NEW TECHNOLOGY

iPad Walkthrough pt. 1 Not Just a News Reader [Video Review]

2010-04-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Mashable Apple guru Christina Warren took some time out of her holiday to sit down with a video camera, an iPad and the nifty Yahoo Entertainment [iTunes link] iPad app; what resulted was this video walkthrough and review.
When you load the app, it presents its features within a virtual rendition of a home theater, with a TV and an ottoman. That kind of visual flair is one of the things the iPad’s multi-touch interface does best. From that home theater you can access news, videos, TV listings and schedules, and more.

Apple iPhone OS 3.1.3 update

2010-02-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Apple updated the iPhone OS software that powers the iPhone and iPod touch late Tuesday. Filed as a minor update, iPhone OS 3.1.3 improved the accuracy of the battery level indicator on the iPhone 3GS and fixed a few bugs and security patches. The 228MB update can be applied to all iPhone and iPod touch models, Apple said. The company recommends the new version due to fixes for several security-related issues.

According to the release notes accompanying the download, iPhone OS 3.1.3 contains bug fixes and improvements, in addition to the following items:

* improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
* resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
* fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard.

The software also contains five security updates addressing CoreAudio, ImageIO, Recovery Mode, and Safari’s WebKit layout engine. The fix for the iPhone’s recovery mode prevents malicious users with physical access to a locked device from accessing the user’s data. More information on Apple’s security updates is available here.
iTunes should automatically notify you about the new software when you connect the device to your computer. Alternatively, you can check for iPhone OS updates manually by hitting the Updates button available under the Summary tab that appears when iTunes recognizes the device connected to your computer.
This update is a free download for all iPod touch users who upgraded to iPhone OS 3.x. iPhone OS 3.1.3 arrives nearly three months after the company posted a previous maintenance update, iPhone OS 3.1.2, in late October. First hints of iPhone OS 3.1.3 appeared in browser logs mid-December. A recent Chitika Research survey indicated that nearly half the iPod touch users refuse to pay $5-$10 to update to iPhone OS 3.x.

Tesla Motors.mov (Video)

2010-02-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

The world's first electric sports car -- the Tesla Roadster.

Tesla Motors hopes to raise $100 million IPO

2010-02-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

SAN CARLOS, Calif. -- Innovative Bay Area electric car maker Tesla Motors hopes to raise $100 million with an initial public offering.Industry experts say the offering could propel Tesla into automotive prominence.The San Carlos firm has filed its IPO intention with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Tesla currently sells its signature all-electric Roadster sports car for $109,000 and has a Model S prototype priced under $60,000.Tesla didn't give a date for a launch of the IPO, nor did it say how many shares it would sell or at what price.The four-door Model S is expected to be available in 2012. It's designed to travel as far as 300 miles on a three- to five-hour charge.The company has not been profitable. Since its founding in 2003, it has lost $236 million.

Top 5 Secret Uses of 'Apple iPAD'!!(Video)

2010-01-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

Top 5 Secret Uses of the Apple iPAD!!!httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJPRt3L0Pn8

Apple's Tablet PC mania hits

2010-01-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

Hot new tablet computers are shaking up the stodgy computer industry — possibly giving consumers reason to buy yet another PC.

Dell (DELL), Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) each unveiled tablet PC models at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Each features a touch-screen that eliminates or reduces the need for a keyboard.
Apple (AAPL) is expected to come out with its own tablet later this month. Apple declined to comment.

It's too soon to say whether the new computers will be a hit. Many models are pricey, and older attempts at tablets have not sold well, says Allen Nogee, a tech analyst at researcher In-Stat.

But the buzz suggests that their time may have come. "More people (are) adapting to small, touch-screen devices, like the (Apple) iPhone ... and more people (are) attracted to netbooks," Nogee says. That makes them more willing to embrace portable, touch-screen computers, he says.
"Is there a market above smartphones and below netbooks? Obviously, we think there is," says Philip McKinney, a vice president at Hewlett-Packard.

