SAN FRANCISCO--What's the definition of Web 3.0? Data, LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman said in a Wednesday afternoon keynote conversation.
Hoffman spoke Wednesday night at the Web 2.0 conference here, where he also talked about the value of data. "One of the really important things good Internet companies do is not ambush their users," he said in a conversation with AllThingsD's Liz Gannes.
According to Hoffman, Web 1.0 consisted of files, where users operated under pseudonyms in chat rooms. He defined Web 2.0 as the emergence of Web apps, where a community of users utilized their real name. Finally, there's Web 3.0 - unfortunately, the platform that it uses isn't a mobile one, but one that's predicated upon data, he said.
LinkedIn, which filed for an IPO in January, now counts over 100 million users. This month, the site launched a LinkedIn Today news site, LinkedIn Skills, LinkedIn Maps, and updated its LinkedIn iOS app with the new news focus. With each, LinkedIn took its accumulated store of data, mined it, and returned it back to users.
In much the same way, Hoffman said, users may come to expect to trade their own data for some benefit, such as the way Mint.com asks for total access to a user's financial history, but also provides a way of saving monry. But, he added, apps developers shouldn't expect to be able to share information freely among each other. "The really key thing in data is that certain kinds of data are pretty innocuous," he said. "You can't get ambushed by them."
Some, he added, are expected to be closed, such as credit card numbers and passwords. And some live in a middle ground. "Trading around a user's location," Hoffman said. "You have to be really careful".
Some companies want data to be completely open, Hoffman said. While that might be acceptable for disclosing the type of movies that an individual likes, users might be more guarded about divulging who their friends are.
Hoffman closed by noting that LinkedIn could ask for gender information, but doesn't. "As a general principle, you should only ask for data when you think you can provide a value proposition for users," he said.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Mozilla Releases Firefox 4 for Android Maemo
One week after the launch of Firefox 4, Mozilla on Tuesday released the mobile version for Android devices.
Firefox for Android and Maemo includes many of the features available in the desktop version of Firefox 4, and is available in 13 languages.
Those features include synchronization across the desktop and mobile devices for things like history, bookmarks, open tabs, passwords, and form data. For the security conscious, executives insisted earlier this month that the process is secure; the data is encrypted via a 26-character key.
"Firefox for mobile allows users to take the Firefox experience they love everywhere and minimizes typing with features like tabbed browsing, bookmarks, add-ons and Firefox Sync," Mozilla said in a blog post. "With a sleek new look that hides browser controls when not in use, Firefox allows users to focus on the websites they visit."
Mozilla said Firefox is up to three times faster than the stock Android browser. "Major enhancements to the JavaScript engine make everything from page load speed to graphics to overall performance snappy in Firefox," the company said.
The mobile Firefox 4 also has the option to save to PDF for offline viewing, the ability to share via social-networking sites, and a customizable search engine list.
For developers, Mozilla promised an improvement to existing tools like CSS, Canvas, and SVG, as well as location-aware browsing, device orientation, accelerometer, and desktop notifications for HTML5. The JavaScript engine also incorporates the JägerMonkey JIT compiler for faster page load speeds and performances of apps and games.
Firefox 4 for Android is available now via the Android Market and for download on Mozilla's site for Maemo devices.
Firefox for Android and Maemo includes many of the features available in the desktop version of Firefox 4, and is available in 13 languages.
Those features include synchronization across the desktop and mobile devices for things like history, bookmarks, open tabs, passwords, and form data. For the security conscious, executives insisted earlier this month that the process is secure; the data is encrypted via a 26-character key.
"Firefox for mobile allows users to take the Firefox experience they love everywhere and minimizes typing with features like tabbed browsing, bookmarks, add-ons and Firefox Sync," Mozilla said in a blog post. "With a sleek new look that hides browser controls when not in use, Firefox allows users to focus on the websites they visit."
Mozilla said Firefox is up to three times faster than the stock Android browser. "Major enhancements to the JavaScript engine make everything from page load speed to graphics to overall performance snappy in Firefox," the company said.
The mobile Firefox 4 also has the option to save to PDF for offline viewing, the ability to share via social-networking sites, and a customizable search engine list.
For developers, Mozilla promised an improvement to existing tools like CSS, Canvas, and SVG, as well as location-aware browsing, device orientation, accelerometer, and desktop notifications for HTML5. The JavaScript engine also incorporates the JägerMonkey JIT compiler for faster page load speeds and performances of apps and games.
Firefox 4 for Android is available now via the Android Market and for download on Mozilla's site for Maemo devices.
Monday, March 28, 2011
iPad 2 Tips Tricks and Shortcuts
While some might argue that it can almost replace a full-fledged computer, the iPad was designed to be simple. Even if you have very little tech savvy, you can probably pick up Apple's latest tablet and master most of the basic features in a matter of minutes. And the longer you spend swiping your way around the touch-based iOS operating system, the more you'll learn. Like it is with any OS, though, there are just some things that aren't obvious—and the OS is continually updated. You could (gasp!) pore through the 22-chapter iPad 2 User Guide (it's got three appendices too), to make sure you're not missing out on anything, but where's the fun in that?
After almost a month of testing and using the iPad 2, we've learned some cool tricks and we want to share them with you. In the slideshow, you'll find general tips that apply to multiple applications, along with those specific to Safari, Maps, iPod, and Photos. Whether you're a seasoned Mac or iOS user, or even an Apple newbie, there's something here to help you get the most out of your iPad 2. Have a tip, trick, or shortcut of your own to share? Let us know in the comments below.
After almost a month of testing and using the iPad 2, we've learned some cool tricks and we want to share them with you. In the slideshow, you'll find general tips that apply to multiple applications, along with those specific to Safari, Maps, iPod, and Photos. Whether you're a seasoned Mac or iOS user, or even an Apple newbie, there's something here to help you get the most out of your iPad 2. Have a tip, trick, or shortcut of your own to share? Let us know in the comments below.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
10 IT positions ranked by prestige
People often judge you by your job title — as unfair as that may be. Alan Norton ranks 10 IT job roles based on the degree of respect they command.
Humans have an innate desire to categorize everything from animals to social status. We do so because it is how our brains simplify and understand a complex world. People may categorize or stereotype you based solely on your job title — your prestige, or respect if you prefer, is determined by your position.
This class structure within IT is largely unspoken but real nonetheless. I will discuss it here and attempt to rank the following IT functions from most to least prestigious.
Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.
1: Systems analyst
The systems analyst is admired for his or her expertise in the multiple roles needed to build a successful system. They’re self-supervised and independent, and managers get out of their way and let them do their job. They are envied for their autonomy, high pay, and challenging work. They earn admiration for their high level of education, knowledge, and accomplishments. This unique combination puts the systems analyst at the top of the list.
2: Programmer
The programmer enters the room and a hush falls across the crowd. One person with awe and reverence showing on his face whispers in a respectful hush, “That’s the programmer who wrote the AI code!” Okay, programmers may not receive this amount of aggrandizement, but they are typically held in a special place of esteem.
Vendor HotSpot
The Future of Mobile Printing
Print from a Smartphone, from a Tablet, from anywhere!
Learn More »
To the average person, programmers do nothing short of magic. They make the Web come to life with a multitude of useful applications. They create new and strange virtual worlds. They enable computers to do everything from gaming to running essential functions of business. And they do so with mysterious and enigmatic languages known to only those select few who are the keepers of the code.
3: DBA
If you have done any database work at all and are fortunate enough to have a database administrator, you will appreciate the workload that the DBA removes from your plate. A smart developer learns early on that a good, experienced DBA is critical to the successful completion of the project. Part art and part science, DBAs’ skills can have a significant impact on the performance of the systems they help develop and support.
4: Project lead
Project leads who get their hands dirty and help with all phases of the project lifecycle are respected for their technical as well as their management skills. The role is not given to newcomers. Only those with years of experience make it to project lead. This alone is enough to earn the high esteem of the other project team members.
5: System admin
Access rights granted by sysadmins are just a hurdle in the completion their peers’ tasks. Sadly, the other good work they do goes unnoticed, primarily because even IT professionals have no clue what else they are responsible for. And all it takes is one bad experience trying to get system access for a user to lose any admiration for all system administrators.
6: IT manager
Unlike other professions, where manager would be at the top of the list, IT managers are hurt by the perception that they don’t do the “real work.” IT managers earn respect for their advancement up the career ladder, but this is offset by their perceived lack of technical skills. It may be unfair ,but managers lack IT cred. In addition, employees believe that their managers may have a general idea of their work but lack a detailed understanding of exactly what they do.
7: Network admin
Mention the words network admin to most, and these are the thoughts that are likely running through their head: “Isn’t he the reason I can’t see Facebook and Twitter? Sure, I get a blazing fast connection to the Internet, but what good is that if I can’t get to Youtube? He’s probably reading my email too!” No love there, and the network admin gets no love for the network being up, either — only grief when it goes down.
8: Reporting specialist
When you get right down to it, the reporting specialist is nothing more than a glorified cleric, pulling data from the system, putting numbers into charts, and spitting out reams of paper in the process. If you have to deliver charts with bad numbers to your manager, you may need to use this time-honored phrase: “Don’t shoot me. I’m Just the messenger!”
9: Technician
Never appreciated until a hardware or system emergency occurs, the lowly technician becomes associated with bad circumstances. You know there’s trouble if the tech shows up. He or she may be given the moniker “hero for the day,” but more often than not, users just want technicians to fix their system and be on their way. The uninformed may compare the technician’s skills to the auto mechanic or the Maytag repairman. Usually in crisis mode, the high stress, low pay, and difficult hours typical of the technician do not garner much prestige.
10: Help desk analyst
Help desk analysts are the Rodney Dangerfields of the IT world. The people answering the phone on the help desk get no respect from clients or other IT professionals. They are expected to solve as many problems as possible at tier one but are not paid the wages befitting that level of technical expertise. When the phone rings, there is almost always an unhappy customer on the line. Help desk analysts take unwarranted verbal abuse for circumstances beyond their control and are rarely recognized for their efforts. Their performance is typically measured by the number of calls they take and complete per hour — not exactly a formula for friendly verbal banter, low stress, and thoughtful problem resolution. Respect? Even Rodney Dangerfield got more respect without the added stress.
The bottom line
Much of what I have written is totally unfair to the IT professional. Unfortunately, I believe it’s how many people perceive the IT roles I have listed — and perceptions can be difficult to overcome. While it is true that stereotypes and perceptions often predetermine prestige, it is equally true that prestige can be earned in the most mundane of jobs as well as lost by those in the most respected of jobs.
Unlike the social classes of Victorian England, where right of birth was the sole determinant of one’s class, the working classes of IT are open to all who are talented enough and industrious enough to achieve them. The reporting specialist, or any other IT role for that matter, can be a stepping stone to a better paying position with higher prestige. For example, I turned my reporting position into a developer’s role by automating the weekly charts. If you are looking to climb the prestige ladder, you can do the same. You only need to be clever enough and wise enough to recognize and seize the opportunities that present themselves.
I am reminded of the old joke where the body parts get together to decide which is most important and therefore should lead. One of the morals of the story is that all of the body parts are important. If you have a job that is low on the prestige ladder, you should walk proudly with your head held high. You know how hard you work. You know the unique skills required to do your job. You know how important you are to the overall success of the company. Never let anyone, including me, tell you otherwise.
Humans have an innate desire to categorize everything from animals to social status. We do so because it is how our brains simplify and understand a complex world. People may categorize or stereotype you based solely on your job title — your prestige, or respect if you prefer, is determined by your position.
This class structure within IT is largely unspoken but real nonetheless. I will discuss it here and attempt to rank the following IT functions from most to least prestigious.
Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.
1: Systems analyst
The systems analyst is admired for his or her expertise in the multiple roles needed to build a successful system. They’re self-supervised and independent, and managers get out of their way and let them do their job. They are envied for their autonomy, high pay, and challenging work. They earn admiration for their high level of education, knowledge, and accomplishments. This unique combination puts the systems analyst at the top of the list.
