your iPhone 4 iPod Touch 4 without your permission.

The developer, Daniel Amitay, wrote that he collected the info by adding some code to record user passcodes (keeping them anonymous). He surveyed more than 200,000 passcodes.

"Formulaic passwords are never a good idea, yet 15% of all passcode sets were represented by only 10 different passcodes (out of a possible 10,000)," Amitay writes. "The implication? A thief (or just a prankster) could safely try 10 different passcodes on your iPhone without initiating the data wipe. With a 15% success rate, about 1 in 7 iPhones would easily unlock--even more if the intruder knows the users' years of birth, relationship status, etc."
RESEARCH: Making weak passwords strong with CAPTCHAs plus an algorithm

As has been seen in past studies of common passwords, this latest list includes examples of numbers in order, four of the same number, years (such as 1998) and feebly hidden messages (i.e. 5683, the numerical version of LOVE).

Even if you choose a less obvious passcode, security dangers loom for iPhone users: A Russian firm called ElcomSoft last month claimed that it had cracked Apple iOS 4 hardware encryption and forwarded information on this to law enforcement, government and other such outfits.

"Like" our Alpha Doggs network research blog page on Facebook
Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.

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a right way or a wrong way to Upgrading your PC's hardware ?

Whether you're an experienced hand or a technophobic novice, chances are good that your last PC upgrade didn't exactly follow the industry's best practices. Many newbs flub upgrades through inexperience, but it's just as common to see a hardcore system builder throw caution to the wind while swapping out a CPU, snapping in some RAM, or swapping out a hard drive or graphics card. Whichever camp you fall into, cutting corners as you work on your computer puts it at risk of sustaining damage to sensitive components. In the worst case, you might even destroy the entire machine.



Adding RAM, swapping out a processor, or installing a new hard drive can be very simple tasks. But following basic precautions--however paranoid or myopic they might seem--can safeguard your system and save you money, time, and frustration. And taking a few extra minutes (or spending a few extra dollars) to route cables well and to ensure that your power supply is up to the greater demands of new components can make your upgraded PC perform better.

The most common error--and this goes for every type of component upgrade--consists of failing to use static protection. Novices typically don't even realize that static electricity in their body can discharge into a PC's components with just a light touch, potentially damaging sensitive circuitry.

Old hats, on the other hand, have the opposite problem: Years of handling hard drives, memory modules, graphics cards, and CPUs desensitizes us to the very real hazard posed by static electricity, leaving us vulnerable to a problem we know perfectly well how to avoid. So come on, folks. Wear an antistatic bracelet whenever you work on your components.

RAM Upgrades

The number one mistake that novices make with RAM upgrades is to buy the wrong kind of memory at the outset. Buying PC components has more and more become a self-service activity, and fewer safeguards are in place to prevent people from choosing the wrong package. So take the time to find out exactly what kind of modules your system takes, including the bus speed (in MHz).

Memory manufacturers produce RAM with various pin configurations, data rates, and bus speeds. If your laptop calls for 667MHz PC2-5300 modules, but the store has only 1333MHz PC3-10600 for sale, resist the temptation to try the flavor that's available. It won't work, you could damage your PC trying it, and the store probably won't give you a full refund for the opened modules.

The biggest RAM upgrade mistake that experienced users make is to neglect to check the capacity limits of their machine. Some systems--especially netbooks and ultralights (and a lot of Macs)--can accept only a certain amount of RAM. So despite the fact that your local tech store sells 4GB modules that fit in your machine, you could pack them home only to find that your two-year-old laptop takes only 2GB modules. The advice here is simple: Check the manufacturer's documentation before you buy.
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Processor Upgrades

Be careful not to touch the pins of your CPU as you handle it.It should come as little surprise that some of the most devastating upgrade mistakes involve CPUs. The CPU is basically the brain of the computer, and if you mess up the installation even slightly, you can expect serious trouble.

Assuming that you've bought the right CPU upgrade for your machine, you still have to avoid three incredibly common mistakes that plague processor upgrades: pin displacement, poor thermal paste application, and improper heat sink installation.

Every PC CPU has lots of little pins that seat them in their motherboard socket to form the vital connections through which the computer's data flows. If one of these pins bends or breaks, you're hosed. So whenever you handle a CPU, take care to avoid touching the pins against anything--your fingers, a countertop, the edge of the case, other system components, anything. Also, don't force the CPU into its socket. If it doesn't fall right into place, something is off--and increasing your pressure on the processor is bound to bend a pin. Instead, lift up the CPU, check that the pins are straight and the socket is wide open, and try again.

