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Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Lab to Live: Smooth Virtualization Transitions
Server virtualization is now within the grasp of any business and when properly implemented and managed, can help you save some serious money by reducing maintenance costs and minimizing the burden on your staff. But flipping the switch from your lab environment and going live is not the end of the journey. You need to carefully plan your next moves to avoid the post implementation pitfalls that can negate virtualization benefits. Planning and consideration for data recovery, application availability, backups and replication can help you avoid the nightmares of "VM sprawl" and "VM stall".
Join this webcast to learn the best practices for post implementation of virtualized servers in your environment. Discover what challenges to look out for and how to prepare to avoid pitfalls ensuring total protection for your systems, applications and data.
Join this webcast to learn the best practices for post implementation of virtualized servers in your environment. Discover what challenges to look out for and how to prepare to avoid pitfalls ensuring total protection for your systems, applications and data.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Microsoft's Windows Phone Lags iOS, Android In Consumers' Eyes: Report
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 is running behind Apple's iOS, Android and RIM as a desired smartphone for consumers, says a new Nielsen Company research note.
Windows Phone 7 lags behind RIM’s BlackBerry franchise, Google Android devices, and Apple’s iOS among desired smartphones, according to new data from The Nielsen Company.
That comes despite recent data suggesting that Microsoft’s latest smartphone platform is seeing some traction among third-party developers, whose apps are considered a vital part of any smartphone’s appeal.
For the period between January and March, some 31 percent of consumers indicated they wanted an Android smartphone as their next device, up from 26 percent from Nielsen’s July-September 2010 survey. Meanwhile, Apple’s iOS scored 30 percent, down from 33 percent, and RIM’s BlackBerry came in third at 11 percent (a dip from 13 percent).
The combined Windows Mobile/Windows Phone 7 scored 6 percent, a slight downtick from the 7 percent in Nielsen’s last reading. Microsoft managed to beat out Palm/webOS and Symbian. Around 20 percent of respondents weren’t sure about the brand of their next smartphone, up from 18 percent.
“Consumer preferences can be fickle,” cautioned an April 26 posting on Nielsen’s blog.
According to recent data from analytics firm comScore, Microsoft’s share of the smartphone market dipped to 7.7 percent for the three months ending in February, down from 9 percent in November 2010. That placed the platform behind Google Android, Apple’s iOS, and RIM’s BlackBerry. During its MIX11 conference in Las Vegas, however, Microsoft executives insisted that third-party developers were busy adding high-quality apps to Microsoft’s app storefront, and that the upcoming “Mango” software update would introduce essential features such as multitasking and Internet Explorer 9—both indications, apparently, that the platform was on the way up.
On April 21, Microsoft and Nokia also announced a definitive agreement to partner on Windows Phone 7, a relationship that could radically alter the mobility landscape in years to come. Under the terms of that agreement, Nokia will manufacture phones loaded with Windows Phone 7, receiving billions of dollars in return from Microsoft. (Nokia also remains publicly committed to supporting its Symbian OS through at least 2014, with new Symbian phones slated to hit the market in 2011 and 2012.)
“With the definitive agreement now signed, both companies will begin engaging with operators, developers and other partners to help the industry understand the benefits of joining the new ecosystem,” read a joint statement. “At the same time, work will continue on developing Nokia products on the Windows Phone platform, with the aim of securing volume device shipments in 2012.”
According to a recent research note from IDC, that Nokia partnership could propel Windows Phone 7 past RIM and Apple to become the second-ranked smartphone operating system in the world by 2015. “The new alliance brings together Nokia’s hardware capabilities and Windows Phone’s differentiated platform,” IDC analyst Ramon Llamas wrote in that statement. “IDC expects Windows Phone to be number 2 operating system worldwide behind Android.”
That could take a bit more desire than the Nielsen numbers indicate.
Windows Phone 7 lags behind RIM’s BlackBerry franchise, Google Android devices, and Apple’s iOS among desired smartphones, according to new data from The Nielsen Company.
That comes despite recent data suggesting that Microsoft’s latest smartphone platform is seeing some traction among third-party developers, whose apps are considered a vital part of any smartphone’s appeal.
For the period between January and March, some 31 percent of consumers indicated they wanted an Android smartphone as their next device, up from 26 percent from Nielsen’s July-September 2010 survey. Meanwhile, Apple’s iOS scored 30 percent, down from 33 percent, and RIM’s BlackBerry came in third at 11 percent (a dip from 13 percent).
The combined Windows Mobile/Windows Phone 7 scored 6 percent, a slight downtick from the 7 percent in Nielsen’s last reading. Microsoft managed to beat out Palm/webOS and Symbian. Around 20 percent of respondents weren’t sure about the brand of their next smartphone, up from 18 percent.
“Consumer preferences can be fickle,” cautioned an April 26 posting on Nielsen’s blog.
According to recent data from analytics firm comScore, Microsoft’s share of the smartphone market dipped to 7.7 percent for the three months ending in February, down from 9 percent in November 2010. That placed the platform behind Google Android, Apple’s iOS, and RIM’s BlackBerry. During its MIX11 conference in Las Vegas, however, Microsoft executives insisted that third-party developers were busy adding high-quality apps to Microsoft’s app storefront, and that the upcoming “Mango” software update would introduce essential features such as multitasking and Internet Explorer 9—both indications, apparently, that the platform was on the way up.
On April 21, Microsoft and Nokia also announced a definitive agreement to partner on Windows Phone 7, a relationship that could radically alter the mobility landscape in years to come. Under the terms of that agreement, Nokia will manufacture phones loaded with Windows Phone 7, receiving billions of dollars in return from Microsoft. (Nokia also remains publicly committed to supporting its Symbian OS through at least 2014, with new Symbian phones slated to hit the market in 2011 and 2012.)
“With the definitive agreement now signed, both companies will begin engaging with operators, developers and other partners to help the industry understand the benefits of joining the new ecosystem,” read a joint statement. “At the same time, work will continue on developing Nokia products on the Windows Phone platform, with the aim of securing volume device shipments in 2012.”
According to a recent research note from IDC, that Nokia partnership could propel Windows Phone 7 past RIM and Apple to become the second-ranked smartphone operating system in the world by 2015. “The new alliance brings together Nokia’s hardware capabilities and Windows Phone’s differentiated platform,” IDC analyst Ramon Llamas wrote in that statement. “IDC expects Windows Phone to be number 2 operating system worldwide behind Android.”
That could take a bit more desire than the Nielsen numbers indicate.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Microsoft Windows Phones Built By Nokia Due in 2012
Microsoft and Nokia signed a definitive agreement that seals the deal announced in February between the two companies, creating a formidable competitor against Google‘s Android and Apple‘s iOS.
Now, Nokia can migrate away from its aging Symbian operating system, embracing the Windows Phone software to create a new ecosystem of Nokia hardware and Microsoft software. The companies announced that Nokia-built Windows Phones are already in development, “with the aim of securing volume device shipments in 2012.”
While Nokia engineers are busying themselves creating hardware for the Windows Phone, Microsoft gains the power of Nokia’s mapping and navigation platform, certain to enhance Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Those mapping services will also show up on Nokia phones running Windows Phone, but there was no word about whether those mapping services would also run on Windows Phone handsets not made by Nokia.