2: Programmer
The programmer enters the room and a hush falls across the crowd. One person with awe and reverence showing on his face whispers in a respectful hush, “That’s the programmer who wrote the AI code!” Okay, programmers may not receive this amount of aggrandizement, but they are typically held in a special place of esteem.
Vendor HotSpot
The Future of Mobile Printing
Print from a Smartphone, from a Tablet, from anywhere!
Learn More »
To the average person, programmers do nothing short of magic. They make the Web come to life with a multitude of useful applications. They create new and strange virtual worlds. They enable computers to do everything from gaming to running essential functions of business. And they do so with mysterious and enigmatic languages known to only those select few who are the keepers of the code.
3: DBA
If you have done any database work at all and are fortunate enough to have a database administrator, you will appreciate the workload that the DBA removes from your plate. A smart developer learns early on that a good, experienced DBA is critical to the successful completion of the project. Part art and part science, DBAs’ skills can have a significant impact on the performance of the systems they help develop and support.
4: Project lead
Project leads who get their hands dirty and help with all phases of the project lifecycle are respected for their technical as well as their management skills. The role is not given to newcomers. Only those with years of experience make it to project lead. This alone is enough to earn the high esteem of the other project team members.
5: System admin
Access rights granted by sysadmins are just a hurdle in the completion their peers’ tasks. Sadly, the other good work they do goes unnoticed, primarily because even IT professionals have no clue what else they are responsible for. And all it takes is one bad experience trying to get system access for a user to lose any admiration for all system administrators.
6: IT manager
Unlike other professions, where manager would be at the top of the list, IT managers are hurt by the perception that they don’t do the “real work.” IT managers earn respect for their advancement up the career ladder, but this is offset by their perceived lack of technical skills. It may be unfair ,but managers lack IT cred. In addition, employees believe that their managers may have a general idea of their work but lack a detailed understanding of exactly what they do.
7: Network admin
Mention the words network admin to most, and these are the thoughts that are likely running through their head: “Isn’t he the reason I can’t see Facebook and Twitter? Sure, I get a blazing fast connection to the Internet, but what good is that if I can’t get to Youtube? He’s probably reading my email too!” No love there, and the network admin gets no love for the network being up, either — only grief when it goes down.
8: Reporting specialist
When you get right down to it, the reporting specialist is nothing more than a glorified cleric, pulling data from the system, putting numbers into charts, and spitting out reams of paper in the process. If you have to deliver charts with bad numbers to your manager, you may need to use this time-honored phrase: “Don’t shoot me. I’m Just the messenger!”
9: Technician
Never appreciated until a hardware or system emergency occurs, the lowly technician becomes associated with bad circumstances. You know there’s trouble if the tech shows up. He or she may be given the moniker “hero for the day,” but more often than not, users just want technicians to fix their system and be on their way. The uninformed may compare the technician’s skills to the auto mechanic or the Maytag repairman. Usually in crisis mode, the high stress, low pay, and difficult hours typical of the technician do not garner much prestige.
10: Help desk analyst
Help desk analysts are the Rodney Dangerfields of the IT world. The people answering the phone on the help desk get no respect from clients or other IT professionals. They are expected to solve as many problems as possible at tier one but are not paid the wages befitting that level of technical expertise. When the phone rings, there is almost always an unhappy customer on the line. Help desk analysts take unwarranted verbal abuse for circumstances beyond their control and are rarely recognized for their efforts. Their performance is typically measured by the number of calls they take and complete per hour — not exactly a formula for friendly verbal banter, low stress, and thoughtful problem resolution. Respect? Even Rodney Dangerfield got more respect without the added stress.
The bottom line
Much of what I have written is totally unfair to the IT professional. Unfortunately, I believe it’s how many people perceive the IT roles I have listed — and perceptions can be difficult to overcome. While it is true that stereotypes and perceptions often predetermine prestige, it is equally true that prestige can be earned in the most mundane of jobs as well as lost by those in the most respected of jobs.
Unlike the social classes of Victorian England, where right of birth was the sole determinant of one’s class, the working classes of IT are open to all who are talented enough and industrious enough to achieve them. The reporting specialist, or any other IT role for that matter, can be a stepping stone to a better paying position with higher prestige. For example, I turned my reporting position into a developer’s role by automating the weekly charts. If you are looking to climb the prestige ladder, you can do the same. You only need to be clever enough and wise enough to recognize and seize the opportunities that present themselves.
I am reminded of the old joke where the body parts get together to decide which is most important and therefore should lead. One of the morals of the story is that all of the body parts are important. If you have a job that is low on the prestige ladder, you should walk proudly with your head held high. You know how hard you work. You know the unique skills required to do your job. You know how important you are to the overall success of the company. Never let anyone, including me, tell you otherwise.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Ten Must-Have Apps for Foodies...that Aren't Food Apps
Before there were smartphones, I was the kind of foodie who stuffed her purse with scraps of paper, scribblings with the names, addresses, and cross streets of restaurants, markets, bakeries, and bars that I wanted to try. I had a pocket notebook on me at all times, as well as a tourist's guide of my own city (my own city!) for the detailed maps and cafe listings.
Then came smartphones.
Smartphones revolutionized the foodie lifestyle, but not in the way some people might expect. Sure, apps for OpenTable and Menupages certainly come in handy, but there are 10 absolutely essential apps most food enthusiasts could not do without–and surprisingly, they are not "food" apps.
Say what you will about the word "foodie," but to me, the term embraces all kinds of eating, drinking, and cooking, from haute cuisine to hamburger stands to homecooking. It's a marvelously undiscerning word. You don't have to know everything there is to know about, say, the Loire Valley to be a foodie, but you probably should have a few reliable tools on deck for the next time you're faced with a bottle of Vouvray and forget where the heck "Vouvray" is.
These 10 apps likewise serve a diverse range of purposes. They come in handy at the farmer's market, high-end specialty food stores, restaurants, and bakeries. While traveling, they can point you toward eateries that are considered local favorites. When ostentatious menu descriptions start to go over your head, these apps can help you hold your own. They can even alert you to food recalls.
Click into the to discover these 10 essential apps for foodies that aren't food apps. For more traditional apps for food enthusiasts, see "10 iPhone Apps for Foodies."
Then came smartphones.
Smartphones revolutionized the foodie lifestyle, but not in the way some people might expect. Sure, apps for OpenTable and Menupages certainly come in handy, but there are 10 absolutely essential apps most food enthusiasts could not do without–and surprisingly, they are not "food" apps.
Say what you will about the word "foodie," but to me, the term embraces all kinds of eating, drinking, and cooking, from haute cuisine to hamburger stands to homecooking. It's a marvelously undiscerning word. You don't have to know everything there is to know about, say, the Loire Valley to be a foodie, but you probably should have a few reliable tools on deck for the next time you're faced with a bottle of Vouvray and forget where the heck "Vouvray" is.
These 10 apps likewise serve a diverse range of purposes. They come in handy at the farmer's market, high-end specialty food stores, restaurants, and bakeries. While traveling, they can point you toward eateries that are considered local favorites. When ostentatious menu descriptions start to go over your head, these apps can help you hold your own. They can even alert you to food recalls.
Click into the to discover these 10 essential apps for foodies that aren't food apps. For more traditional apps for food enthusiasts, see "10 iPhone Apps for Foodies."
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Scientific Instrument Supplier Anticipating Better Growth
For the resolving powers of our scientific instruments decide, at a given moment, of the size and the vision of our Universe, and of the image we then make of ourselves. – Albert Claude
Introduction
Wiki defines a scientific instrument as any type of equipment, machine or device which is specifically designed or constructed ingeniously refined to apply utmost efficiency in the utilization of some well proven physical principle, relationship or technology to facilitate the pursuit, acquisition and storage of repeatable, and verifiable data.
As India is growing by leaps and bounds in the science and technology sector, the demand for the scientific instruments is experiencing an overall increase . During the downturn the single most affected sector was R&D as many thought it was something which can be put on hold till the recession gets over. Quite naturally the demand for such instruments came down . Now as the economy is heading towards recovery, this sector is also getting the much needed push.
Scientific instruments are usually a part of laboratory equipments, but are considered more sophisticated and more specialized than other measuring instruments as scales, meter sticks, chronometers etc.
Chinese Scenario
Industry observers feels that the scientific instrumentation industry has a huge market potential in china. As per the the last available statistics the Chinese scientific instrumentation industry is estimated to reach 100 billion Yuan by the end of 2010. China's growth projection is being attributed to steady economic growth, investments into R& D with a long term vision and favourable business environment.
Currently, china is mostly into low-grade equipment production, however, soon high-end equipment production could take the centre stage. The general notion is that the high end production is taken care by the US based multinationals and a conscious effort is being made to encourage Chinese companies to venture out in this segment.
India's challenges
Even though there have been long talks about laying the emphasis on the research and development in India, not much has been done in practice. On top of that, the talent poaching by the western countries and the multi nationals in India is depriving the country of its most valuable asset. Many scientific instrument suppliers echo the fact that the Indian govt. needs to look into this with utmost priority.
Scientific instrument suppliers further add that in today's highly competitive market conditions, the lack of healthy competition within the industry norms, constraints on the profit margins has further complicated their problems. The only silver lining in the cloud is – the positive economic forecast for the Indian market. Needless to say, the scientific instrument suppliers are anticipating better times ahead!
Introduction
Wiki defines a scientific instrument as any type of equipment, machine or device which is specifically designed or constructed ingeniously refined to apply utmost efficiency in the utilization of some well proven physical principle, relationship or technology to facilitate the pursuit, acquisition and storage of repeatable, and verifiable data.
As India is growing by leaps and bounds in the science and technology sector, the demand for the scientific instruments is experiencing an overall increase . During the downturn the single most affected sector was R&D as many thought it was something which can be put on hold till the recession gets over. Quite naturally the demand for such instruments came down . Now as the economy is heading towards recovery, this sector is also getting the much needed push.
Scientific instruments are usually a part of laboratory equipments, but are considered more sophisticated and more specialized than other measuring instruments as scales, meter sticks, chronometers etc.
Chinese Scenario
Industry observers feels that the scientific instrumentation industry has a huge market potential in china. As per the the last available statistics the Chinese scientific instrumentation industry is estimated to reach 100 billion Yuan by the end of 2010. China's growth projection is being attributed to steady economic growth, investments into R& D with a long term vision and favourable business environment.
Currently, china is mostly into low-grade equipment production, however, soon high-end equipment production could take the centre stage. The general notion is that the high end production is taken care by the US based multinationals and a conscious effort is being made to encourage Chinese companies to venture out in this segment.
India's challenges
Even though there have been long talks about laying the emphasis on the research and development in India, not much has been done in practice. On top of that, the talent poaching by the western countries and the multi nationals in India is depriving the country of its most valuable asset. Many scientific instrument suppliers echo the fact that the Indian govt. needs to look into this with utmost priority.
Scientific instrument suppliers further add that in today's highly competitive market conditions, the lack of healthy competition within the industry norms, constraints on the profit margins has further complicated their problems. The only silver lining in the cloud is – the positive economic forecast for the Indian market. Needless to say, the scientific instrument suppliers are anticipating better times ahead!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Microsoft gives insight into Windows sounds
Microsoft has given an insight into one of the most familiar but unheralded parts of its Windows OS, with a blog post outlining just how those familiar sounds we know and love are arrived at.
The blog, by Jennifer Shepherd, explains the process of coming up with the sound schemes and little passges of sound that are heard by millions of people each and every day.
Apparently, it's not just a few people sat round a piano looking thoughtful, the alerts and warnings are arrived at through a complex and in-depth process.
"A few of the sound-schemes (Characters and Quirky) consist of synthetically-produced sounds and samples created using electronic music synthesizers, but the sound-schemes based on various global musical styles and traditions are really real," explains Shepherd.