In the event that your CPU does have a bent pin, proceed with straightening it out very cautiously. Use a nonconductive material, such as a piece of plastic to gently nudge the pin back into position.



Between the CPU and the heat sink is a thin layer of thermal paste whose purpose is to conduct heat away from the CPU and into the heat sink, where it can dissipate. To ensure good contact with the heat sink and to avoid creating hot spots on the surface of the CPU, this layer of paste must be smooth, thin, and uniform. One mistake that upgraders frequently make here is to leave the existing paste in place, or even to add new paste to the old paste. This can produce clumps in the paste, leading to uneven heat transfer and in some instances reduced radiation of heat away from the processor. To avoid this problem, make sure that both the CPU and the heat sink are completely clean of paste, and then add a fresh, even, ultrathin layer before reassembling the system.

Finally, avoid the mistake of using an inadequate or ill-fitting heat sink with your CPU. If your new CPU is substantially faster than your old one, it probably creates more heat, too. So unless you're already using a high-performance heat sink, consider treating heat-sink replacement as part of the upgrade process. You don't have to go all out with an expensive, complicated liquid-cooling system, but if you're spending $300 on a new CPU, spending $30 to $50 on a high-quality heat sink to protect that investment (and the rest of your PC) makes sense.

Hard Drive Upgrades

Next to RAM, a hard drive is one of the easiest PC components to upgrade. Often, the most difficult part of the process is reaching all of the screws with your screwdriver. That's because many system cases open only on one side, or contain framing components that block access to the drive cage. Resist the temptation to take the easy route of screwing the drive in on only the more accessible side. An unevenly mounted hard drive is likely to wobble slightly in its bay, causing undesirable vibrations that can make your PC noisier than it should be and potentially shorten the drive's life.

Nearly all PC chassis are designed to give you access to both sides of the drive cage. In most instances, the cage itself is removable, so you can snap it out, screw your drive in properly, and then snap the cage back into place. Take the time to do this, and you'll probably reap the rewards of a quieter PC and greater longevity from your drive.

Another common mistake--even among experienced PC builders--is to use the wrong type of screws to mount your hard drive. This error usually isn't disastrous, because the difference in diameter between case screws and hard-drive screws is subtle. But 6-32 case screws are slightly thicker and have a wider thread spacing than M3 hard-drive screws, so using the wrong screw will mangle the screw holes on the drive, which may cause problems later if you ever need to remove and reinstall the drive.
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Don't Ignore the Power Supply

As we upgrade our PCs, we almost never reduce the system's overall power consumption along the way. So, after a few significant component upgrades, your machine's power demands could outstrip the capabilities of the power supply that came with the computer. This is especially true for users who upgrade an older graphics board to a newer, more power-hungry board with dual power connectors. Case in point: Upgrading an Nvidia GeForce 8600 board to a GeForce GTX 295 can quadruple the power demand on the PCI-Express channel. Not surprisingly, the power supply is one of the most commonly overlooked components in the world of PC upgrades.

If you've made a few upgrades to your system, take a moment to evaluate whether your current power supply is up to the workload you're giving it. Asus has a pretty good power supply wattage calculator to help you with this assessment. You may very well discover that you've been expecting a 650-watt power supply to run a system that can draw more than 800 watts under peak load. Upgrading to a more appropriate power supply can make your system faster and with greater stability.

Routing Cables Neatly

I know how it is: Maybe you're busy, or you don't care about the aesthetics of your system's components, and you just want to finish the upgrade so you can boot the thing and play some games. But it's a mistake to leave your PC's internal cables hanging like an impenetrable cobweb in the middle of your machine.


Good heat dissipation is critical to the stability and performance of any PC, especially as you add more-powerful (and therefore more-heat-producing) components to the system. If you block the flow of air through the center of the chassis by leaving it full of jumbled cables, you're undermining the performance of your system's fans and heat sinks. Routing cables neatly increases airflow through the system and helps keep your PC cooler.

If you look inside a really sweet machine from a performance builder like Velocity Micro or Maingear, you'll find cables virtually concealed from view, routed behind the walls of the chassis, under the motherboard, and along the corners of the case, held in place by itty bitty zip ties trimmed neatly at the neck.