Tablets have been around in different forms for a decade, but they make up less than 1% of the laptop market, says Mikako Kitagawa, tech analyst at researcher Gartner. Among new models:

•Dell tablet. The No. 2 PC maker showed off a prototype with a 5-inch screen Thursday. The device is expected to come out during the first half of this year. No name or price have been announced.

•Lenovo IdeaPad U1. This tablet looks like an ordinary clamshell laptop with a keyboard and 11.6-inch screen. But the screen can be removed and used separately as a 1.6-pound tablet. It is expected around midyear at less than $1,000.

•HP slate. Few details are available about this prototype that Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer showed at CES. But McKinney said it's a real, mainstream product that will appear sometime in 2010. It can run software that turns it into an e-reader.

For the market to take off, the new tablets need to be easy to use, Kitagawa says. Older models have been hampered by applications that leave users yearning for keyboards. Lower prices would also help. Tablets typically range from $1,000 or more.

IGN Daily Fix / IGN Daily Fix, 1-5: CES 2010, The Nexus One

2010-01-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

See IGN videos What to expect at this year's CES, the new Google phone - Nexus One - is out now, & a new Dragon Age expansion is about to hit all systems.

NEXUS ONE MIGHT BE A IPHONE KILLER(GOOGLE PHONE)

2010-01-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

The Nexus One. In the modern climate of hyped (and over-hyped) smartphone launches, Google's official entry into the phone-sales game has excelled in a department where many find difficulty: generating legitimate excitement. Of course, long before the name Nexus One or the recent bounty of pictures and details existed, the very concept of a "Google Phone" had been ingrained in the public conscience, predating even the Open Handset Alliance and Android itself; the company dabbled in the concept of direct sales through its offering of the Android Dev Phones 1 and 2 (alias Ion), but this time, it's a public retail ordeal, not a couple of one-off developer specials. The genuine-article Google Phone is finally here -- for better or worse.

Google’s Nexus one Shift Into Online Retailing (Update2)

2010-01-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

Google Inc.’s Nexus One marks more than the company’s entrance into mobile phones: It propels the Internet search engine into online retailing for the first time.Google yesterday started selling the Nexus One, a phone manufactured by Taiwan’s HTC Corp. that uses the Android mobile operating system. The Mountain View, California-based company will also offer other devices that use Android, such as phones from Motorola Inc. Nexus One will be carried by T-Mobile USA, the U.S. mobile-phone division of Deutsche Telekom AG. The device will be available on Verizon Wireless later this year. The phone is also available without a contract.
Motorola, which already sells phones based on Google’s Android, isn’t concerned about Google’s plan for online commerce, co-Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Jha said at Google’s event. Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC, the first company to offer handsets that run on Android, today reported a sixth-straight decline in quarterly profit.

The year for 3D with 3-dimensional at-home TV 2010

2010-01-06T06:25:00.000-08:00

The flat, familiar, two-dimensional television image at the center of your home theater is about to take on the lifelike illusion of depth. At least that's the way the future looks through the spectacles of Hollywood studios, TV networks and consumer electronics manufacturers as they prepare to launch a massive effort to bring 3D from the silver screen into your living room.Now there's a stampede to 3D TV. Vizio just announced a 47-inch 3D-capable set for $1,999. Consumers will spend $17 billion on 3D TVs in 2018, research firm DisplaySearch forecasts. And manufacturers — and entertainment producers — are scrambling to tie themselves to the technology as it takes center stage at the massive Consumer Electronics Show, which opens here Thursday.This week, ESPN announced plans to launch an all-sports 3D network on June 11, starting with World Cup soccer and eventually including the Summer X Games (extreme sports) and college basketball and college football. ESPN 3D will have at least 85 live 3D sporting events, the Disney-owned network promises.The NFL is also experimenting with 3D. The Dallas Cowboys issued 80,000 pairs of 3D glasses at a home game this season so fans could watch a few plays on a 72-foot-high Mitsubishi video board.The push for 3D in the home goes beyond TV. Acer and Asus have unveiled computers that display 3D. There's broad interest in 3D video games.With profit margins that are thinner than a flat screen, it's no wonder TV manufacturers are banking on 3D as a way to get consumers to open their wallets. Still, it may be difficult to persuade people to embrace 3D. The critical challenges include:

•Selling the technology. Many consumers only recently bought a new HDTV and Blu-ray player. So they might not be exactly thrilled about replacing those models so soon, especially if it costs a lot to do so.

