Windows 8 is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet, and home theater PC.
Development of the operating system is started before the release of its predecessor in 2009. Its existence was first announced in January 2011 at the Consumer Electronics Show. During its development and testing phase, Microsoft released three pre-release version: Developer Preview (September 13, 2011), Consumer Preview (29 February 2012), and Preview Release (31 May 2012). On August 1, 2012, Windows 8 graduates from the stage of development and will be released to manufacturing. Windows 8 is scheduled for general availability on October 26, 2012.
Windows 8 introduces significant changes to the operating system's graphical user interface and platform, such as a new interface design includes a new design language used by other Microsoft products, a new Start screen to change the Start menu used previous versions of Windows, a new online store that can be used to get new applications, including a new platform for apps with an emphasis on the touchscreen input. Additional security features have been added to the operating system, such as a built-in antivirus program and a secure boot feature in system with UEFI firmware. Secure boot requires the operating system to protect digital sign malware from infecting the boot process. The implementation of this feature has sparked controversy one of the supporters of free software. Windows 8 introduces an edition of the operating system designed to run on devices that use the ARM architecture, known as Windows RT.
Early announcements Windows 8 development started before Windows 7 was sent in 2009. In January 2011, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft announced that Windows 8 will be adding support for ARM microprocessors in addition to the x86 microprocessors from Intel, AMD and through. On June 1, 2011, Microsoft officially unveiled Windows 8 new user interface as well as additional features in the Taipei Computex 2011 in Taipei (Taiwan) by Mike Angiulo and the D9 conference in California (United States) by Julie Larson-Green and Microsoft Windows President Steven Sinofsky. A month before the build conference was held, Microsoft opened a new blog called "Building Windows 8" for users and developers on August 15, 2011.
Today there are many choices of iPhone cases that you can choose from. It's great when you pick an iPhone case that is right for you. Most iPhone cases will last for the life of your phone if you take good care of it. There are so many different types of cases that you can choose from today. You do not have a hard time finding a case that will last for a long time.
When you are choosing an iPhone case there are several reasons. Most iPhone cases are not cheap and some can be very expensive. You need to determine the amount of money you want to spend on an iPhone case. You also need to consider how much you overstepping your iPhone is going to take. Determining how much abuse and use your iPhone case will take you to a better decision in the buying process.
In the range of iPhone cases are down to five basic choices about what to cover your case. Your iPhone covers are either rubber, metal, leather or plastic. None of these coverings is best to determine what type of cover you like best and that fits your price range. The leather covers are the most expensive and rubber covers are the least expensive. If you have a long history of drop your iPhone, then you can consider the case of metals. The selection of coverings really comes down to your lifestyle. You can choose a covering with a specific theme and color here. Conduct you decide you want it.
When you are choosing a case you can always go online and see how different iPhone cases are reviewed. It can also help your decision making process. You can also see what is selling iPhone cases as well. Once online you can see what kind of case really fits. Can also be a good decision to buy your iPhone case online as well, many times they sell items cheaper online.
You Can Get The Best iPhone Cases From www.shophive.com
Android developers now a day has developed Cool Android Apps, more than 100,000 Cool Android Apps has been developed, here are the best 5 Android Apps by my choice.
Because Apple easily accessible, the user-friendly apps, the concept is introduced, the smart phone ownership was never so much fun. But the problem with Apple is that they have a closed club. Either an Apple fan boy (or girl) does or does not like. However, Google's Android has changed all that. Smart Phone Apps that have to be considered the exclusive domain of the state is now Apple. Also, the introduction of the Windows 7 phone, smart phone applications market growing rapidly.
Android Apps is the fact that the beauty of open source Android operating system. Google is very much in smart here, bedrooms allows developers creativity to shine through, and although Android Apps before they go some way Apple apps to reach over 280,000, there are many to choose from. Such a simple question, what are the top 10 Android Apps you should have?
Here are my current options, all free. I warn that with new releases every week, and it shall be modified to add. Apps I tried to select a range of activities, so games, productivity, social media, etc.. There is a wide selection
1. Gmail and Google Calendar
Now I know that it will not be more exciting to do something. It is a bit of a no-brainer for me, as I live in my Gmail account. Instant access to many accounts, is a corresponding. Since Android is a Google Apps, Gmail works seamlessly, as one might expect.
2. Tweet Deck
I have friends stream, but I believe that a HTC phone app which converges on Facebook and Twitter status updates. Tweetdeck a similar thing for you to see what Twitter, truths, and all the buzz is happening on the screen allows. Once the information is constantly updated with. You can also update your status for all accounts directly with an update.
