With Google and Apple continuously buzzing the Tech-market with their iPhones and Android based Smartphones, Microsoft was definitely missing from the arena. But all of sudden Microsoft is back with rumors of its next OS Windows 8 being in development stages. Microsoft perhaps would have preferred to not to be in the news for the above reason.
Rumors surfaced of the leak of what happens to be presentation slides of Microsoft Windows 8 that are supposedly aimed at major PC manufacturers to develop their next series of machines. An Italian windows site “windows settle” reported of finding some highly confidential Microsoft presentations on Internet. The site later posted a series of slides which indicated Microsoft’s Strategy for the new product, the specifications of it, its Product Cycle and various other aspects in its Developmental stage.

As per the reports and the rumors that are surfacing, the new OS is scheduled to be released somewhere in 2012 and would offer customization in its make for major manufacturers to help them differentiate their PCs. The next OS from the Microsoft’s stable is also expected to offer 3D Experience. The slides further indicated features like the OS’s ability to adapt to changes in ambient light. They also hinted Microsoft’s approach to tackle Apple’s Products and surprisingly it admired how the Apple’s Products actually work. Windows 8 is also expected to offer inbuilt support for USB 3.0 and Bluetooth. It perhaps would also offer better support and integration for various upcoming Devices like Netbooks, and other products on the lines of iPad and smartphones. The Main feature of the new OS would offer its users a better Integration with Cloud based Computing and windows live features.

No official confirmations for now have been made by Microsoft in this regard, but some tech-analysts commented that Microsoft Windows is always in a state of development and there is nothing much to buzz on it. With Windows 7 already a hit Users can now hope for a much better OS with possibly the best 3D experience and a seamless and interrupting integration with all their Digital devices. For now I am just awaiting to check out its Beta Version the moment it is released.

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In rather unearthed news, rumors are surfacing regarding Google’s refreshed attempt to Topple Facebook. The news definitely confirms the fact of the search engine sites losing their ground gradually to the Social-networking sites. Rumors suggest the new service from Google is christened as “Google Me”.

Digg CEO, a day earlier had tweeted about the rumor, which was later removed, but was enough to buzz the online Community. Former Facebook CTO Adam D’ Angelo had also pooled in his thoughts on his Q&A service “Quora”, and said that Google Me is real and is aimed at Facebook. He further added that he has pieced together the information from very reliable sources.

Google already has a Social-networking service “Orkut”, which isn’t much of hit except in few countries like India, and is also losing its ground there to Facebook and Twitter. Google earlier this year launched Buzz certainly aimed at the fast growing Twitter, but failed to garner enough users. Google currently hosts various services like Google Profiles, Latitude and Google wave along with Orkut and Buzz which offer Social networking at various levels. With “Google Me” it is rumored to club all this services under one roof, to provide it a competitive edge above Facebook and Twitter. It may also rope in YouTube, BlogSpot and Picasa on to the same platform.

Getting these services under a common roof, won’t be much difficult but to build a Social networking platform stronger than Facebook, will require a lot more. Even Facebook wasn’t an overnight success and it took it years to get where it is currently. But, with recent Market-researches indicating Social-networking sites gaining more visits than Search engines, Google perhaps has no option but to go for it, has it is still driven by Volume based Add revenues. Will Google be able to topple the Facebook with its latest attempt or not, certainly depends upon the level of user Interface it would offer to its users and to the extent the users are ready to offer the “Me” in “Google Me”. But for now, with a tough Competition scheduled ahead, the Users are sure to have a better choice. I hope Facebook is already on its Dashboard, and did I Bing about Microsoft here?

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After a lot of Hype and buzz that it created after its Launch at the WWDC 2010, Apple’s iPhone 4 was finally made available for sale today and it did result in huge queues of Apple fans trying to get their first Hands on, on one of the most advanced Smartphones in the market.
But within a day of receiving their Product, Users across the globe have reported various problems in the gadget that was considered to be the best in its class. Apple in its launch earlier has talked about the chemically strengthened gorilla glass, and claimed it to be tougher than the Shiny Plastic the earlier devices sported. But within few hours of its usage, users have reported of developing scratches on the device. People who have tested the device by dropping it on ground have posted videos on Internet, which show that the glass is definitely not Scratch-proof and might just crack-open like a windshield when smashed on the ground accidentally.

Another much acclaimed feature of iPhone’s, the retina LCD received some negative feedback when the initial users of iPhone complained of yellow bands or dots on the screen. But the biggest drawback for now seems to be the drops in calls which the users are experiencing when the phone is held by its bezel. The bars indicating network almost drop to network. This is perhaps because the holding hand bridges the antennas located on both sides of the bezel. We wonder why Apple didn’t notice the fault in its testing phase.

With all the faults lined up, we just hope Apple releases an official statement clearing all the speculations and hope that the confirmed errors if any are corrected soon. But for now, I would definitely give a second thought over the credibility of the device.

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After a much hyped launch at WWDC-2010, and pre-order of more than 600,000 iPhone4 devices in one day Apple definitely seems to be on Cloud nine and users who managed to pre-order after all those registration glitches might just be considering themselves fortunate. But is iPhone 4 the ultimate smartphone? And are its users indeed a level? If this increases your confusion, than perhaps we might just help you in this battle between Android VS iPhone.
After an over-whelming response for the iPhone 4′s launch, iPhone is no doubt being considered the 36-24-36 of the Smartphone world, but is the device that’s pre-installed with iOS4 worth all the attention it gains? Considering only the US market, Apple’s real challenge for now is maintaining its Lead over Android based phones which are multiplying in 5th Gear. Although the market is dominated by RIM’s Blackberry. The sad story is Apple only has iPhone 4 in its stable, and android platform is being hosted by devices from Motorola, Samsung, Sony and even LG. And they have promised multiple releases this summer. LG even has plans to release up to 20 Android based phones in the market soon.