In-Stat analyst Michelle Abraham found that 25% of consumers would not pay extra for a 3D TV over a non-3D TV. Another 43% indicated they'd only pay a premium of less than $200. Just 11% would spend $400 to $999 extra and only $3% would plunk down an additional $1,000 or more.
TV manufacturers aren't expected to price sets in the stratosphere, compared, say, with when HDTVs first became available. "You won't need to take out a mortgage or home-equity loan," says Panasonic's Perry.
But 3D will go into higher-price sets, at least initially.
And some of the latest 3D glasses aren't cheap. For example, high-tech XpanD glasses cost about $50, and you'll probably need a pair for each family member. You can probably expect TV makers or third parties to sell glasses in bundles.
Retailers and TV makers are left with another problem: how to show off 3D in stores. For example, it may prove difficult for stores to hang on to the pricey glasses shoppers will use to judge the pictures, and to keep them clean. "We have to make sure we have a good consumer experience at retail," says John Revie, senior vice president for visual display marketing at Samsung.
As the half-billion dollar epic Avatar has shown, it can be expensive to produce 3D movies. Broadcasting live sporting events also isn't cheap. ESPN, for example, has to hire a whole new crew and set of announcers to broadcast in 3D.

NOKIA-Kero Mobile

2009-12-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

Biskero provides Kero Mobile the next generation service oriented mobile AppStore. Kero Mobile allows mobile users to access mobile applications, games, media, music, social networking communities, news, sport news, blogs, city information, RSS feeds and more.
The Kero Mobile AppStore allows users to browse, view, play and download mobile content. It also allows to give feedback on mobile content and suggest applications to be developed.

Top 10 Free iPhone and iPod Touch Games

2009-12-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

This is what I think should be the top ten iPhone/ iPod Touch games.. Thanks for watching please comment, rate *****, and subscribe!
Here is the list:

1. Wild West Pinball
2. 2079
3. Traffic Rush
4. Gravball
5. Airline Conqueror USA
6. Paper Toss
7. Cube Runner
8. Topple 2
9. lightbike
10. Trace

The new Apple iSlate & Tablet Rumors Technology

2009-12-28T07:03:00.000-08:00

Watch Apple tablet rumors are coming fast and furious. I've put them all into this video.

University of Michigan - iPhone as musical instrument

2009-12-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

The Michigan Mobile Phone Ensemble is one of several university orchestras that has foregone traditional instruments in favour of music applications, downloaded on to Apple's iPhone, to play songs.Students at the University of Michigan are building musical instruments for iPhones in a first-of-its kind class.The musicians took a course at the university, entitled "Building a mobile phone ensemble" and learned how to create instruments on their iPhone. The instruments are played using a combination of gestures, including tapping the touch-screen and blowing in to the microphone.

Two-Port USB Car Cigarette Lighter Adapter/Charger ($4)

2009-12-04T21:38:00.000-08:00

Got a lot of gear that charges via USB but don't want to buy a separate car charger for everything you want to charge on-the-go? You can find tons of USB car chargers on Amazon—like the well-rated, two-port one linked above for only $4.

Conserve Surge with Timer ($35)

2009-12-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

This smart vampire-power slayer turns off certain outlets completely during times of the day you aren't working—good for saving money at the old home office without crawling on the floor to unplug your

Storus Smart Money Clip ($20)

2009-12-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

This smart money clip's got a place for your money and a separate spot for your credit cards, yet it's still slim and easy on the pocket. (What's more, according to this editor's father, it comes with a fake million dollar bill when you buy one.)