What about developers? The companies plan to ease the transition for Symbian developers to move to the Windows phone operating system. According to a Nokia spokesperson (see video below), “All Symbian developers will have a free registration for the next year for the Windows developers program.”
Nokia will also reportedly open a Nokia-branded app store based on the Windows Marketplace infrastructure, where developers will be able to distribute their apps for Windows Phone, Symbian or Series 40 devices.
In our view, this looks like a mutually beneficial relationship, where Microsoft will have a formidable hardware manufacturer and map platform in its camp, while Nokia will gain Microsoft’s resources, including gaming expertise, Windows Phone, Bing search facilities on every smartphone and Microsoft’s vast marketing machine.
Which company do you think got the better end of the deal here?
Now, Nokia can migrate away from its aging Symbian operating system, embracing the Windows Phone software to create a new ecosystem of Nokia hardware and Microsoft software. The companies announced that Nokia-built Windows Phones are already in development, “with the aim of securing volume device shipments in 2012.”
While Nokia engineers are busying themselves creating hardware for the Windows Phone, Microsoft gains the power of Nokia’s mapping and navigation platform, certain to enhance Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Those mapping services will also show up on Nokia phones running Windows Phone, but there was no word about whether those mapping services would also run on Windows Phone handsets not made by Nokia.
What about developers? The companies plan to ease the transition for Symbian developers to move to the Windows phone operating system. According to a Nokia spokesperson (see video below), “All Symbian developers will have a free registration for the next year for the Windows developers program.”
Nokia will also reportedly open a Nokia-branded app store based on the Windows Marketplace infrastructure, where developers will be able to distribute their apps for Windows Phone, Symbian or Series 40 devices.
In our view, this looks like a mutually beneficial relationship, where Microsoft will have a formidable hardware manufacturer and map platform in its camp, while Nokia will gain Microsoft’s resources, including gaming expertise, Windows Phone, Bing search facilities on every smartphone and Microsoft’s vast marketing machine.
Which company do you think got the better end of the deal here?
Monday, April 25, 2011
iPhone 5 mockups surface
Summary
Joshua Topolsky has posted a mockup of the iPhone 5 based on information from “a variety of sources.”
The rumor consensus to date has been that the iPhone 5 won’t be radically different from the current iPhone 4, basically just updated specs, but Topolsky says “that’s not the story we’ve been hearing at all.”
In a sketch supplied to [...]
Joshua Topolsky has posted a mockup of the iPhone 5 based on information from “a variety of sources.”
The rumor consensus to date has been that the iPhone 5 won’t be radically different from the current iPhone 4, basically just updated specs, but Topolsky says “that’s not the story we’ve been hearing at all.”
In a sketch supplied to us by a source (on which the image above is based), the home button is doing double duty as a gesture area; this falls in line with testing we’ve seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether. Furthermore, we’re hearing that the screen on the device will occupy the entire (or near to it) front of the phone, meaning almost no bezel.
According to Topolsky, the screen will go up to 3.7-inches (while keeping the current resolution) and pixel density goes from 326 to 312ppi, which means that Apple can still tout it as having a Retina Display.
It will also be the first iPhone to ship with Qualcomm’s dual GSM / CDMA Gobi chipset making it the first true world iPhone. Although the Verizon iPhone 4 ships with a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip, it doesn’t work in both modes.
Update: Josh posted another i5 mockup to the same post — this time with design queues from the MacBook Air (instead of from the iPad 2 like above).
Joshua Topolsky has posted a mockup of the iPhone 5 based on information from “a variety of sources.”
The rumor consensus to date has been that the iPhone 5 won’t be radically different from the current iPhone 4, basically just updated specs, but Topolsky says “that’s not the story we’ve been hearing at all.”
In a sketch supplied to [...]
Joshua Topolsky has posted a mockup of the iPhone 5 based on information from “a variety of sources.”
The rumor consensus to date has been that the iPhone 5 won’t be radically different from the current iPhone 4, basically just updated specs, but Topolsky says “that’s not the story we’ve been hearing at all.”
In a sketch supplied to us by a source (on which the image above is based), the home button is doing double duty as a gesture area; this falls in line with testing we’ve seen for gestures on the iPad, and our sources say that gestures are definitely coming in a future version of iOS. The home button will likely be enlarged, but not scrapped altogether. Furthermore, we’re hearing that the screen on the device will occupy the entire (or near to it) front of the phone, meaning almost no bezel.
According to Topolsky, the screen will go up to 3.7-inches (while keeping the current resolution) and pixel density goes from 326 to 312ppi, which means that Apple can still tout it as having a Retina Display.
It will also be the first iPhone to ship with Qualcomm’s dual GSM / CDMA Gobi chipset making it the first true world iPhone. Although the Verizon iPhone 4 ships with a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip, it doesn’t work in both modes.
Update: Josh posted another i5 mockup to the same post — this time with design queues from the MacBook Air (instead of from the iPad 2 like above).
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Google Celebrates Earth Day With Nature Doodle, Wind Investment
Google turned its homepage logo into a nature scene doodle Friday in honor of Earth Day.
The image features a moving waterfall, penguins jumping on an iceberg, pandas nibbling on bamboo, and a lion curled up under a tree.
This year's Earth Day theme is "A Billion Acts of Green." The Earth Day Network said the goal is to generate one billion acts of environmental service and advocacy before the June 2012 Rio +20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.
Earth Day dates back to 1970, when Sen. Gaylord Nelson, disheartened by a massive 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara and inspired by the anti-war movement, moved to fuse activism and environmentalism, according to the Earth Day Network. Google Earth Day doodle
He announced a "national teach-in on the environment" and pulled in colleagues from both sides of the aisle. On April 22 that year, 20 million Americans gathered on the streets and in parks and auditoriums to demonstrate for a more environmentally friendly existence. By 1990, Earth Day went global, helping pave the way for 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Three years later, President Bill Clinton awarded Sen. Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role in founding Earth Day.
In a Thursday blog post, Yahoo said searches on its network suggest that the recent nuclear crisis in Japan has prompted consumers to start looking into alternative energy sources. This month, searches on Yahoo Green for "solar energy" are up 208 percent while inquiries for "wind power" are up 1,307 percent.
"Interestingly, more men are showing more interest, as 3-out-of-5 searches this month for both 'wind power' and 'solar energy' are by males, especially in Illinois, Ohio, Texas and New Jersey," Yahoo said.
Yahoo also has a list of top Earth Day 2011 deals, including free Starbucks coffee for those who bring in a reusable mug.
Google, meanwhile, has made a number of investments in clean and solar energy lately. On Thursday, the search giant announced its second power purchase agreement for wind energy in Oklahoma. Google will apply the power to its Mayes County data center, which is expected to be fully operational later this year. Google will purchase its energy from NextEra Energy Resources' Minco II wind facility for the next 20 years via Google Energy. The facility is being built thanks to Google's funding commitments and will be operational by year's end.
"We've made the commitment to be a carbon neutral company, and this purchase is part of our effort to minimize our impact on the environment. We've managed to reduce our energy consumption by over 50 percent by building highly energy-efficient facilities, but we know that efficiency alone isn't enough to eliminate our carbon footprint," Google said in a blog post. "We've been exploring ways, such as this PPA, to reduce emissions further by increasing the amount of renewable energy we use to power our operations; we purchase high-quality carbon offsets for any remaining emissions."
