Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new battery technology could reduce charging times of electronics to mere minutes or even seconds. Just a proof-of-concept right now, the tech has enormous potential in for devices and electric vehicles, but faces serious challenges before it ever sees production.
One advantage the technology has is that it uses the same battery chemistry as today's typical nickel- and lithium-based batteries. By using an elaborate process that involves tiny, self-arranging polystyrene balls, coating, etching, and electropolishing, the researchers were able to increase how porous the batteries electrode material was to electrons—to the point where the charging rate was many orders of magnitude more a normal battery electrode.
"What we've developed is the way to change the nanostructure of a battery to dramatically increase the power density," Paul Braun, the man who led the research team, says. With such a battery, Braun says you could "charge a cellphone in 20-30 seconds, and a laptop potentially a few minutes."
The fast-fueling battery is far from the first battery to charge rapidly. A123 Systems has technology that increases battery charging by simply using different chemistry, though the increase isn't as much as with Braun's nanostructures. Also, Motorola once worked on a technology similar to Braun's, but with fuel cells.
"We were doing almost exactly the same technique," says Jerry Hallmark, director of energy system technologies at Motorola Mobility. "Doing this ball assembly is not something I can see doing in volume production. It's a pretty slow process [to make]. It's not something you'd do continunously, which is how batteries are made today."
Hallmark does see the potential in electric vehicles, however, where the time it takes to recharge a car battery is a key issue. If the charge time could be reduced to a matter of minutes, electric cars could become viable for long-distance drives. But rapid car-battery charging brings with it other problems.
"It sounds really cool, until you figure out you gotta have your own personal power plant to run that kind of current," says Hallmark. "When you're pumping gas in your car, the equivalent amount of energy [transfer] is something like 20 megawatts. To do the same thing with an electric charger, you need a huge amount of power and some way to connect it, and that's not a trivial design."
Braun realizes this, but he's hopeful existing power lines could be adapted for a such a system.
"To charge a car rapidly, you need a power source that is commensurately large," he says. The power that runs into your house is simply insufficient, but there's every reason to believe the power infrastructure could handle it."
Now that Braun's team has built prototypes, he says the next step is commercialization. He plans to create a startup and hopes to have commercial prototypes within 18 months. Hallmark has a word of caution for Braun: that it's a long road from lab to product—especially in a field that already has many players in the game.
"A lot of these startups will come up with something, but it's very unrealistic to think they're going to scale up and start building batteries in volume," says Hallmark. "Usually their strategy is to work with a big battery supplier and license to them. Historically that doesn't work very well, since a lot of the big battery suppliers are doing their own research. It's just a very tough business to be in."
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications enable professionals to target specific technologies and to distinguish themselves by demonstrating in-depth knowledge and expertise in their specialized technologies. more at http://www.certkingdom.com
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Report Google Set to Launch Music Service
Google might soon release its own iTunes competitor.
According to a CNet report, the company is using Google Music internally, which means it's readying the service for public launch.
Rumors of a Google music service have been circulating for a long time. They were last mentioned at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month when Motorola Mobility chief Sanjay Jha suggested that the benefit of having its upcoming Xoom tablet run on Android Honeycomb is that "it adds video services and music services."
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com
"If you look at Google Mobile services [via Android] today, there's a video service, there's a music service – that is, there will be a music service," Jha said.
Before that, the service was discussed during the 2010 Google I/O conference. At that point, Google said a user could stream music on an Internet-connected PC to an Android phone, and also purchase music in the Android App Store and send it to the phone or another devices. When asked if that meant Google was prepping a music sevice, Vic Gundotra, the vice president of engineering for Google, said "we just focus on delivering better apps for the user. Over time, you'll see that strategy more broadly unfold."
In September, Billboard reported that Google was chatting with major record labels about the service. According to the report, Google's vice president of engineering had pitched the service to the labels directly. CNet says these negotiations are ongoing, and that the company is seeking cloud music rights.
Those types of rights are new territory for the music industry, and Apple is said to be engaged in similar conversations with labels. In Google's case, it's looking for the rights to users' existing libraries.
At this point, the Honeycomb platform includes a Google music app, but the company failed to mention a music-specific service at its Honeycomb event. Reps from Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to a CNet report, the company is using Google Music internally, which means it's readying the service for public launch.