Victorinox 8-Inch Chef's Knife, Black Fibrox Handle ($30)

2009-12-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

A good chef's knife is a must-have for any kitchen, but a nice chef's knife can be expensive. At $30, the Victorinox chef's knife is a notable exception, according to venerated cooking magazine Cook's Illustrated.

Bodum Chambord French Press ($30); Tea infusers (Cheap)

2009-12-04T01:21:00.000-08:00

The French press is your best bet for brewing the best coffee without breaking the bank, and the Bodum press is one of our favorites. If tea's more your receiver's thing, consider a tea infuser and some fancy loose tea leaves. They're perfect for those cold winter days and nights.

Send an email to Adam Pash, the author of this post, at tips+adam@lifehacker.com

Lifehacker's 2009 Gift Guide-Type in Your Life

2009-12-04T00:55:00.000-08:00

Finding the perfect gift is never easy, and heading to the mall is even worse. Find just the right gift for the difficult-to-buy-for Lifehacker-type in your life with a look at the coolest gear we've highlighted over the course of 2009.

Send an email to Adam Pash, the author of this post, at tips+adam@lifehacker.com

Nokia N72

2009-11-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

The Nokia N72 is a sleek and stylish addition to the Nokia Nseries range. This compact package has high-performance multimedia at its core, wrapped in a beautiful design. The Nokia N72 offers the benefits of versatile photography, entertainment and personal productivity to people who value style as much as high performance. A powerful yet stylish multimedia device, the...
The Nokia N72 is a sleek and stylish addition to the Nokia Nseries range. This compact package has high-performance multimedia at its core, wrapped in a beautiful design. The Nokia N72 offers the benefits of versatile photography, entertainment and personal productivity to people who value style as much as high performance. A powerful yet stylish multimedia device, the Nokia N72 is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera and integrated digital music player, with dedicated capture and music player keys, an integrated browser, FM radio and support for Visual Radio.Personalize your Nokia N72 with a choice of digital music tracks, and enjoy music on the go with the integrated digital music player. Press the music key for direct access to your music tracks. Record music from your CDs, create playlists and transfer your music onto your Nokia N72 with the Nokia Music Manager, a part of Nokia PC Suite.Morph your Nokia N72 into a digital camera by sliding open the active lens cover and compose your shot using the high definition 2.1 inch color display. The 2 megapixel (1600 x 1200 pixels) camera includes an integrated flash, which will make it easy to capture images even in low light conditions. Capture photos or video clips with just one click, and later personalize your gallery image collection with the integrated photo and video editor. Choose your favorites to print or transfer them onto a compatible PC, with the option of online sharing on Internet communities.Show full description »Hide full description.

Nokia N70

2009-11-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

Slide and shoot simplicity. It's your family photo lab fused into your design savvy smartphone. All so you never miss another moment. Meet the Nokia N70.Capture bright, clear images effortlessly. With a built-in flash and up to 20x zoom, you'll take 2 megapixel pictures everyone wants to see. A dedicated shutter key makes it easy, along with a sleek design that helps...
Slide and shoot simplicity. It's your family photo lab fused into your design savvy smartphone. All so you never miss another moment. Meet the Nokia N70.Capture bright, clear images effortlessly. With a built-in flash and up to 20x zoom, you'll take 2 megapixel pictures everyone wants to see. A dedicated shutter key makes it easy, along with a sleek design that helps you use it intuitively.Its pictures made perfect. Just shoot, store and share your favorite times with friends and family. Take premium pictures you can show-off in your portable gallery. The multi-media key gives you instant access to the applications you need, making it all a snap.Forget scrapbooks. This is your digital diary. Create a slideshow with music. Email your pictures as they're happening. Record your mobile life with Nokia Lifeblog. Finding what you want is simple. Nokia XpressTransfer storing solution keeps your images organized and ready to show. It's your life captured now, on the go.Do it all. Access contacts while you're working. Listen to FM radio or your MP3 files while you're walking. Play 3-D games when you don't feel like talking. Keep your to-do list close and your calendar in hand. It's all organized and ready to go wherever you are - inside your smartphone.