Earlier this month, Google also invested $168 million to a solar energy power plant in California's Mojave Desert and $5 million in a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Germany. In May, it put $38.8 million into two North Dakota wind farms, the company's first direct investment in a utility-scale renewable energy project. In October, Google also announced plans to invest in a wind farm initiative that will fund 350 miles worth of wind farms off the East Coast.
Also today, CTIA, the wireless industry trade group, launched a "go wireless, go green" Web site with tips for going green in a connected era.
The image features a moving waterfall, penguins jumping on an iceberg, pandas nibbling on bamboo, and a lion curled up under a tree.
This year's Earth Day theme is "A Billion Acts of Green." The Earth Day Network said the goal is to generate one billion acts of environmental service and advocacy before the June 2012 Rio +20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.
Earth Day dates back to 1970, when Sen. Gaylord Nelson, disheartened by a massive 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara and inspired by the anti-war movement, moved to fuse activism and environmentalism, according to the Earth Day Network. Google Earth Day doodle
He announced a "national teach-in on the environment" and pulled in colleagues from both sides of the aisle. On April 22 that year, 20 million Americans gathered on the streets and in parks and auditoriums to demonstrate for a more environmentally friendly existence. By 1990, Earth Day went global, helping pave the way for 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Three years later, President Bill Clinton awarded Sen. Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role in founding Earth Day.
In a Thursday blog post, Yahoo said searches on its network suggest that the recent nuclear crisis in Japan has prompted consumers to start looking into alternative energy sources. This month, searches on Yahoo Green for "solar energy" are up 208 percent while inquiries for "wind power" are up 1,307 percent.
"Interestingly, more men are showing more interest, as 3-out-of-5 searches this month for both 'wind power' and 'solar energy' are by males, especially in Illinois, Ohio, Texas and New Jersey," Yahoo said.
Yahoo also has a list of top Earth Day 2011 deals, including free Starbucks coffee for those who bring in a reusable mug.
Google, meanwhile, has made a number of investments in clean and solar energy lately. On Thursday, the search giant announced its second power purchase agreement for wind energy in Oklahoma. Google will apply the power to its Mayes County data center, which is expected to be fully operational later this year. Google will purchase its energy from NextEra Energy Resources' Minco II wind facility for the next 20 years via Google Energy. The facility is being built thanks to Google's funding commitments and will be operational by year's end.
"We've made the commitment to be a carbon neutral company, and this purchase is part of our effort to minimize our impact on the environment. We've managed to reduce our energy consumption by over 50 percent by building highly energy-efficient facilities, but we know that efficiency alone isn't enough to eliminate our carbon footprint," Google said in a blog post. "We've been exploring ways, such as this PPA, to reduce emissions further by increasing the amount of renewable energy we use to power our operations; we purchase high-quality carbon offsets for any remaining emissions."
Earlier this month, Google also invested $168 million to a solar energy power plant in California's Mojave Desert and $5 million in a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Germany. In May, it put $38.8 million into two North Dakota wind farms, the company's first direct investment in a utility-scale renewable energy project. In October, Google also announced plans to invest in a wind farm initiative that will fund 350 miles worth of wind farms off the East Coast.
Also today, CTIA, the wireless industry trade group, launched a "go wireless, go green" Web site with tips for going green in a connected era.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Six Apple Stores to Visit Before You Die
Apple opened its first retail store in 2001. Since then the number of brick-and-mortar Apple stores has soared to more than 320 worldwide.
In fact, there's even a Web site, ifoAppleStore that exists for the sole purpose of reporting Apple store news. A recent report from the site suggest that Apple will soon further expand its sphere of retail influence when it adds a store in Moscow. The rumored shop would be located in the historic Hotel Moskva at the north end of the Red Square, just a stone's throw from the Kremlin. In fact, the façade of the hotel is the same image printed on the label of Stolichnaya Vodka. It's a high-trafficked, must-see area for Moscow visitors, and it would no doubt be a slick location for an Apple retail store.
Apple has not confirmed that it's setting up shop in Moscow, but if it did, it would be the company's easternmost European location, both the first in a former Soviet republic and the first in a former communist state.
Apple hasn't expanded to a new region since 2007, when it opened a store in Rome. It also lacks a presence in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
Shopping in an Apple Store is a unique retail experience. Customers can spend hands-on time with a product and seek advice from knowledgeable Apple Geniuses. Beyond that, the stores themselves are often inspired examples of modern design.
Among the hundreds of existing Apple stores, there are some very unique locations, and Apple has even won architectural awards for some of them. In 2003, its store in New York City's SoHo neighborhood won a BusinessWeek/Architectural Record Award.
If you're traveling, there are some cities where the Apple store is definitely worth adding to your sightseeing list. Here are the top six.
In fact, there's even a Web site, ifoAppleStore that exists for the sole purpose of reporting Apple store news. A recent report from the site suggest that Apple will soon further expand its sphere of retail influence when it adds a store in Moscow. The rumored shop would be located in the historic Hotel Moskva at the north end of the Red Square, just a stone's throw from the Kremlin. In fact, the façade of the hotel is the same image printed on the label of Stolichnaya Vodka. It's a high-trafficked, must-see area for Moscow visitors, and it would no doubt be a slick location for an Apple retail store.
Apple has not confirmed that it's setting up shop in Moscow, but if it did, it would be the company's easternmost European location, both the first in a former Soviet republic and the first in a former communist state.
Apple hasn't expanded to a new region since 2007, when it opened a store in Rome. It also lacks a presence in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
Shopping in an Apple Store is a unique retail experience. Customers can spend hands-on time with a product and seek advice from knowledgeable Apple Geniuses. Beyond that, the stores themselves are often inspired examples of modern design.
Among the hundreds of existing Apple stores, there are some very unique locations, and Apple has even won architectural awards for some of them. In 2003, its store in New York City's SoHo neighborhood won a BusinessWeek/Architectural Record Award.
If you're traveling, there are some cities where the Apple store is definitely worth adding to your sightseeing list. Here are the top six.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
6 April Fool's Pranks So Brilliant They Became Real
Each year on April 1, the Web is inevitably rife with April Fool's gags, some clever, others not so smart. Most jokesters can easily hack their way into a friend's Facebook profile and fraudulently change their status to "engaged" or announce a pregnancy. But some April Fool's pranks are so impressive, so close to reality that they inspire people to actually make them real.
1 - Gmail Motion
This year Google tried to fool us into believing that Gmail could be controlled by gestures. The joke was that with Gmail Motion users would be able to control their inbox with some simple, near-outlandish movements that would be detected by the computer's webcam. But researchers at the University of Southern California created a clever hack via Xbox 360's Kinect to bring Gmail Motion to life. The act allowed these researchers to do just what Google had lampooned: one could thrust his arm over his shoulder to reply to an email or lick his fingers and slap his knee to send a new message.
2 – iPhone Precursor
Pocket-lint might have been unaware that it was predicting the future back in 2004 when it joked that Apple would debut a mobile phone add-on for the iPod. The site admitted that it was a gag, and said it hoped Apple would make something like that "one day." It was only three years later that Apple unveiled the mega-popular iPhone.