3. Goggles
So this is one of the fun, but surprisingly practical applications of Google Labs. Looking through these pictures, take a picture and then do a Google search based on the analysis of images. The bar codes and QR codes (see the strange black and white squares pattern) but works. See a product, take a picture, and you think the products, or related products will provide Amazon price.
4. WordPress
It is strongly being productive section. I have a number of WordPress blogs, and efficient application to directly update my blog, and check out the posts and pages, add comments and see all of your visitor statistics, all while sitting the car makes. This allows for multiple blogs, and easily switch between them.
5. Evernote
Well, I know it will have banners, but you know what Evernote, version of an Android app that familiar with. Evernote note pad an online website where you notes, clippings, and photographs may want to save. The application to take pictures, write notes or even record audio notes and upload them to your Evernote account lets on.
Dropbox Online Storage Software Is Now Giving 32GB Online Storage Free With Dropbox Online Storage Software's News Package.
Dropbox is literally one of the most used apps and web tools in education today. That is according to a recent survey we did Edudemic. So no surprise that Dropbox has noticed this ... and want to keep edu-train rolling.
To encourage more students to use their service, Dropbox has begun to offer an extra incentive to use cloud storage services. Side note: I use Dropbox just about every day and it's great.
Dropbox has started a program called "Space Race" (get it? Disk space?), You can get an extra 3GB of extra storage for 2 years if you use one. Edu email address. This could prove problematic if you do not have an address. Edu (I know many have. Amin,. ORG, or. K12 address) If you fail to get fellow students to sign up, you can get 25GB for free.
Dropbox is holding a promotion for students where you can get 3GB of extra space on Dropbox for two years, plus more depending on how many people in your school sign.
To sign up for Dropbox "Great Space Race," all you have to do is go to the link below and type in a valid. EDU email address (maybe even if you are not a student it). After you confirm it, you should see 3 GB of extra space in your account. If you get others in your school to sign up too, you'll get even more space, continue all the way up to 25GB.
Is a Microsoft Surface tablet priced at $ 499 good enough to entice you away from the Apple iPad might want to consider? That's the question facing Microsoft today.
Microsoft today has announced the price of Windows RT Surface, the company's first branded tablet, launching October 26.
Tablet will come in three price points, Microsoft said Tuesday:
• $ 499 for a 32-gigabyte version of the tablet. • $ 599 for a 32GB version with a black Touch Cover.
• $ 699 for a 64GB version with a black Touch Cover
The Touch Cover - a thin cover that doubles as a tablet and keyboard magnetically attaches to the Surface - is one of the key marketable Microsoft points for the tablet. The company sells Touch Cover - which is in black, white, magenta, cyan and magenta - separately for $ 119.99.
Microsoft also will sell separately Cover Type - a slightly thick cover of Surface switching key that looks more like a traditional keyboard. It will sell for $ 129.99 and have in black.
The prices disclosed Tuesday is in line with what Microsoft executives hinted all along.
In the first unveiling of the Surface in June, they said the price for Surface RT is comparable to other tablets. New Apple iPad starts at $ 499 for the 16GB version.
And last month, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with The Seattle Times that the "sweet spot" in the bulk of the PC market is between $ 300 and $ 700 to $ 800.
The RT RT Surface running Windows, the Windows 8 version designed to run on ARM-based processor. (Many tablets today, including the iPad, runs on chips built on technology developed by the Company in the arm, the British company. ARM-based chips notable for conserving battery usage.)
There is a version of Office installed which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. It does not run legacy Windows apps.
Microsoft is facing challenges not necessarily Top price point, said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with research firm Gartner.
"We know that consumers will spend $ 499 for something they want," said Gartenberg. What Microsoft has done is to convince consumers that "this is different. And why else better.
"It is a big challenge for Microsoft in terms of not only getting the product but also the message and the right marketing," said Gartenberg. "The challenge is directly on the iPad, which is very much seen by the consumer as the choice of the base. Microsoft is to convince them they do not buy the wrong platform."
There is another big shadow hanging over Surface: Apple announced on Tuesday an event on Oct. 23. The company expects to announce iPad Mini, a smaller - and maybe cheaper - version of its market-dominating iPad tablet.
Although other tools aimed Surface - more productivity-oriented - than the smaller and less expensive 7-inch tablet like the kindle fire and the iPad Mini expectations, it is still competing with companies that make them.
That is because the bigger battle is now not only between devices. Those devices are a simple way for consumers to access the huge range of services to companies and provide a way for the company to continue selling the service to the customer.
"It is not Surface vs. iPad vs. Nexus," Gartenberg said. "The Microsoft ecosystem ecosystem vs. Google vs. Apple ecosystem."
