Windows 8 Consumer preview 0

BARCELONA — Get ready all you consumers for your first taste of the future of Windows. Microsoft today announced that it’s rolling out a fresh preview of Windows 8 and this one, called the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, is for everyone to try.

Speaking at the Hotel Miramar, which is pearched atop a hill in Barcelona, Spain, and pretty near the Mobile World Congress event that has been going on all week, Microsoft Windows lead Steven Sinofsky unveiled the latest Windows 8 update and a passel of new hardware to run it. He called it “A bold reimagining of Windows”

This Metro-styling interface is not your father’s desktop OS. It’s not even your big brother’s desktop operating system. It looks and works differently–at least most of the time–than all Windows that have come before it (though you can still find a more familiar-looking OS just a mouse move or gesture away.)

The OS is designed to run on standard Windows PCs (anything that ran Windows 7) and ARM-based devices — think tablets.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview is quite a bit different from the developers version released last year. All parts of it have been touched, said Sinofsky, and improved in Windows 8. “We have made over 100,000 code changes to Windows 8. So for many people, this is a whole new product,” said Sinofsky

He also said the OS is “alive at a glance” and that it can work from entry-level to hard-core users. It can scale across use scenarios and will work with Apps. Apps will work together “to get richer”. One app plus another app will be like three apps, said Sinofsky.

Microsoft started planning Windows 8 before Windows 7 was delivered, so devices that would support it didn’t even exist, said Julie Larson-Green Corporate VP for the Windows Management Program. They actually walked around the halls of Microsoft with cardboard cut-out to try and get a feel for how the Windows 8 tablet should work.

During the tablet demo, Larson zipped through the Metro-style interface to show how “fast and fluid” it is. A quick look at Internet Explorer in Windows 8 Consumer Preview shows how different the experience is than what you find on the standard windows Desktops.

XBox Games comes pre-installed to show your avatar, game achievements and player interactions. There are also casual game apps (in addition to standard PC games, which you can still run). Larson-Green demoed Cut the String. It also has built in music and video stores.

App navigation is also quite a bit different than program navigation in traditional Windows. Instead of alt-tab, you flick with your thumb to slide through apps or make a slightly different move to see a list of all apps running.

Antonine LeBlond, Corporate VP, Windows Web Services stepped on stage to demo Windows 8 Consumer Preview on a more traditional laptop, the Lenovo U300S, to how how you navigate the OS with your mouse and keyboard.
Windows 8 is not just about tablets, said Leblond, it’s also about PCs.

Windows 8 has a whole host of mouse and keyboard control options, LeBlond explained, that fingers great for large targets and gestures. Mouse is a precise pointing device, but not good for gestures. However, there are four spots on any interface that are critical for mouse control, the four corners, and they are now used to navigate Windows 8. Moving to one corner, for example, brings up a list of control “charms”.

Windows 8 also introduces the concept of share contracts that apps use to work with each other.

Also notable is that all Windows 7 apps still run on Windows 8 The hardware still works though, LeBlond says they have improved how some of these things work.

Windows 8 still has the Desktop, though Microsoft would like you to think of it “as a full-screen metro app. The desktop is also where you’ll find the new copy experience. A new Copy Action screen lets you can control and even pause copies as they happen. Interrupted copies are now recoverable.

Larson-Green then came back on stage to show a combo device: a touch-screen computer with a keyboard. Windows 8 “is not an either/or” said Larson-Green referring to the chose between a touch interface or mouse and keyboard control.

Microsoft used this portion of the demo to pitch its cloud-services: SkyDrive, which is pretty deeply integrated into Windows 8.

LeBlond then walked us through the Windows Apps store. It’s organized as you would expect with highlights apps and then categories you can peruse. Microsoft also ran an app-building contest and announced 8 winners, including SigFig, Puzzletouch and Physamajig. “Right now is the time to get your app out there for Windows 8,” said one winner.

Sinofsky then returned to the stage to explain what we just saw. You get to work the way you want to work. You can pick the form-factor you want without compromising.” He added that the apps that come with preview are “are a milestone behind the OS.” In other words all Apps that ship with preview are all subject to change. “It’s a a bit early to review or list the apps,” said Sinofsky.

Sinofsky called Windows 8 an “Unprecedented opportunity for developers.”