You don't have to be as fastidious as the pros to give your machine better airflow and a slick, orderly appearance. Just buy a small bag of zip ties and use them to cluster cables together into vaguely coherent pipelines, leaving as much open space as possible in the center of the case. Then take a small wire cutter and snip off the ends of the zip ties.

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IMF Hacked; No End in Sight to Security Horror Shows

Diego AguirreThe recent online intrusion into International Monetary Fund servers may have been the work of malicious hackers working for a foreign government, according to online reports.

The IMF is reportedly reluctant to disclose where it believes the attacks came from since 187 of the world's 194 nations (as recognized by the U.S. Department of State) are members of the fund. The hack's perpetrators obtained a "large quantity of data," including e-mail and other documents during the intrusion, according to Bloomberg.



The attacks reportedly began before May 14 when IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York on sexual assault charges.

The IMF provides, among other functions, economic assistance and policy advice to nations in financial distress to help stabilize the global economy. That means the global agency has, as The New York Times recently reported, "highly confidential information about the fiscal condition of many nations." As such, the IMF's files contain "political dynamite" that could affect global markets, according to the Times. It's not clear if the data stolen from the IMF was particularly sensitive.

Spear Phishing

How hackers were able to penetrate the IMF's network is still unknown. But it appears the intrusion may have been the result of a spear phishing attack. This kind of attack typically works by tricking an employee into clicking on a link to a malicious website or downloading a file loaded with malware.

The IMF is not alone in falling victim to an online hack. In fact, the agency is just the latest in a string of high-profile attacks against corporations and organizations such as Google, Sony, Lockheed Martin, RSA Security, and CitiGroup. Here's a look at other high profile online break-ins and foiled attacks that are turning 2011 into the Year of the Malicious Hacker.

CitiHack

The personal details of about 210,000 CitiGroup cardholders were recently stolen after a security breach via Citi's web portal.

The malicious hackers were able to get away with cardholders' names, account numbers, and contact information such as e-mail addresses.
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Google Spars With China

On June 1, Google said it had discovered a campaign originating from Jinan, China to steal Gmail user names and passwords of hundreds of users including "senior U.S. government officials, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries (predominantly South Korea), military personnel and journalists."

Google isn't certain (or saying) how the attacks were carried out, but suspects that spear phishing played a role. The search giant says its internal systems were not affected by the attacks, and secured the accounts of all those affected by the attacks. China denies having any role in the Gmail hacks.

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin, a major defense contractor for the U.S. government, in late May detected an intrusion into its servers.



The company said it was able to take "aggressive actions to protect all systems and data" and that no data from customers, programs or employees was compromised. The attackers reportedly used purloined security tokens obtained through a hack in March against one of Lockheed Martin's security providers, RSA Security.

RSA (In)SecurID

EMC notified its users in March that one of its companies, RSA Security, was the victim of an "extremely sophisticated cyber attack." Malicious hackers obtained data relating to RSA's SecurID two-factor authentication system, the company said.
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But EMC was confident the stolen data would not "enable a successful direct attack on any of our RSA SecurID customers." The company reversed course in early June after it was revealed the SecurID hack was related to the Lockheed Martin break-in.

RSA's "extremely sophisticated cyber attack" later turned out to be the result of a "low-profile" user downloading a malicious Excel spreadsheet via email.

Epsilon's Lost Address Book

In April, Epsilon, the world's largest permission-based e-mail marketer, said its servers had been compromised exposing many people's real names and e-mail addresses.

The hack exposed the customer databases for many major companies such as JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, Marriott Rewards, US Bank, Citigroup, and Walgreens.

Sony's Never-Ending Story

Of course, the most famous attacks in recent months are those aimed at Sony and its subsidiaries. At last count, at least 13 Sony sites have been hit around the world including the PlayStation Network, Sony Online Entertainment, Sony Pictures, and country-specific Sony sites in Japan, Greece, Thailand, and Canada. The hacks resulted in a variety of customer data breaches including names, e-mail addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, and, in some cases, credit card numbers.

If you were the victim of a recent hack against a bank or other online service, check out PCWorld's "Are You a Data Breach Victim? Here's What to Do."