I've been living with a Nokia Lumia 800 running Windows Phone for over six months now. I say 'living' because mobile phones are so personal and as a smartphone it does so much. The alarm to get me up in the morning, checking the weather before going out, reading the news while waiting for the train, these and more are common place uses for what we loosly call a "phone". When we make a choice for a mobile phone these days we are stuck with it for one or two years depending on the subscription. As it is so personal, we need to make the right choice. Here I will explain about my choice, maybe it won't be yours but I hope you'll find it interesting.
Background From August 2009 to April 2012 I was using an HTC Hero running Android. It was a wonderful little smartphone. I was very happy with it, I embraced the world of Google, I switched to Gmail and having all my contacts in the cloud was perfect. No longer did I need to think of backing up my phone or managing contacts in multiple places.
In 2012 I wanted to upgrade to a new smartphone. Being used to and happy with my HTC running Android, my search started with the then new HTC One X and S models with Android Ice Cream Sandwich. I very nearly got the HTC One S because it was a good size for me and it was an amazing design. But something made me stop. There was a lot of advertising for the then still new Nokia Lumia 800. I wondered if I should make a change, try something new? The first thing I liked about the Nokia Lumia 800 was the hardware design. It is sleek and doesn't have bits sticking out of it (the HTC One S camera lens sticks out a little from the body). Crucially for me the Lumia 800 was small enough to go in my pocket - remember that I was used to the ultra compact HTC Hero.
But I paused and thought again about getting a Lumia 800. The hardware and design being great but it wasn't running Android. Did I really want to jump to Windows Phone? What about my Google contacts and Gmail? Would it work as seamlessly with my Google cloud? Would the Microsoft Windows Phone operating system tie me to Hotmail and other Microsoft solutions? I wondered. Also the stories in the press about few apps for Windows Phone - would this be a limiting factor?
I'd seen Windows Phone before on a colleagues mobile, I knew it was interesting but I wasn't convinced it was for me. I used a Lumia in a shop, I did some more research, watched reviews on Youtube and read articles. I finally took the plunge and bought a Nokia Lumia 800 in April 2012.
Compatibility The first thing I did was configure my Lumia for Gmail. It was very easy, Windows Phone has Gmail as a standard option. It was just as easy as it was on my Android phone. I could synchronise e-mails - easy. The Windows Phone built-in e-mail app is nice too. Then my contacts... yes, no problem, all my Gmail contacts synchronised. Just like on my Android I was also able to synchronise my Facebook contacts too and match them to my Gmail contacts. Excellent! In fact that part was easier and faster than I'd experienced on my old phone. The calendar also works. You add something in Gmail and it appears on your phone and the other way round too. It works.
What about IE (Internet Explorer)? On my desktop I use Google Chrome and so going back to IE felt strange at first but the thing is, it's just perception. In fact IE on Windows Phone is slick and works very well. The only odd thing is that it sometimes doesn't show the mobile version of a website when you'd expect it to. Apart from that, it does the job. Adobe Flash doesn't run though. At first I was upset with this but as there is an industry trend away from Flash this is less of an issue now. Apple was one of the first to drop it and even Adobe itself isn't producing new versions of the player for Android anymore. By the way, don't be worried about Youtube - it works fine on Windows Phone IE.
Interface
The iPhone has rows of static icons. Android has static icons and widgets providing live information. Windows Phone has live tiles. Tiles give it a clean look and pracitically tiles are easy to press as they are a good size and not fiddly. Best of all, tiles are alive! This means you get live information shown on the tile - you don't have to enter the app. You can have as many tiles as you like, the screen scrolls vertically.
If you swipe to the right you see the full app list. You can pin any app tile to the start screen. On the start screen you can easily move tiles around by pressing and dragging. It is easy and slick. The speed and responsiveness is excellent. There's no lag or slowdown when using Windows Phone, at least not in my experience with the Lumia 800 (which surprisingly only has a single core CPU).
All Windows Phones have three physical buttons. The Back, the Windows (start) and Search. When you have apps open, press the back button to go leave them or cancel something you are doing. But if you want to leave the app open, press the Windows button, it takes you back to the start screen. The app is left running, this is multi-tasking. If you want to see what is running, press the Back button, hold it down and you'll see a list of open apps.
Apps
The Windows Phone market place has much fewer apps than the Google or Apple store. But don't let this put you off. There are still many thousands of apps for Windows Phone. There's a huge number of free apps, I've not purchased even one so far, yet I have a lot installed. Every day I read the BBC news, I read Endgaget, I use WhatsApp, SoundHound, etc! Of course it is true that not all software companies support Windows Phone or they make apps for it last after the more popular operating systems. However, it isn't the spartan app world that is sometimes portrayed. There are a lot of great Windows Phone apps.