Microsoft also showed off some ARM-based hardware running Windows 8–though it was mostly reference-design tablets for ARM-based CPUs from Nvidia Tegra 3, Texas Instruments OMAP, Intel Clovertrail, and Qualcomm SnapDragon. Even on ARM, though hardware and software will work as it does on X*S systems, including Word, Excel and Powerpoint. All have been tuned for touch capabilities.

The event is underway now. We’ll add more details as they become available.

Nokia Lumia 610: A Windows Phone 0

Nokia announced at the Mobile World Congress the much leaked Lumia 610. It is the budget Window Phones aimed for the ‘younger audience’.

Uniquerobots

Lumia 610 is the first phone to break the strict hardware requirements of Microsoft. It is running Windows Phone 7.5 Tango. It is powered by a modest 800 MHz single-core processor, 256GB of RAM and a mere 8GB of internal memory. It is also packed with 5MP auto-focus camera with LED flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB port and a 1300mAh battery. Not bad for a phone that is likely to sell for less than €200.

Microsoft apparently made restrictions on the performance of phones running on low amount of RAM to make it smooth and responsive. It turned off some of the background tasks like automatic upload to SkyDrive and Bing Local Scout. But users will still be able to play music in the background.

The Lumia 610 is expected to be launched in Q2 of 2012.

Nokia Drive 3 teased at MWC with commute alerts via live tiles 0

When the folks at Nokia took us aside and asked if we'd like a preview of the latest features slated forNokia Drive, we knew something good was in store. Our intuition wasn't wrong. The next version of Nokia's navigation software will focus on commutes -- aiming to make the daily chore easier by learning driving habits, identifying regular trips and providing users with live tile updates that estimate journey times and traffic flow. Nokia Drive 3 will automatically query this data 30 minutes before an established commute is expected to begin, and will also provide drivers with suggested quicker routes to their destination. The traffic data is gathered both from traditional navigation sources and other Nokia Drive 3 users -- we're told this latter bit is completely optional and, while the privacy policy is quite explicit, the company insists it doesn't personally identify users.

Nokia tells us the software interface isn't finalized, so what you see in the Flash demonstration may change before Nokia Drive 3 arrives in the coming months. You'll find a demonstration of the new My Commute feature, from the creator himself, right after the break.

Dennis Ritchie, 1941-2011: Computer scientist, Unix co-creator, C programming language designer 0

Computer scientist Dennis Ritchie isreported to have died at his home this past weekend, after a long battle against an unspecified illness. No further details are available at the time of this blog post.

Wikipedia biography here.

He was the designer and original developer of the C programming language, and a central figure in the development of Unix. He spent much of his career at Bell Labs. He was awarded the Turing Award in 1983, and the National Medal of Technology in 1999.

"Ritchie's influence rivals Jobs's; it's just less visible," James Grimmelman observed on Twitter. "His pointer has been cast to void *; his process has terminated with exit code 0."

The news of Ritchie's death was first made public by way of Rob Pike's Google+. 

Photo, below: Candlelight vigil for Dennis M. Ritchie. (thanks, Kevin)

Best picks in CES 2011, Part 2 0

Picking up where we left off, here’s the continuation of what the best of CES 2011 has to offer. This set includes some Bluetooth accessories in the form of a watch, sassy new mobile phones, a toy gun with a blue thing at the tip and Yoda going 1080p.

Toy guns with odd-colored balls
Nyko’s PS3 Move Accessories

Nyko has announced that they’re releasing two new gun accessories for your PS3 Move. Pictured above is thePower Shot Pro that definitely is a derivative of the assault rifles kind. It’s complete with scope and trigger for increased accuracy and reaction time.  On the other hand, the Perfect Shot Pro takes its form from pistols for your handgun wielding needs.

They have also a variation of the Perfect Shot Pro available for the Wii. The PS3 accessories are still unpriced at the moment while the Wii version is available at April for $20.