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Why E-Books Are Bad for You | www.batterylaptoppower.com

At first glance, e-readers and e-books seem like a good thing for consumers and business users. After all, they've been found to increase the amount of reading people do, and prices on the readers keep getting lower, putting them within reach of an ever-larger proportion of the world.

 

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E-books, of course, are no particular bargain, but sales are going strong nevertheless, reaching $164.1 million for the months of January and February 2011, according to the Association of American Publishers. That's an increase of almost 170 percent compared with the same period in 2010.

But current e-reading technology is fundamentally bad for people, says Richard Stallman, founder of the free software movement and the GNU Project. In an article entitled, "The Dangers of E-Books" (PDF), Stallman makes the case that e-books are "a step backward from printed books."

'More Restrictive Than Copyright Law'

Books printed on paper can be purchased anonymously with cash without signing any kind of license that restricts the purchaser's use of the book, Stallman notes. No proprietary technology is required, and it's sometimes even lawful under copyright to scan and copy the book.

Once it's paid, the purchaser owns the book, and no one has the power to destroy it.
Contrast that situation with Amazon e-books, where users are not only required to identify themselves to purchase an e-book, but also to accept "a restrictive license" on their use of it, Stallman notes.

"In some countries, Amazon says the user does not own the e-book," he asserts. "The format is secret, and only proprietary user-restricting software can read it all."

Copying such e-books is "impossible due to Digital Restrictions Management in the player," he adds, "and prohibited by the license, which is more restrictive than copyright law."



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 Not only that, but Amazon can remotely delete purchased e-books through a back door, Stallman points out, much the way it did in 2009 on "thousands of copies of George Orwell's 1984."

'We Must Reject E-Books'

The bottom line, Stallman argues, is that "we must reject e-books until they respect our freedom."
Better ways to support authors, he suggests, would be "to distribute tax funds to authors based on the cube root of each author's popularity," and also "to design players so users can send authors anonymous voluntary payments."

I'm not sure what the best solution would be, but I do know that e-readers are much more restrictive than they need to be. What's your take? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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Top 5 Android Features that Leave iOS 5 in the Dust

With iOS 5's primary feature set exposed and its underlying architectural upgrades detailed, we can now begin to draw comparisons between Apple's latest offering and Google's next-generation unified-tablet-and-smartphone Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. In many ways, iOS 5 pulls ahead of Android, with deep integration to the cloud and the unified iMessage service. If you twist the platforms and look at them with a different light, however, Android has tons of features that conjure jealousy and envy from the iOS camp.
Here are five ways in which iOS 5 stumbles behind its contemporary, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and even the current versions of Android: Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

1. Home screen and widgets

One of the key features of Android is the functionality, flexibility, and usability of Android's home screen and its widgets. Instead of being limited to standard, no-frills icons, Android home screens can be populated with various-size widgets, from clocks to weather updates to media player controls. The entire gamut of an Android device's functionality can be viewed and accessed from the home screen -- as opposed to the bland and spartan iOS, where all you can do is launch apps and create folders.

It's worth noting that iOS 5's notification area -- which looks a lot like Android's offering -- has some widget-like features in the form of stock market and weather updates. Apple's standpoint might be that a cluttered home screen isn't a good thing -- which is fair enough -- but Android users with five completely-filled home screens will obviously beg to differ.

2. Flash

Love it or hate it, iOS doesn't (and never will) support Adobe Flash. You can argue until you're blue in the face about Flash's poor performance on mobile devices, but the fact remains: Android can play Flash games and video, and iOS can't. Most of the performance issues have been rectified with Flash for Android Honeycomb -- and we can but hope that the experience is replicated with Ice Cream Sandwich on smartphones.

The bigger issue, though, is whether Flash is ultimately good for mobile computing as a whole. With iOS embracing HTML5 web apps, and Windows 8 seemingly going down a similar path, is Flash support really what the industry needs? It feels like a stopgap measure, to satisfy fans while Google (and RIM and Nokia and Microsoft) work on more powerful mobile web browsers.

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3. Customizability

It's hard to put into words just how customizable Android is — and to be honest, it probably deserves more than a mere catch-all in a list. Almost every core Android feature can be extended or replaced by third-party apps — and if that isn't good enough for you, you can take the Android source code and roll your own operating system ROM, like the CyanogenMod team.