Rumors of a Google music service have been circulating for a long time. They were last mentioned at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month when Motorola Mobility chief Sanjay Jha suggested that the benefit of having its upcoming Xoom tablet run on Android Honeycomb is that "it adds video services and music services."
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com"If you look at Google Mobile services [via Android] today, there's a video service, there's a music service – that is, there will be a music service," Jha said.
Before that, the service was discussed during the 2010 Google I/O conference. At that point, Google said a user could stream music on an Internet-connected PC to an Android phone, and also purchase music in the Android App Store and send it to the phone or another devices. When asked if that meant Google was prepping a music sevice, Vic Gundotra, the vice president of engineering for Google, said "we just focus on delivering better apps for the user. Over time, you'll see that strategy more broadly unfold."
In September, Billboard reported that Google was chatting with major record labels about the service. According to the report, Google's vice president of engineering had pitched the service to the labels directly. CNet says these negotiations are ongoing, and that the company is seeking cloud music rights.
Those types of rights are new territory for the music industry, and Apple is said to be engaged in similar conversations with labels. In Google's case, it's looking for the rights to users' existing libraries.
At this point, the Honeycomb platform includes a Google music app, but the company failed to mention a music-specific service at its Honeycomb event. Reps from Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Spotlight on Intuit GoPayment for Android phones
For many small businesses, it is essential to be able to accept payments anytime, anywhere. For instance, say you are at a small show, and you want to sell your wares. Or, you are an independent consultant, and you want your clients to be able to pay you on the spot.
There are plenty of services for collecting payments, but many require you to purchase costly hardware. There is one vendor, however, that will give you the app and the additional hardware for free — all you need is the proper mobile device and an Intuit merchant account. The product is Intuit’s GoPayment, and it works on these platforms: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, and iPad.
Supported devices
In order to use GoPayment, you need to have a supported device, which includes:
* Android: HTC EVO, Motorola Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, Motorola Droid, Motorola Droid Pro, HTC Nexus One
* Apple: iPad 3G/WiFi, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch (3rd Gen)
* BlackBerry: Curve 8530, Bold 9650, Tour 9630, Curve 8520, Bold 9700
GoPayment for Android
For this post, I’ll focus on the Android version of GoPayment.
The software is free and can be installed from the Android Market. The hardware is a simple add-on credit card reader that attaches to your Android device and allows you to easily swipe credit cards.
There is no up-front cost for this service, software, or hardware; there are also no setup fees, no contract, and no annual/monthly fees. The only costs will be incurred as sales occur, and the hit you will take looks like this: 2.7% + 0.15 cents per transaction. Using this formula, you can calculate how much it will cost to use GoPayment. Of course, you have to read the fine print.
Vendor HotSpot
The Future of Mobile Printing
Print from a Smartphone, from a Tablet, from anywhere!
Learn More »
Each transaction has to meet certain qualifications for the 2.7% rate. Those qualifications are:
* Visa/MC/Discover Network transactions that do not meet those requirements (which includes corporate cards, foreign cards) and transactions that do not meet Visa/MC/Discover Network requirements for the best interchange program, will be charged a “Non-Qualified Rate” of 3.7%.
* Non-qualified transactions have an additional “pre-authorization” fee ($0.22 cents if you are not on a monthly plan and $0.37 cents if you have the $12.95 monthly fee plan).
* American Express and JCB may have different discount rates.
There is also a special pricing plan for those who handle numerous transactions (a GoPayment Merchant Account is required to access the pricing plan link). For $12.95 per month, the rate drops from 2.7% to 1.7% plus $0.30 cents. The good news for smaller businesses is that, if you don’t use it, you don’t pay it.
How to use GoPayment
Follow these steps to start using GoPayment:
1. Apply for a GoPayment merchant account. You will need the following information: business information (mailing address, establishment date), contact information (principal/owner name, address), and basic financial information (bank account number, estimated sales figures).
2. Install GoPayment from the Android Market.
3. Start GoPayment and log on to your account.
4. When you receive your card reader, attach the card reader to your phone.
5. Begin taking transactions!
As you might expect, using the software is quite simple. You can create a charge (Figure A), swipe the card, press Charge, and you’re good to go. After you make the charge, a window will pop-up asking for the credit card holder’s signature.
Figure A
Making a charge in Intuit’s GoPayment
If you’re running transactions over wireless, you should make sure that network is very secure, or else you run the risk of someone snagging the transmitted data.