CES 2011: Nyko Technologies Unveils New Product Arsenal
New Guns, Chargers, Coolers and More Headline the Show

LAS VEGAS – January 6, 2011 – Nyko Technologies®, the leading videogame peripherals manufacturer, today debuted its full lineup of new products at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 in Las Vegas. In addition to the previously announced Raven controllers for PS3 and Charge Stations for Move, the following lineup of brand new videogame accessories will be on display for exclusive hands-on demo:

Power Shot for Move
The Power Shot for PlayStation® Move is an ergonomic tactical rifle attachment. The Move Motion and Navigation controllers easily lock into place for a comfortable grip that provides for accurate trigger response and aiming. The removable and rotating Navigation Controller dock allows the player to hold the Power Shot in various configurations, making it ideal for left and right handed gamers. The tactile trigger replicates the Motion Controller button for smooth firing and the aiming sight increases the player’s accuracy. The Power Shot also features an extendable stock, allowing for utmost stability and precision during intense action games.

The Power Shot will be available at select retail stores nationwide in March 2011.
Perfect Shot for Move
A traditional one handed pistol-like grip for PlayStation® Move, the new Perfect Shot is the ideal shooting attachment for games that only require the Motion controller. Featuring a grooved dock into which the Motion Controller slides into place, the Perfect Shot is designed to be lightweight and ergonomic for comfortable one handed play. Vibration support provides force feedback with each trigger pull. The peripheral’s shape affords unobstructed line of sight for the Motion controller glowing ball, thus allowing accurate and uninterrupted motion tracking.

The Perfect Shot for Move, available in a black and orange color scheme, will be sold at select retail stores nationwide in March 2011.

Perfect Shot Pro
The descendant of the original Perfect Shot for Wii, one of Nyko’s best-selling products of all time, the new Perfect Shot Pro for Wii is the refined evolution of the original Perfect Shot. The Perfect Shot Pro now features vibration support to provide force feedback with each pull of the trigger. The Perfect Shot Pro is the ideal peripheral for all shooting games on the Wii and comfortably houses a Wii controller. The tactile trigger activates the “B” button and an aiming sight improves player accuracy.

The Perfect Shot Pro for Wii, available in white, black and orange, and a new digital camo color scheme will be available at stores nationwide in April 2011 and will retail for an MSRP of $19.99.

Intercooler STS
Utilize Nyko’s cutting edge TempSmart™ technology to keep your Xbox 360 S console running at optimal environmental conditions with the Intercooler STS. The Intercooler STS provides increased airflow away from the Xbox 360 S, which allows the console to perform in a cooler, better ventilated environment, ideal for cramped entrainment centers. TempSmart technology automatically powers the Intercooler STS’ fans on or off when needed, and continues to cool the console even after the system has been powered down. The Intercooler STS is powered by one of the Xbox’s USB ports and requires no batteries or AC adapters. The slick new “scoop” design blends seamlessly with the design of the Xbox 360 S console and works in both the horizontal and vertical positions.

The Intercooler STS will be available at select retail stores nationwide in February 2011 and will retail for an MSRP of $19.99.

Charge Base S
The new Charge Base S for Xbox 360 is a refresh of another one of Nyko’s most popular products of all time. With a sleek redesign, the Charge Base S is a storage and charging dock for two Xbox 360 wireless controllers. The Charge Base S patented design features two custom NiMH rechargeable batteries that feature special contact points, allowing for an easy drop-in and charge solution. The dual port recharging dock is AC powered and plugs into any standard outlet. Each rechargeable battery powers the wireless controller for up to 25 hours and charges in about 2 hours. A hidden LED indicator on the Charge Base S illuminates when in use and indicates battery charge status.

The Charge Base S also features an additional new powered USB port, ideal for charging an additional controller, cell phone, iPod or other USB device.

The Charge Base S will be available at retail stores nationwide in March 2011 and will retail for an MSRP of $24.99.

“Each year we look forward to debuting our new product line at CES and we’re proud to be back again with something new for each console,” said Chris Arbogast, director of marketing at Nyko Technologies. “We’re seeing an extended console lifecycle this generation and so our new product line this year is a combination of brand new products and evolved versions of our most popular accessories from the current console generation.”

Notebook & Smartphone in One
Mototola Atrix

The Atrix is already a powerful phone by itself. Housing a two cores at 1 GHz each and having a 1 GB ram to boot, it makes things run rather smoothly. However, for that extra power, you can always dock it to their laptop. You can do this by either through the HD dock which let’s one use it as a ‘nettop’ or through their custom laptiop.