3 – Tauntaun sleeping bag
Since 2001, ThinkGeek has introduced on April 1 some products so ridiculous you might not think they're legitimate. Perhaps one of the most memorable pranks items is one that recreates a scene from Star Wars. Complete with a light saber zipper pull, the Tauntaun sleeping bag lets wannabe Jedis feel like they're sleeping in the belly of the beast just like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Planet Hoth sold separately.
Of course, that's not the only gag product to come from ThinkGeek. They're also behind such wacky items as canned unicorn meat or the wireless extension cord. You can see a full list of their zany April 1 collection here.
4 – Tweeting from the womb
CNet has come up with some pretty hilarious pranks of its own. In 2007, the site posted a fake story about a social network called UltraSoundd that allowed unborn babies to document their lives in the womb. As if the thought of Facebooking from the womb didn't already sound creepy, one expectant dad decided to make the concept into a reality. He invented Kickbee, a band worn around the belly that would send kicks to Twitter, posting the sensation as tweets from the fetus itself.
5 – Rat map
In that same year CNet had another faux news item about a Google Maps mashup that kept tabs on New York City restaurants that were infested with rats. The idea prompted the city's health department to launch a rat map that did pretty much the same thing that the joke story had claimed to do, letting eaters see which establishments had rodent problems.
6 – Freaking Huge URLs
In a 140-character era, one April Fools launch might have you scratching your head. Last April 1, Freaking Huge URL kicked off with much the opposite intent from URL-shorteners like Bit.ly or TinyURL. It worked as a real product for some time, taking smaller URLs and made them bigger using three different settings. Just how big could these parody-URLs be? Using the "holy crap" setting, they could be as long as 1,000 characters.
Of course, the Internet can be a perfect venue for carrying out a prank. But that means on April 1, the World Wide Web is full of gags. Did you catch any that PCMag missed? Tell us about it in the comments.
1 - Gmail Motion
This year Google tried to fool us into believing that Gmail could be controlled by gestures. The joke was that with Gmail Motion users would be able to control their inbox with some simple, near-outlandish movements that would be detected by the computer's webcam. But researchers at the University of Southern California created a clever hack via Xbox 360's Kinect to bring Gmail Motion to life. The act allowed these researchers to do just what Google had lampooned: one could thrust his arm over his shoulder to reply to an email or lick his fingers and slap his knee to send a new message.
2 – iPhone Precursor
Pocket-lint might have been unaware that it was predicting the future back in 2004 when it joked that Apple would debut a mobile phone add-on for the iPod. The site admitted that it was a gag, and said it hoped Apple would make something like that "one day." It was only three years later that Apple unveiled the mega-popular iPhone.
3 – Tauntaun sleeping bag
Since 2001, ThinkGeek has introduced on April 1 some products so ridiculous you might not think they're legitimate. Perhaps one of the most memorable pranks items is one that recreates a scene from Star Wars. Complete with a light saber zipper pull, the Tauntaun sleeping bag lets wannabe Jedis feel like they're sleeping in the belly of the beast just like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Planet Hoth sold separately.
Of course, that's not the only gag product to come from ThinkGeek. They're also behind such wacky items as canned unicorn meat or the wireless extension cord. You can see a full list of their zany April 1 collection here.
4 – Tweeting from the womb
CNet has come up with some pretty hilarious pranks of its own. In 2007, the site posted a fake story about a social network called UltraSoundd that allowed unborn babies to document their lives in the womb. As if the thought of Facebooking from the womb didn't already sound creepy, one expectant dad decided to make the concept into a reality. He invented Kickbee, a band worn around the belly that would send kicks to Twitter, posting the sensation as tweets from the fetus itself.
5 – Rat map
In that same year CNet had another faux news item about a Google Maps mashup that kept tabs on New York City restaurants that were infested with rats. The idea prompted the city's health department to launch a rat map that did pretty much the same thing that the joke story had claimed to do, letting eaters see which establishments had rodent problems.
6 – Freaking Huge URLs
In a 140-character era, one April Fools launch might have you scratching your head. Last April 1, Freaking Huge URL kicked off with much the opposite intent from URL-shorteners like Bit.ly or TinyURL. It worked as a real product for some time, taking smaller URLs and made them bigger using three different settings. Just how big could these parody-URLs be? Using the "holy crap" setting, they could be as long as 1,000 characters.
Of course, the Internet can be a perfect venue for carrying out a prank. But that means on April 1, the World Wide Web is full of gags. Did you catch any that PCMag missed? Tell us about it in the comments.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
Late to the virtualization game, Microsoft has been running several lengths behind the competition in this space for years. However, the new features and strong performance present in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 show that the company hasn't been twiddling its thumbs. It's clearly been working hard at bringing a compelling and competitive virtualization solution to the market.
There's plenty to like in Hyper-V these days, not the least of which is the price comparison to the other major players. But whereas that lower price used to mean significantly diminished features and performance, that gap has closed. Hyper-V now offers the big features, including live VM migrations, load balancing, and high availability, as well as a more fluid management interface in Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 (VMM).
One very notable addition to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is dynamic memory. By specifying a minimum and maximum RAM allotment per virtual machine, as well as a buffer to maintain over actual memory requirements, you can configure Hyper-V to grow and shrink RAM allocations as virtual machines require. This means you could give a virtual machine 2GB of RAM, but allow it to grow up to 4GB as needed. If the VM needs less, Hyper-V can then reduce physical RAM usage on the host. In situations where a host exhausts physical RAM, Hyper-V will begin reducing the allotted RAM to running virtual machines based on their priority.
There's plenty to like in Hyper-V these days, not the least of which is the price comparison to the other major players. But whereas that lower price used to mean significantly diminished features and performance, that gap has closed. Hyper-V now offers the big features, including live VM migrations, load balancing, and high availability, as well as a more fluid management interface in Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 (VMM).
One very notable addition to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 is dynamic memory. By specifying a minimum and maximum RAM allotment per virtual machine, as well as a buffer to maintain over actual memory requirements, you can configure Hyper-V to grow and shrink RAM allocations as virtual machines require. This means you could give a virtual machine 2GB of RAM, but allow it to grow up to 4GB as needed. If the VM needs less, Hyper-V can then reduce physical RAM usage on the host. In situations where a host exhausts physical RAM, Hyper-V will begin reducing the allotted RAM to running virtual machines based on their priority.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
iPhone Users Are About to Be Screwed Over
There has been a lot of talk about the addition of an NFC (near field communication) chip to the next-gen iPhone. This will allow the phone to be used as a swipe-it-yourself credit card. I consider this technology to be the most onerous ever.
I first discussed the idea of your mobile phone becoming your credit card in the mid-1990s and was just biding my time before it came to pass. Bluetooth was invented in 1994 and gave rise to a lot of speculation regarding its usefulness. For a few years, all sorts of futuristic uses were imagined and a serious discussion of the so-called PAN (personal area network) began, but never went anywhere.
Apple iPhone
The PAN, spurred on by Bluetooth, would allow you to walk down the street and be told about sales, bargains, events and other nonsense from nearby stores and museums. You'd walk into Walmart and your name would be displayed a computerized sign to greet you as an old man pointed at the sign and then pointed at you in some creepy manner.