GoPayment has 24/7 phone support, but Intuit’s support is spotty at best. If you’ve never used Intuit’s support, be prepared for a long phone call, and don’t expect the call to always resolve your problem.
Bottom line
GoPayment is an easy and reliable way to collect credit card payments using a mobile device. GoPayment doesn’t have a ton of features, though the ones it offers work very well. Before you sign on for the service, make sure the costs meet up with your small business needs, or you’ll wind up losing money in transaction fees.
There are plenty of services for collecting payments, but many require you to purchase costly hardware. There is one vendor, however, that will give you the app and the additional hardware for free — all you need is the proper mobile device and an Intuit merchant account. The product is Intuit’s GoPayment, and it works on these platforms: Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, and iPad.
Supported devices
In order to use GoPayment, you need to have a supported device, which includes:
* Android: HTC EVO, Motorola Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, Motorola Droid, Motorola Droid Pro, HTC Nexus One
* Apple: iPad 3G/WiFi, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch (3rd Gen)
* BlackBerry: Curve 8530, Bold 9650, Tour 9630, Curve 8520, Bold 9700
GoPayment for Android
For this post, I’ll focus on the Android version of GoPayment.
The software is free and can be installed from the Android Market. The hardware is a simple add-on credit card reader that attaches to your Android device and allows you to easily swipe credit cards.
There is no up-front cost for this service, software, or hardware; there are also no setup fees, no contract, and no annual/monthly fees. The only costs will be incurred as sales occur, and the hit you will take looks like this: 2.7% + 0.15 cents per transaction. Using this formula, you can calculate how much it will cost to use GoPayment. Of course, you have to read the fine print.
Vendor HotSpot
The Future of Mobile Printing
Print from a Smartphone, from a Tablet, from anywhere!
Learn More »
Each transaction has to meet certain qualifications for the 2.7% rate. Those qualifications are:
* Visa/MC/Discover Network transactions that do not meet those requirements (which includes corporate cards, foreign cards) and transactions that do not meet Visa/MC/Discover Network requirements for the best interchange program, will be charged a “Non-Qualified Rate” of 3.7%.
* Non-qualified transactions have an additional “pre-authorization” fee ($0.22 cents if you are not on a monthly plan and $0.37 cents if you have the $12.95 monthly fee plan).
* American Express and JCB may have different discount rates.
There is also a special pricing plan for those who handle numerous transactions (a GoPayment Merchant Account is required to access the pricing plan link). For $12.95 per month, the rate drops from 2.7% to 1.7% plus $0.30 cents. The good news for smaller businesses is that, if you don’t use it, you don’t pay it.
How to use GoPayment
Follow these steps to start using GoPayment:
1. Apply for a GoPayment merchant account. You will need the following information: business information (mailing address, establishment date), contact information (principal/owner name, address), and basic financial information (bank account number, estimated sales figures).
2. Install GoPayment from the Android Market.
3. Start GoPayment and log on to your account.
4. When you receive your card reader, attach the card reader to your phone.
5. Begin taking transactions!
As you might expect, using the software is quite simple. You can create a charge (Figure A), swipe the card, press Charge, and you’re good to go. After you make the charge, a window will pop-up asking for the credit card holder’s signature.
Figure A
Making a charge in Intuit’s GoPayment
If you’re running transactions over wireless, you should make sure that network is very secure, or else you run the risk of someone snagging the transmitted data.
GoPayment has 24/7 phone support, but Intuit’s support is spotty at best. If you’ve never used Intuit’s support, be prepared for a long phone call, and don’t expect the call to always resolve your problem.
Bottom line
GoPayment is an easy and reliable way to collect credit card payments using a mobile device. GoPayment doesn’t have a ton of features, though the ones it offers work very well. Before you sign on for the service, make sure the costs meet up with your small business needs, or you’ll wind up losing money in transaction fees.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Firefox 4 RC (for Android): Hands On
Firefox 4 RC for Android may eventually torch the stock Android browser. It's faster than previous releases, dons a trimmer interface, and tucks new tricks up its e-sleeve, notably smart taps and single-click bookmarks.
Pile on the Add-Ons — for customizing the browser's look and feel (and functionality)—and Firefox Sync — for synchronizing bookmarks, history, passwords, and preferences with your desktops — and Mozilla moguls will find plenty of reasons to bookmark the mobile browser.