While iOS 5 will have Twitter functionality baked into every app, Android lets any third-party app link into any other app -- including Android's first-party music, camera, and messaging apps. With two clicks you can share a photo to Twitter... or to Dropbox, Picasa, or Flickr. With Android you can change your default browser to Firefox, or install a new input method; with iOS, Safari is your only option.

With iOS, customizability is an ideological concept that basically doesn't exist, and iOS 5 won't do anything to change that. While new versions of Android can be said to embrace and extend the functionality of third-party apps, Apple's OS updates effectively steal from the likes of Fring, Instapaper, and Camera+, and give nothing back in return. In almost every closed system, app developers are inexorably squeezed out, and iOS is no exception — but hey, as long as it happens slowly and the majority of app developers can continue to make millions of dollars, who cares.

You could also lump hardware flexibility and expandable storage into this category, but I think we've said enough about Android's superior customizability.

4. Voice control

If you haven't played with Android's voice recognition, you're missing out on one of its best features. Not only can you search Google (and other search engines) very easily, surprisingly accurately, and in a variety of languages, but third-party apps can also tie into voice search. Winamp, for example, lets you voice search your music library from Android's primary home screen search widget. Meanwhile, iOS lets you make calls and control your music, but that's about it.

It's worth noting, however, that there are strong indications that iOS 5 might include voice controls -- they just weren't ready for WWDC and the first developer beta build. Apple bought Siri, an iOS voice control app, and has collaborated with voice recognition expert Nuance in the past. Reliable industry sources were confident about voice control being demonstrated at WWDC -- and yet it wasn't. There are also indications that even if iOS 5 has voice controls, they will only work with first-party applications.

We'll just have to wait and see.

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5. Google account integration

While Apple's iCloud service might sound exciting, and the implementation downright pant-wetting, there's no escaping the fact that it really is just a cloud storage service. There's no streaming music, no cloud-based web apps, and no VoIP -- it's just storage for docs, pictures, and app settings.

With Android, you get full Google account integration. You can edit Google Docs on your phone or tablet, and continue from your laptop or desktop. You can upload music to Google Music, and stream from the cloud to your phone. With Google Voice, you can even tie VoIP telephony to your account -- and from there, you can answer calls from your phone while on the move, and from a Chrome browser extension if you're at home or in the office. Android extends the sphere of the web, while Apple corrals it with clumps of cotton wool.

The fact of the matter is that Apple has failed in the past with its cloud-based offerings, and it will be a long time until it can begin to match Google (or Microsoft) on the breadth of functionality that it can provide. With Apple being a hardware company, it doesn't even make sense to offer web- and cloud-based tools -- and in fact, Apple's entire business strategy relies on you being locked into iOS, with what you can and cannot do entirely dictated by Jobs' mandates and the App Store approval process. If that's agreeable to you, then so be it; otherwise, get an Android.

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Skype has suffered another outage - is Microsoft at fault for Skype's woes?

Skype has suffered another outage--its second service hiccup in about as many weeks. The timing of Skype's issues seems somewhat coincidental since it follows in the wake of the announcement that Microsoft is buying Skype for $8.5 billion.

So, is Microsoft at fault for Skype's woes? The short answer is "no". At this point, the relationship between Microsoft and Skype amounts to a handshake and a press release announcing the proposed acquisition. But, the purchase has to get approval of the boards and shareholders on both sides, and pass regulatory hurdles before it will be official. It will be months before Microsoft actually has any day to day involvement in Skype operations.


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Since the announcement that Microsoft is buying it, Skype seems to be experiencing more frequent issues.According to the Skype heartbeat blog, the service suffered an outage today as a result of a configuration error on their servers. "We've identified the cause of the problem, and have begun to address it. If you've been affected, you should start to see improvement in the next hour or so. You shouldn't need to manually sign back in to Skype--it should reconnect automatically when it's able to do so."When millions of users were unable to connect a couple weeks ago, Skype identified a corruption issue as the root cause. Skype provided a manual workaround for users, and pushed out updates for the different platforms to address the problem.

In both cases, Skype was able to identify and resolve the issue relatively quickly, and in both cases Microsoft had nothing to do with the root cause of the problem--at least not directly. However, it still seems suspicious that Skype--which had run fairly smoothly prior to the Microsoft acquisition announcement--is suddenly experiencing these issues.