Motorola's Droid delivers lots of features

2009-11-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

Motorola's Droid is the best Google phone on the market.Maybe that's not saying a lot: The Droid's only rivals in the U.S. are T-Mobile's 1-year-old G1, its chubby brother the MyTouch 3G and HTC's Droid Eris, a $99 Verizon Wireless phone that went on sale Friday -- the same day as Motorola's Droid -- with an already-outdated Android operating system.The Droid hardware is a technical feat. It has a 5-megapixel camera with a flash that performs decently for a phone. The speaker is pleasantly loud. The touch screen is gorgeous -- larger than the iPhone's with more pixels per inch.As a phone, the Droid is top-notch. It integrates seamlessly with Google Voice and runs on Verizon, a telecom with a reputation for reliable call coverage -- unlike AT&T, iPhone's exclusive carrier .

Intel's legal fights

2009-11-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday piled yet another antitrust lawsuit on chip giant Intel.No one expects the widening phalanx of legal battles Intel is facing at home and abroad to loosen its tight grip on 80% of the global market for computer processing chips.But over the long haul, anything is possible. "In terms of impact, these series of lawsuits are either a minor or a major wild card," says Shane Rau, who follows the PC chip market for IDC. "These things are inherently unpredictable."Cuomo, who is expected to run for governor of New York next year, filed a case in U.S. District Court in Delaware accusing Intel of illegally paying billions in kickbacks to computer makers and threatening retribution for anyone marketing PCs powered with chips from rival AMD.Similar accusations led to the European Commission fining Intel $1.45 billion in May and South Korean authorities fining Intel $25 million in June 2008. Intel has paid those fines and is appealing both cases. Meanwhile, regulators in Japan and at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission continue to actively investigate Intel's business practices.And dozens of class-action lawsuits seeking unspecified damages for consumers being harmed by Intel's dealings with PC makers have been filed across the U.S. All of these cases tie back to a civil antitrust lawsuit AMD filed against Intel in 2005, says Intel corporate spokesman Chuck Mulloy.AMD's lawsuit, scheduled to go to trial next March in the same U.S. District Court in Delaware, likely will produce the next major development in Intel's legal struggles.The rivals could settle – or go to the mat and let a jury decide, Rau says. If it comes to that, the loser is likely to appeal the decision.Cuomo's case "details explicit evidence of Intel's harm to U.S. consumers," says Tom McCoy, AMD's legal counsel.Intel considers all of the cases groundless and plans a vigorous defense. As AMD's civil lawsuit is next up to be resolved, "New York will just have to get in line," Mulloy says.AMD has long complained about rebates Intel grants Hewlett-Packard, Dell and others. The rebates help offset the PC makers' advertising expenses, which typically include affixing an "Intel inside" sticker on products and packaging. AMD contends those payments, along with other strong-arm tactics, give Intel an unfair advantage. Intel says its practices have led to lower PC prices.Intel's share price closed at $18.59, up 9 cents; AMD shares closed at $4.69, up 5 cents.

iPhone comes to China without key

2009-10-31T00:07:00.000-07:00

Apple's iPhone is making its long-awaited formal debut in the world's most populous mobile phone market, without a key feature and at higher prices than widely available black market models.Apple's local service provider, China Unicom Ltd., hopes the iPhone will give it an edge against giant rival China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone company by subscribers.The iPhone debuted in the United States in June 2007 but its formal arrival in China was delayed as Apple carried on talks with service providers that Chinese media said snagged on disagreements about how to divide revenues.The iPhone's awkward, delayed entry into China reflects the regulatory and technical hurdles of a fast-changing market where other global technology companies have struggled to establish themselves.China has more than 650 million mobile phone accounts, despite an average annual income of $3,000 per person. Consumers trade in phones as often as several times a year to get the latest models and features.he lack of WiFi means Unicom iPhone customers will have to pay to connect to the phone network for every function. BDA's Clark said that could alienate users if it leads to high monthly bills.