"What I mean is that the sounds you hear were created on real instruments, played by master musicians from each musical tradition and recorded live in the studio.
"But it goes even further than that; we also worked with an ethnomusicologist to ensure that our mini-interpretations of each musical style…were as authentic and faithful as possible, respecting the vocabulary, instrumentation, timbres, and "language" of each musical tradition."
So if you are keen to know what musical styles influenced the Delta sound scheme (Smoky Jazz club/slightly retro) or you just want to see what the musical notation for the peripheral plug in looks like, it's well worth a look.
Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/software/microsoft-gives-insight-into-windows-sounds-921008#ixzz1HSpQRxqu
The blog, by Jennifer Shepherd, explains the process of coming up with the sound schemes and little passges of sound that are heard by millions of people each and every day.
Apparently, it's not just a few people sat round a piano looking thoughtful, the alerts and warnings are arrived at through a complex and in-depth process.
"A few of the sound-schemes (Characters and Quirky) consist of synthetically-produced sounds and samples created using electronic music synthesizers, but the sound-schemes based on various global musical styles and traditions are really real," explains Shepherd.
"What I mean is that the sounds you hear were created on real instruments, played by master musicians from each musical tradition and recorded live in the studio.
"But it goes even further than that; we also worked with an ethnomusicologist to ensure that our mini-interpretations of each musical style…were as authentic and faithful as possible, respecting the vocabulary, instrumentation, timbres, and "language" of each musical tradition."
So if you are keen to know what musical styles influenced the Delta sound scheme (Smoky Jazz club/slightly retro) or you just want to see what the musical notation for the peripheral plug in looks like, it's well worth a look.
Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/software/microsoft-gives-insight-into-windows-sounds-921008#ixzz1HSpQRxqu
Monday, March 21, 2011
Bill Gates Confesses I Stopped using Facebook
It’s hard to be a Celebrity and stay on a Social Network site.
Bill Gates’s confession today, at an event in New Delhi, India, came up as a shocking surprise for the Industry. He gave up on Facebook because he failed to live up to the friend requests. Gates expressed that “There were 10,000 people wanting to be my friends after I tried out the service … it was time consuming to decide if I knew this person, did I not know this person”.
That kind of thing is Expected :) why is every one shocked?
In addition to that, He mentioned “Facebook was just way too much trouble so I gave it up, I’m not that big at text messaging”.
Gates also mentioned that he doesn’t spend all day using technology and that “All these tools of tech waste our time if we’re not careful. I’m NOT a 24-hour-a-day Tech person”.
From this statement, it’s clear that a growing number of Facebook users are. It’s the very reason why Microsoft has a stake in the networking giant, as users’ time and attention are increasingly consumed by these somewhat addictive services.
It’s like it’s my company’s product which has side effects, I don’t want to use it, let people be a trap.
I have never seen Bill Gate’s Facebook page. Even when I tried searching, it yielded nothing. No idea what his Facebook page looks like, but we’d like to imagine it’s similar to this hilarious mockup, seen on PC World:
Bill Gates’s confession today, at an event in New Delhi, India, came up as a shocking surprise for the Industry. He gave up on Facebook because he failed to live up to the friend requests. Gates expressed that “There were 10,000 people wanting to be my friends after I tried out the service … it was time consuming to decide if I knew this person, did I not know this person”.
That kind of thing is Expected :) why is every one shocked?
In addition to that, He mentioned “Facebook was just way too much trouble so I gave it up, I’m not that big at text messaging”.
Gates also mentioned that he doesn’t spend all day using technology and that “All these tools of tech waste our time if we’re not careful. I’m NOT a 24-hour-a-day Tech person”.
From this statement, it’s clear that a growing number of Facebook users are. It’s the very reason why Microsoft has a stake in the networking giant, as users’ time and attention are increasingly consumed by these somewhat addictive services.
It’s like it’s my company’s product which has side effects, I don’t want to use it, let people be a trap.
I have never seen Bill Gate’s Facebook page. Even when I tried searching, it yielded nothing. No idea what his Facebook page looks like, but we’d like to imagine it’s similar to this hilarious mockup, seen on PC World:
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Apple iPad, is it The a Magic Tablet or Not?
Although this is the most used metaphor, the specifications show that it is more like an iPod touch than a mobile phone. It is not enough that the more expensive iPad models have UMTS / HSDPA standard mobile connectivity: this only serves to browse the Web. There is no support for voice, while the iPhone is designed primarily to be a mobile handyman. The new Apple "magical" device is dedicated to multimedia content. If there was an integrated webcam, you could make video calls via Skype, so it seems to be a maimed object.
Even more so if you think that it doesn't have the long-awaited multi-tasking feature: the question is, why not? IPhone has the functionality that is essential to keep multiple applications running simultaneously but it is disabled for processor workload and power consumption reasons. That is not true for the iPad, which has the powerful hardware and the interaction modes that support multitasking. The iPhone is already able to support multitasking with a process that forces the Apple operating system and has the same platform available for iPad: a compact version of OS X but not the Macbook's version. Even for this option you can find a reason, but it is not enough to close the question.
The Cupertino company has chosen to give importance to a package composed by App Store, iTunes Store and the new iBook Store instead of using the existing standard applications for Mac. It will be possible to adapt them, like for example, for iWork applications. But the virtual stores are the true soul of the Apple mobile devices (iPhone and iPod touch) and the iPad is born with many applications already ready to be downloaded and installed. This is not a technological choice but a way to increase the lifetime of an object that was announced as a "revolutionary" product but maybe it is not. Apple started to think and develop the iPad over the last ten years, but only now the technology is mature enough for production. This means that the iPad is an invention of 2002: that was the date of the first tablet PC and Mid. The "full screen" device is an exceptional heir of these experiments and not so far as features from netbooks.
The iPad could be seen as a luxury and an innovative Netbook-like device. Let's continue with the provocation: apart from the touch screen display, the differences with mini laptop are very limited. On the contrary it has anything less. For example, it doesn't support Flash, does not have USB ports to connect external accessories; it requires Sim phone card with a different format in respect to the actual ones and it seems awkward to use. A good thing of the mini PC is that it's possible to use them like notebooks, while the iPad is mainly held in the hand.
The display, however it is beautiful, has a limited resolution (1024x768 pixels) and probably it is not suitable for reading e-books. The digital ink of e-reader is not aggressive for the eyes even for prolonged periods. An OLED display must demonstrate that it is not tired. It covers a flaw of the digital book readers that is they have limited functions and could be seen like a parent of the future electronic publishing. But the newest Apple iPad has many talents and it gives a reasonable starting point for new developments to the market, as has already happened for the iPhone. And then there's the icing on the cake: it is the first Mac product with a small price.
Finally, the iPad has a beautiful appearance, it will be definitely fun and rewarding to use and it is designed to be used for Internet connections (besides all the other features).
In short, iPad is a simplified surrogate of a computer that will be loved by anyone who doesn't want a computer. This is a great idea and Steve Jobs has certainly taken this into account. For now we are waiting to see what will be the iPad lifetime. Past the initial falling in love, how long will we look at it? Here again the comparison with the iPhone is out of place: you always return home to get your phone if you forget it at home or office. What about the iPad?
Even more so if you think that it doesn't have the long-awaited multi-tasking feature: the question is, why not? IPhone has the functionality that is essential to keep multiple applications running simultaneously but it is disabled for processor workload and power consumption reasons. That is not true for the iPad, which has the powerful hardware and the interaction modes that support multitasking. The iPhone is already able to support multitasking with a process that forces the Apple operating system and has the same platform available for iPad: a compact version of OS X but not the Macbook's version. Even for this option you can find a reason, but it is not enough to close the question.
The Cupertino company has chosen to give importance to a package composed by App Store, iTunes Store and the new iBook Store instead of using the existing standard applications for Mac. It will be possible to adapt them, like for example, for iWork applications. But the virtual stores are the true soul of the Apple mobile devices (iPhone and iPod touch) and the iPad is born with many applications already ready to be downloaded and installed. This is not a technological choice but a way to increase the lifetime of an object that was announced as a "revolutionary" product but maybe it is not. Apple started to think and develop the iPad over the last ten years, but only now the technology is mature enough for production. This means that the iPad is an invention of 2002: that was the date of the first tablet PC and Mid. The "full screen" device is an exceptional heir of these experiments and not so far as features from netbooks.
The iPad could be seen as a luxury and an innovative Netbook-like device. Let's continue with the provocation: apart from the touch screen display, the differences with mini laptop are very limited. On the contrary it has anything less. For example, it doesn't support Flash, does not have USB ports to connect external accessories; it requires Sim phone card with a different format in respect to the actual ones and it seems awkward to use. A good thing of the mini PC is that it's possible to use them like notebooks, while the iPad is mainly held in the hand.
The display, however it is beautiful, has a limited resolution (1024x768 pixels) and probably it is not suitable for reading e-books. The digital ink of e-reader is not aggressive for the eyes even for prolonged periods. An OLED display must demonstrate that it is not tired. It covers a flaw of the digital book readers that is they have limited functions and could be seen like a parent of the future electronic publishing. But the newest Apple iPad has many talents and it gives a reasonable starting point for new developments to the market, as has already happened for the iPhone. And then there's the icing on the cake: it is the first Mac product with a small price.
Finally, the iPad has a beautiful appearance, it will be definitely fun and rewarding to use and it is designed to be used for Internet connections (besides all the other features).
In short, iPad is a simplified surrogate of a computer that will be loved by anyone who doesn't want a computer. This is a great idea and Steve Jobs has certainly taken this into account. For now we are waiting to see what will be the iPad lifetime. Past the initial falling in love, how long will we look at it? Here again the comparison with the iPhone is out of place: you always return home to get your phone if you forget it at home or office. What about the iPad?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Worlds 10 Fastest Super Computers
Supercomputers are super achievers, giving highest and most enviable performance at any given time. Cray 1, released in 1975, is considered to be the first real supercomputer.Supercomputers were designed primarily by Seymour Cray, who started his own firm Cray Research Inc after leaving Control Data Corporation.The Cray-1 cost between $5 million and $10 million to build, and had a memory of 4MW semiconductor and speed of 160 MFLOPS (MFLOPS stands for Mega FLoating point Operations Per Second.). Building supercomputers was a passion for Seymour Cray.Today, supercomputers are developed by companies like Cray, IBM and Hewlett-Packard. The IBM Roadrunner, located at Los Alamos National Laboratory, US, is the fastest supercomputer in the world today.
Scientists around the world are experimenting with supercomputers and developing high-speed, power-packed computers.Novo-G, hailed as one world's fastest and most powerful supercomputers of its type, has become operational at the University of Florida. This is a reconfigurable computer that can be from 10 to 100 times faster than other computers its size while using five to 10 times less energy. The Novo-G project is led by Professors Alan George and Herman Lam at Florida.
Check out the top 10 super computers as per the TOP500 list.
Super Computers
1. IBM Roadrunner
The world's most powerful supercomputer is IBM Roadrunner. Eight of the top 10 supercomputers are located in the United States.Among the top Asian performers was HP's EKA - Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c at the Computational Research Laboratories owned by the Tata Group. EKA is ranked 18th in the world.
IBM Roadrunner
With a speed of 1.105 petaflops, the Roadrunner system at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was built by IBM.In June 2008, it became the first system ever to break the petaflop/s Linpack barrier. It still is one of the most energy efficient systems on the TOP500 list.It has the computing power of 100,000 of today's most powerful laptops. According to IBM, in the past 10 years, supercomputer power has increased by about 1,000 times.It is also the fourth-most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world on the Supermicro Green500 list, with an operational rate of 444.94 megaflops per watt of power used.Roadrunner will be used by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to perform calculations that vastly improve the ability to certify that the US nuclear weapons stockpile is reliable without conducting underground nuclear tests.