Motorola’s Droid no doubt leads the pack for now, and critics put that the device offers much better as far as the technical features as concerned. Analysts even put that Android’s latest version 2.2 or Froyo can prove to be the game changer and count it has a real challenge to iPhone’s domination in future. With Android being an open source platform, it is no doubt welcomed by the Developers, so just expect better Apps from it in future. After a series of updates the earlier errors Android faced are now fixed and analysts feel that there just isn’t any reason to skip Android for an iPhone unless and until you are concerned about having a bitten Apple on your device.

With Android market only slated to raise in future it just holds more promises, and then after all why pay an extra premium for a device that is more of a common these days, and has a distinguishing feature of sporting just an “i” in its Title.

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Coming as a rather surprise, Toshiba digs out with a rare Innovative two screen Tablet. Christened as “Libretto W100″, the gadget did manage turn the necks of the tech enthusiasts generating some contrast reviews.

The latest from Toshiba comes in the form of a traditional Clamshell design, a default for the laptops and Netbooks. But the slight twist here is despite the presence of two panels, the device goes away with the mechanical device. The gadget brings in touch to both the screens with the option to customize the second screen as a touch sensitive QWERTY keyboard layout, giving its users the same experience as that of a Laptop or a conventional Netbook. The most important feature of the device though is its ability to use both the screens independently. Which means you can browse on one screen and at the same time read an E-book or watch a movie on the other without much interference, now that is multitasking in real sense. Since the complete Gadget is touch-centric, it comes in pre-installed with Windows 7 Home premium rather unsurprisingly.

Coming on to its core features; the device encases a 1.2GHz Intel U5400 processor, and is clubbed with 2GB DDR3 RAM, and a 62GB Hard drive. As far as connectivity is concerned, the device supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1, which are default these days. The Device does show a micro SD card slot but comes in with just one-USB 2.0 ports which just might not go well with the users. The gadget is also bundled with an accelerometer, enabling both Portrait and Landscape view.

The device for now is being sold by Toshiba as a concept design and the price is yet to be revealed. To what extent the device the manages to create its segment, might only be cleared when the users actually start exploiting it, and how well it does in peeping through Apple’s iPad, which shall be its biggest competitors, depends on how the users finally receive it.

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Real Life graphics, extreme online gaming and now live 3D motion controlling, that’s the direction the gaming world is moving into. Riding on the tremendous success of Avatar, ignoring the 3D aspect might just cost the gaming companies to lose their stake in this visual world.

The releases by the Gaming giants at the recently concluded E3 gaming conventions further emphasize the fact how eager the companies are in bending the latest technology to lure the gamers. Microsoft sounded the first bugle by introducing its all new motion sensing “Kinect” that is sure to take the gaming experience to the next level. It also made an update to its XBOX 360 console making it lose some weight to get those very perfect curves [Size zero is indeed a fashion these days]. With Microsoft’s new launch attracting a huge buzz, Nintendo couldn’t stay behind, after all it was Nintendo’s Wii that came from nowhere and managed to beat the likes of Microsoft and Sony some time earlier. Nintendo though made a rather surprise entry with its handheld 3DS console. If you doubt a handheld console matching the likes of a Gaming machine like Xbox then think again, the word “3D” as the maximum weightage these days. With the world going more portable with time, the device scores a wonder for the constantly moving gamers. With its competitors striking two different chords, Sony walked in with an enhancement to its PS3 Gaming Console. Titled “Sony PlayStation move”, the add-on might not bring real 3D into the world, but brings in the motion sensing Gaming onto Sony’s Stable. Perhaps the move we hope is an attempt to provide a reason preventing existing PS3 users from migrating on to Xbox. But considering its ease of upgrade, we give it a thumb up.
Well with these changing dimensions of visual experience, it’s rather difficult to predict what’s coming next, through the billion dollar labs of the Global giants. But for now we can just say, the next is perhaps a combination of both or simply Motion sensing 3D experience. Perhaps in near future we may find ourselves playing in our own customized visual 3D battlefield without holding any gadgets in a rather seamless world. Mind the words, I didn’t say before a customized battlefield but in a customized visual battlefield. The future is calling, and how far we can answer, depends how for the developers dream and how far the users can be Virtualized.

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The world’s largest Social networking site “Facebook” with more than 500 million registered users, as just managed to pull in with expected revenue of up to $800 million for the year 2009.
Facebook director Mark Andreessen had earlier announced that his company was estimating a $500 million in sales for last year. Facebook meanwhile as achieved the number one spot in terms of sites for displaying ads. Its market share rose to 16% from 11% within a quarter, for the current financial year.
Facebook, which is a privately held company, is expected to go for an IPO soon. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a March article by Wall street Journal commented, “We are definitely in no rush” and further added that, “If you don’t need that capital, then all the pressures are different, and the motivations (to go public) are not there in the same way”. Investors believe if Facebook goes public the next year, it can very well be valued up to $40 billion. Google which is currently valued at close to $160 billion was valued with a market capitalization of $27billion, the day it went public.

Facebook of lately has faced severe criticism from its users, for its inefficiency in protecting their Privacy. Few of the users did quit the service in public, but Facebook officials hit back by terming the move has rather insignificant, and that it hasn’t seen any drop in its users globally. But perhaps it did feel the pressure and later changed the user interface for managing the Security settings for its users, by simplifying it to good extent. But the concerns still continue to grow over its security credentials. The growth of Twitter, which as an advantage of signing up global celebrities and personalities, definitely poses a challenge for Facebook in future.

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