CTIA: 4 billion SMS send U.S. texters in a day

2009-10-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

Twice a year, the organization representing the wireless industry puts out a bunch of facts and figures on how much we're using our phones in the U.S., and each time, I can't help but marvel at the results.
The big number this time around, according to the CTIA: In the past six months alone, Americans sent an estimated 740 billion text messages, which comes out to about 4.1 billion messages each day.
Put another way: That's 11.7 text messages a day for every man, woman, and child in the country. (Of course, the average American teen can fire off 11 text messages in the time it takes you to read this paragraph.)Or, how about this: An SMS has a maximum capacity of 160 characters, so let's say (for the sake of example) that your average text message is about 80 characters long. And let's assume that your average novel contains about 100,000 words, and each word has about five letters.
So ... assuming all that (and keeping in mind that my math is a little shaky), we here in the States are writing the equivalent of about 656,000 books—all via SMS—every 24 hours. At that rate, we could match the entire catalog of the entire New York Public Library system (which holds about 20.4 million books) in a little over a month. Amazing ... although whether you'd really want to read all those SMS books is another question.In any case, if the CTIA's tally of 740 billion text messages in the past six months stays on track through the rest of the year, we'll pass 2008's total of one trillion text messages easily, ending up at nearly a trillion and a half messages for 2009 (and remember, that's just in the U.S.).
A few other facts and figures from the CTIA survey:
* The average cell phone bill in June 2009 was $49.57, up more than a buck from June 2008;
* The average length of a voice call was just 2.03 minutes, shorter than any other year since the CTIA started keeping records in 1988;
* There are about 276,610,580 wireless subscribers in the U.S., up about 14 million from last year, and more than double the number in 2002;
* The various wireless carriers (or at least the ones who reported figures to the CTIA) raked in $151.2 billion in revenue from June 2009 to June 2008—again, more than double what they made in 2002.

OS X Suggests Magic Mouse Manuallu Update is Coming

2009-10-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Apple's new Magic Mouse has a lot of people talking, but not just about its features.Apple's new Magic Mouse has a lot of people talking, but not just about its features. A tantalizing tidbit is tucked away in the hardware manual saying that the device requires OS X 10.6.2 or later to operate. Given the short time period that it takes customer orders to be processed, the folks at AppleInsider have surmised that an OS update could be released within days.The Magic Mouse, which was announced yesterday, is a revised take on the mouse that adds multitouch gestures as input-eliminating the scroll wheel. While the device may require a Snow Leopard update to run, it is also compatible with Mac OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard) or later.Beta versions of OS X 10.6.2 are reported to address some widely publicized bugs, including one which can cause user data to be deleted when logging in and out of a guest account. Other fixes address graphics and video display issues.The 10.6.1 service pack was released in early September, just weeks after Snow Leopard became available. It provided compatibility, security and stability fixes.I'm very usually cautious about reading Apple's tea leaves, but this one seems like a no brainer. I hope 10.6.2 will fix some of the random bugs that I have encountered.

BNefit lead IT training Thursday-IBM

2009-10-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

SPECIALISTS from the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation coming from nine countries in the world will be in Bacolod City Thursday for a scheduled one-day training.The said training aims to "provide education on a variety of business and information technology (IT) subjects".IBM will have project proponent Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNefit) Inc. as partner for said activity, which will kick off 9 a.m. at Circle Inn Hotel, Bacolod City, said project also got support from the Australian Business Volunteers.BM Brazil's marketing manager Gisele Mantovani, on the other hand, will roll out the topic "Marketing in the 21st Century", a presentation bound to "determine if the web is right for you, and then use the right methods to exploit its marketing power".IBM Finland bid manager Jaana Happonen will tackle "Creating an Effective Proposal", which seeks to "provide learning on how to build winning proposal in an effective way". IBM has been well known through most of its recent history as the world's largest computer company and systems integrator.With over 398,455 employees worldwide, IBM is the largest and most profitable information technology employer in the world.
IBM holds more patents than any other U.S.-based technology company and has eight research laboratories worldwide.The company has scientists, engineers, consultants and sales professionals in over 170 countries.BNefit, on the other hand, "represents the collective effort of the academe and human resource development, real estate and business and local governments to undertake projects and programs complementary to the vision of making Bacolod City and Negros Occidental as viable locations for ICT and business process outsourcing (BPO) services."