Rmax: 1105.00
Rpeak: 1456.70
A "flop" means floating-point operations per second. One petaflop is 1,000 trillion operations per second. If each of the 6 billion people on earth had a hand calculator and worked together on a calculation 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, it would take 46 years to do what Roadrunner would do in one day.Rpeak: Peak performance of the system, measured in Tflops.Rmax: The highest score measured using the Linpack benchmark suite. This is the number which is used to rank the computers. Measured in trillions of floating point operations per second, i.e. Teraflops.
2. Jaguar
An upgrade to the Cray XT3 supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Jaguar has increased the system's computing power to 54 teraflops, or 54 trillion mathematical calculations per second, making the Cray among the most powerful open scientific systems in the world.Jaguar hit a speed of 1.059 petaflops shortly after its installation. This is the largest in the Department of Energy's Office of Science and is the major computing resource for DOE's Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment, or INCITE, program.
Rmax: 1059.00
Rpeak: 1381.40
3. Jugene
The Jugene - Blue Gene/P Solution, is the fastest supercomputer in Europe and the third fastest in the world. Installed at the Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) in Germany, it achieved 825.5 teraflop/s (trillions of floating point operations per second) on the Linpack benchmarks and has a theoretical peak performance of just above 1 petaflop/s.The first laboratory in the United States to receive the Blue Gene/P was Argonne National Laboratory, according to the Top500 Web site.
Rmax 825.50
Rpeak: 1002.70
4. Pleiades
NASA's newest supercomputer at Ames Research Center has bagged three spots on the Top500 list of the world's most powerful computers.The Pleiades supercomputer runs at 487 trillion floating point operations per second (teraflops) on the Linpack benchmark, the industry standard for measuring a system's floating point computing power.One of the most powerful general-purpose supercomputers ever built, Pleiades also features the world's largest InfiniBand interconnect network.
Rmax: 487.01
Rpeak: 608.83
5. BlueGene/L
The first computer in the Blue Gene series from IBM, Blue Gene/L, developed through a partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), originally had a theoretical peak performance of 360 Tflops , and scored over 280 Tflops sustained on the Linpack benchmark.After an upgrade in 2007 the performance increased to 478 TFLOPS sustained and 596 Tflops peak.
Rmax: 4: 463.30
Rpeak: 607.20
7. Blue Gene/P Solution
The IBM Blue Gene/P Solution is a follow-on product to the successful Blue Gene/L Solution.The Blue Gene family of supercomputers has been designed to deliver ultrascale performance within a standard programming environment while delivering efficiencies in power, cooling and floor-space consumption.Blue Gene/P extends the performance through enhanced functionality, scalability for petaflop performance, and aggressive power management for low power consumption first established with the Blue Gene Solution.Many universities and government research labs have deployed Blue Gene for computational studies in weapons research, radio astronomy, protein folding, climate research, cosmology, and drug development.It is housed at the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States.
Rmax: 458.61
Rpeak: 557.06
8. Ranger
Ranger is the most powerful supercomputing system in the world for open science research. Ranger marks the beginning of the Petascale Era in high-performance computing (HPC) where systems will approach a thousand trillion floating point operations per second and manage a thousand trillion bytes of data.Ranger will provide more than 500 million processor hours of computing time, performing more than 200,000 years of computational work over its four-year lifetime.Ranger is a collaboration between TACC, The University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Computational and Engineering Sciences (ICES), Sun Microsystems, Advanced Micro Devices, Arizona State University and Cornell University.
Rmax: 433.20
Rpeak: 579.38
9. Dawn-Blue Gene/P Solution
IBM's Dawn is installed at DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. IBM now holds the number one position in the ranking of the world's most powerful supercomputers.This is the initial delivery for the IBM's future 20 petaflop Sequoia system.
Rmax: 415.70
Rpeak: 501.35
10. Juropa
Companies from Europe and the United States have joined hands with Forschungszentrum Jlich research centre in Germany, to enter the future of high-performance cluster computing.With the Jlich Research on Petaflop Architectures (JuRoPA) system, a new cost-efficient performance class of supercomputers can be developed.A computer cluster is a group of tightly coupled computers working closely together using standard PC technology and very fast networks. They are ideal for tackling a wide range of simulation problems and comprise a large proportion of the world's most powerful computers.
Rmax: 274.80
Rpeak: 308.28
Scientists around the world are experimenting with supercomputers and developing high-speed, power-packed computers.Novo-G, hailed as one world's fastest and most powerful supercomputers of its type, has become operational at the University of Florida. This is a reconfigurable computer that can be from 10 to 100 times faster than other computers its size while using five to 10 times less energy. The Novo-G project is led by Professors Alan George and Herman Lam at Florida.
Check out the top 10 super computers as per the TOP500 list.
Super Computers
1. IBM Roadrunner
The world's most powerful supercomputer is IBM Roadrunner. Eight of the top 10 supercomputers are located in the United States.Among the top Asian performers was HP's EKA - Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c at the Computational Research Laboratories owned by the Tata Group. EKA is ranked 18th in the world.
IBM Roadrunner
With a speed of 1.105 petaflops, the Roadrunner system at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was built by IBM.In June 2008, it became the first system ever to break the petaflop/s Linpack barrier. It still is one of the most energy efficient systems on the TOP500 list.It has the computing power of 100,000 of today's most powerful laptops. According to IBM, in the past 10 years, supercomputer power has increased by about 1,000 times.It is also the fourth-most energy-efficient supercomputer in the world on the Supermicro Green500 list, with an operational rate of 444.94 megaflops per watt of power used.Roadrunner will be used by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to perform calculations that vastly improve the ability to certify that the US nuclear weapons stockpile is reliable without conducting underground nuclear tests.
Rmax: 1105.00
Rpeak: 1456.70
A "flop" means floating-point operations per second. One petaflop is 1,000 trillion operations per second. If each of the 6 billion people on earth had a hand calculator and worked together on a calculation 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, it would take 46 years to do what Roadrunner would do in one day.Rpeak: Peak performance of the system, measured in Tflops.Rmax: The highest score measured using the Linpack benchmark suite. This is the number which is used to rank the computers. Measured in trillions of floating point operations per second, i.e. Teraflops.
2. Jaguar
An upgrade to the Cray XT3 supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Jaguar has increased the system's computing power to 54 teraflops, or 54 trillion mathematical calculations per second, making the Cray among the most powerful open scientific systems in the world.Jaguar hit a speed of 1.059 petaflops shortly after its installation. This is the largest in the Department of Energy's Office of Science and is the major computing resource for DOE's Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment, or INCITE, program.
Rmax: 1059.00
Rpeak: 1381.40
3. Jugene
The Jugene - Blue Gene/P Solution, is the fastest supercomputer in Europe and the third fastest in the world. Installed at the Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) in Germany, it achieved 825.5 teraflop/s (trillions of floating point operations per second) on the Linpack benchmarks and has a theoretical peak performance of just above 1 petaflop/s.The first laboratory in the United States to receive the Blue Gene/P was Argonne National Laboratory, according to the Top500 Web site.
Rmax 825.50
Rpeak: 1002.70
4. Pleiades
NASA's newest supercomputer at Ames Research Center has bagged three spots on the Top500 list of the world's most powerful computers.The Pleiades supercomputer runs at 487 trillion floating point operations per second (teraflops) on the Linpack benchmark, the industry standard for measuring a system's floating point computing power.One of the most powerful general-purpose supercomputers ever built, Pleiades also features the world's largest InfiniBand interconnect network.
Rmax: 487.01
Rpeak: 608.83
5. BlueGene/L
The first computer in the Blue Gene series from IBM, Blue Gene/L, developed through a partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), originally had a theoretical peak performance of 360 Tflops , and scored over 280 Tflops sustained on the Linpack benchmark.After an upgrade in 2007 the performance increased to 478 TFLOPS sustained and 596 Tflops peak.
Rmax: 4: 463.30
Rpeak: 607.20
7. Blue Gene/P Solution
The IBM Blue Gene/P Solution is a follow-on product to the successful Blue Gene/L Solution.The Blue Gene family of supercomputers has been designed to deliver ultrascale performance within a standard programming environment while delivering efficiencies in power, cooling and floor-space consumption.Blue Gene/P extends the performance through enhanced functionality, scalability for petaflop performance, and aggressive power management for low power consumption first established with the Blue Gene Solution.Many universities and government research labs have deployed Blue Gene for computational studies in weapons research, radio astronomy, protein folding, climate research, cosmology, and drug development.It is housed at the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States.
Rmax: 458.61
Rpeak: 557.06
8. Ranger
Ranger is the most powerful supercomputing system in the world for open science research. Ranger marks the beginning of the Petascale Era in high-performance computing (HPC) where systems will approach a thousand trillion floating point operations per second and manage a thousand trillion bytes of data.Ranger will provide more than 500 million processor hours of computing time, performing more than 200,000 years of computational work over its four-year lifetime.Ranger is a collaboration between TACC, The University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Computational and Engineering Sciences (ICES), Sun Microsystems, Advanced Micro Devices, Arizona State University and Cornell University.
Rmax: 433.20
Rpeak: 579.38
9. Dawn-Blue Gene/P Solution
IBM's Dawn is installed at DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. IBM now holds the number one position in the ranking of the world's most powerful supercomputers.This is the initial delivery for the IBM's future 20 petaflop Sequoia system.
Rmax: 415.70
Rpeak: 501.35
10. Juropa
Companies from Europe and the United States have joined hands with Forschungszentrum Jlich research centre in Germany, to enter the future of high-performance cluster computing.With the Jlich Research on Petaflop Architectures (JuRoPA) system, a new cost-efficient performance class of supercomputers can be developed.A computer cluster is a group of tightly coupled computers working closely together using standard PC technology and very fast networks. They are ideal for tackling a wide range of simulation problems and comprise a large proportion of the world's most powerful computers.
Rmax: 274.80
Rpeak: 308.28
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Gallium Nitride (GaN) Radars
Radars are used in military as well as civil sectors for many different purposes. Some of their usages include weather observation, air traffic control, and high resolution imaging along with various military radar applications such as ground penetration, ground and or air surveillance, target tracking, and fire control. In order to perform these precise and mostly critical functions, radar systems need next generation amplifiers that provide advantages in output power, bandwidth, and efficiency over conventional technology. What is more, radar use as well as their demand is increasing.
In order to meet the increasing demands of the environmental as well as technical conditions in which these systems must operate, radar system industry continues to make advancements. Many such areas of advancement within radar systems include movement toward active electronically scanned arrays, increased sensitivity, image enhancement, improved energy efficiency and increased power, legacy amplifier technologies and more.
It is in this milieu that Gallium nitride (GaN) is recognized as the key amplifier technology for radar systems. GaN based amplifiers have recently been deployed in radar systems for military applications. The design activity and adoption rate is increasing each year, as more GaN based RF component suppliers enter the market with production ready products. Wide bandgap GaN technology has distinct advantages of higher voltage and broader bandwidth performance combined with high drain efficiency. GaN offers significant, recognized advantages over existing technologies for applications operating in frequency bands.
In Short, Gallium nitride radars is a perfect contribution to serve and makes the valuable of military resources for control and observe according to their needs.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Use iPad as Second/External Monitor
Adding Multiple monitors to your setup definitely increases productivity. But it can get all tricky without use of the right software. That’s why we had prepared a list of Best Dual, Multi-Monitor Software for your PC, Mac.
But wait a minute, you already own an iPad, and why not use iPad as secondary/External Monitor ?
Air Display lets you use iPad’s rich IPS display with a Mac, and Windows users can cherish MaxiVista with iPad. Both of them work wirelessly, without much troubles.
Both these apps, decently priced at $10, let you orient it to the right or left of your PC, Mac (or above/below). There’s no wrong way or Right way of doing it, its Magical!
Works out of the box with both x86 (32bit) and 64 bit versions of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 for MaxiVista, Snow Leopard for Air Display. If you are wondering how fast can it get, knowing the fact that it work wirelessly of WiFi, typically on windows, video drivers are compatible with the WDDM graphics card standard, and the display frame rate is said to be very close to that of a conventional monitor, but practically speaking, its hard to get over 25fps with some proprietary compression techniques.