When you checked out, the Bluetooth device would take care of the payment accounting, and you'd never use cash again. This process could easily be mobile phone centric.
Over the years, through what I consider incompetent marketing, Bluetooth was relegated for use as a wireless earpiece technology and not much else. The PAN was dead as a doornail and my take on the phone as a credit card fell by the wayside. For the moment.
But good ideas can't be killed. But this "good idea" isn't about the convenience of paying with a phone swipe, but the idea of running your tab through the phone company. If you think your banker is a gouger with dubious fees and no-leeway, what do you think the phone company will be like? Yes, let AT&T handle all your money for you, and see how that works out in the end.
I'm immediately reminded of the online scams that took place during the modem era of communications. You'd be given a number to call, and it would actually be some sort of scam. The local number would connect to a BBS of some sort which would send a code back to the modem to turn off the speaker, so you couldn't hear the modem disconnect and then redial a number in Bulgaria or some obscure island. You'd then be connected to a phone service that charged $100/minute for the connection. After racking up thousands and thousand of dollars in phone costs, you'd get the bill from your phone company for $30,000.
You'd bitterly complain about the bill—these stories were all over the news during this era—but the phone companies said they couldn't do anything about the charges. The rates were protected by some U.S. treaty scammed together by the phone companies and signed into law. There was nothing they could do! So, you had to pay or lose your phone service and be sued in court.
This was unbelievable.
I've always been convinced this was test marketing to show the banks and everyone that the phone companies were the best collection agencies and should be in charge of your credit card and other transactions. After all, you can stall the bank, and what can they really do, anyway? You stall the phone company and you are disconnected from the world.
Do not let AT&T or Verizon or any phone company anywhere near your day-to-day financial transaction business!
You've been warned.
I first discussed the idea of your mobile phone becoming your credit card in the mid-1990s and was just biding my time before it came to pass. Bluetooth was invented in 1994 and gave rise to a lot of speculation regarding its usefulness. For a few years, all sorts of futuristic uses were imagined and a serious discussion of the so-called PAN (personal area network) began, but never went anywhere.
Apple iPhone
The PAN, spurred on by Bluetooth, would allow you to walk down the street and be told about sales, bargains, events and other nonsense from nearby stores and museums. You'd walk into Walmart and your name would be displayed a computerized sign to greet you as an old man pointed at the sign and then pointed at you in some creepy manner.
When you checked out, the Bluetooth device would take care of the payment accounting, and you'd never use cash again. This process could easily be mobile phone centric.
Over the years, through what I consider incompetent marketing, Bluetooth was relegated for use as a wireless earpiece technology and not much else. The PAN was dead as a doornail and my take on the phone as a credit card fell by the wayside. For the moment.
But good ideas can't be killed. But this "good idea" isn't about the convenience of paying with a phone swipe, but the idea of running your tab through the phone company. If you think your banker is a gouger with dubious fees and no-leeway, what do you think the phone company will be like? Yes, let AT&T handle all your money for you, and see how that works out in the end.
I'm immediately reminded of the online scams that took place during the modem era of communications. You'd be given a number to call, and it would actually be some sort of scam. The local number would connect to a BBS of some sort which would send a code back to the modem to turn off the speaker, so you couldn't hear the modem disconnect and then redial a number in Bulgaria or some obscure island. You'd then be connected to a phone service that charged $100/minute for the connection. After racking up thousands and thousand of dollars in phone costs, you'd get the bill from your phone company for $30,000.
You'd bitterly complain about the bill—these stories were all over the news during this era—but the phone companies said they couldn't do anything about the charges. The rates were protected by some U.S. treaty scammed together by the phone companies and signed into law. There was nothing they could do! So, you had to pay or lose your phone service and be sued in court.
This was unbelievable.
I've always been convinced this was test marketing to show the banks and everyone that the phone companies were the best collection agencies and should be in charge of your credit card and other transactions. After all, you can stall the bank, and what can they really do, anyway? You stall the phone company and you are disconnected from the world.
Do not let AT&T or Verizon or any phone company anywhere near your day-to-day financial transaction business!
You've been warned.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
10 iPad Apps Everyone Should Have
The first thing most people do after buying an Apple iPad is head to iTunes and start downloading apps. But with thousands to choose from, where do you start. That is easy. Start with these 10 apps. Six of them are free, so there is no commitment there. The other 4 are well worth the money, I promise. (If you're looking for the overall best iPad apps, check out our feature story.)
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Dazzling design aside, the iPad owes its remarkable success chiefly to the vast and varied library of applications it runs. Competitors like the Galaxy Tab fall short because they don't have an app library to match it. For the time being, HP's Slate is relying Windows 7 massive number of apps, but that only matter to business users. For the average consumer, the AppStore is the only game in town.
I had just a couple of requirements for this list. The apps had to have wide appeal among average users. Sketch for the iPad is certainly a killer app, but if your artistic abilities are like mine--the word "limited" comes to mind--it is useless to you. Likewise, the Bloomberg iPad App is the best way to track your investments, but after a year with unemployment at 10%, precious few of us have those anymore. When I say these apps are essential for every man, woman and child, I mean it. And if you think you don't need to download Angry Birds, you've never played it.
Of course, you are probably going to download and install a LOT more than this, so just consider these apps a great first start. Click on the image below to start the slideshow and get all 10 of my picks.
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.comDazzling design aside, the iPad owes its remarkable success chiefly to the vast and varied library of applications it runs. Competitors like the Galaxy Tab fall short because they don't have an app library to match it. For the time being, HP's Slate is relying Windows 7 massive number of apps, but that only matter to business users. For the average consumer, the AppStore is the only game in town.
I had just a couple of requirements for this list. The apps had to have wide appeal among average users. Sketch for the iPad is certainly a killer app, but if your artistic abilities are like mine--the word "limited" comes to mind--it is useless to you. Likewise, the Bloomberg iPad App is the best way to track your investments, but after a year with unemployment at 10%, precious few of us have those anymore. When I say these apps are essential for every man, woman and child, I mean it. And if you think you don't need to download Angry Birds, you've never played it.
Of course, you are probably going to download and install a LOT more than this, so just consider these apps a great first start. Click on the image below to start the slideshow and get all 10 of my picks.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Are We Heading For A Mobile App Revolution?
Mobile users and mobile software developers could be in for the time of their lives as companies explore different ways of getting mobile apps to cell phone customers. We take a closer look at this trend and what might emerge.
Mobisy, a Bangalore-based mobile start-up, recently conducted a survey of more than 500 mobile enthusiasts to understand what exactly they wanted to do on their smartphones. The basic aim of the survey was to narrow down on the killer application(s) for Indian users. The results of that survey were quite surprising. The most desired features were media sharing applications - to share photos, video and audio files, followed by applications to do a proximity search or local search that would help users to find a coffee shop or an ATM in their vicinity. These results were surprising because these applications already exist. There are several decent products that serve exactly the same needs mentioned in the survey. Obviously, there is a very low awareness of what's already available.
This discrepancy was very intriguing for me so I decided to double check the findings of the Mobisy study by doing some research on my own. I e-mailed some of my friends and asked them about the application(s) they had downloaded and installed on their smartphones. To my great surprise, most of them confirmed that they hadn't installed any applications, and were only using the apps that came bundled with their respective devices. But most of them wanted to use their phones for something more than what they were already using it for.