Vista plus 1 is 7-Microsoft's naming math

2009-10-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK -Microsoft's new operating system launches Thursday, and you may be asking: How did we get to Windows 7? Did I miss 5 and 6?No, you didn't. But Microsoft Corp.'s names for the successive versions of Windows have been more than a little confusing. It's easy to get the impression that with every new version of Windows, Microsoft wants us to forget that there was a previous one.Long ago, we had Windows 1, 2 and 3. So far, so good. Then Microsoft started naming its consumer software after the year of release, like a car, and we got Windows 95. That was followed by 98, while professional users got 4.0. But Windows 2000 wasn't for consumers at all — the professional version was now named for its vintage as well.Vista bombed, prompting Microsoft to make another clean break — the third one — and give us Windows 7.Microsoft's official rationale is that "7" is the seventh version of Windows. It gets there by counting up from Windows NT 4.0, skipping Windows 98 and counting both XP and 2000 as No. 5. Vista was No. 6.Adding to the confusion, Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft's president of Windows, has a variant explanation, saying that Windows 95 was the fourth version of Windows. But Windows 7 is descended from NT 4.0, not Windows 95.If you're going to jump on the number train, seven is a good place to do it. The number has mostly positive connotations, if you exclude the "Seven Deadly Sins," Long said. In Japan in particular, seven is an auspicious number. Images and statues of the seven gods of happiness and luck are commonplace.Going with numbers also sets Microsoft up to call the next version Windows 8, which could be a hit in Asia. Chinese culture is somewhat preoccupied with numbers, and eight is the luckiest of them all. That notion sent a crush of Chinese couples to get married on Aug. 8, 2008. Whether having a lucky number in the operating system would get Chinese consumers to buy software rather than pirate it is another matter.The Windows franchise faces a lot of challenges — among them, Internet search leader Google Inc.'s plans for its own operating system. So Windows may find itself the underdog one day.By then, Apple will have already had a lock on cats, but Microsoft could turn to dogs: Windows Greyhound (it's fast), Windows Dachshund (it's compact, good for small computers) or Windows Cocker Spaniel (pretty interface).

Nokia sues Apple over patents Mobile phone giant

2009-10-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

HELSINKI (AFP) -Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, took on the iconic iPhone on Thursday by suing US rival Apple for infringing 10 Nokia patents on mobile phone technology.
"The patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption and are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007," Nokia said in a statement.
Nokia said it had filed the complaint against Apple on Thursday with the Federal District Court in Delaware in the United States.
"By refusing to agree appropriate terms for Nokia's intellectual property, Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation," Ilkka Rahnasto, deputy head of Nokia's legal department, said in the statement.
The company stressed that it had spent 40 billion euros (60 billion dollars) in research and development over the past two decades.
"The ten patents in suit relate to technologies fundamental to making devices which are compatible with one or more of the GSM, UMTS (3G WCDMA) and wireless LAN standards," Nokia said.
Nokia earlier this month posted its first quarterly loss in a decade amid falling sales. Analysts said the poor results were partly due to the growing popularity of Apple's iPhone and RIM's Blackberry over Nokia models

Windows 7-U.S. software

2009-10-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

A Microsoft staff member explains the latest Windows 7 operating system in Taipei in June 2009. A top Microsoft official has expressed hope that technology will spur economic growth around the world as the US software giant launches its latest operating system.

Japanese mobile site Twitter launches

2009-10-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

Japanese is Twitter's sole foreign language platform so far, and the company's efforts here indicate it's serious about making it big in Japan — and eventually all over the world.