Watch the video demo of iPad as Secondary Monitor after the break:
For the Windows side, Aero doesn’t work with MaxiVista, and video compression quality sucks a bit. But if you own an iPad and are looking for an extra wireless monitor for your PC, that helps you in more online actiivties (and less of graphic rich entertainment like games), this is a satisfying solution for you.
But wait a minute, you already own an iPad, and why not use iPad as secondary/External Monitor ?
Air Display lets you use iPad’s rich IPS display with a Mac, and Windows users can cherish MaxiVista with iPad. Both of them work wirelessly, without much troubles.
Both these apps, decently priced at $10, let you orient it to the right or left of your PC, Mac (or above/below). There’s no wrong way or Right way of doing it, its Magical!
Works out of the box with both x86 (32bit) and 64 bit versions of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 for MaxiVista, Snow Leopard for Air Display. If you are wondering how fast can it get, knowing the fact that it work wirelessly of WiFi, typically on windows, video drivers are compatible with the WDDM graphics card standard, and the display frame rate is said to be very close to that of a conventional monitor, but practically speaking, its hard to get over 25fps with some proprietary compression techniques.
Watch the video demo of iPad as Secondary Monitor after the break:
For the Windows side, Aero doesn’t work with MaxiVista, and video compression quality sucks a bit. But if you own an iPad and are looking for an extra wireless monitor for your PC, that helps you in more online actiivties (and less of graphic rich entertainment like games), this is a satisfying solution for you.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
70-122 study materials
At Certkingdom Microsoft 70-122 braindumps for exam page we have all the information which will increase your vision about solving the real on line problems. The basic aim of Certkingdom team is passing 70-122 exam on your first try. The best way to do this is to buy Certkingdom 70-122 exam questions.
Certkingdom provide you with high-quality 70-122 exam questions and study materials to help you learn more about the examination of information, learning more knowledge of the entire examination, complete your dream of entering the IT Dream! Let you become a person with future!
70-122 study materials online services, then Certkingdom is one of the leading websites for this purpose. Certkingdom is providing the best quality and up-to-date training material for the preparation of the 70-122 exam tests. All the study materials and other training products of Certkingdom are cost effective and are available on the website of Certkingdom with free updating facilities.
All these training products are available at the Certkingdom with the money back guarantee. As with other Microsoft exams, The combination of Microsoft courses builds the complete core knowledge base you need to meet your Microsoft certification requirements. Certkingdom provides Microsoft 70-122 exam study materials,such as Microsoft 70-122 Braindumps, 70-122 Study Guides, 70-122 exam Questions with Answers, 70-122 Training materials, 70-122 free demo and so on.
People always prefer and opt for Microsoft certification exams, because Microsoft is one of the leading and valid certification in the world. When you will become certified in Microsoft 70-122 exam, then you will see the affect of Microsoft. You will be accepted and respected a lot in the field of information technology. Everybody will give you priority and you will be highly appreciated by your bosses.
The Certkingdom 70-122 study guide is the most thorough, accurate, and up-to-date practice test you will find on the market today. Certkingdom 70-122 gives you the confidence in knowing that you will pass this difficult exam on the first try.
Certkingdom provide you with high-quality 70-122 exam questions and study materials to help you learn more about the examination of information, learning more knowledge of the entire examination, complete your dream of entering the IT Dream! Let you become a person with future!
70-122 study materials online services, then Certkingdom is one of the leading websites for this purpose. Certkingdom is providing the best quality and up-to-date training material for the preparation of the 70-122 exam tests. All the study materials and other training products of Certkingdom are cost effective and are available on the website of Certkingdom with free updating facilities.
All these training products are available at the Certkingdom with the money back guarantee. As with other Microsoft exams, The combination of Microsoft courses builds the complete core knowledge base you need to meet your Microsoft certification requirements. Certkingdom provides Microsoft 70-122 exam study materials,such as Microsoft 70-122 Braindumps, 70-122 Study Guides, 70-122 exam Questions with Answers, 70-122 Training materials, 70-122 free demo and so on.
People always prefer and opt for Microsoft certification exams, because Microsoft is one of the leading and valid certification in the world. When you will become certified in Microsoft 70-122 exam, then you will see the affect of Microsoft. You will be accepted and respected a lot in the field of information technology. Everybody will give you priority and you will be highly appreciated by your bosses.
The Certkingdom 70-122 study guide is the most thorough, accurate, and up-to-date practice test you will find on the market today. Certkingdom 70-122 gives you the confidence in knowing that you will pass this difficult exam on the first try.
70-121 Questions with Answers
If you are new to certification you can easily read an 70-121 exam review and get to know about it with in no time from ActualKey.com. IT professionals have put their effort together and have gained a lot of information about certification.
The leader among the providers of Microsoft 70-121 preparatory materials is products such as Microsoft 70-121 pdf Braindumps, Microsoft 70-121 Tutorial, Microsoft 70-121 Exam Questions with Answers, Microsoft 70-121 Trainings, Microsoft 70-121 Test Online Simulations Course and free PDF. It obtained its leadership and trust of the users from the very beginning of its work on the Microsoft 70-121 training materials market.
Visiting some IT certification forums is a good way for your study. You may exchange stories, problems as well as solutions their, which make your study more interesting and efficient.Achieving your goals without proper training is a sure road to failure. Knowing about a topic and having special expertise in it are completely different. One cannot be an expert in the IT industry without the proper foundation.
Taking a training class for ActualKey Microsoft test exam might be a guaranteed way.Online practice exams do not predict your future Microsoft 70-121 exam score, but the feedback that you receive can help you identify areas where you may need additional study, training, or hands-on work experience. Vendor of Microsoft offers free resource in their sites. These practice exams are the closest to the real exams.
As IT grows, so does the certification. There are many web site that contain 70-121 study notes, 70-121 practice papers, 70-121 brain dumps, 70-121 study guides, 70-121 exam answers to the questions asked in the 70-121 practice exams or 70-121 practice test but 70-121 ActualKey has the right and 100% accurate guideline which can lead you to success.
The leader among the providers of Microsoft 70-121 preparatory materials is products such as Microsoft 70-121 pdf Braindumps, Microsoft 70-121 Tutorial, Microsoft 70-121 Exam Questions with Answers, Microsoft 70-121 Trainings, Microsoft 70-121 Test Online Simulations Course and free PDF. It obtained its leadership and trust of the users from the very beginning of its work on the Microsoft 70-121 training materials market.
Visiting some IT certification forums is a good way for your study. You may exchange stories, problems as well as solutions their, which make your study more interesting and efficient.Achieving your goals without proper training is a sure road to failure. Knowing about a topic and having special expertise in it are completely different. One cannot be an expert in the IT industry without the proper foundation.
Taking a training class for ActualKey Microsoft test exam might be a guaranteed way.Online practice exams do not predict your future Microsoft 70-121 exam score, but the feedback that you receive can help you identify areas where you may need additional study, training, or hands-on work experience. Vendor of Microsoft offers free resource in their sites. These practice exams are the closest to the real exams.
As IT grows, so does the certification. There are many web site that contain 70-121 study notes, 70-121 practice papers, 70-121 brain dumps, 70-121 study guides, 70-121 exam answers to the questions asked in the 70-121 practice exams or 70-121 practice test but 70-121 ActualKey has the right and 100% accurate guideline which can lead you to success.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Google launches Person Finder for Japanese quake victims
Google was quick to launch a version of its People Finder service to help people find each other in the wake of the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan Friday.
The service, set up to work in both English and Japanese, is designed to let people inquire about others, as well as post information -- where they are, their condition -- about themselves or someone else.
[ Stay ahead of the key tech business news with InfoWorld's Today's Headlines: First Look newsletter. ]
While Google notes on the site that it cannot verify the accuracy of any of the information put into the Person Finder app, all of the data is available to the public.
At 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday, the new app already had 7,200 records available.
Google announced the new version of its People Finder service on Twitter early Friday morning.
Google also posted a tsunami warning on what is its generally sparse search home page. Just below the search bar, Google has written, "Tsunami Alert for New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and others. Waves expected over the next few hours, caused by 8.9 earthquake in Japan."
As for its Person Finder, this isn't the first time that Google has quickly launched a new version of it in the wake of a tragedy.
In February of last year, Google created a Chile-centric version after a massive earthquake hit that country. And in January of 2010, Google created a Person Finder in the wake of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed. Her email address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.
The service, set up to work in both English and Japanese, is designed to let people inquire about others, as well as post information -- where they are, their condition -- about themselves or someone else.
[ Stay ahead of the key tech business news with InfoWorld's Today's Headlines: First Look newsletter. ]
While Google notes on the site that it cannot verify the accuracy of any of the information put into the Person Finder app, all of the data is available to the public.
At 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday, the new app already had 7,200 records available.
Google announced the new version of its People Finder service on Twitter early Friday morning.
Google also posted a tsunami warning on what is its generally sparse search home page. Just below the search bar, Google has written, "Tsunami Alert for New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and others. Waves expected over the next few hours, caused by 8.9 earthquake in Japan."
As for its Person Finder, this isn't the first time that Google has quickly launched a new version of it in the wake of a tragedy.
In February of last year, Google created a Chile-centric version after a massive earthquake hit that country. And in January of 2010, Google created a Person Finder in the wake of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed. Her email address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.
The reports of Windows death are greatly exaggerated
Dear Skeptical,
I think what you're reading is mostly based on sales figures for all end-user devices and relative numbers of page reads by different browsers and operating systems. If IT's responsibilities were based on the number of end-user devices sold and on browser page reads, this would be interesting information.
IT's responsibilities, though, have a lot more to do with applications business users rely on to get work done. When you look in this direction, you get a very different bead on things.
So let's examine the intersection of where IT lives and Microsoft plays, and we'll see where that takes us. Ultimately, that means infrastructure and the end-user computing environment.
Let's check out infrastructure first -- in particular, the server OS, DBMS, app server, Web server, development kit, email, and content/document management solution. While IT has choices for all of these, Microsoft doesn't just continue to matter here; rather, it's probably the most innovative force in the industry in this space right now -- except in its ability to explain itself. The infrastructure story for Microsoft is excellent products coupled with incoherent storytelling.
Then there's the end-user computing environment (what's usually mislabeled the "client").
What a lot of analysts miss is quite simple and basic: Microsoft Office file formats are the industry de facto standard, and no amount of de jure standards setting will change that any time soon. Thus, any business that has to exchange documents with other companies has to use Microsoft Office, because the best any competitor can say is that its product can read and write Microsoft Office files.
That isn't the same thing as rendering them properly, and the fact of the matter is, no matter which Office competitor you use, it will scramble Word documents that do any serious formatting at all. As for PowerPoint, you have no idea just how bizarre the results can be until you try running a PowerPoint animation in a competitor's piece of software.
There is a work-around that lets you provide Microsoft Office to employees using other platforms: You can run Windows on a server in the data center and use VDI to push it out to client devices. Think that makes Windows less important as a client platform? Of course it doesn't -- Windows is still the client platform, but you'll run it in a virtual machine instead of natively.
Microsoft gets a lot of dings because it just can't seem to get things right in the mobile space. It's an eminently fair criticism -- every version of Windows Mobile so far has been at least one step behind the industry, and there's no hint yet that Microsoft has the ability to leapfrog its competition. It's natural to figure Microsoft's presence in mobile computing is and will be limited to laptops, which will remain the portable devices of choice for those who plan to do serious work that requires a keyboard for quite a while.
For those who think they'll be happy with a tablet/keyboard combo, perhaps they will. If they're working with business documents, they'll do so by running a Citrix or VMWare client on their iPad or Xoom.
Here's your take-away: The increased importance of other platforms represents an expansion of what you'll be responsible for, not a substitution. Windows and Microsoft will be important for a number of years yet -- but so will other platforms and players.