How did the corruption occur? What cause the configuration issue? I asked Skype whether there might be some connection between the Microsoft news and these service outages. There is no love lost between the open source community and Microsoft, and the news that Microsoft is acquiring Skype might make Skype a target for hackers. Basically, I am curious if it is possible that these "issues" are actually attacks of some sort being leveled at Skype as a result of its relationship with Microsoft?

A Skype spokesperson responded to say that this was a minor issue that has been resolved by Skype. So, Skype assures me these are not "attacks", and does not believe in the theory that Microsoft is related in any way.

I can accept that for now--especially since no hacker groups have stepped forward to claim responsibility for any of the Skype issues. But, if it happens a third time any time soon, the coincidence will be that much harder to rationalize away.

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Review - What's Firefox 6 on the Way ?

Mozilla's Firefox 5 browser may have only just entered the beta phase, but thanks to the project's new, faster development schedule, the next version is already alive and kicking.

Now available for testing in what Mozilla calls the Aurora channel for pre-beta versions, Firefox 6 gives both users and Web developers "more control over their browsing and development environments while improving overall performance," according to a recent post on the Mozilla blog.

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Though the final version of Firefox 6 isn't due until August or so, this Aurora release can now be downloaded for Linux, Mac and Windows from the "Future of Firefox" page on the Mozilla Project's Web site.

Such early versions aren't "for the faint of heart," as Mozilla says, but they do provide a nice preview of what's to come. Here are a few intriguing features we can expect to see in Firefox 6.

1. More Control Over Permissions

Firefox 6's new Data Management Window is a site-based permissions interface that lets users control how much access particular Web sites have to their browsing data, including cookies, passwords and location information. The feature is still an experimental one, but users can begin testing it out by typing "about:permissions" in Firefox's Awesome Bar, as it calls the URL Bar. More information about the new feature can also be found on a blog post from Mozilla's Sid Stamm, who works on privacy and security.

2. Faster Startup Times

"Power users" of Firefox's Panorama feature can now load saved tab groups only while using Panorama thanks to Firefox 6's Panorama Groups on Demand feature. The result is improved browser startup time and a better overall experience, Mozilla says.

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3. Faster Performance on Linux

Speaking of speeds, Firefox 6 is also the first version in which the browser's newly achieved performance boost for Linux users is expected to be felt, as I noted last month.

4. Better Plug-in Management

The new browser version quickly verifies the compatibility of installed plug-ins directly from the Add-Ons Manager thanks to a Plug-in Check feature.

5. HTML5 and More

In addition to the myriad improvements for users, the Aurora version of Firefox 6 also sports a number of new features for developers, including increased support for HTML5, DOM level 3, server-sent events, networking technologies and other tools designed to make it easier for developers to build advanced Web apps. A new Scratchpad tool lets developers quickly build and test JavaScript snippets in the browser, while the Web Console feature has been bolstered with new capabilities. A full list of the developer-oriented features in Gecko 6.0-based Firefox 6 can be found on a dedicated page on the Mozilla site.

Bottom line? Firefox 4 may have taken the world by storm, but things are already looking promising for Firefox 6. As a Linux user, I can't wait for it to arrive.

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Review Microsoft - Windows 8 Will Work With Existing PCs

Microsoft says Windows 7 users won't need bigger and better hardware to run the freshly unveiled Windows 8. The PC system requirements will be the same if not less than what's needed to run Windows 7, although the new operating system definitely appears tailored for the touch-screen interfaces of tablets.

Speaking at a press event at Computex in Taiwan yesterday, Microsoft's Michael Angiulo said, "Windows 8 will be able to run on a wide range of machines because it will have the same system requirements or lower" as Windows 7. Microsoft Windows President Steven Sinofsky reiterated the approach at the All Things D conference in California.

While current PC owners won't need to upgrade, Windows 8 appears to be heavily skewed toward tablets and their touch screens. As evident in PCMag's walk-through of Windows 8, the interface borrows from Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 OS for smartphones, with tiles and apps optimized for touch. If you're using a regular desktop or laptop, however, you'll still be able to navigate with a mouse and arrow keys rather than swipes and pinches.

In addition to having the same requirements as Windows 7, Windows 8 will run legacy Windows 7 applications. Clearly, Microsoft has learned the lessons of the troubled life of Windows Vista, which was had compatibility issues with existing systems when it was released. Many businesses never upgraded to Vista because of its troubles, preferring to stick with Windows XP. By ensuring that current PCs will run Windows 8, it should speed adoption of the new OS when it's released to the public.