Once docked, the phone features are still there, in a smaller window while you do the other tasks on the custom laptop itself. For performance, web browsing is a breeze and YouTube playback at 720p didn’t bring any problems at all.

Overall, the Atrix + Laptop combination is a new concept when it comes to your mobile computing needs. With the basic operation based on cloud computing, and running on Android, this is something you’d expect from Google. But as we all see, Motorola did it first.

Timepiece for the Future

Casio’s Bluetooth Watch

It may just be a prototype, a proof of concept — but that’s one good concept if you’ll ask us. Connecting to an Android phone is as easy as just pressing a button. When receiving calls, the name instantly shows on the watch display and tapping the display twice mutes the ringtone, something very useful in places where phones should be in silent mode.

What the watch does is basically notifying the user of the phone activity. Aside from that, it also has this “find me feature” that would alarm you when there’s a 5m approximate distance between the watch and the phone unit. Casio also notes that other future features will include information on transits, concerts and various health-related stuff. Expect some of these to be present in your G-Shock watches by early 2012.

The Empire Strikes in High-Def
Complete Star Wars saga now available in Blu-ray

This isn’t exactly gadget coverage but is definitely loved by the geeks out there. The Star Wars complete saga is now available for your 1080p consumption and pre-orders are ongoing at Amazon.

Included are, aside from the movies themselves, are 30-hours worth of special footage, deleted scenes, alternate endings and more. All in a 9-disc set for $89.99 (previously at $140.00). Get your piece of the force today!

THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE

THE MOST ANTICIPATED BLU-RAY RELEASE IN THE GALAXY

IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR WORLDWIDE PRE-ORDER STARTING TODAY

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 6, 2011) – The most anticipated Blu-ray release ever – the Star Wars™ Saga – emerges from light speed this September 2011. For the first time, all six of George Lucas’ epic films (Episodes I-VI) are united in one complete set. Fans worldwide are able to pre-order now with online retailers.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan:

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films)
Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes I-III)
Star Wars: Original Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes IV-VI)

STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA ON BLU-RAY will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, and much more.

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will be available for $139.99 US/$179.99 CAN and the Star Wars: Trilogy Sets for $69.99 US/89.99 CAN. Pricing for each set will vary by international territory.
Flanked by a legion of his finest Imperial Stormtroopers, Darth Vader himself joined Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to announce the release, vowing “The forces of the Empire will be at your disposal to assure the success of this endeavor.”

“The Star Wars Saga is the most anticipated Blu-ray collection since the launch of the high-def format,” Dunn said. “The epic franchise pioneered sound and visual presentation in theaters and is perfectly suited to do it again in the home, with a viewing experience only possible with Blu-ray.”
“With all six episodes available for the first time in one collection, this is a great way for families and home audiences to experience the complete Saga from start to finish,” said Doug Yates, Vice President of Marketing, Online, Distribution, Lucasfilm Ltd. “And with the quality of high-definition, Blu-ray provides the most immersive home experience possible.”
“The Star Wars franchise has been one of the most anticipated Blu-ray releases by Amazon’s customers,” said Bill Carr, Vice President of Music and Video at Amazon. “We think that Star Wars will be incredibly popular with our customers, and we expect pre-orders to be very strong.”

11 Best Android Apps For Nexus One / HTC Desire 0

After playing around with my fair share of Android devices before taking the plunge and getting myself a Nexus One, I’ve become quite familiar with a lot of apps on offer in Android’s Market.

Although the Market doesn’t house as many apps as Apple’s App Store, around 20,000 compared to over 100,000, there’s still a plethora of applications available for Android that would never see the light of day on the App Store, many of which are included in my list of essential applications for Google Android devices.

Android’s a great mobile phone OS, particularly on some of the recent handsets like the HTC Desire, but it’s still not perfect. Luckily for us, Google don’t exhibit the same amount of control over their Market as Apple does on the App Store, which allows for some great applications to further improve your Android mobile phone that you couldn’t do with your iPhone 3GS…

1. chompSMS (Text Messaging)

However functional it may be, Android’s default messaging application doesn’t look great… This is where chompSMS comes in, not only giving you iPhone like bubbles for your messages, but also allowing you to customise the way they look. You can change fonts throughout the application and the colour of the bubbles. It may not be revolutionary, and it’s most probably a rip off the iPhone’s messaging app, but hey, it looks good!