--Bob
This story, "The reports of Windows' death are greatly exaggerated," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Bob Lewis's Advice Line blog on InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.
I think what you're reading is mostly based on sales figures for all end-user devices and relative numbers of page reads by different browsers and operating systems. If IT's responsibilities were based on the number of end-user devices sold and on browser page reads, this would be interesting information.
IT's responsibilities, though, have a lot more to do with applications business users rely on to get work done. When you look in this direction, you get a very different bead on things.
So let's examine the intersection of where IT lives and Microsoft plays, and we'll see where that takes us. Ultimately, that means infrastructure and the end-user computing environment.
Let's check out infrastructure first -- in particular, the server OS, DBMS, app server, Web server, development kit, email, and content/document management solution. While IT has choices for all of these, Microsoft doesn't just continue to matter here; rather, it's probably the most innovative force in the industry in this space right now -- except in its ability to explain itself. The infrastructure story for Microsoft is excellent products coupled with incoherent storytelling.
Then there's the end-user computing environment (what's usually mislabeled the "client").
What a lot of analysts miss is quite simple and basic: Microsoft Office file formats are the industry de facto standard, and no amount of de jure standards setting will change that any time soon. Thus, any business that has to exchange documents with other companies has to use Microsoft Office, because the best any competitor can say is that its product can read and write Microsoft Office files.
That isn't the same thing as rendering them properly, and the fact of the matter is, no matter which Office competitor you use, it will scramble Word documents that do any serious formatting at all. As for PowerPoint, you have no idea just how bizarre the results can be until you try running a PowerPoint animation in a competitor's piece of software.
There is a work-around that lets you provide Microsoft Office to employees using other platforms: You can run Windows on a server in the data center and use VDI to push it out to client devices. Think that makes Windows less important as a client platform? Of course it doesn't -- Windows is still the client platform, but you'll run it in a virtual machine instead of natively.
Microsoft gets a lot of dings because it just can't seem to get things right in the mobile space. It's an eminently fair criticism -- every version of Windows Mobile so far has been at least one step behind the industry, and there's no hint yet that Microsoft has the ability to leapfrog its competition. It's natural to figure Microsoft's presence in mobile computing is and will be limited to laptops, which will remain the portable devices of choice for those who plan to do serious work that requires a keyboard for quite a while.
For those who think they'll be happy with a tablet/keyboard combo, perhaps they will. If they're working with business documents, they'll do so by running a Citrix or VMWare client on their iPad or Xoom.
Here's your take-away: The increased importance of other platforms represents an expansion of what you'll be responsible for, not a substitution. Windows and Microsoft will be important for a number of years yet -- but so will other platforms and players.
--Bob
This story, "The reports of Windows' death are greatly exaggerated," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Bob Lewis's Advice Line blog on InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
InfoWorld review: Cisco UCS wows
Revolutionary. Cutting edge. State of the art. These are words and phrases that are bandied around so very many products in the IT field that they become useless, bland, expected. The truth is that truly revolutionary products are few and far between. That said, Cisco's Unified Computing System fits the bill.
To fully understand what Cisco has done requires that you dispense with preconceived notions of blade servers and blade chassis. Rewire your concepts of KVM, console access, and network and storage interfaces. Reorganize how you think of your datacenter as islands of servers surrounded by storage arrays and networks. Cisco had the advantage of starting from scratch with a blade-based server platform, and it's made the most of it.
[ Compare Cisco UCS to traditional blade server systems. Compare Cisco UCS to HP BladeSystem Matrix. ]
In short, UCS is built around a familiar concept -- the blade chassis -- but rearchitects it to enable both greater manageability and greater scalability. For the architectural background, read my summary, "How Cisco UCS reinvents the datacenter." This article focuses on the nitty-gritty details of UCS, and my experiences working with the system in a recent visit to Cisco's San Jose test labs.
UCS building blocks
A Cisco UCS chassis provides eight slots for half-width blades, each equipped with two Intel Nehalem processors, up to 96GB of RAM with 8GB DIMMs, two SAS drive slots, an LSI Logic SAS RAID controller, and a connection to the blade backplane. In addition, each blade is outfitted with a Cisco Converged Network Adapter, or CNA. The CNA is essentially the heart of the system, the component that makes UCS unlike traditional blade systems.
The CNA is a mezzanine board that fits a QLogic 4Gb Fibre Channel HBA and an Intel 10Gb Ethernet interface on a single board, connecting directly to the chassis network fabric. The presentation to the blade is two 10Gb NICs and two 4Gb FC ports, with two 10Gb connections to the backplane on the other side. The initial release does not support multiple CNAs per blade, or really even require one. But the CNA is integral to how the entire UCS platform operates, as it essentially decouples the blade from traditional I/O by pushing storage and network through two 10Gb pipes. This is accomplished through the use of FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet). Everything leaving the blade is thus Ethernet, with the FC traffic broken out by the brains of the operation, the Fabric Interconnects (FI).
So we have some number of CNA-equipped blades in a chassis. We also have two four-port 10Gb fiber interface cards in the same chassis and two FIs downstream that drive everything. It's not technically accurate to call the FIs switches, since the chassis function more like remote line cards populated with blades. No switching occurs in the chassis themselves; they are simply backplanes for blades that have direct connections to the FIs. Physically, the FIs are identical in appearance to Cisco Nexus 5000 switches, but they have more horsepower and storage to handle the FCoE to FC breakout tasks. They offer 20 10Gb ports, and they support a single expansion card each.
The expansion cards come in a few different flavors, supporting either four 4Gb FC ports and four 10Gb Ethernet ports, or six 10Gb Ethernet ports, or eight 4Gb FC ports. This is in addition to the twenty 10Gb ports built into each FI. There are also three copper management and clustering ports, as well as the expected serial console port. The FI is wholly responsible for the management and orchestration of the UCS solution, running both the CLI and GUI interface natively -- no outside server-based component is required.
To fully understand what Cisco has done requires that you dispense with preconceived notions of blade servers and blade chassis. Rewire your concepts of KVM, console access, and network and storage interfaces. Reorganize how you think of your datacenter as islands of servers surrounded by storage arrays and networks. Cisco had the advantage of starting from scratch with a blade-based server platform, and it's made the most of it.
[ Compare Cisco UCS to traditional blade server systems. Compare Cisco UCS to HP BladeSystem Matrix. ]
In short, UCS is built around a familiar concept -- the blade chassis -- but rearchitects it to enable both greater manageability and greater scalability. For the architectural background, read my summary, "How Cisco UCS reinvents the datacenter." This article focuses on the nitty-gritty details of UCS, and my experiences working with the system in a recent visit to Cisco's San Jose test labs.
UCS building blocks
A Cisco UCS chassis provides eight slots for half-width blades, each equipped with two Intel Nehalem processors, up to 96GB of RAM with 8GB DIMMs, two SAS drive slots, an LSI Logic SAS RAID controller, and a connection to the blade backplane. In addition, each blade is outfitted with a Cisco Converged Network Adapter, or CNA. The CNA is essentially the heart of the system, the component that makes UCS unlike traditional blade systems.
The CNA is a mezzanine board that fits a QLogic 4Gb Fibre Channel HBA and an Intel 10Gb Ethernet interface on a single board, connecting directly to the chassis network fabric. The presentation to the blade is two 10Gb NICs and two 4Gb FC ports, with two 10Gb connections to the backplane on the other side. The initial release does not support multiple CNAs per blade, or really even require one. But the CNA is integral to how the entire UCS platform operates, as it essentially decouples the blade from traditional I/O by pushing storage and network through two 10Gb pipes. This is accomplished through the use of FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet). Everything leaving the blade is thus Ethernet, with the FC traffic broken out by the brains of the operation, the Fabric Interconnects (FI).
So we have some number of CNA-equipped blades in a chassis. We also have two four-port 10Gb fiber interface cards in the same chassis and two FIs downstream that drive everything. It's not technically accurate to call the FIs switches, since the chassis function more like remote line cards populated with blades. No switching occurs in the chassis themselves; they are simply backplanes for blades that have direct connections to the FIs. Physically, the FIs are identical in appearance to Cisco Nexus 5000 switches, but they have more horsepower and storage to handle the FCoE to FC breakout tasks. They offer 20 10Gb ports, and they support a single expansion card each.
The expansion cards come in a few different flavors, supporting either four 4Gb FC ports and four 10Gb Ethernet ports, or six 10Gb Ethernet ports, or eight 4Gb FC ports. This is in addition to the twenty 10Gb ports built into each FI. There are also three copper management and clustering ports, as well as the expected serial console port. The FI is wholly responsible for the management and orchestration of the UCS solution, running both the CLI and GUI interface natively -- no outside server-based component is required.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Microsoft Office becomes Microsoft Excel Download
Many people today think about the pc and on-line for the number of grounds, like phone, processing, enterprise, among other things. The introduction of Microsoft Office download in to the commotion could have which means opened up lots of functionalities as slimmers the mentioned that these may receive many more wiped out excluding span. Actually, you can now let go over conventional lettering techniques that exploit pen and paper. Using the mainframe, you could with ease class into the language, control is just as simple, and if you are willing you latterly must connection a secure to design your verify. Similar amongst diverse central characteristics corresponding to computing, with this sort of appliances as Microsoft Excel.
A whole new victory could be making the method to the promote, that is certainly the Microsoft Office download kind. It is essentially an reflex design on the Microsoft Office scheme than really being kept in a CD where you will want that to install the software program within our machine. It is not advisable for you to worry once you elude your CD plus there isn't a demand convey it if with you. Supplying you've your computing device which is involved with the net, then you can readily complete Microsoft Excel download and Microsoft Word download and put in the computer software into the computing device. Within us action, you can begin by utilizing application fittings from the Microsoft formula!
What are the benefits and advantages that you ll get while using Microsoft Office download edition? You might by now have a pointer on at the top that this modern day computerized kind with the Microsoft office provides actually made the duration well over this clients many more convenient; specifically when you have Ms word download and Ms excel download Its elevated the portability inside the body this that you ll be able to advantageously get right of entry to your happiness on the place you perhaps and also each laptop you use, without having in an effort to perpetually bring round the CD bearing the software program records. Should you have a computer and on-line get right of entry to, then you certainly are amazing to go!
An extra feasible better what can completely appeal to customers would be the expenditure savings. In which achieve your loss savings authorized caused by? Primarily, the price of the item may well be low-cost because there is no should pay for the manufacturing and crowd in the CD that could contain the software program. All the client be required to salary propose are the certain Microsoft Office download variety and you may as a result become financial system a heap of money if you go with this method.
While you attempt to to take advantage of microelectronic model of these Microsoft Office, then could gain access to all other apparatus that are included in the approach. Disregardless of whether you must use Microsoft Word Download, Microsoft excel Download, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Alignment, plus different chief programs included in the Microsoft Office formula, that you are going to without a doubt be ready to get to them here. You may therefore rescue cash and time since you is potent to obtain the whole package you need to have a single download and cost!
Microsoft Office download report provides in reality transformed the means dieters consider this method. A redefined any an important computing application formula is about. When you wanted to enjoy the results of this product, after that make sure to download this kind at the moment which may incorporates MS excel download, Ms word download as well as other Microsoft Office Solution.
A whole new victory could be making the method to the promote, that is certainly the Microsoft Office download kind. It is essentially an reflex design on the Microsoft Office scheme than really being kept in a CD where you will want that to install the software program within our machine. It is not advisable for you to worry once you elude your CD plus there isn't a demand convey it if with you. Supplying you've your computing device which is involved with the net, then you can readily complete Microsoft Excel download and Microsoft Word download and put in the computer software into the computing device. Within us action, you can begin by utilizing application fittings from the Microsoft formula!
What are the benefits and advantages that you ll get while using Microsoft Office download edition? You might by now have a pointer on at the top that this modern day computerized kind with the Microsoft office provides actually made the duration well over this clients many more convenient; specifically when you have Ms word download and Ms excel download Its elevated the portability inside the body this that you ll be able to advantageously get right of entry to your happiness on the place you perhaps and also each laptop you use, without having in an effort to perpetually bring round the CD bearing the software program records. Should you have a computer and on-line get right of entry to, then you certainly are amazing to go!