Yet, despite bringing a real frontrunner to the desktop market, Firefox is still just a candidate in the mobile space. It's faster than previous builds, but, compared with Android's stock browser and Opera Mobile 11, it doesn't lap the pack. It lacks multimedia dexterity: Firefox doesn't yet support Flash and cannot access a surprising amount of HTML5 content. And if you're reading this on an Android tablet, this fox isn't available on Honeycomb, yet. For Mozilla users who prize synchronicity, the Release Candidate is worth a click; however, for anyone who isn't wedded to Firefox on the desktop, hold out for additional support.
The Big Picture on the Small Screen
Mozilla has bred a leaner fox with keener eyes. Firefox dedicates the entire screen to web pages. Swiping from the right bezel towards the screen reveals a tray with navigation buttons (back and forward), settings, and a star icon for single-click bookmarking. Under settings, you can manage downloads, add Add-ons—though, with about 150 in total, mobile availability is still limited—and adjust settings. For those accustomed to the stock browser's wrap text feature, Mozilla's "Reformat on zoom" option is a must-enable.
Closing the tray and returning your web page is as easy as swiping towards the bezel. Swiping on the left side of the screen reveals a tray with your open tabs and a folder stuffed with browsing history and bookmarks. And whether you're in the left or right tray, a search bar drapes from top of screen, complete with mobile Add-ons (in this case, search options) for Google, Amazon, Twitter, and Wikipedia. Compared to the stock browser, which requires you to use the phone's physical buttons to navigate between windows or explore history, Mozilla has created a more elegant and intuitive solution.
Phone Home, Home Phone
In addition to its streamlined interface, Firefox Sync is the definitive enticement to download the mobile Release Candidate. The process is simple. From the latest version of the desktop client, sign up for a free account and synchronize data through the Sync pane in Firefox settings. To access that data on your phone, open your mobile settings and Enable Sync. Mozilla gives you a code to input on your desktop to pair the two. Voilà: all of your desktop preferences, saved passwords, bookmarks and history flow into your mobile client; conversely, mobile changes appear at home. If Firefox is your default browser, Sync puts the home in phone—and visa versa.
A Spry Fox…
The other key enhancement for Android users occurs under the hood. In the release notes, Mozilla claims to have improved startup speed and page load times. For the most part, it's true.
I tested Firefox 4 RC on a Spring HTC Evo 4G running the most current available version of Android (2.2) with the latest version of Adobe Flash (10.2); I used two preliminary JavaScript benchmark tests: SunSpider (0.9.1) and Google V8 (version 6). In the SunSpider test where a lower score is desirable, Firefox led the pack (3080.4 ms), followed by Opera (4133.2) and the stock browser (4564.2). When it came to the V8 test, however, results mixed: the stock browser took the lead (310), with Firefox (296) nipping its heals, and Opera (179) playing the role of laggard. In real-world use, it feels a whole lot closer. Firefox is quick, but not quick enough to replace the stock browser.
…At a Cost
That added octane doesn't come cheaply. According the release notes, Mozilla disabled Adobe Flash and other plugins because it "compromised user experience." Compared to both Opera Mobile 11 and the stock browser, through which I browsed and played Flash videos—if sluggishly—Firefox webpages looked like Swiss cheese. Add to Flash-less-ness the browser's limitations with HTML5 video (lacking H.264 support), and even the New York Times homepage starts to look patchy. If you're looking to view any web video on the go, I'd highly recommend waiting for the Gold Master, in which Mozilla might permit users to enable video plugins, even if it does "compromise user experience."
This Fox is Still a Kit
Firefox 4 RC for Android transfers to the mobile browser much of what invigorated the desktop client, including a fresh new look with a speedier engine, Add-ons, and Firefox Sync. Unfortunately, those valuable new features enter in medias res. The new look is welcome, but the speed bump comes at the cost of multimedia dexterity. While mobile Add-ons hold promise, there aren't enough available (yet) to customize the browser. And Firefox Sync is an exciting addition, but its value only extends to Mozilla faithful. If Firefox is your default desktop browser, the latest version of Firefox for Android grows that experience, though I would recommend waiting a little bit longer until this fox finds its legs.
Pile on the Add-Ons — for customizing the browser's look and feel (and functionality)—and Firefox Sync — for synchronizing bookmarks, history, passwords, and preferences with your desktops — and Mozilla moguls will find plenty of reasons to bookmark the mobile browser.
Yet, despite bringing a real frontrunner to the desktop market, Firefox is still just a candidate in the mobile space. It's faster than previous builds, but, compared with Android's stock browser and Opera Mobile 11, it doesn't lap the pack. It lacks multimedia dexterity: Firefox doesn't yet support Flash and cannot access a surprising amount of HTML5 content. And if you're reading this on an Android tablet, this fox isn't available on Honeycomb, yet. For Mozilla users who prize synchronicity, the Release Candidate is worth a click; however, for anyone who isn't wedded to Firefox on the desktop, hold out for additional support.
The Big Picture on the Small Screen
Mozilla has bred a leaner fox with keener eyes. Firefox dedicates the entire screen to web pages. Swiping from the right bezel towards the screen reveals a tray with navigation buttons (back and forward), settings, and a star icon for single-click bookmarking. Under settings, you can manage downloads, add Add-ons—though, with about 150 in total, mobile availability is still limited—and adjust settings. For those accustomed to the stock browser's wrap text feature, Mozilla's "Reformat on zoom" option is a must-enable.
Closing the tray and returning your web page is as easy as swiping towards the bezel. Swiping on the left side of the screen reveals a tray with your open tabs and a folder stuffed with browsing history and bookmarks. And whether you're in the left or right tray, a search bar drapes from top of screen, complete with mobile Add-ons (in this case, search options) for Google, Amazon, Twitter, and Wikipedia. Compared to the stock browser, which requires you to use the phone's physical buttons to navigate between windows or explore history, Mozilla has created a more elegant and intuitive solution.
Phone Home, Home Phone
In addition to its streamlined interface, Firefox Sync is the definitive enticement to download the mobile Release Candidate. The process is simple. From the latest version of the desktop client, sign up for a free account and synchronize data through the Sync pane in Firefox settings. To access that data on your phone, open your mobile settings and Enable Sync. Mozilla gives you a code to input on your desktop to pair the two. Voilà: all of your desktop preferences, saved passwords, bookmarks and history flow into your mobile client; conversely, mobile changes appear at home. If Firefox is your default browser, Sync puts the home in phone—and visa versa.
A Spry Fox…
The other key enhancement for Android users occurs under the hood. In the release notes, Mozilla claims to have improved startup speed and page load times. For the most part, it's true.
I tested Firefox 4 RC on a Spring HTC Evo 4G running the most current available version of Android (2.2) with the latest version of Adobe Flash (10.2); I used two preliminary JavaScript benchmark tests: SunSpider (0.9.1) and Google V8 (version 6). In the SunSpider test where a lower score is desirable, Firefox led the pack (3080.4 ms), followed by Opera (4133.2) and the stock browser (4564.2). When it came to the V8 test, however, results mixed: the stock browser took the lead (310), with Firefox (296) nipping its heals, and Opera (179) playing the role of laggard. In real-world use, it feels a whole lot closer. Firefox is quick, but not quick enough to replace the stock browser.
…At a Cost
That added octane doesn't come cheaply. According the release notes, Mozilla disabled Adobe Flash and other plugins because it "compromised user experience." Compared to both Opera Mobile 11 and the stock browser, through which I browsed and played Flash videos—if sluggishly—Firefox webpages looked like Swiss cheese. Add to Flash-less-ness the browser's limitations with HTML5 video (lacking H.264 support), and even the New York Times homepage starts to look patchy. If you're looking to view any web video on the go, I'd highly recommend waiting for the Gold Master, in which Mozilla might permit users to enable video plugins, even if it does "compromise user experience."
This Fox is Still a Kit
Firefox 4 RC for Android transfers to the mobile browser much of what invigorated the desktop client, including a fresh new look with a speedier engine, Add-ons, and Firefox Sync. Unfortunately, those valuable new features enter in medias res. The new look is welcome, but the speed bump comes at the cost of multimedia dexterity. While mobile Add-ons hold promise, there aren't enough available (yet) to customize the browser. And Firefox Sync is an exciting addition, but its value only extends to Mozilla faithful. If Firefox is your default desktop browser, the latest version of Firefox for Android grows that experience, though I would recommend waiting a little bit longer until this fox finds its legs.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Free Windows 7 Ultimate: Microsoft wants you to Host a Party
Okay, here comes Microsoft’s best way of marketing windows 7 — Host a Party between October 22-29, and you could win Windows 7.
Windows 7 will be launched 22nd October. There are lots of promotional package to make this launch successful. This is just one of them.
All you need to do is organize Windows 7 launch party with your family or friends between 22nd October to October 29 and share your party. If you are selected as a lucky winner you will get the the Windows 7 Ultimate with signature edition and also chance to win PC valued at $750.
Just choose one of the Windows 7 Party Themes:
* PhotoPalooza
* Media Mania
* Setting up with Ease
* Family Friendly Fun
And Microsoft will take care of the rest (if your application gets selected)
The program will be assisted by House Party, the world’s leading party organizer. So it’s going to be Big!
Windows 7 will be launched 22nd October. There are lots of promotional package to make this launch successful. This is just one of them.
All you need to do is organize Windows 7 launch party with your family or friends between 22nd October to October 29 and share your party. If you are selected as a lucky winner you will get the the Windows 7 Ultimate with signature edition and also chance to win PC valued at $750.
Just choose one of the Windows 7 Party Themes:
* PhotoPalooza
* Media Mania
* Setting up with Ease
* Family Friendly Fun
And Microsoft will take care of the rest (if your application gets selected)
The program will be assisted by House Party, the world’s leading party organizer. So it’s going to be Big!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Download Windows Live Wave 4
Windows Live Wave 4 is a most awaited LIVE platform for over an year. The new Live package features all new Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Sync and the blogger’s favourite tool Live Writer. Luckily enough, the leaked version, now available on The Piratebay) is a beta that works quiet well.
Of course there are some limitations to Sync and Messenger, restricted to corporate users with Microsoft credentials. Your LiveID won’t let you sign in. But luckily enough the crack is also available, everything works with almost no extra effort.
You can download it here.
windows live wave 4
Wave 4 has a revamped GUI, and you can theme it to what you want. What comes more is the obvious Windows 7 Integration plus a bulk of new features.
Live Mail
This is much better than Outlook. As far as using Gmail with it goes, it’s nitty-gritty on features like “Auto Inbox Refresh”, Keyboard shortcuts, Contact Picker Improvements and more.
Live Messenger
Messenger gets Twitter and WordPress connection, Geo-tagging support in Windows Live Photos, New “Friends” view
Live Writer
Live Writer has seen a number of improvements as well (particularly integration with online services like YouTube and Facebook). It’s even better than previous versions — which were already must-haves for desktop blogging on Windows.
Live Photos
Just like Picasa, Live photos has been there for a while. But this update makes it faster and equally competent with most things Picasa can do: Tags, locations, etc.
Movie Maker
Movie Maker for the first time becomes truly usable. It has new cut, crop, and effects plus uploading to Youtube, Facebook.
Of course there are some limitations to Sync and Messenger, restricted to corporate users with Microsoft credentials. Your LiveID won’t let you sign in. But luckily enough the crack is also available, everything works with almost no extra effort.
You can download it here.
windows live wave 4
Wave 4 has a revamped GUI, and you can theme it to what you want. What comes more is the obvious Windows 7 Integration plus a bulk of new features.
Live Mail
This is much better than Outlook. As far as using Gmail with it goes, it’s nitty-gritty on features like “Auto Inbox Refresh”, Keyboard shortcuts, Contact Picker Improvements and more.
Live Messenger
Messenger gets Twitter and WordPress connection, Geo-tagging support in Windows Live Photos, New “Friends” view
Live Writer
Live Writer has seen a number of improvements as well (particularly integration with online services like YouTube and Facebook). It’s even better than previous versions — which were already must-haves for desktop blogging on Windows.
Live Photos
Just like Picasa, Live photos has been there for a while. But this update makes it faster and equally competent with most things Picasa can do: Tags, locations, etc.
Movie Maker
Movie Maker for the first time becomes truly usable. It has new cut, crop, and effects plus uploading to Youtube, Facebook.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
How a Mac Mini can beat a quad-core Vista behemoth
Here's a tale of how a humble Mac Mini system outperformed my cutting-edge quad-core system. It's also a story of how Apple can't write good software for the Windows platform.
The other day I was chatting to George Ouabout professional grade digital SLR cameras that offer 1080p video capability. He then mentioned how his system (an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz PC system with an NVIDIA 8800GT GPU) couldn't handle 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies.
Thinking that it might be an issue with his system, I downloaded some test clips and tried playing them with Apple QuickTime on my 3.0GHz quad-core QX9650 Vista 64-bit system – This rig is kitted out with Velociraptor drives, 8GB of fast RAM and a Crossfire quad-GPU setup. The results – Awful. The clip was jerky and juddery, and while not technically unwatchable, I really didn't want to spend too long looking at it.
Note: If you want some sample 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies to try out at home then check out this page and scroll to the bottom for the clips we are using.
Now let's get some perspective on this. My system is capable of flawless Blu-ray H.264 1080p video playback and so the system is operating normally. However, just to be sure that this wasn't some random issue I also tried the clip on a few other systems that are not as powerful as my rig, but still very capable (all get a top score of 5.9 on the Windows Experience Index scale). Same results. The video seem to stutter every second or so and this continues throughout the clip. I then tried some other clips. Same results. I swapped out the video card in my system for an NVIDIA 280GTX graphics card. Same results. I tried Vista 32-bit and Vista 64-bit. Same results. No matter how much hardware I threw at the problem, the stuttering video persisted.
George suggested that I try the clip out on my 1.66 GHz Mac Mini system that kitted out with 512 MB of RAM. Compared to the quad-core system the Mac Mini is very, very low-end. So how does the Mac Mini running QuickTime handle these test clips? It plays them back flawlessly.
So, is the Mac Mini's hardware superior to that of the quad-core rig? Of course not. OK then, it it down to the OS? Is the Mac OS superior to Windows? Is there no way to get 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies to play smoothly on Windows? Well, there a simple test we can do. Let's check out whether any of the third-party media players can give smooth, unstuttered playback.
There are a few alternatives to Apple's QuickTime software on the Windows platform. For example, there's QuickTime Alternative and VLC Media player. I have VLC installed on several systems so I tried the clips again. Result? Flawless playback.
So what's the deal? 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies play fine on the Mac Mini through QuickTime, and they play fine on Windows when using third party media players. So the issue is here isn't which OS is best, or which platform is best, it's all down to Apple's QuickTime player for Windows not being up to the job.
Note: I'm going to ignore the fact that QuickTime virtually offers door into people's PCs for any hackers willing to use it.
Once again, it seems that Apple just can't write decent code for the Windows platform. That may be because Apple doesn't have the in-house skill to develop good software, or it may be down to some decision to make Mac OS seem better than the Windows platform. Either way, vendors who adopt Apple's QuickTime MOV format for their hardware (such as Canon with the EOS 5P Mark II) need to be aware of the fact that Windows users are getting a poor product experience thanks to the poor performance of QuickTime.Â
The other day I was chatting to George Ouabout professional grade digital SLR cameras that offer 1080p video capability. He then mentioned how his system (an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz PC system with an NVIDIA 8800GT GPU) couldn't handle 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies.
Thinking that it might be an issue with his system, I downloaded some test clips and tried playing them with Apple QuickTime on my 3.0GHz quad-core QX9650 Vista 64-bit system – This rig is kitted out with Velociraptor drives, 8GB of fast RAM and a Crossfire quad-GPU setup. The results – Awful. The clip was jerky and juddery, and while not technically unwatchable, I really didn't want to spend too long looking at it.
Note: If you want some sample 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies to try out at home then check out this page and scroll to the bottom for the clips we are using.
Now let's get some perspective on this. My system is capable of flawless Blu-ray H.264 1080p video playback and so the system is operating normally. However, just to be sure that this wasn't some random issue I also tried the clip on a few other systems that are not as powerful as my rig, but still very capable (all get a top score of 5.9 on the Windows Experience Index scale). Same results. The video seem to stutter every second or so and this continues throughout the clip. I then tried some other clips. Same results. I swapped out the video card in my system for an NVIDIA 280GTX graphics card. Same results. I tried Vista 32-bit and Vista 64-bit. Same results. No matter how much hardware I threw at the problem, the stuttering video persisted.
George suggested that I try the clip out on my 1.66 GHz Mac Mini system that kitted out with 512 MB of RAM. Compared to the quad-core system the Mac Mini is very, very low-end. So how does the Mac Mini running QuickTime handle these test clips? It plays them back flawlessly.