Twitter teamed up with Tokyo-based Internet firm Digital Garage Inc. in early 2008. It launched a Japanese-language platform for cell phones and other mobile devices in the spring of 2008, and hired a Japan country manager earlier this year.
"It's an excellent opportunity for us to see where we can go in Asia in general because Japan represents a leading edge, with advanced mobile usage," said Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, who traveled to Tokyo this week for the launch. "Mobile is in Twitter's DNA."
The company will roll out the site in Spanish, German, French and Italian over the next few months, Stone added.
The San Francisco-based company is also using Japan to experiment with ways to make money from features unavailable on its English language site, such as banner ads. It remains mum on how much revenue the ads have attracted so far.
Early adopters were largely male tech geeks, but the messaging service is finally gaining some traction in mainstream Japan. Between January and June, the number of users jumped almost fourfold to 783,000, according to Internet research firm NetRatings.Japanese celebrities and politicians are starting to sign up. So are traditional media outlets like newspapers and radio stations as well as municipalities and companies eager to take advantage of Twitter's marketing potential.
The key to expansion in Japan is to develop a locally friendly mobile platform, Digital Garage's Rocky Eda said back in June.
A survey the company conducted earlier this year showed that 95 percent of Japanese Twitter users have accessed the service via cell phones. Mobile-based writers account for some 40 percent of regular blogging in Japan, and about a quarter of Mixi users rely on their cell phones to update their pages.
Out of nowhere, dozens joined in, using the hashtag to tweet their beverage of the moment or send out random thoughts. Messages tend to be denser, since a lot more Japanese fits into 140 characters than English. The exercise helped connect strangers with strangers, all who wanted to feel like they weren't alone.
The hashtag was a hit. Even now, months later, Japanese Twitter users gather for a nightly drink online.
"Japanese people aren't good at talking to strangers," Ito said. "And twinomi probably caught on because it's like sitting at a bar, without having to worry about anyone around you. If you want to chat with someone, you can. If you don't, nobody will take offense.

Gain a foothold E-books at Frankfurt Book Fair

2009-10-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

While paper books still outnumber texts that can be read online or on dedicated readers like the Kindle or eBook, use of the electronic versions is growing.Many publishing firms unveiled electronic editions of their books for the first time this year at the 61st Frankfurt Book Fair. But many publishers, while they are certain that e-books will play a bigger role in their future, say it has yet to be seen just how big the trend will become.De Bezige Bij, or The Busy Bee, a Dutch publishing company based in Amsterdam, published its first e-books in August, said Pieter Swinkels, a senior editor at the company."Everybody is interested in it (but) at the moment it still feels like you're looking into a dark room," he told The Associated Press Friday."Books are still a good piece of technology, they can still do everything you need," said Jason Cooper, a director at Faber & Faber, one of the largest independent book publishers in the United Kingdom.He said that, while books won't vanish, it's important to start rolling out electronic titles, which Faber & Faber did last year.Unlike many other publishers at the fair, MIT Press has been bringing out e-books since the early 1990s, said Gita Manaktala, editorial director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology university press. Now they've added titles for Kindle, and nearly half of MIT Press' 4,000-strong backlist is available electronically."One thing that's really driving a shift toward e-books are libraries," she said. Electronic editions are in demand, she said, because they are more convenient, take up less space and can be made available to more people.Joachim Leser, a spokesman for the Stuttgart-based publishing company Klett-Cotta Verlag, said the company is working to get e-books out to all kinds of technologies, including iPhones and Sony eReaders.Prange said that, while electronic books are convenient and portable, they don't have the familiarity of traditional books.

Cybershot DSC-N2 Sony Digital Camera

2009-10-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

The Sony Cybershot DSC-N2 camera is Texas-big in a sub-compact package! It's a 10.1 megapixel point-and-shoot camera with a 3X optical zoom and has a ton of manual controls you don't normally get in a sub-compact camera.
The N2's "bigness" comes not from its size in your pocket; it weighs just over 5 ounces and is roughly the size of a deck of cards. The N2's "bigness" is all about the LCD. It sports a very generous 3-inch LCD that takes up most of the backside of the camera. As a result, the camera doesn't have many buttons on it; almost all the controls are buried in touch screen menus on the LCD. You do get some really neat in-camera editing options with this camera including the ability to write on photos using the touch-screen and the included stylus.