An extra feasible better what can completely appeal to customers would be the expenditure savings. In which achieve your loss savings authorized caused by? Primarily, the price of the item may well be low-cost because there is no should pay for the manufacturing and crowd in the CD that could contain the software program. All the client be required to salary propose are the certain Microsoft Office download variety and you may as a result become financial system a heap of money if you go with this method.
While you attempt to to take advantage of microelectronic model of these Microsoft Office, then could gain access to all other apparatus that are included in the approach. Disregardless of whether you must use Microsoft Word Download, Microsoft excel Download, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Alignment, plus different chief programs included in the Microsoft Office formula, that you are going to without a doubt be ready to get to them here. You may therefore rescue cash and time since you is potent to obtain the whole package you need to have a single download and cost!
Microsoft Office download report provides in reality transformed the means dieters consider this method. A redefined any an important computing application formula is about. When you wanted to enjoy the results of this product, after that make sure to download this kind at the moment which may incorporates MS excel download, Ms word download as well as other Microsoft Office Solution.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Something You Should Know About Microsoft Xbox
As of today Xbox Live is the only online gaming service for video game consoles which charges a stipulated amount of fee for multiplayer gaming. In the following writeup, we will try to answer some FAQs about what is Xbox Live,what is xbox live cards,what is microsoft points and what is xbox 360 points.
What is Xbox Live?
Basically, Xbox Live is an online gaming cum content distribution service for Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360 which allows users to download and play games, chat with other users and download digital media. Microsoft launched this service in 2002 for Microsoft Xbox. Eventually in 2005, it was followed by the launch of upgraded version of Xbox Live which was compatible to Microsoft Xbox 360. Further in 2007, the service was enhanced and made compatible to devices with Windows platform. By subscribing to this service, the users get to access voice chat, video chat, download content, play multiplayer Xbox 360 games with other online users, stream movies and do a lot more. That being said, not all these services are available unless you are willing to pay for them.
What is Xbox Live Cards And Microsoft Points?
The purchase and use of Xbox gaming system enables the user gain points that can be used to carry out a number of functions in the gaming system. The wholesale Microsoft points are of various types and the cheap Microsoft points are an example of such points. The Xbox system can be accessed and purchased both on the internet and even locally. This system allows and gives provision of various and different games that offer variety of challenges. Players can decide to take a challenge with more advanced players online by making use of the some certain identified xbox live cards.
What is Xbox 360 Points?
Xbox Live Points is measured by Microsoft Points which is the coin of the Xbox Live Points Marketplace realm. Where to purchase xbox 360 live points quickly? TradeTang.com is your first choice for Competitive Price and Knight Service. Microsoft points are a kind of virtual currency that can be used to buy various games and other digital downloadable contents. For example if you want to buy a new game, then you can go to Xbox 360 Points Marketplace in the Xbox website and buy that game using Microsoft Points. It's Marketplace is a virtual store to download all your Xbox 360 related contents.
A refresher's guide on what is Xbox Live can help you understand the basics of this online gaming service offered by Microsoft for its Xbox video game consoles. Continue reading for more information about xbox 360 points, xbox live cards, microsoft points and xbox 360 live points on TradeTang.
What is Xbox Live?
Basically, Xbox Live is an online gaming cum content distribution service for Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360 which allows users to download and play games, chat with other users and download digital media. Microsoft launched this service in 2002 for Microsoft Xbox. Eventually in 2005, it was followed by the launch of upgraded version of Xbox Live which was compatible to Microsoft Xbox 360. Further in 2007, the service was enhanced and made compatible to devices with Windows platform. By subscribing to this service, the users get to access voice chat, video chat, download content, play multiplayer Xbox 360 games with other online users, stream movies and do a lot more. That being said, not all these services are available unless you are willing to pay for them.
What is Xbox Live Cards And Microsoft Points?
The purchase and use of Xbox gaming system enables the user gain points that can be used to carry out a number of functions in the gaming system. The wholesale Microsoft points are of various types and the cheap Microsoft points are an example of such points. The Xbox system can be accessed and purchased both on the internet and even locally. This system allows and gives provision of various and different games that offer variety of challenges. Players can decide to take a challenge with more advanced players online by making use of the some certain identified xbox live cards.
What is Xbox 360 Points?
Xbox Live Points is measured by Microsoft Points which is the coin of the Xbox Live Points Marketplace realm. Where to purchase xbox 360 live points quickly? TradeTang.com is your first choice for Competitive Price and Knight Service. Microsoft points are a kind of virtual currency that can be used to buy various games and other digital downloadable contents. For example if you want to buy a new game, then you can go to Xbox 360 Points Marketplace in the Xbox website and buy that game using Microsoft Points. It's Marketplace is a virtual store to download all your Xbox 360 related contents.
A refresher's guide on what is Xbox Live can help you understand the basics of this online gaming service offered by Microsoft for its Xbox video game consoles. Continue reading for more information about xbox 360 points, xbox live cards, microsoft points and xbox 360 live points on TradeTang.
Friday, March 4, 2011
First look Microsoft SharePoint 2010 beta spreads the wealth II
[ SharePoint 2010 will integrate closely with Microsoft Office 2010 and the new Office Web Apps. See "Office 2010 looks solid and smooth" and "Office suites in the cloud: Microsoft Office Web Apps versus Google Docs and Zoho." ]
The only quibble I have with this control is that it does not strip out the verbose and unnecessary styles created by Word when pasting Word documents into SharePoint pages and converting them to HTML. Good HTML isn't that hard to generate, and a filter for Word styles isn't that hard to write. I'd love to see this improved for the final product or a point release.
While not everyone has embraced the Office 2007 ribbon user interface wholeheartedly, it is by now familiar to most white-collar workers. The pervasive but context-sensitive implementation of the ribbon interface in SharePoint 2010 gives the entire product a cohesive feel while exposing large numbers of related functions together for each context.
Easy as wiki
HTML was never intended to be a writer-friendly markup language; the original designers of HTML assumed that it would always be generated by an editing tool. Wikis, on the other hand, were always intended to be easy to write. SharePoint 2010 supports wiki markup (specifically, MediaWiki-compatible links) and wiki-style WYSIWYG editing pretty much everywhere. In some ways, SharePoint 2010 is easier to use as a wiki than many wikis, although the size, expense, and breadth of SharePoint add up to overkill when a simple wiki will serve.
SharePoint has long supported some international sites, but now it fully supports a multilingual user interface, with dozens of languages supplied out of the box. In addition, it supportsr configuring fields within lists for multiple languages, as well as translations of user content.
Meta data, in the form of tags, formal taxonomies, user-created folksonomies, and bookmarks, add another dimension of classification to site navigation and content-based search. SharePoint 2010 supports all of these and can use them for targeting list content to specific audiences, for routing documents to specific libraries and folders, for displaying tag clouds, and for searching.
In addition to tagging, documents can be organized into document sets. The confusing proliferation of document versions that often happens in collaboration sites can now be controlled by declaring specific documents "in-place records," which are basically locked official files. Locking a file doesn't prevent future collaboration; it just marks and preserves that version of the document as "official." The in-place record can exist side by side with other versions of the same document.
FAST Search
SharePoint 2010 search comes in three levels: free, standard, and FAST Search. The last is an enhanced enterprise search engine based on the acquisition of FAST ESP. It searches SharePoint content in addition to content in file shares, Microsoft Exchange folders, databases, and connected line-of-business systems. The FAST Search results page shows document thumbnails with previews, people matches, and counts for search refinements by result type, site, author, and date.
You'd think that SharePoint was an online-only product, but Microsoft hasn't neglected occasionally connected mobile users. SharePoint Workspace 2010 is a desktop/laptop client, based on the software formerly known as Microsoft Office Groove; it provides a synchronized offline experience. I did not test this capability.
The only quibble I have with this control is that it does not strip out the verbose and unnecessary styles created by Word when pasting Word documents into SharePoint pages and converting them to HTML. Good HTML isn't that hard to generate, and a filter for Word styles isn't that hard to write. I'd love to see this improved for the final product or a point release.
While not everyone has embraced the Office 2007 ribbon user interface wholeheartedly, it is by now familiar to most white-collar workers. The pervasive but context-sensitive implementation of the ribbon interface in SharePoint 2010 gives the entire product a cohesive feel while exposing large numbers of related functions together for each context.
Easy as wiki
HTML was never intended to be a writer-friendly markup language; the original designers of HTML assumed that it would always be generated by an editing tool. Wikis, on the other hand, were always intended to be easy to write. SharePoint 2010 supports wiki markup (specifically, MediaWiki-compatible links) and wiki-style WYSIWYG editing pretty much everywhere. In some ways, SharePoint 2010 is easier to use as a wiki than many wikis, although the size, expense, and breadth of SharePoint add up to overkill when a simple wiki will serve.
SharePoint has long supported some international sites, but now it fully supports a multilingual user interface, with dozens of languages supplied out of the box. In addition, it supportsr configuring fields within lists for multiple languages, as well as translations of user content.
Meta data, in the form of tags, formal taxonomies, user-created folksonomies, and bookmarks, add another dimension of classification to site navigation and content-based search. SharePoint 2010 supports all of these and can use them for targeting list content to specific audiences, for routing documents to specific libraries and folders, for displaying tag clouds, and for searching.
In addition to tagging, documents can be organized into document sets. The confusing proliferation of document versions that often happens in collaboration sites can now be controlled by declaring specific documents "in-place records," which are basically locked official files. Locking a file doesn't prevent future collaboration; it just marks and preserves that version of the document as "official." The in-place record can exist side by side with other versions of the same document.
FAST Search
SharePoint 2010 search comes in three levels: free, standard, and FAST Search. The last is an enhanced enterprise search engine based on the acquisition of FAST ESP. It searches SharePoint content in addition to content in file shares, Microsoft Exchange folders, databases, and connected line-of-business systems. The FAST Search results page shows document thumbnails with previews, people matches, and counts for search refinements by result type, site, author, and date.
You'd think that SharePoint was an online-only product, but Microsoft hasn't neglected occasionally connected mobile users. SharePoint Workspace 2010 is a desktop/laptop client, based on the software formerly known as Microsoft Office Groove; it provides a synchronized offline experience. I did not test this capability.
First look Microsoft SharePoint 2010 beta spreads the wealth
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 is a major upgrade from SharePoint 2007 in several areas. It has a much improved user interface, especially for online editing. It supports more browsers. It does a better job of integrating with Microsoft Office. It provides more opportunities to developers and designers, as well as to shops that might want to consolidate other products (such as blogs and wikis and business applications) with SharePoint.
A Visual Upgrade feature allows gradual conversions of individual subsites from the look of SharePoint 2007 to that of the new SharePoint 2010 at the convenience of the site owners. Sandboxing allows custom code to be deployed with a minimum of risk. Centralized Web administration and rich PowerShell support simplify and speed management tasks. And a centralized "health analyzer" interface provides a farm-wide dashboard.
[ Take InfoWorld's quick visual tours of SharePoint 2010 features: SharePoint 2010: What's new for users | SharePoint 2010: What's new for IT pros | SharePoint 2010: What's new for developers ]
Visual Studio 2010 supports a dozen kinds of SharePoint 2010 projects, can deploy both sandboxed and farm-wide custom projects, and can debug code deployed to SharePoint. SharePoint Designer, essentially a customized version of Expression Web, supports site design at a professional level and even allows nonprogrammers to build simple applications. Interfaces via .Net, REST, XML, and JavaScript allow programmers to tie a SharePoint site to line of business applications and databases, as well as to other applications into SharePoint.