A lack of 'app awareness'?
These observations highlight a problem that is hindering the adoption of mobile applications, issues relating to application discovery, application compatibility and usage [usability]. For example, media sharing is the most 'desired' feature for mobiles but we know that there are many applications to accomplish that objective. How do users discover and install those applications without worrying too much about compatibility, the software platform, network dependency, etc.
Finding and installing an application on a mobile phone is not a trivial task. There are too many variables. Currently, there are a number of operating systems for mobile phones. Each of them have two or more flavours, and in most cases there are two input methods (keypad and touchscreen) for each flavour. So if you want to ensure a reasonably good footprint for your application, you need to make sure you support all these scenarios. Factor in the constraints of device capabilities and restrictions imposed by telecom operators, and you have a perfect recipe for chaos!
However, this situation is changing and a harbinger of this change is Apple's iPhone App store. Apple's iPhone and its innovations have been discussed to death in the media but amidst all this hoopla, most of us haven't paid enough attention to the iPhone App store. In the long run, the App store can prove to bring bigger advantages for Apple than the other key features of the iPhone because sooner or later, every feature of iPhone will surely be copied by other handset manufacturers. So it makes sense to spend some time understanding the concept in detail.
An ideal market place
The iPhone Application Store is essentially a market place where developers can list their iPhone software for download. Millions of iPhone users can explore and buy these applications by a single click, using Apple's iTunes. In more than one way, App Store is every software developer's dream. Think about it, the iPhone is one of the fastest growing mobile platforms in the world and the App Store is the only way to legally reach almost all iPhone users. There's no other way to buy software, so users never doubt if there is some other, better software out there, as far as they're concerned, if it is not on the store, it doesn't exist. To use this distribution channel, developers need to register themselves with Apple. Registered iPhone application developers can list their software and decide the price at which they want to sell it to end users. In exchange of 30 per cent of that price, Apple provides developers with services like application hosting, credit card processing, monthly billing, analytics, upgrade facilitation, etc.
In the light of these facts, it is not surprising that there is a mad rush to develop applications for the iPhone platform. To date, there are more than 3000 applications listed in the iPhone App Store and more than 100 million application downloads have taken place. Developers of the best-selling applications, like 'Tap Tap Revenge' and 'Monkey Ball', have already attained a celebrity status of sorts, not to mention a good payout. For a platform that is less than a year old, this is nothing short of a gold rush.
This is translating into a big time opportunity for the outsourced development of applications. A lot of work is being done in India too. Sunil Goyal, co-founder of Wirkle Technologies, a Gurgaon-based mobile application development firm, says, "We are very excited about the opportunity. Most of our clients have shown an intent to create an application for the iPhone. However, it is very hard to keep up with the demand. It is because of a massive shortage of developers with the requisite skills. We are dealing with this problem by hiring and investing heavily in training existing team members for the iPhone development environment."
If skill shortage is one issue, then the monetisation of free iPhone applications is another issue, which is attracting a lot of attention. AdMob, a Silicon Valley-based mobile advertisement firm, has started a special initiative to provide advertisements, specifically for the iPhone. Given the richness of the iPhone interface, the advertisements are more interactive and engaging. If initial signs are any indication, then an advertisement on the iPhone ensures a better ROI (return on investment) for advertisers. This can be a huge business opportunity.
Mobisy, a Bangalore-based mobile start-up, recently conducted a survey of more than 500 mobile enthusiasts to understand what exactly they wanted to do on their smartphones. The basic aim of the survey was to narrow down on the killer application(s) for Indian users. The results of that survey were quite surprising. The most desired features were media sharing applications - to share photos, video and audio files, followed by applications to do a proximity search or local search that would help users to find a coffee shop or an ATM in their vicinity. These results were surprising because these applications already exist. There are several decent products that serve exactly the same needs mentioned in the survey. Obviously, there is a very low awareness of what's already available.
This discrepancy was very intriguing for me so I decided to double check the findings of the Mobisy study by doing some research on my own. I e-mailed some of my friends and asked them about the application(s) they had downloaded and installed on their smartphones. To my great surprise, most of them confirmed that they hadn't installed any applications, and were only using the apps that came bundled with their respective devices. But most of them wanted to use their phones for something more than what they were already using it for.
A lack of 'app awareness'?
These observations highlight a problem that is hindering the adoption of mobile applications, issues relating to application discovery, application compatibility and usage [usability]. For example, media sharing is the most 'desired' feature for mobiles but we know that there are many applications to accomplish that objective. How do users discover and install those applications without worrying too much about compatibility, the software platform, network dependency, etc.
Finding and installing an application on a mobile phone is not a trivial task. There are too many variables. Currently, there are a number of operating systems for mobile phones. Each of them have two or more flavours, and in most cases there are two input methods (keypad and touchscreen) for each flavour. So if you want to ensure a reasonably good footprint for your application, you need to make sure you support all these scenarios. Factor in the constraints of device capabilities and restrictions imposed by telecom operators, and you have a perfect recipe for chaos!
However, this situation is changing and a harbinger of this change is Apple's iPhone App store. Apple's iPhone and its innovations have been discussed to death in the media but amidst all this hoopla, most of us haven't paid enough attention to the iPhone App store. In the long run, the App store can prove to bring bigger advantages for Apple than the other key features of the iPhone because sooner or later, every feature of iPhone will surely be copied by other handset manufacturers. So it makes sense to spend some time understanding the concept in detail.
An ideal market place
The iPhone Application Store is essentially a market place where developers can list their iPhone software for download. Millions of iPhone users can explore and buy these applications by a single click, using Apple's iTunes. In more than one way, App Store is every software developer's dream. Think about it, the iPhone is one of the fastest growing mobile platforms in the world and the App Store is the only way to legally reach almost all iPhone users. There's no other way to buy software, so users never doubt if there is some other, better software out there, as far as they're concerned, if it is not on the store, it doesn't exist. To use this distribution channel, developers need to register themselves with Apple. Registered iPhone application developers can list their software and decide the price at which they want to sell it to end users. In exchange of 30 per cent of that price, Apple provides developers with services like application hosting, credit card processing, monthly billing, analytics, upgrade facilitation, etc.
In the light of these facts, it is not surprising that there is a mad rush to develop applications for the iPhone platform. To date, there are more than 3000 applications listed in the iPhone App Store and more than 100 million application downloads have taken place. Developers of the best-selling applications, like 'Tap Tap Revenge' and 'Monkey Ball', have already attained a celebrity status of sorts, not to mention a good payout. For a platform that is less than a year old, this is nothing short of a gold rush.
This is translating into a big time opportunity for the outsourced development of applications. A lot of work is being done in India too. Sunil Goyal, co-founder of Wirkle Technologies, a Gurgaon-based mobile application development firm, says, "We are very excited about the opportunity. Most of our clients have shown an intent to create an application for the iPhone. However, it is very hard to keep up with the demand. It is because of a massive shortage of developers with the requisite skills. We are dealing with this problem by hiring and investing heavily in training existing team members for the iPhone development environment."
