Microsoft Surface is all about Apple
I dunno if it's branding or magic, but Microsoft's "big-ass" Surface table suddenly is smaller. In a jam-packed media event this evening, the software giant unveiled a 10.6-inch display tablet. Case is magnesium with beveled edges that give a sleek appearance. The tablet weighs as little as 676 grams. That's a helluva lot lighter than the Surface table introduced 5 years ago. That baby measured 30 inches and newer Samsung model is 40 inches. The tablet is pretty compact compared to the table.
So the rumors were true about a Microsoft tablet. But Surface? Not Xbox? It's smart branding that pits Microsoft's tablet against Apple's -- industrial design, announcement timing, Surface branding and more.
At last, science explains why there are Internet trolls [infographic]
Our brains are incapable of multitasking.
That's the claim of the folks at OnlineUniversities.com, which sent me nifty infographic "Digital Stress and Your Brain". There is a lot of interesting data, but two sentences caught my attention: "Our brains' attention levels are finite. When our brain is overloaded with information, it can trigger a 'fight or flight' reaction. The overload makes the brain feel threatened, so it shuts down higher brain functions that deal with empathy".
Microsoft's Los Angeles Media event liveblog: Microsoft Surface Tablet
Well, all we can tell you at the moment for sure is that there's a Microsoft event in Los Angeles today at 6:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time. The invitations came in plain text, and it seems like nobody knows what's going on for sure.
We've heard a few guesses -- from a Microsoft branded tablet to a Xbox accessory. We've pinged our sources within Microsoft, and these normally reliable sources don't know what's going on themselves. What's this Steve Jobs-like secrecy? It's sure building a lot of buzz.
RIM Death Watch: Celestica winds down BlackBerry manufacturing
The reality is no one is buying BlackBerries anymore it seems, and Research in Motion may finally be getting the hint. Manufacturing partner Celestica said Monday that it will wind down production of the devices in its factories over the next three to six months, at a cost of $35 million. Don't take it as the end of the BlackBerry just yet: Celestica is one of several partners that manufacture RIM's devices. So the death knell isn't ringing (yet).
RIM is reassessing its entire supply chain, and as a result of its shrinking market share will likely wind down some of its manufacturing capacity. The company has admitted that it's losing its clout in the marketplace and will likely result in an operating loss for this current quarter.
Would you believe Android tablet adoption is even with iPad?
I surely don't. Perhaps even I am too influenced by all the pro-Apple propaganda. But the figures come from a reasonably reliable source, Online Publishers Association, which puts US iPad adoption at 52 percent and Android at 51 percent. Okay, I'll pause so you can wipe off coffee, or whatever else just spit out, from your computer screen.
The numbers don't add up to 100 percent, because some people own more than one type of tablet. Android gains largely come from Kindle Fire, which share is 32 percent -- four times new iPad and one point more than the original. Year over year, overall Android penetration rose from 32 percent, while iPad's fell from 72 percent. Perhaps it's no coincidence Android rose by 19 points and iPad fell by 20.
Microsoft Word 2012 appears in iOS App Store, but you don't want to buy it
Not unless you'd like to waste $9.99 and feel the fool for it.
That's because Microsoft isn't the developer, but Super Racing Real Games. Well, there's nothing real about this app and the only "super racing" is to get your money before the app disappears, because it can't be long on the App Store. Surely Microsoft will issue a take-down notice -- if for no other reason. But Microsoft Word 2012's appearance in the App Store makes me wonder about Apple's so-called rigorous approval process. The company rejects legit apps but lets this through?
Samsung unveils new enterprise-safe Android brand, Galaxy S III first to sport it
In the world of Android-powered smartphones, Samsung is the reigning king. It sells approximately 40 percent of all the Android smartphones going to consumers today, and Forrester Research predicts proprietary Android builds (such as Samsung's TouchWiz) will actually surpass Google's Android ecosystem within three years. Of course, this fragments the market and causes trouble for developers and enterprises looking to create and deploy software for Android.
Monday, Samsung unveiled a new brand that will be applied only to Android devices that have been approved for enterprise use: SAFE, or "Samsung Approved for Enterprise." It's similar to Motorola's line of Enterprise Android devices called Motorola Business Ready, which debuted earlier this year.
LabChirp synthesizes sound effects for games, videos, presentations and more
When you need sound effects for a game, video, presentation or some other task, then of course there are plenty to be found online. If you’ve very precise ideas about what you need, though, it could take plenty of browsing to locate something suitable, and so it might be easier to use LabChirp to synthesize them for you.