For performance reasons, SharePoint 2010 is 64-bit, and it requires 64-bit Windows Server 2008, as well as 64-bit SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008. (SharePoint 2010 also requires .Net 3.5, which is free.) Microsoft announced these parameters last April, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but some companies may need to factor the cost of new hardware and infrastructure into their budget for upgrading SharePoint.
Pricing for SharePoint 2010 has not yet been released. Assuming that Microsoft prices SharePoint 2010 upgrades reasonably and that the projected server consolidation savings outweigh the up-front cost of new 64-bit servers, SharePoint 2010 should be a must-have upgrade for enterprises that currently depend on SharePoint 2007.
SharePoint 2010 for users
SharePoint has long been a versatile platform for all sorts of internal and public Web sites, with an emphasis on group collaboration sites, and SharePoint 2010 has greatly improved and expanded those capabilities. It is more flexible and more capable, has a much improved user interface, and does a better job of implementing multilingual sites. Not every public Web site needs to support dozens of languages, but those that do might seriously consider SharePoint 2010 as an alternative to heavyweight open source Web frameworks such as Drupal.
The online HTML editor in SharePoint 2007 was weak by any measure, and at least one third-party ISV had a nice business selling a better SharePoint edit control. The online editor in SharePoint 2010 is not just improved, it is by far the best Web-based WYSIWYG editor I've seen. It faithfully brings the experience of editing with Microsoft Word to the Web, complete with live previews. Even better, it works just as well with Firefox as it does with IE 7 and IE 8, and almost as well with Safari. That this online editor is rolling out at the same time as Microsoft Word for the Web is no surprise.
A Visual Upgrade feature allows gradual conversions of individual subsites from the look of SharePoint 2007 to that of the new SharePoint 2010 at the convenience of the site owners. Sandboxing allows custom code to be deployed with a minimum of risk. Centralized Web administration and rich PowerShell support simplify and speed management tasks. And a centralized "health analyzer" interface provides a farm-wide dashboard.
[ Take InfoWorld's quick visual tours of SharePoint 2010 features: SharePoint 2010: What's new for users | SharePoint 2010: What's new for IT pros | SharePoint 2010: What's new for developers ]
Visual Studio 2010 supports a dozen kinds of SharePoint 2010 projects, can deploy both sandboxed and farm-wide custom projects, and can debug code deployed to SharePoint. SharePoint Designer, essentially a customized version of Expression Web, supports site design at a professional level and even allows nonprogrammers to build simple applications. Interfaces via .Net, REST, XML, and JavaScript allow programmers to tie a SharePoint site to line of business applications and databases, as well as to other applications into SharePoint.
For performance reasons, SharePoint 2010 is 64-bit, and it requires 64-bit Windows Server 2008, as well as 64-bit SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008. (SharePoint 2010 also requires .Net 3.5, which is free.) Microsoft announced these parameters last April, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but some companies may need to factor the cost of new hardware and infrastructure into their budget for upgrading SharePoint.
Pricing for SharePoint 2010 has not yet been released. Assuming that Microsoft prices SharePoint 2010 upgrades reasonably and that the projected server consolidation savings outweigh the up-front cost of new 64-bit servers, SharePoint 2010 should be a must-have upgrade for enterprises that currently depend on SharePoint 2007.
SharePoint 2010 for users
SharePoint has long been a versatile platform for all sorts of internal and public Web sites, with an emphasis on group collaboration sites, and SharePoint 2010 has greatly improved and expanded those capabilities. It is more flexible and more capable, has a much improved user interface, and does a better job of implementing multilingual sites. Not every public Web site needs to support dozens of languages, but those that do might seriously consider SharePoint 2010 as an alternative to heavyweight open source Web frameworks such as Drupal.
The online HTML editor in SharePoint 2007 was weak by any measure, and at least one third-party ISV had a nice business selling a better SharePoint edit control. The online editor in SharePoint 2010 is not just improved, it is by far the best Web-based WYSIWYG editor I've seen. It faithfully brings the experience of editing with Microsoft Word to the Web, complete with live previews. Even better, it works just as well with Firefox as it does with IE 7 and IE 8, and almost as well with Safari. That this online editor is rolling out at the same time as Microsoft Word for the Web is no surprise.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
ActualKey Microsoft MCITP Preparation
Thousands try and fail their exams every month using the mass media Microsoft Vista certificate and MCITP class route. The problem with Microsoft MCITP classes however is the time commitment and tight schedule that are required, much like very expensive Microsoft MCITP boot camps. ActualKey saves students and individuals seeking legitimate Microsoft MCITP certification training by creating modular preparation packages that can be combined into a full Microsoft MCITP cert training experience. This format keeps the training affordable and flexible to the professional's schedule.
Using many of the same training techniques and solid foundation found in a Microsoft MCITP bootcamp, ActualKey allows your schedule to be free and train when it is convenient to you. This method is unique to our Microsoft MCITP course and simply cannot be duplicated in typical Microsoft MCITP classes.
ActualKey helps you go beyond the Microsoft free Microsoft exam papers details and position you to pass your MCITP exam papers with confidence knowing you are best prepared to answer any applied Microsoft MCITP material using your foundational skills as a fully trained IT professional. Complete training is the only and best solution to ensure that your future and career are secured based on solid learning and understanding of even the most complicated Microsoft MCITP advanced topics. We accomplish this using a combination of Microsoft Certified IT Professional lab questions and thorough Microsoft MCITP online tests to monitor success and evaluate progress.
ActualKey has a multi-tiered approach to helping you pass the Microsoft MCITP exam paper. With a combination of tools that are designed for different levels of the exam, as well as for different styles of learning ActualKey products are the perfect Microsoft MCITP guide to absolute success. Every ActualKey solution begins with a fast and simple Microsoft MCITP download that brings CCNA certification the training to your door step, wherever it may be.
Using many of the same training techniques and solid foundation found in a Microsoft MCITP bootcamp, ActualKey allows your schedule to be free and train when it is convenient to you. This method is unique to our Microsoft MCITP course and simply cannot be duplicated in typical Microsoft MCITP classes.
ActualKey helps you go beyond the Microsoft free Microsoft exam papers details and position you to pass your MCITP exam papers with confidence knowing you are best prepared to answer any applied Microsoft MCITP material using your foundational skills as a fully trained IT professional. Complete training is the only and best solution to ensure that your future and career are secured based on solid learning and understanding of even the most complicated Microsoft MCITP advanced topics. We accomplish this using a combination of Microsoft Certified IT Professional lab questions and thorough Microsoft MCITP online tests to monitor success and evaluate progress.
ActualKey has a multi-tiered approach to helping you pass the Microsoft MCITP exam paper. With a combination of tools that are designed for different levels of the exam, as well as for different styles of learning ActualKey products are the perfect Microsoft MCITP guide to absolute success. Every ActualKey solution begins with a fast and simple Microsoft MCITP download that brings CCNA certification the training to your door step, wherever it may be.
Windows XP SP2 Support Ends Tuesday
This coming Patch Tuesday, July 13, will be the last day that security updates for Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be released.
After July 13, the product goes from its "Extended Support Phase" to "Self-Help Online Support." Security updates and non-security hotfixes will no longer be available. What will be left? For at least a year "Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources, are provided to help customers resolve common issues."
If you feel you must remain on Windows XP, your only practical option is to install Service Pack 3. More information about this situation can be found in this entry on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Blog.
This coming Patch Tuesday, July 13, will be the last day that security updates for Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be released.
After July 13, the product goes from its "Extended Support Phase" to "Self-Help Online Support." Security updates and non-security hotfixes will no longer be available. What will be left? For at least a year "Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources, are provided to help customers resolve common issues."
If you feel you must remain on Windows XP, your only practical option is to install Service Pack 3. More information about this situation can be found in this entry on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Blog.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
7 Windows 7 Registry Hacks
In the seven months since Windows 7 made its appearance, it’s already helped bury some of the bad will generated by its immediate and underloved predecessor, Windows Vista. We were a little bit skeptical at first about whether it was worth buying, but we’ve really come to appreciate its features, from increased speed to DirectX 11 support, as well as its overall attractiveness and ease of use.
Of course that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved a bit more in certain areas. Sure, keyboard and mouse shortcuts are nice, but you can only get more thorough personalization—like changing the look of the logon screen, the Taskbar, or even Internet Explorer 8′s title bar—by digging deeper—into the Registry.
Microsoft MCTS Certification, MCITP Certification and over 2000+ Exams at Actualkey.com
We did some investigating and dug up these seven tweaks that you can make to drastically change the way Windows 7 looks and behaves, most of which require spending only a few minutes in Regedit. (One requires spending a few seconds in Windows Explorer, too.) Insert the standard disclaimer here: Playing around in the Registry can be potentially dangerous to your computer, so don’t dive in unless you feel confident about looking for, and changing, things in the Registry.
The easiest way to start Regedit is to hit the Window key on your keyboard, type regedit, and then hit Enter. (You can also do this by clicking on the Start button as well.) Before you make any changes it’s probably smart to back up the key or subkey you’re planning on tinkering with. Once you’ve navigated to the key you’re planning to change, right-click on it and select “Export” from the pop-up menu. Pick a location to save the resulting REG file, and you’re protected.
In this story, Registry entries are frequently represented with quotation marks around them for clarity; you shouldn’t type those in when you’re making your changes. And once you’ve changed a key, it won’t take effect right away—you’ll need to exit Windows (or reboot) and restart first.
Have a favorite Registry tweak or hack of your own? Let us know in the comments.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Presenting the Most Preferred Desktop Database System
As you know, there are different types of databases and when it comes to desktop database system, Microsoft Access database is without doubt the most preferred across the globe. It is also one of best-selling desktop database systems. And this database comes with Microsoft Office Professional suite of business products. As such, you can also buy computers in which comes with this suite so that you need not install the product additionally. And since Microsoft is software giant whose domination is simply overwhelming, any product from Microsoft will be supported by your system in the future. And Microsoft will continue to improve the database in the coming years. Another reason to prefer Microsoft Access is its ease of use. Since an overwhelming majority of the computers uses Microsoft operating system and other products from this software giant, familiarizing with Access will not be a problem. In fact, you will find it easy to use and user-friendly.
Well, there are other advantages of using Access database other than being a product of Microsoft. One of these is its cost-effectiveness. As this database is available as a package with other software solutions from Microsoft, you actually end up saving some bucks. Nevertheless, this product can be integrated easily with Microsoft Office. This means the end users can benefit. Not only this, Access databases are cheaper to implement in comparison to other database systems including SQL Server and Oracle. Also, it requires lesser maintenance cost which also adds up to its cost-effectiveness. Moreover, the consulting rate of Access is lower, again in comparison with Oracle and SQL Server consultants.
Access also has functional benefits. This database is a multi-user. Multiple users can access this database simultaneously. Another benefit is that Microsoft Access Software is scalable. This means you can upgrade this software to meet your time defined requirements. And this software in itself is getting better with each new version launched. And you can bank on Microsoft for improved versions in the future.
Database software developers also prefer Microsoft Access due to its low development cost. Alpha Software, a leading database developer, offers all kinds of database software development at the most competitive rates.
Well, there are other advantages of using Access database other than being a product of Microsoft. One of these is its cost-effectiveness. As this database is available as a package with other software solutions from Microsoft, you actually end up saving some bucks. Nevertheless, this product can be integrated easily with Microsoft Office. This means the end users can benefit. Not only this, Access databases are cheaper to implement in comparison to other database systems including SQL Server and Oracle. Also, it requires lesser maintenance cost which also adds up to its cost-effectiveness. Moreover, the consulting rate of Access is lower, again in comparison with Oracle and SQL Server consultants.
Access also has functional benefits. This database is a multi-user. Multiple users can access this database simultaneously. Another benefit is that Microsoft Access Software is scalable. This means you can upgrade this software to meet your time defined requirements. And this software in itself is getting better with each new version launched. And you can bank on Microsoft for improved versions in the future.
Database software developers also prefer Microsoft Access due to its low development cost. Alpha Software, a leading database developer, offers all kinds of database software development at the most competitive rates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)