Nokia have really been trying to boost their Lumia range by making apps. Their phones come with Nokia Maps, Drive, Local Scout and more. These are truly useful, quality apps. I've used Nokia Maps and it's almost as good as Google Maps, maybe I am saying "nearly" only because I am used to Google Maps? There's something called Nokia City Lens - point the phone in a direction and it'll show you points of interest nearby by overlaying labels onto the camera view. It's really clever but so far I've not used it for real, to find a restaurant for example. It shows Nokia is dedicated to innovation.
Nokia Music is an app that comes with Lumia phones and it's excellent. Frankly I don't listen to music a lot but I can see that this is great. You can download free music! Completely free, no catch. The following video explains:
There are a lot of free photo/camera related apps to download. Recently there was an app called Photo Extras that added new functionality directly into the camera software. This was welcome but my favourite photo app is PhotoSynth. It lets you take panorama photos - but special ones! They are 3D. It's easiest if you experience it yourself, click here.
I used to have a Blackberry Bold 9000 from work. It always had problems when it came to reading attachments. With my Lumia there are no such issues because it comes with MS Office mobile pre-installed. Word, Excel and Powerpoint! Plus you get OneNote which I've used a lot for jotting down notes when I've been out at the shops or where ever. Your files can be even be saved to Skydrive, the cloud!
Cloud
In order to save Notes files and the configuration of your phone to the cloud, you have to have a Microsoft Windows Live account. This is free and they don't ask you for a credit card (unlike Apple). With a Windows Live account you get Skydrive, which is a free cloud storage drive (like DropBox or Google Drive). Skydrive integrates seamlessly into Windows Phone, you can even see photos stored on Skydrive in your phone's gallery. In May 2012 I installed Windows 8 Preview on an old desktop computer. It asked me to login with my Windows Live account - it was great, my Gmail, my Google Calender, my Google Contacts, it all came to my desktop.
Facebook Back in 2009 my Android phone linked to my contacts to my Facebook account. Windows Phone does the same and more. The best part is that it does it in a seamless way and it is reliable. You have control, you choose if you link to Facebook or not. I like this a lot as I use Facebook and the integration is so good that I hardly ever open the Facebook app. Instead click a contact and you'll see their status update, photos, etc. Posting photos is very easy, there's a little button, click it and you can share to Facebook, Twitter, etc. The Facebook integration goes even further. The messaging app where you send SMS texts, press an on screen button and you can send Facebook instant messages from the same place. I've used it and I like it, unfortunately few people use the Facebook instant messanger. In addition to all of this integration, there is also a very good official Facebook app you can download and install.
Search and More Windows Phones have a dedicated search button that brings up the Bing search. Not only does this allow you to search the web but also, with the press of a button, you can scan barcodes. If you are in a shop and want to get more details on a product you can point your phone at the barcode and it'll search and give you the details. It's practical and you don't need to install an app to get this functionality. You can translate text too. OK, it doesn't sound all that amazing but what's nice here is that if, for example, you have a letter written in another language, your Windows Phone can scan the text and translate it for you. It's automatic and there's no app to download. The iPhone 4 and above have a feature called "Siri" where you can speak to your phone. Windows Phone has a similar feature called Tell Me. You can create text messages by just speaking, it will read text messages too. I've tried it and it works well but for me I am not that keen on voice activation, I can type pretty fast ;-) Here's a video that shows this feature:
Reliable Windows Phone is reliable. I've not had to switch off/on my Lumia. I've never seen any kind of crash so far. It works as fast now as ever. It is impressive, at least in the six months I've been using it.
Nokia Lumia 800
The Nokia Lumia 800's smooth screen, curved edge and unibody design really make it feel like a quality product in the hand. It's hard to explain but it just feels right. Here's a short video by TechnoBuffalo that compares the design to the iPhone 4:
I like the feel of this phone, it's easy to carry, I slip it into my trouser pocket every morning. The screen is tough and scratch proof. I can say from experience that after more than six months of use it is as new. The screen resolution of the Lumia 800 is not as good as many phones on the market now but somehow you don't notice that much because it is still a very bright screen with a lot of contrast. It's clear and usually I don't find it a problem to see the screen unless the sun is very bright or directly on the screen.
For in-depth information on the Lumia 800 here's the link to Wikipedia's page:
Conclusion After more than six months living with Windows Phone I can say that I am happy. It's slick and easy to use. It is fast, responsive and reliable. The screen is uncluttered, it feels fresh and clean. If you are looking for a new phone then take a look at Windows Phone, you maybe pleasantly surprised.