2. SMS Popup (Text Messaging)

Although you’re notified of new messages in the notification bar on Android, I missed new messages popping up on the screen with a short preview of the message and various options without having to dive in to the messaging app. SMS Popup stays out of the way until it’s required, and offers a subtle interface that’s simple and easy to get around when you receive a message…

3. ASTRO (File Manager)

ASTRO is one of them indispensable apps I couldn’t live without. I use it every day without realising it as it helps me navigate through all of the files stored on the SD card and compliments the next app on the list very well…

4. WebSharing (File Transfer)

WebSharing allows you to transfer files from your computer to your phone over a wi-fi connection. Not only is it incredibly fast, but the full version ($2.99) supports the transfer of music, photo and video files as well as multiple upload.

5. TasKiller (Task Manager)

TasKiller may be the most essential utility I have on my Nexus One… Not only can I see exactly what’s running on my phone, but I can make sure there’s nothing draining the battery or using data in the background that I don’t need… TasKiller Free is more than capable of these routine tasks, but if you want some extra options the full version is available for a mere €0,70.

6. Documents To Go (Office Docs)

Despite being the most expensive application on my list, with a price tag of $14.99, Documents To Go is a great application for anyone wanting to work with documents, spreadsheets and even presentations on the go. You can also view PDF’s which is a nice touch, although if Google decided to release a docs app for Android, I wouldn’t say no…

7. FotMob (Live Football Scores)

FotMob is an absolutely brilliant application for any football fan. After choosing what leagues you wish to stay informed on, you’ll receive live notifications as they happen and can view the latest news and live league tables too. It’s available for free with ads, or £1.99 ad-free.

8. GameBoid (Gameboy Emulator)

Apart from knowing that this would never hit the AppStore, GameBoid makes a damn good GameBoy Advance emulator too… Available for $3.99 on the Market, you can play every ROM under the sun all day long and laugh at all those people with iPhones at the other side of the room… Mario anybody? Hell, why don’t you just get the GameBoy Colour, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis and Sega Master System emulators from the same developer while you’re at it? You know you want to!

9. Beautiful Widgets (Cool Looking Home Screen Stuff)

Beautiful Widgets really help spice up my home screen on the Nexus One… Not only does it offer great widgets to quickly turn on and off your WiFi, Bluetooth and other means of connectivity, but it also gives you a great clock and weather widget that’s not only functional, but looks great too!

10. Train Times UK (Formerly called National Rail)

I regularly use national rail services to get about the UK, and the National Rail app simplifies the whole process a lot…You can search for services, find out when your train is due and even receive live updates so you know whether your train is on time or not – this one’s definitely worth paying for!

11. SpeedForge 3D (Wipeout-Style Game)

Who said you couldn’t do a little bit of light gaming on Android? SpeedForge 3D is one of the best 3D games available on the platform and available for just €1.99. The accelerometer based controls take a little getting used to, but it definitely shows the potential of gaming on Android in the future!

Naturally, with such a vast catalogue of applications available it’s impossible to cover them all, so take a look at our previous list of 10 Best Android Apps (March 2010) and also our 5 Best Android Widgets recommendations…Have you got any to add to either list? Let us know in the comments below!

Facebook announces Messenger app for on-the-go contact (Updated) 0

Facebook has announcedFacebook Messenger, a dedicated app for Facebook messaging. It's already possible to send messages and chat within the standard Facebook app for the iPhone, butthis new app hopes to streamline the process by putting the focus squarely on the chat interface.

Messages can be delivered through both notifications and texts, and you'll have the ability to message back and forth with people in your iPhone's Contacts list in addition to your Facebook friends.

Texts, chats, emails, and messages are consolidated in the same interface. Facebook hopes this will go a long way toward streamlining communication with your friends, particularly when trying to co-ordinate plans with large groups of people -- something that traditional email, SMS, and even the standard Facebook app's messaging interface all make much clumsier than necessary.

100 Years of IBM in Pictures 0

IBM 11 (2011)

Continuing with the tradition of outsmarting humans, IBM’s Watson defeatedJeopardy! champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on the game show to win $1 million for charity. Jennings jokingly welcomed “our new computer overlords.” IBM hopes to use the Watson technology to further the field of artificial intelligence.