If skill shortage is one issue, then the monetisation of free iPhone applications is another issue, which is attracting a lot of attention. AdMob, a Silicon Valley-based mobile advertisement firm, has started a special initiative to provide advertisements, specifically for the iPhone. Given the richness of the iPhone interface, the advertisements are more interactive and engaging. If initial signs are any indication, then an advertisement on the iPhone ensures a better ROI (return on investment) for advertisers. This can be a huge business opportunity.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Google could be headed for a Microsoft-size anti-trust headache II
But does Google's dominance in search and its growing database of information and content warrant the same kind of treatment Microsoft received in the 1990s? As Bloomberg News contributor Paul Kedrosky recently pointed out, Google's search business does not lock in customers the same way that a desktop operating system from Microsoft does. If you choose to install Windows, you can only use products designed for that system. Microsoft was able to use its massive market power to pressure competitors like RealNetworks and IBM's OS/2 operating system.
Google, on the other hand, can't lock in users, since search engines like Bing, Blekko, and DuckDuckGo are available to anyone with just a few mouse clicks. But for whatever reason, most users are sticking with Google for search rather than trying something else. Nevertheless, Google's massive search user base, critics say, gives it the ability to affect a site's popularity by moving the site off Google's first page of search results. This is part of the reason some European sites filed antitrust arguments against the search giant.
It's not yet clear if Google would face a massive antitrust investigation, but the search giant is no stranger to casting accusations of monopolistic behavior either. In March 2009, Google joined with other Web browser makers in a complaint to the European Commission that Microsoft was shielding Internet Explorer from competition by bundling the browser with every copy of Windows. Microsoft responded by giving European users the option to dump IE from Windows.
Google, on the other hand, can't lock in users, since search engines like Bing, Blekko, and DuckDuckGo are available to anyone with just a few mouse clicks. But for whatever reason, most users are sticking with Google for search rather than trying something else. Nevertheless, Google's massive search user base, critics say, gives it the ability to affect a site's popularity by moving the site off Google's first page of search results. This is part of the reason some European sites filed antitrust arguments against the search giant.
It's not yet clear if Google would face a massive antitrust investigation, but the search giant is no stranger to casting accusations of monopolistic behavior either. In March 2009, Google joined with other Web browser makers in a complaint to the European Commission that Microsoft was shielding Internet Explorer from competition by bundling the browser with every copy of Windows. Microsoft responded by giving European users the option to dump IE from Windows.
Monday, April 4, 2011
EU Commission enters talks with Microsoft for new licenses II
"Is Europe's administration really so locked in by proprietary software that the Commission cannot follow its own rules and recommendations? Such a decision by the Commission would make us wonder if the Digital Agenda and the European Interoperability Framework are worth the paper they're printed on. Such a move would also be hard to square with European procurement rules, let alone best practices. The Commission may or may not be able to get away with this. But it would be setting a terrible example for Europe's public sector, and would wilfully squander a lot of hard-won reputational capital," said Karsten Gerloff, president of the Free Software Foundation Europe.
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"Although we haven't seen an official statement from the Commission about this yet it does look as though they are pushing ahead with a migration of staff to the Windows 7 platform without holding a public tender for the contract, and without considering alternative solutions. As we have already pointed out, this decision would appear to contradict the IT policy goals laid down in the Commission's Digital Agenda and it also would appear to run counter to the Commission's efforts to make procurement processes in Europe more transparent and fairer," said Graham Taylor, chief executive of Openforum Europe.
"In tandem with negotiations on the licenses, the Commission will also seek to renew its services contracts," explained Gravili. "The current agreement includes a baseline service agreement for all the institutions, but larger institutions such as the Parliament and the Commission have a services contract to help manage any issues that require a deep knowledge of the software at code level. As recently as last week when we came under cyberattack, we made use of Microsoft experts, who worked alongside our own," he added.
Best Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com"Although we haven't seen an official statement from the Commission about this yet it does look as though they are pushing ahead with a migration of staff to the Windows 7 platform without holding a public tender for the contract, and without considering alternative solutions. As we have already pointed out, this decision would appear to contradict the IT policy goals laid down in the Commission's Digital Agenda and it also would appear to run counter to the Commission's efforts to make procurement processes in Europe more transparent and fairer," said Graham Taylor, chief executive of Openforum Europe.
"In tandem with negotiations on the licenses, the Commission will also seek to renew its services contracts," explained Gravili. "The current agreement includes a baseline service agreement for all the institutions, but larger institutions such as the Parliament and the Commission have a services contract to help manage any issues that require a deep knowledge of the software at code level. As recently as last week when we came under cyberattack, we made use of Microsoft experts, who worked alongside our own," he added.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Making Computing In Rural India, Affordable
With an inadequate computing infrastructure impeding IT penetration in rural India, Microsoft's MultiPoint SDK 1.1 may provide the much required impetus.
"IT lets people learn things they didn't think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential." These words of Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corp, aptly sum up the phenomenal impact that information technology can have on the way we lead our lives.
An example of one such technological breakthrough is Microsoft's MultiPoint software development kit (SDK) 1.1.
Developed by Microsoft Research India, MultiPoint allows two to 50 students to collaboratively work on and learn from educational software on one computer, using multiple computer mice that drive specifically-designed on-screen cursors, says Latif Nathani, general manager, Unlimited Potential, Microsoft India.
"This not only offers a more affordable solution-the only increase in cost is that of the additional mice-it also creates an active, collaborative learning experience that engages each and every student," he adds.
The need that drove the innovation
As per a recent research conducted by Microsoft to understand how schools in India use PCs, it was found that only 7.02 per cent of the total government schools have computers and even there, the one or two PCs per class are surrounded by several kids. "In most cases, one observes that a dominant ‘bully' hogs the mouse and keyboard. The question was how to multiply the utility of the existing PCs without exponentially increasing the cost. This is how MultiPoint SDK was conceptualised by Microsoft Research India.
"On one hand, the technology enables collaborative learning between students, and on the other, helps a teacher engage more effectively with students and monitor each child's participation and progress, enabling all students to become active learners, thus enhancing the overall classroom experience," says Nathani.
The hardware/software requirements
For application developers working on the MultiPoint SDK platform, the list of requirements is as follows:
* Supported operating systems: Windows Vista; Windows XP Service Pack 2. Windows Vista is recommended. The MultiPoint SDK will also run on Windows XP SP2 (or greater)
* .NET framework version 3.0 or higher (Install from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa569263.aspx)
* Microsoft Expression Blend (install a trial version from http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/Overview.aspx?key=blend)
* Visual Studio 2005 with WPF extensions installed (Visual Studio without WPF extensions is not supported by MultiPoint), or Visual Studio 2008 (install the Express edition from http://www.microsoft.com/express/product/default.aspx)
* Two to four mouse devices for testing
* USB ports on the computer
* 128 MB of RAM (256 MB or higher is recommended)
* 16 MB of video RAM (32 MB or higher is recommended)
* 800 x 600 resolution set in the video card (32-bit colour is recommended)
A platform to build collaborative school content
Using the MultiPoint SDK, curriculum developers can build unique and collaborative applications for schools. It supports new technology platforms like Visual Studio 2008 and includes support for technologies like Flash. The download includes tutorials, white papers and videos to help developers navigate the SDK and build applications.