Despite its extremely small size (the program arrives in a 78.5KB download), LabChirp has plenty of power. You can set your effect modulation, shape its envelope, use standard waveforms or create your own, and support for up to eight channels means there’s plenty for creativity here.
Should Microsoft release a branded tablet?
It's Microsoft mystery Monday, with some big announcement coming at 6:30 pm EDT. The current rumors all focus on tablets, with the most recent being a partnership with Barnes & Noble. Can you say Windows Nook? (However, after I posted, Barnes & Noble issued a non-participation statement).
There's a broader question: Should Microsoft release a branded tablet? I pose that to you on this fine day. I'm certainly perplexed. The big advantage to such an announcement is timing. Google is expected to debut its own branded Galaxy Nexus tablet at the I/O developer conference next week. Microsoft could steal Google's thunder by doing something first. But would it be, with Windows 8 still in development? Now it would be big if Microsoft said Windows RT is ready now and this tablet , whether made by Barnes & Noble or somebody else, ships imminently. Otherwise, why bother announce June 18, when OEM partners showed off Windows RT models earlier this month at Computex?
Project management isn't just for big business
Project management software is usually thought of as being expensive, complex and mainly for big business. Which is a shame, because really the technology is just about documenting some complex task to help you better understand it. And that can be useful in all sorts of situations (as you’ll know if you’ve ever tried to organise a large wedding, say).
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. GanttProject is a compact open source project management tool which is free for anyone to try. Its main focus is ease of use, so previous experience isn’t essential (though it’ll definitely help). And the project is Java-based, running equally happily on Windows, OS X or Debian Linux.
Using Internet Explorer is more taxing than you think
Australian-based online electronics store Kogan has fired off an ingenius web site press stunt. The retailer adds 6.8 percent extra -- the "Internet Explorer 7 Tax" -- to online purchases made using the browser. Note this is only for customers who use IE 7 browser, not version 8 or later.
In a day and age when web standards compliance is king, Kogan comes out swinging. The company states that taking the extra time to develop for IE7 hurts the bottom line -- not just for its operations but for customers. Kogan wants customers to use modern browsers that support web standards. Many older browsers don't support new standards and technology.
KeyScrambler Personal protects Firefox and Internet Explorer from keyloggers
The best way to protect yourself from malware is of course to prevent it ever reaching your PC, but if something does slip through your defences then this doesn’t have to be the end.
KeyScrambler Personal, for instance, will encrypt any keystrokes within Internet Explorer and Firefox. And as a result it’ll keep your logon and other details safe, even if a keylogger breaches your system.
Windows 8 is like a bad blind date
She's stunning, sexy and sultry. But you can't live with her.
Every day for the last three weeks, I sat down to write this analysis but couldn't bring myself to. I resisted for not having used Windows 8 as much as its predecessors -- typically from public beta to release candidate before offering hard opinion. In October, I requested one of the Samsung tablets handed out to BUILD attendees but Microsoft wouldn't provide one. After several more requests, I got one in April and May for about a month's use and was shocked -- and not "wow, it's good". Windows 8 demos much better than my actual user experience. I blamed myself. Surely the problem is mine -- that Microsoft wouldn't unleash UX worse than Windows Vista. But as I see other users/reviewers sharing similar experience, time has come to break my silence. I wouldn't recommend Windows 8, in its current form, to anyone.
Add .NET Framework Repair Tool to your kit
Microsoft has released the .NET Framework Repair Tool, a compact and portable executable file that aims to detect and resolve some common .NET Framework problems.
The program focuses mainly on issues relating to installation or updates. If its tests don’t reveal anything obvious in this area, though, it can also apply a couple of generic solutions: specifically, stopping, re-registering and restarting the Windows Installer service. And as a result, the Repair Tool may also help to resolve a variety of other Windows Installer-related problems.
Is there an IT labor shortage in the USA that can only be solved with more H1B visas?
My recent series of columns on troubles at IBM brought me many sad stories from customers burned by Big Blue. I could write column after column just on that, but it wouldn’t be any fun so I haven’t. Only now a truly teachable lesson has emerged from a couple of these horror tales and it has to do with US IT labor economics and immigration policy. In short the IT service sector has been shoveling a lot of horseshit about H1B visas.
The story about H1B visas is simple. H1B’s are given for foreign workers to fill US positions that can’t be filled with qualified US citizens or by permanent US residents who hold green cards. H1Bs came into existence because there weren’t enough green cards and now we’re told there aren’t enough H1B’s, either. So there’s a move right now in Washington to increase the H1B limit above the current level of approximately 65,000 because we are told the alternative is IT paralysis without more foreign workers.
Most Commented Stories
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.