With Windows 8, Microsoft appears to have crafted a single OS that can run on both PCs and tablets and their respective Intel-x86 and ARM chip architectures. Whether such an approach is more successful than creating completely different OSes for tablets—as Apple and Google have done—won't be known until 2012, the tentative release date for Windows 8.

 

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World’s Top 5 Technology Brands

Technology is all around us, the school, to office to your desktop and of course in the course of everywhere you go and everything you do. Have you given thought to people who makes these things so that life because “Simple”?

Probably not! Right. Following is a list of Top 5 Technology brands who have made a mark in the world with their products, services and related work in Information Technology Sector.

Most of them are really… i mean extremely popular and i think most of you will recognize them and say, “Yeah! of course, i knew they are going to be in the Top 5… who else could be.” They have been in the tech world for so long that their success in almost predictable.

List of most important technology firms

Google Inc.

I can’t believe you didn’t knew this rank holder, Google is a giant in search engine, ranked number 1 in Alexa Traffic ranking just before Facebook.com which is a social network.

Other than that Google is primarily here because of an idea, the idea to provide quality services to netizens for free. Most of their services including GMAIL, Orkut, Google Docs are free yet they make a fortune out of it, this is called ‘Smart Business Models’.

Some Amazing Statistics : Google has a brand value of $114 billion, it’s brand value surged up 16 percent from last year, the search engine is recorded to have been used 1 billion times last year, the company earned $6.5 billion revenue out of $23.5 billion from online ad sales on its free services like YouTube, Gmail and Google Search itself.

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International Business Machines Corp. (IBM)

IBM is one brand that is revolutionizing the equation of computing, although its products are no so popular, see Lenovo for example and is beaten down in the market by Dell and HP… still they have other ways to contribute significantly to the IT world.

It has technology-partnered in Energy and several other sectors which are considerably dependent upon technology. If you are seeing some massive utilization and implementation of tech it’s probably because of guys working at International Business Machines Corp. (IBM).

Their brand tagline is impressive too… “Working to build a smarter planet“.

Some Amazing Statistics : It grew 30 percent from last year and replaced Microsoft Corp. at second position, it is more than a 100 years old and employs 4 lakh people, the Armonk, U.S. IBM brand saw a compound annual growth rate of 24 percent. The brand at the moment is worth $86.3 billion.

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Apple Inc

Apple is not a feeble brand, it is very popular and specially for its design and the zeal to ‘think different’, it makes electronics, computer electronics but with a touch of originality, they have specific and differentiatingdesign, great OSs and a lot more.

Their Apple iPods and the path-breaking iPad has left no space for Tablets to take over. Though Android operating-system is rising, Apple still eats up the maximum share.

Some Amazing Statistics : Since last year, it has grown a massive 32 percent because of release of iPad and iPhone 4. Its revenue on single iPhone has doubled and the net revenue at the moment is massive $8.7 billion. The brand value of Apple is reported to be $83.7 million, slightly low than IBM.

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Microsoft Corp.

When we are talking about PC, how can we forget Microsoft, the company that gave world the idea to work with machines and calculate using computers. Although its entertainment Pod Zune was a fail, it still managed to make a lot this year.

Some Amazing Statistics : This year, company has similar brand value of $76,344 billion as of last year. Microsoft had spent extensively on ad-campaigns for Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 which is their upfront operating system for mobile devices. This launch allowed them to stay at no.4 though they have dropped 2 places as compared to last year. It employs around 80000 people over the globe.

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Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard is one the giant in selling computing products, HP has so far being known to produce the state-of-the-art gadgets and this year they also tried their hands with HP Tablet PC and operates on Windows 7 OS.

HP, though facing some major competition by Dell has appropriately managed to grab the last position in the list.

Some Amazing Statistics : HP has shown a 50 percent increase as compared to last year, showed statistics. The reasons probably are improvement are the rebranding of EDS (Electronic Data Systems) and re-launch of brand in the year 2009. The company has a net worth of $39,717 billion, further company has tried to innovate their brand with the new tagline, “Let’s Do Amazing.”

It seems these guys have totally take hold of the top positions in the IT world and show no sign of losing grip, these top 5 companies of computing andinformation technology sector show nothing is impossible because all had humble beginnings.

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