Posted by UnknownMinggu, 14 Oktober 20120
komentar
Often when using Illustrator you need to create a PDF copy of your illustration. You may need to share it with colleagues or a customer, perhaps for their input. The resulting PDF file can be very big and difficult to e-mail. You could of course use Skydrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or similar. But you can also reduce the size of the PDF substantially - here's how:
Open your Illustrator .ai file (always keep this file safe, it's your master file)
Click File| Save a Copy
Change 'Save as Type' to Adobe PDF
Click Save
Change 'Adobe PDF Preset' to Smallest File Size
Click Save PDF
In my tests I found that with the Default setting I had a 6MB file. With the Smallest File Size setting I had a 110KB file!!! That's a small fraction of the file size.
IMPORTANT!!!
The Smallest File Size PDF will be great for on-screen viewing. However, for printing the quality will NOT be perfect. Change it back to the Default setting if you want high quality for printing.
Introduction I used to have an HTC Hero Android phone, it had a great weather app built into it. You'd get rain drops on your screen, sunshine, all kinds of animation. In April 2012 change to the Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone 7.5, there was no weather app included! Nothing! What to do? I know animations will be thin on the ground because Windows Phone is about simplicity and speed. However, I want a functional and practical weather app for my Lumia. Here I'll explain about my experiences with four weather apps. As always this is just my opinion but I hope it is of use.
Four Weather Apps There are many weather apps available for Windows Phone, most of them are free but there are some with a price tag. I have chosen to look at four free weather apps:
Microsoft Weather
AccuWeather
Weather Duck
Weather View
I had these four apps installed for a few weeks. At first I tried to give each a fair chance but eventually just let myself naturally decide which was best by which one I reached for.
Generally
Generally all four apps provide the same basic information, the weather now and a forecast for the week ahead. Also, all of these apps you can enter a number of locations and pin a shortcut tile to your start page. Some do have some more features and that might sway you in making your choice. For me I would like simplicity and clarity. Typically I look at the weather once in the morning and possibily later on, depending on how changeable the weather is. For me easy of use and speed are most important, I'll explain more as I go through each of the apps:
1. Microsoft Weather
Everything about this app is simple. The graphics are very plain. This is a little disappointing at first but sometimes I was glad of this because it is quick to see what the weather will be. There's no fuss with this app. The live tile is sometimes a little slow to update but when it does you get the temperature and the weather now shown. Touch the tile and it opens very quickly to display the weather now and for the hours ahead. Humidity and UV index are also shown. If you swipe sideways you'll see the forecast. The forecast page only shows a list of the coming days of the week with high/low temperatures and a weather symbol.
It's free and does not have advertising. The interface is uncluttered.
This is a very popular app and for good reason. It has lots of information. The graphics are clear and easy to read, it's very nice. However, the live tile isn't so live. Touch the tile and it is slow to open. Then you have to swipe to and touch again to see the weather for today. Don't get me wrong, it's a great little app, it's free (there is an advertising banner) and the forecast is accurate. But, for me it is not fast and simple enough. During my test I used it less and less.
This app is a little like the Microsoft Weather app. Weather Duck is fast to open and the information you need is shown on the screen without any fuss. The live tile is also good, it shows the temperature and a weather symbol, it also flips over to show the rain fall and wind speed. The graphics are a little more sophisticated than the Microsoft Weather app. There is an advertising banner inside as with AccuWeather but Weather Duck's interface is cleaner. Swipe to the side and you can see the weather for the days to come. Similar to Microsoft Weather? Weather Duck shows a page for each day so you can see more details. I prefer this as it even shows the rainfall in millimeters for each hour of the day.
This app has more elaborate graphics. Each weather symbol is rendered with detail and you can see a lot of work has gone into this app. When you touch the tile it opens slowly. The first view is shows today and the following days down the screen. The screen looks a bit too cluttered for my taste. You have to swipe sideways to get more information. There is a lot of detail and you can see a lot of work has gone into this. If the graphics were not so much 'in your face' I think I would like it more. It doesn't have an advertising banner so it is completely free.
Out of the four I use Weather Duck (number 3) more than the others. I found the weather forecast was accurate and detailed. It's also quick to load and the graphics don't overwhelm you (like Weather View!). I also like Microsoft Weather for its true simplicity but it lacks details such as a per hourly forecast. Sometimes when I wanted even more detail I would look at AccuWeather but it just is a bit slow (or appears to be). Weather Duck gets my vote overall!
But don't forget there are more weather apps out there. Maybe there's something better? Feel free to add your favourite in the comments. Here's a link to the Windows Phone site showing the weather apps available:
