Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » janvier 10, 2012

BetaNews.Com (17 non lus)

Google's new personalized search raises antitrust concerns

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 9:23pm CET par Ed Oswald

Google is diving deeper into personalized search results, debuting a feature called "Google Plus Your World". But the debut of the service, which pulls results from your own content plus social circles from Google-owned services may catch the ire of regulators.

The company is fighting off calls on Capitol Hill over antitrust claims, and in September found itself testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. Senators wanted to gauge the power the Mountain View, Calif. company has over the search industry, and favoring Google's own service is sure to raise questions.

Personalized results are nothing new for Google. Starting in 2005, the company began ranking search results based on personal behaviors. This expanded two years later as the company integrated Google Account with its search functionality, and in 2009 Google began to integrate social results into the mix.

These social results are now intermixed with web results, and Tuesday's changes take it to the next level. Google now pulls from the user's own social accounts on Google as well as those people connected to him or her. Google+ gets tighter integration into the new search page, with relevant profiles and pages showing up in autocomplete as the user types a query.

By making Google+ such a large part of search -- as well as Picasa -- Google certainly is toeing the line of a company using monopoly to extend its reach into adjacent markets. Consider Microsoft's moves with Internet Explorer, which was bundled with Windows starting in 1998. Microsoft used its monopoly on PC operating systems to nudge into the browser market, where Netscape had overwhelming market share lead. How is what Google is doing different?

Consider this quote from Google Fellow Amit Singhal, and it sure seems like what's being introduced Tuesday is just the tip of the iceberg: "Search is simply better with your world in it, and we’re just getting started".

Such a feature is sure to accelerate usage of Google+. According to Hitwise, traffic to Google's social networking site was up 55 percent in December month-to-month. It's not clear exactly what caused this massive uptick, however, the holiday season may have resulted in the gifting of quite a few Android devices, which in turn may have resulted in increased usage of Google+.

Users will not be forced to use the new page layout. Results minus social connections can be seen by clicking the world icon button found on the upper right of results, and social results can be toggled back on by clicking the person icon also at the upper right. If a user so chooses, they can also search entirely within their own social circle, Singhal notes.

When social results are included, those results are indicated by a blue person icon to the left of the listing. Also, certain queries such as those on music or sports for example will generate a sidebar on the right hand side of the results. This sidebar displays relevant posts from Google+ within the user's circle of friends.

"You can connect with them on Google+, strike up meaningful conversations and discover entire communities in a way that simply wasn’t possible before", Singhal argues.

It's important to note that the social aspect of the new Google is completely dependent on Google+. Content from other social networks is not included, however, Google is not ruling out adding these networks in the future. Singhal says the terms of service prevent the company from crawling deeply enough to make the new personalized search results relevant, so it's up to those companies to reach out to Google.

That may not be enough for regulators who are looking at Google as the next big monopoly.
Hands-On: Android 4.0 devices hook up to any HDTV with MHL [video]

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 8:58pm CET par Tim Conneally

Last week, when Roku debuted the Smart Stick, essentially a set-top-box in a USB stick form factor, I made a point to seek out products at the Consumer Electronics Show that utilize the Mobile High-definition Link (MHL) standard that the Roku Smart Stick uses. Fortunately, I found representatives from the MHL Consortium who were more than happy to show how easy it is to connect an Android device to an MHL-compatibile television, and witness the uncompressed MHL experience first hand.

As of right now, there are about 50 devices (smartphones, televisions, tablets, etc) that support MHL; with the majority of them coming from South Korean CE leader Samsung.

But one of the most exciting things about MHL right now is that you don't have to wait to upgrade your TV to start using it. If you have a mobile device such as the Galaxy Nexus, or the HTC Rezound or Sensation, you can get a $25 converter and immediately start taking advantage of MHL.

The Accell MHL-to-HDMI converter, for example, lets you hook up your mobile device and immediately begin using MHL. This means your smartphone or tablet will charge over HDMI, it will output video up to 1080p and up to 8-channel audio, and it will become controllable with your television's remote control via the RCP (remote control protocol).

It's a cheap addition to anyone's bundle of cables and empowers your HDMI cable with the awesome MHL standard.
Apple scares TV manufacturers into Google's open arms

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 8:50pm CET par Joe Wilcox
There's something strange happening at Consumer Electronics Show 2012 that many pundits -- and, of course, the Apple Fanclub of bloggers and journalists -- pegged as impossible just six months ago. Even I asked "Who killed Google TV?" after Logitech, the first of two launch partners, lost its shirt, pants and shoes on Revue. The peripherals maker gave up on Google TV, leaving Sony to go it alone. In July 2011, I asserted: "There will be a second life for Google TV", but who could have guessed it would be this much?

At CES, television-set makers are simply falling over one another to be a Google TV partner, as judged by the number of announcements so far. I've got to wonder: How much of that is because of Apple? For months, there have been persistent rumors Apple is working on a TV. Naturally, the ridiculous rumor mill has this unannounced consumer electronics gear as being trendsetting -- genre transforming -- all sight unseen. Hold on, someone needs to grab me before I fall over laughing. But fear of anything Apple these days is quite the motivator, particularly if the fruit-logo company might stomp into your entrenched business. Better to adopt Google TV fast than be Apple roadkill.

Google TV's new supporters include LG, MediaTek, Samsung and Vizio -- and Sony has recommitted in a big way. For example, newcomer Vizio will offer the VBR430 3D Blu-ray player and VAP430 Stream Player, both with Google TV. LG is incorporating Google TV into its line of Smart TVs. Neither LG nor Vizio would specify launch dates or pricing.

Google TV will play an intimate role in Sony's "connected products" strategy. The company will offer a new streaming box and successor to its Blu-ray player, both running Google TV. The CE giant also plans to incorporate Google TV into more of its BRAVIA televisions.

Granted, CE devices are typically in development for a long time before going to market, so there's argument these partners were already on board. Except:
- After Logitech's huge profit warning and Google TV device inventory glut half a year ago, the platform's future looked uncertain and surely unappealing to prospective partners.
- Google TV 2.0 software only released in October, and the platform remains immature. In some ways I see v2 as a step backwards; it feels still very much a work in progress.
- Companies often announce products at CES but do not launch them for many months later. From Apple TV rumors to those future release dates, there is plenty of development time.
Something else: If you're a CE maker branching out into other devices, looking to offer, say, media players, smartphones, tablets and televisions what other unified-OS is there to chose from? Apple has got it with iOS, but you can't get it. Android is the next-best thing, particularly if the goal is to offer a reasonably unified user experience, with supporting content and games, across devices. Samsung and Sony already have established four-screen strategies (PC, smartphone, tablet and TV) and offer Android in some form across the range.

So perhaps, despite Logitech Revue's Google TV death dance, the platform has eight lives remaining -- and there Apple television rumors give CE makers reason to run to Google.
Qualcomm's Mirasol color e-readers are real, in production, and awesome

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 7:48pm CET par Tim Conneally

Leading Chinese E-reader maker Hanvon is the company to watch if you're interested in energy efficient color e-reader display technology. Last year, the company debuted the world's first color e-reader using E Ink's color E Paper display, and today, Qualcomm announced that Hanvon has created the thinnest e-reader yet to use Qualcomm's MEMS-based Mirasol display technology.

We've been eagerly awaiting Mirasol's commercial arrival for two years, and little appeared to change between the 2010 and 2011 Consumer Electronics shows. Both times, Qualcomm turned up with a dummy unit that had no real software to interact with, that simply ran a demo video. This year, it's all changed. There are now three major companies pushing Mirasol e-readers in Asia, and we finally get to see how well they work.

Just yesterday, Qualcomm announced its first Chinese product to offer a Mirasol display, the Shanghai Nutshell Bambook. This 5.7" Android 2.3-based device is essentially a Chinese version of the Kyobo e-reader that debuted in South Korea last November. It runs on a Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon S2-class processor, and is quite responsive. One of the very cool parts about the device is its ability to intelligently switch backlighting on and off depending upon ambient lighting conditions, making usage of it much easier. We take a look at it in the video we've embedded above.

Hanvon's C18, announced today, features the same screen, processor, and Android underpinnings, but it offers a slightly flatter chassis and lighter weight than the other two Mirasol e-readers, which are based on Qualcomm's reference design. I'll be on the CES showfloor this afternoon, and I'll snap some photos of just how much thinner this e-reader is than the ones I played with last night.
Hands-on with the One Laptop Per Child XO-3 tablet [video]

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 6:55pm CET par Tim Conneally

At CES 2012, semiconductor company Marvell has shown up at the center of two major projects that shifted from x86-based systems to ARM-based systems. In both cases, it has also been a project that Intel had withdrawn from: Google TV, and One Laptop Per Child.

Marvell's Google TV platform announcements came quickly and with little forewarning; but its OLPC participation has been long-running and easy to track. At CES 2011, we saw the OLPC XO 1.75 running on Marvell's Armada 610 chipset. The company announced this week that those devices ship worldwide in March 2012.

Even further back, we saw Marvell's first mockups for the "Moby" education tablet. This eventually became the One Laptop Per Child XO 3.0 Tablet, a prototype of which we got to see up close.

The 8-inch OLPC XO 3.0 tablet is built on the Marvell ARMADA PXA618 SOC processor, and Avastar Wi-Fi SOC. Like the original OLPC, it is highly ruggedized, waterproof, and designed for alternative charging solutions such as solar panels and friction dynamos. The display can be a standard LCD, or transflective Pixel Qi display for outdoor reading. It runs a touch-optimized version of the SugarOS, but it is fully capable of running Android, should the demand for that arise. It features Wi-Fi/Mesh networking only, a forward-facing webcam, and G-sensors for gaming or other creative uses, as you see in the video we've embedded below.

It could be argued that mobile tablets, like netbooks, are just a passing fad that will be replaced in a couple of years by something new. But moving beyond the simple popularity of tablets, this solution is actually a great approach to tackling the challenges of localization.

Tablets have the distinct benefit of not needing localized keyboards for different countries, the XO 3.0 is actually a more cost-effective solution on the supply side of things. The same units can be sent all over the world with only software changes. This could make the OLPC project more efficient and capable of broadening their reach even further.
Get smoked by Windows Phone, win $100

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 6:48pm CET par Ed Oswald

Microsoft is eager to prove itself in the mobile space, and is putting down $100 at Consumer Electronics Show 2012 betting Windows Phone can "smoke" the competition. Microsoft evangelist Ben Rudolph is roaming halls of the show this week, angling to duel with any willing participant. You win? You get $100 on the spot. You lose? Well, you have to admit defeat at the hands of Microsoft.

You got to admit, at least Microsoft isn't fading away into the CES night without a good fight or two first to prove it's still relevant.

"I’m so confident that Windows Phone makes things faster and easier that I’m willing to put a hundred bucks on the line to prove it", Rudolph writes in a blog post announcing the competition.

Participants are allowed any means necessary to perform the tasks, and pretty much any phone. Rudolph plans to be at the booth on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, but says he will spend the rest of the time roaming the streets of Las Vegas looking for challengers.

So, if you're in Las Vegas this week, and think Windows Phone is inferior to your smartphone and its operating system, head on over to Microsoft's booth and prove it. Who knows, you might just win $100 for it.

Of course, we'll let you know if we find out if anyone actually beats Rudolph.
Lost something in Windows? SearchMyFiles!

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 6:20pm CET par Mike Williams

The latest Windows Search is, in theory, a hugely powerful tool that enables you to construct all kinds of complex and detailed searches. So as well as entering wildcards, you can modify your results by looking for particular file sizes, types, modification dates, content, and even, say, MP3 files tagged with a particular year, or photos taken on a certain date.

In practice, you do have to remember a lengthy list of search filters to make all this work, and even then it won’t always be easy to find the files you need. So if you’re looking for a simpler alternative, which also has plenty of powerful options, then you might want to consider trying NirSoft’s SearchMyFiles.

Launch the program for the first time and you’ll see there’s no need to remember obscure filters here -- everything you can do has been crammed onto a single settings dialog. So you can search on file wildcards, by content (text or binary), size, attributes, creation/ modification/ last access time and more, just by choosing the relevant options.