So, is the Mac Mini's hardware superior to that of the quad-core rig? Of course not. OK then, it it down to the OS? Is the Mac OS superior to Windows? Is there no way to get 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies to play smoothly on Windows? Well, there a simple test we can do. Let's check out whether any of the third-party media players can give smooth, unstuttered playback.
There are a few alternatives to Apple's QuickTime software on the Windows platform. For example, there's QuickTime Alternative and VLC Media player. I have VLC installed on several systems so I tried the clips again. Result? Flawless playback.
So what's the deal? 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies play fine on the Mac Mini through QuickTime, and they play fine on Windows when using third party media players. So the issue is here isn't which OS is best, or which platform is best, it's all down to Apple's QuickTime player for Windows not being up to the job.
Note: I'm going to ignore the fact that QuickTime virtually offers door into people's PCs for any hackers willing to use it.
Once again, it seems that Apple just can't write decent code for the Windows platform. That may be because Apple doesn't have the in-house skill to develop good software, or it may be down to some decision to make Mac OS seem better than the Windows platform. Either way, vendors who adopt Apple's QuickTime MOV format for their hardware (such as Canon with the EOS 5P Mark II) need to be aware of the fact that Windows users are getting a poor product experience thanks to the poor performance of QuickTime.Â
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Final Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools Releasing Sept 16
Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 will launch later this year, but the final version of its Windows Phone developer tools will be released on Sept. 16, the company said in a Monday blog post.
To date, there have been more than 300,000 downloads of those developer tools, wrote Brandon Watson, director of Windows Phone 7.
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com
"These first six months have affirmed that a rich application platform based on the well understood Silverlight and XNA technologies, combined with great free tools based on Visual Studio 2010 and Expression Blend is the right approach for enabling developers and designers of all skill levels who are looking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by Windows Phone 7," Watson wrote.
The final September release will have some "minor breaking changes" from the beta tools, so some bugs might arise, Watson said. It will also include requested Silverlight controls, as well as the ability to drop in panorama, pivot, and Bing Maps controls.
Watson pointed to several companies currently developing apps for the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, including eBay, Flixster, Open Table, Photobucket, and the Associated Press. He stressed, however, that "large or small, all developers will have equal opportunity to capitalize on the first mover advantage of having their apps or games ready at launch."
Microsoft also pledged to be more transparent about its app store policies. The company posted an updated Marketplace policies on its Web site Monday, and said it will be conducting a limited beta test of its app submission and certification process in the coming weeks.
"We're also working on significant changes to our developer portal that reflects feedback from the community," Watson wrote. "In those changes, you'll see enhancements meant to simplify and streamline the path for developers to get the information they need."
All apps will be tested for "quality and performance … while maintaining a fully open and transparent process to support the developer and their Marketplace success," he continued.
Those interested in developing Windows Phone 7 apps can sign up on the registration page.
To date, there have been more than 300,000 downloads of those developer tools, wrote Brandon Watson, director of Windows Phone 7.
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com"These first six months have affirmed that a rich application platform based on the well understood Silverlight and XNA technologies, combined with great free tools based on Visual Studio 2010 and Expression Blend is the right approach for enabling developers and designers of all skill levels who are looking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by Windows Phone 7," Watson wrote.
The final September release will have some "minor breaking changes" from the beta tools, so some bugs might arise, Watson said. It will also include requested Silverlight controls, as well as the ability to drop in panorama, pivot, and Bing Maps controls.
Watson pointed to several companies currently developing apps for the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, including eBay, Flixster, Open Table, Photobucket, and the Associated Press. He stressed, however, that "large or small, all developers will have equal opportunity to capitalize on the first mover advantage of having their apps or games ready at launch."
Microsoft also pledged to be more transparent about its app store policies. The company posted an updated Marketplace policies on its Web site Monday, and said it will be conducting a limited beta test of its app submission and certification process in the coming weeks.
"We're also working on significant changes to our developer portal that reflects feedback from the community," Watson wrote. "In those changes, you'll see enhancements meant to simplify and streamline the path for developers to get the information they need."
All apps will be tested for "quality and performance … while maintaining a fully open and transparent process to support the developer and their Marketplace success," he continued.
Those interested in developing Windows Phone 7 apps can sign up on the registration page.
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