The actual splitting of screens is completely implemented at the end-user application. Hence, the number of screens that the monitor will be divided into, depends on the screen resolution and end user application that is being used.
A call to build a computing eco-system
To spread the advantages of the MultiPoint SDK to a larger base of users, Microsoft is engaging with partners to develop content, and also working towards creating an environment that will enable teachers to simply customise the content to run on MultiPoint systems.
MS has partnered with Edurite and the Education Development Centre (EDC) to develop the content, curriculum and applications for MultiPoint. Archana Nambiar, program manager, EDC India, says: "EDC has already developed two kinds of MultiPoint applications: physics applications for grades 6 to 8, and an English mentoring application for teachers and students across different age groups."
Edurite has also developed applications for maths and science for class 5 students. The applications developed by EDC will, post testing, be deployed in 2000 schools across seven states, including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Bihar, according to Srikanth B Iyer, COO, Edurite Technologies.
An attempt is also being made to encourage young innovators around the world to utilise the MultiPoint SDK 1.1. "As part of this year's Imagine Cup software design competition, Team DISHA (Disease and Health Awareness) from India used MultiPoint technology to develop a multimedia platform for children in low income regions. The platform attempts to solve the problem of inadequate disease prevention education among children, while addressing the concerns relating to student involvement, understanding and retention, in a resource-constrained environment," shares Nathani.
The reach and the impact
An interesting case study is that of Vidya Pratishthan's Institute of Information Technology (VIIT), which is leveraging the platform to multiply the impact of its initiative to take computing to the rural schools of Maharashtra. VIIT is conducting trials of MultiPoint in its fleet of 30 technology module buses, which it uses to spread computer literacy in rural schools of the region. So far it has conducted pilots in 10 schools. "VIIT will offer these applications to interested schools from this academic year. VIIT has developed around 10 to 15 applications for Classes 4 to 9, in mathematics, English, biology and chemistry," says Dr Amol Goje, director, VIIT. His observation is that MultiPoint "...is a fantastic technology-simple and yet powerfully apt for a country like India where scarcity of computers for education is a reality."
Opportunities for application developers
To fill this huge infrastructural gap, as pointed out by Dr Goje, the need is to build innovative applications that help percolate the benefits of this technology to the far-flung and rural stretches of the country. The scope for application developers is infinite. The only challenge is to come up with applications that are contextual and innovative enough to not only engage rural students, but also complement their curriculum requirements.
"IT lets people learn things they didn't think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential." These words of Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corp, aptly sum up the phenomenal impact that information technology can have on the way we lead our lives.
An example of one such technological breakthrough is Microsoft's MultiPoint software development kit (SDK) 1.1.
Developed by Microsoft Research India, MultiPoint allows two to 50 students to collaboratively work on and learn from educational software on one computer, using multiple computer mice that drive specifically-designed on-screen cursors, says Latif Nathani, general manager, Unlimited Potential, Microsoft India.
"This not only offers a more affordable solution-the only increase in cost is that of the additional mice-it also creates an active, collaborative learning experience that engages each and every student," he adds.
The need that drove the innovation
As per a recent research conducted by Microsoft to understand how schools in India use PCs, it was found that only 7.02 per cent of the total government schools have computers and even there, the one or two PCs per class are surrounded by several kids. "In most cases, one observes that a dominant ‘bully' hogs the mouse and keyboard. The question was how to multiply the utility of the existing PCs without exponentially increasing the cost. This is how MultiPoint SDK was conceptualised by Microsoft Research India.
"On one hand, the technology enables collaborative learning between students, and on the other, helps a teacher engage more effectively with students and monitor each child's participation and progress, enabling all students to become active learners, thus enhancing the overall classroom experience," says Nathani.
The hardware/software requirements
For application developers working on the MultiPoint SDK platform, the list of requirements is as follows:
* Supported operating systems: Windows Vista; Windows XP Service Pack 2. Windows Vista is recommended. The MultiPoint SDK will also run on Windows XP SP2 (or greater)
* .NET framework version 3.0 or higher (Install from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa569263.aspx)
* Microsoft Expression Blend (install a trial version from http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/Overview.aspx?key=blend)
* Visual Studio 2005 with WPF extensions installed (Visual Studio without WPF extensions is not supported by MultiPoint), or Visual Studio 2008 (install the Express edition from http://www.microsoft.com/express/product/default.aspx)
* Two to four mouse devices for testing
* USB ports on the computer
* 128 MB of RAM (256 MB or higher is recommended)
* 16 MB of video RAM (32 MB or higher is recommended)
* 800 x 600 resolution set in the video card (32-bit colour is recommended)
A platform to build collaborative school content
Using the MultiPoint SDK, curriculum developers can build unique and collaborative applications for schools. It supports new technology platforms like Visual Studio 2008 and includes support for technologies like Flash. The download includes tutorials, white papers and videos to help developers navigate the SDK and build applications.
The actual splitting of screens is completely implemented at the end-user application. Hence, the number of screens that the monitor will be divided into, depends on the screen resolution and end user application that is being used.
A call to build a computing eco-system
To spread the advantages of the MultiPoint SDK to a larger base of users, Microsoft is engaging with partners to develop content, and also working towards creating an environment that will enable teachers to simply customise the content to run on MultiPoint systems.
MS has partnered with Edurite and the Education Development Centre (EDC) to develop the content, curriculum and applications for MultiPoint. Archana Nambiar, program manager, EDC India, says: "EDC has already developed two kinds of MultiPoint applications: physics applications for grades 6 to 8, and an English mentoring application for teachers and students across different age groups."
Edurite has also developed applications for maths and science for class 5 students. The applications developed by EDC will, post testing, be deployed in 2000 schools across seven states, including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Bihar, according to Srikanth B Iyer, COO, Edurite Technologies.
An attempt is also being made to encourage young innovators around the world to utilise the MultiPoint SDK 1.1. "As part of this year's Imagine Cup software design competition, Team DISHA (Disease and Health Awareness) from India used MultiPoint technology to develop a multimedia platform for children in low income regions. The platform attempts to solve the problem of inadequate disease prevention education among children, while addressing the concerns relating to student involvement, understanding and retention, in a resource-constrained environment," shares Nathani.
The reach and the impact
An interesting case study is that of Vidya Pratishthan's Institute of Information Technology (VIIT), which is leveraging the platform to multiply the impact of its initiative to take computing to the rural schools of Maharashtra. VIIT is conducting trials of MultiPoint in its fleet of 30 technology module buses, which it uses to spread computer literacy in rural schools of the region. So far it has conducted pilots in 10 schools. "VIIT will offer these applications to interested schools from this academic year. VIIT has developed around 10 to 15 applications for Classes 4 to 9, in mathematics, English, biology and chemistry," says Dr Amol Goje, director, VIIT. His observation is that MultiPoint "...is a fantastic technology-simple and yet powerfully apt for a country like India where scarcity of computers for education is a reality."
Opportunities for application developers
To fill this huge infrastructural gap, as pointed out by Dr Goje, the need is to build innovative applications that help percolate the benefits of this technology to the far-flung and rural stretches of the country. The scope for application developers is infinite. The only challenge is to come up with applications that are contextual and innovative enough to not only engage rural students, but also complement their curriculum requirements.
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