Your searches can then be modified in some interesting ways. You’re able to search from multiple base folders, for instance; there’s the option to get very precise on the subfolder search depth you need (15? no problem); and the program makes it easy to exclude some folders and file types entirely, if you like. There’s also the option to scan NTFS symbolic links and junction points, and you can decide whether you want to return files, folders, or both.

And surprisingly, SearchMyFiles can even be used to track down duplicate files that might be cluttering your system and wasting hard drive space; just choose “Duplicates Search” from the search mode list and point the program at whatever drives or folders you’d like to check.

SearchMyFiles doesn’t index document content, and so it’s never going to compete with specialist search tools on performance. It does make it easy to construct some complex searches, though. And, as usual with NirSoft tools, it’s also tiny (53KB) and portable, so if you like the program then you can carry it around with you for use on any convenient PC.

Photo Credit: Angela Waye/Shutterstock
Sync your iTunes library to any device

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 6:05pm CET par Nick Peers

Apple’s iTunes application is obviously compulsory if you’re a Mac user, while the Windows version is essential should you want to sync your music collection to an iOS device. But what if you’re an iTunes user who wants to sync with another device -- a MP3 player, media tablet or, gasp, Android phone?

Obviously Apple being Apple has made no provision for devices other than its own to get quick and convenient syncing capabilities with iTunes, but you don’t have to settle for Apple’s decision thanks to two separate solutions called Notpod and TuneSync.

Notpod, the Application Formerly Known as iTunes Agent, is Windows-only, but works with any MP3 player, phone or tablet that shows up as a removable drive when you plug it into one of your PC’s USB ports. All you have to do is set up a connection to said device, choose a “synchronization pattern” (gobbledegook for choosing how music files will be named and organized on your device) and point Notpod to the appropriate folder on your device.

Once you click Save and switch to iTunes you’ll see a new folder called My Devices appear in the Playlists, complete with your device name underneath it. Just drag the files you wish to sync to your device on to this playlist, then click the Notpod Notification area icon, read the warning and then sync your music. It’s quick, painless and simple.

Wireless Sync

If you have an Android device, and you’re hopping mad at iOS 5’s wireless sync feature, fret not: an inexpensive app coupled with the free TuneSync Server software for both Mac and Windows could be the answer. TuneSync is more sophisticated than Notpod in that it offers more control over what gets synced to your Android device. It also supports wired syncs (except on Honeycomb devices) and can even send Amazon MP3 purchases from your Android phone back to your iTunes library on the desktop.

It takes a bit of setting up, but thankfully you can try the app for free by installing TuneSync Lite. This allows you to sync up to 20 tracks from one playlist with your Android device. If it works, you then remove TuneSync Lite and purchase the full version for $5.99.

The theory is great, and if you’re a Windows user you should have no problems wirelessly syncing your iTunes library to your Android phone or tablet. Unfortunately the latest version of the Mac server has resulted in many people, ourselves included, being unable to sync from iTunes to Android. Everything appears to work correctly until you click Sync, at which point the app just seems to hang while checking for files to transfer. Some people have reported success clearing the application settings after each sync, but it didn’t work for us and is a convoluted workaround even if it had done.

As a result, we preach caution to Mac users with the current -- version 2.0.8 -- build. Windows users however should give it a go, and hopefully you’ll soon be able to keep your iTunes library perfectly and effortlessly in sync with your Android device as well as any iPads, iPhones or iPod touches you have lying around.

Photo Credit: Pavel K/Shutterstock
Adobe posts Photoshop Lightroom 4 Beta 1 -- get it now!

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 5:51pm CET par Joe Wilcox
Say, photo buffs, if all these new, stinking cameras announced at the Consumer Electronics Show excite you, don't cool your jets yet. I just got spam mail from Adobe. Photoshop Lightroom 4.0 Beta 1 is now available. I downloaded the Windows 64-bit version right away and installed it on my Lenovo ThinkPad T420s.

It's a hefty download, more than 410MB. Given this is CES Day 1, I don't have time for any kind of review. But I must say this: Norton Internet Security 2012 auto-protect sent up the red flag during install, regarding two DLLs -- "mc_enc_mpa.dll" and "qtp.parser.dll", which were quarantined. That's gotcha #1. The second surprised even more. LR 4 Beta 1 warned on opening that it couldn't open "Lightroom 3 Catalog" because "the Lighroom 4 Beta release does not support catalog upgrades". I created a new one, and, of course, it's empty. Hey, I'm really loving this software now.

I took a quick look, nevertheless, and didn't see anything radically new in the user interface. I did see some location stuff that looked unfamiliar. Emphasis: Quick, who knows what's really changed UI-wise. Here's what Adobe says is new:
- Highlight and shadow recovery brings out all the detail that your camera captures in dark shadows and bright highlights.
- Photo book creation with easy-to-use elegant templates.
- Location-based organization lets you find and group images by location, assign locations to images, and display data from GPS-enabled cameras.
- White balance brush to refine and adjust white balance in specific areas of your images.
- Additional local editing controls let you adjust noise reduction and remove moiré in targeted areas of your images.
- Extended video support for organizing, viewing, and making adjustments and edits to video clips.
- Easy video publishing lets you edit and share video clips on Facebook and Flickr®.
- Soft proofing to preview how an image will look when printed with color-managed printers.
- Email directly from Lightroom using the email account of your choice.
If you dare, you can download the beta here: For Mac, 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. Software requires: Mac OS X v10.6.8 or 10.7; Windows Vista Service Pack 2 or Windows 7 Service Pack 1.

Lightroom 4 Beta 1 expires on March 31.
EASEUS rebrands MacCleaning -- it's CleanGenius 2.0 now

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 5:29pm CET par Nick Peers

EASEUS Software has launched CleanGenius 2.0 Free, a cleaning tool for Mac users. CleanGenius is the new name for MacCleaning, which debuted just over a month ago as EASEUS’s first foray into the Mac market.

Also available with several additional features as a paid-for Pro version, CleanGenius 2.0 adds a new uninstaller component and extends the user’s control over existing cleaning tools, all wrapped up in a redesigned user interface.

MacCleaning was launched with three core tools: the ability to automatically clean system and user logs and caches (plus Downloads and the Trash) with a single click, a quick-and-easy drive monitor and buttons for unmounting drives with a single click, plus a low disk space alarm, which alerts the user when the drive is 90 per cent full.

CleanGenius introduces a new user interface that allows users to manually scan their drive instead of clearing it to see how much space can be recovered. Additionally, additional components can be scanned and files manually removed from the default selection before the logs or caches are cleaned, giving the user full control over the process.

There’s also a brand new uninstaller component: a list of all detected applications are displayed, and the user can remove applications -- including preferences, caches, logs and other associated files -- simply by ticking the application and clicking Uninstall.

Multiple applications can be removed at once, but the feature should be used with caution: all files are directly deleted from the user’s hard drive, and there’s no means of finding out exactly what files have been selected along with the application for removal. A quick trip to CleanGenius’ support page reveals that the app searches common locations such as the user’s Library/Preferences and Library/Applications Support folders, but it would still be nice to see what files have been detected before going ahead with the app removal.

EASEUS CleanGenius 2.0 Free is available now as a freeware download for Macs running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or later. A Pro version costs $12.99 and includes a smattering of additional features, such as user-configurable low drive space alarms, the ability to unmount all removable media with a single click plus an option to reveal selected items in Finder.
Sony aims to shake up HDTV with Crystal LED technology

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 5:00pm CET par Ed Oswald

These days, innovation in HDTVs is hard to come by. However, Sony is ready to change the industry with its new crystal LED displays on display this week at Consumer Electronics Show 2012. While the technology is nowhere near ready for production, the Japanese electronics maker made it one of its key announcements during a keynote Monday night.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer saved no rhetorical flourish while describing picture quality: "Your eyes will pop, your mouths will water, you'll tell your friends 'I have seen the future, and it's a Sony'". The company claims the color reproduction is far superior to an LCD television set, the technology powering a significant portion of HDTVs.

The light source in Sony's LED displays is mounted on the front of the television versus the backlit setup of LCD. This improves light use efficiency, which in theory results in a brighter and more vivid picture. While LED HDTVs have so far been relegated to smaller sized sets, Sony says crystal LED will allow it to produce larger screened models.

Indeed, the prototype set on stage with Stringer measured in at 55 inches, far bigger than any current LED set on the market. Like a lot of new technologies shown off at CES, there's no timetable for commercial release. Sony only offers that it "will work conscientiously to bring the 'Crystal LED Display' to market".

The HDTV market could definitely use a shot in the arm. Sales of 3D HDTVs more than doubled over last holiday season, however even with such impressive results it was not enough to keep the overall sector from flatlining year over year.

Is crystal LED 'it', though? Or could it be OLED, a competing technology with similar benefits that comes out on top? That's an unknown at this point. LG is set to have a 55-inch model on the market by the middle of this year, but so far the technology has proven expensive to size up beyond the smartphone and tablet screens where it is most commonly found.
Android apps come to Windows 8 before Windows 8 comes to you

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 4:55pm CET par Tim Conneally

Our friends at BlueStacks have done it again. Tuesday, the Android virtualization software company announced that they have ported the BlueStacks App Player to Windows 8 for use on ultrabooks and tablets powered by x86 processors.

BlueStacks App Player has only been available for the last three months in an early alpha/pre-beta format for Windows 7, Vista, and most recently XP.

Unlike the other versions of the BlueStacks App Player, this version utilizes Windows 8's Metro UI, and integrates the user's Android apps directly into Windows' tiled interface or from the desktop, like the other versions do.

"The Metro UI is beautiful, but the number one thing Windows 8 is missing is apps," noted BlueStacks CEO Rosen Sharma. "This changes all that."
Sony shows off 4G Xperia Ion, bound for AT&T this year

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 8:22am CET par Tim Conneally

It could definitely be argued that Sony is one of the few consumer electronics companies perfectly suited for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. They have lots of different branches working on diverse technologies, but all with the consumer in mind; from stereo equipment to cameras to computers to TVs to video games.

As such, they don't necessarily time all of their different product lines to have a major announcement for CES, so it's easy to pick out the new stuff and hold it in one hand.

This time around, Sony unveiled a set of four new Xperia smartphones, the first new mobile phones to debut since Sony bought Ericson's stake out of the Sony Ericsson joint venture. These new Xperia devices are the Xperia ion, first LTE Xperia smartphone from Sony available exclusively with AT&T in the US, the Xperia S, the Xperia acro HD, and the Xperia NX, a variant of Xperia S for the Japanese market.

The Xperia ion is something of a big deal because Sony put the US out in front of its strategy this time, and equipped the device with a lot of powerful features. These include a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, a 4.6" (1280 x 720) screen, 4G LTE connectivity, forward-facing HD camera, rear-facing 12 megapixel camera, an HDMI out jack, and PlayStation Certification.

Design-wise, it's kind of a forgettable device. Sony Ericsson had a lot of memorable firsts with the Xperia line, and this appears to be a feature update for the US market.

Pricing and availability were not announced today, but it will be exclusive to AT&T Wireless.

NOTE: I wanted to get a video of the Xperia ion in action, but Sony had set aside models for photography that couldn't be touched, and any time I started pointing my video camera at one of the models that were allowed to be touched, the people working at the booth would say "That's what we have the photo-specific models for!" (That is, to be filmed without someone actually interacting with them...)
Steve Ballmer says goodbye to CES

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 3:59am CET par Joe Wilcox
There are no more chances for Steve Ballmer. This is the end. His swansong. The final hurrah. Microsoft's CEO stepped onto the Consumer Electronics Show keynote stage for the last time tonight. If my count is right, a Microsoft chief executive has given 13 CES opening keynotes -- with this year's the 12th consecutively. Ballmer's last is his third.

Ballmer was in good form as he donned the stage. Boisterous, cagey but not his usually caged manner -- he typically paces around like a penned up tiger, and he often yells like one growls. Ballmer was subdued tonight, as he took the stage with Ryan Seacrest, who seems to be everywhere these days (not just "American Idol"). Seacrest was an excellent choice for a fireside chat with Ballmer. Many people probably don't remember the TV-show host from his days at CNET. Yeah, CNET. Seacrest co-hosted a tech show.

Ballmer took the stage with Seacrest, following an important day for one of Microsoft's most valued products, Windows Phone, which market share ails, by the way. Late this afternoon, Las Vegas time, Nokia unveiled the long-rumored Lumia 900 Windows Phone. The handset features LTE connectivity, like the HTC Titan II announced hours earlier.

Both smartphones are crucial additions at a time when Androids and iPhone gobble up users like voracious Pac-Men. Neither Windows Phone will ship for months, and pricing wasn't announced. That bad form of shipping months after launching is typical of Nokia, much less so for HTC.

Not surprisingly, Windows Phone was the first big topic between Ballmer and Seacrest and the long product demo that followed (and we've heard it all before). Then Ballmer started to get animated -- the tiger came out. He boasted about the Lumia 900 and its sibling 710, which goes on sale Wednesday from T-Mobile.

Seacrest shifted the conversation to Windows 8. Ballmer returned to boast mode -- about there being 1.3 billion Windows PCs in use today. A Windows 8 demo followed, and by far Windows Store was the most impressive part. More than anything else Microsoft plans for the new OS, Windows Store promises to truly reinvigorate developer and customer interest in the platform. Microsoft will officially open the store in late February. It will launch globally, and eventually be available in more than 200 markets.

Windows Store demos really well, and the new operating system's touch and gesture capabilities are part of the appeal. Seriously, Microsoft could be the comeback kid, pulling some of those Mac switchers back to Windows.

Some of the connected features also appeal, such as sharing between apps but, of course people, too. Now if only Microsoft could cajole its partners to get new HTC and Nokia Windows Phones to market around the time Windows 8 goes public beta. You can look for that late next month.

"Every Windows 7 PC will be ready for Windows 8 on Day One", Ballmer said following the demo. Then came a surprise -- The Tweet Choir, below. When was the last time you heard Twitter put to music?

From the choir, the keynote moved on to Xbox.

"Did you expect to go from Ground Zero to a household name?" Seacrest asked Ballmer, about where Xbox started a decade ago. Microsoft's CEO responded in part with some stats:
- 66 million consoles sold
- 40 million Xbox Live subscribers
- 18 million Kinect sensors sold
Perhaps the most interesting part of the demo was "two-way TV", where the young girl used Kinect to throw coconuts into the box on "Sesame Street". The feature comes to Xbox later this year".

Ballmer said, "We're just getting started". Seacrest described it as "the magic of Kinect" -- available to industries outside entertainment.

"I'm proud to announce Kinect is coming to Windows on February 1st -- just a couple weeks", Ballmer said. Microsoft announced the Kinect for Windows SDK last year.

Ballmer finally found his tiger spirit, even seated, when Seacrest asked if what they had seen tonight was everything. "Not by a long shot, Ryan", Ballmer boomed.

Seacrest wrapped up by asking "What's next?"

"Windows 8 is what's next!" Ballmer roared. "There's nothing more important at Microsoft than Windows".

Ballmer went on to talk about the Metro user interface expanding across all Microsoft platforms. "Metro will drive the new magic", he boasted. At Microsoft, using its new math, one plus one equals three.

In a fall back to his much-caricatured "Developers! Developers! Developers!" Ballmer ended Microsoft's last CES keynote: "Metro! Metro! Metro! and, of course, "Windows! Windows! Windows!"
It's a smartphone, no it's a tablet -- Samsung Galaxy Note comes to AT&T

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 3:33am CET par Joe Wilcox

Before buying Galaxy Nexus last month from Verizon, I considered holding out for Galaxy Note, after hearing confident rumors about AT&T bringing it stateside. The idea of sketching and taking notes on a smartphone appealed. Samsung had created something of a hybrid -- a cross between a smartphone and tablet. Then I saw a Samsung media player on display at Best Buy, with a similar size screen -- 5.3 inches. Galaxy Note is too big for me. Is it for you?

AT&T and Samsung officially announced Galaxy Note LTE -- the third big 4G phone announced today for the carrier, the others being Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan II (technically there were a half-dozen LTEs); all done at Consumer Electronics Show 2012. Galaxy Note has something of an identity crisis, being a phone, mini-tablet and S-pen -- that's stylus to you, bud -- device. The hybrid is meant to be used for drawing as much as touch, and I see it designed for more of a niche market -- unless of course 5.3-inches, and that's just the screen, isn't too big for your pocket.

Galaxy Note has been available internationally since autumn, and its announcement today isn't sure sign of a quick debut here stateside. I haven't seen pricing or availability yet. The smartphone-tablet features the aforementioned 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display (did I say it's big) with 1280 x 800 resolution, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8-megapixel rear-facing and 2MP front-facing cameras, 1080p video recording, 16GB internal storage expandable to 32GB with storage card, 2,500 mAH battery and more. The capacitive touchscreen device runs Android 2.3.6.

I have to ask. Would you buy this Frankenstein device?
January 10 giveaway -- East-Tec Eraser 2011

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 1:46am CET par Mark Wilson

Your computer can reveal a great deal of information about you and if other people have access to your machine, it would be all too easy for this data to fall into the wrong hands. Simply deleting files you no longer need is not enough as there are numerous tools that can be used to restore anything that has been erased -- even from a drive that has been formatted. This is where East-Tec Eraser 2011 can help, making it possible to securely wipe information from your computer so that it cannot be recovered.

The application is broken down into a series of different section, with the main interface making it easy to securely delete any files you no longer need. You can simply drag and drop files onto the program window before choosing how secure the wiping should be -- this ranges from deleting and overwriting with random data to the Gutmann method, which is very slow but renders files completely unrecoverable, even using hardware tools.

East-Tec Eraser 2011 can also be used to wipe deleted emails, securely empty the Recycle Bin and scrub free space. Scheduling can be used to ensure that secure deletion takes place on an automatic basis without you having to remember to do so manually. There are also tools on hand that can be used to clear the tracks that other programs store about you. This extends far beyond just wiping your browser history, enabling you to wipe recent file logs in scores of applications. With the ability to securely wipe your entire hard drive, the application can come in handy for when you are thinking of selling an old computer and do not want to risk your data.

It is worth noting that the application will initially install as a 15-day trial but you can obtain the full, unrestricted version of the software by clicking the Free Registration button at the startup screen. After providing your name and email address you will need to click the confirmation link in the email that is sent out to you. Click the Get Free Key button on the page that loads and you will be given a serial number that you should select and copy. Return to East-Tec Eraser and click the Enter Key link before entering your name and pasting the code into the Key field. Hit OK and you’re ready to start using the program.

To take advantage of this special giveaway, go to the Downloadcrew Giveaway site, log in (or create a free account if you don’t have one already), grab your copy of the program and get a free serial code. Be quick as the offer is for January 10th only, and expires at 23:59 Central European Time.

Photo Credit: Zadorozhnyi Viktor/Shutterstock
Nokia unveils Lumia 900 LTE Windows Phone for AT&T

Publié: janvier 10, 2012, 12:52am CET par Tim Conneally

Nokia's big announcement for CES was all about the United States. Specifically, the Finnish mobile phone company announced the first Nokia Windows Phone designed for the United States: the Nokia Lumia 900.

The Lumia 900 is nearly a clone of the Lumia 800, but with a couple of the features that Americans had complained were missing, a forward-facing camera, and 4G LTE connectivity.It has the same one-piece carbon polymer case (optionally in bright cyan), the same Carl Zeiss optics, and the same Windows Phone 7.5 operating system.It's powered by a 1.4 GHz applications processor, and has an 1800 mAh battery.

Though this device is LTE, it's not launching with the United States' most established LTE network, Verizon Wireless. Instead, it's launching with AT&T, the mobile carrier most supportive of Windows Phone, who coincidentally hinted at a new Nokia device earlier this afternoon.

There's no price on the device yet, and no exact launch date. Both Steven Elop of Nokia and Ralph de la Vega of AT&T said the Lumia 900 will be coming to market "in the next few months immediately following this one." That could mean as early as February, but we won't get our hopes up just yet, and instead we'll wait for more information, which we'll provide shortly.