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Probably the most significant news so far from Microsoft this year is this - an update to the operating system they built keeping in mind the mobility-driven significant change in the industry - The Windows 8 OS. Always abuzz with mixed reactions and sentiments since its release, Microsoft's Windows 8 has received all sorts of comments and feedback. Listening to the majority's demands, Microsoft has now planned to deliver hundreds of updates to its product and apps. The news came to everyone's notice when Antoine Leblond, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Program Management shared the details of Windows update with Windows 8.1 in a blogpost yesterday. Tapping-in on the key areas such as personalization, search, the built-in apps, Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity.
So, let us check out the "first look" of the much-welcomed update - Windows 8.1. There's just so much to find out, that we will check out each feature one by one. Firstly, for personalizing the user's experience, now users will be able to turn on their PC or tablet into a picture frame by making the Lock screen a slide show of personal snaps, either locally on the device or photos from the cloud in SkyDrive. Moreover, now without the need of logging-in, users can click pictures with the built-in camera right from the Lock screen. There's support for adding backgrounds that move and ability to select multiple apps all at once, resize them, uninstall them, or rearrange them is now provided. In Windows 8.1, you will be able to press and hold (or right click) to move things around and filter the apps by name, date installed, most used, or by category. There's also the much needed provision for when you install a new app from the Windows Store, you’ll find it under apps view, marked as "new" where you can choose to pin the apps you want to your Start screen.
The search on Windows 8.1 has been enhanced to provide global search results from Bing that integrates apps, files and all the content on your SkyDrive. The built-in apps will be all revamped too. For example, Photos app with new editing features, Music app with new design. The Windows Store in Windows 8.1 has a more descriptive app listing, app updates install automatically & search is available in the upper right hand corner. In addition to this, the new SkyDrive app is update to give you access to your files that are on your device or in the cloud, and files are accessible even when offline. The updated PC Settings mean no need to go to the Control Panel on the desktop. With Internet Explorer 11 (IE11), Windows 8.1 will have the only browser that is built for touch that provides faster page load times.
Lastly, we have the much talked about feature - the Start button. Now, it is accessible because Microsoft's changing the Start 'tip' to be the familiar Windows logo. The new tip appears anytime you move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, and is always visible on the taskbar when on the desktop.
That's not all. There's more. And we will be reading about it frequently as Microsoft keeps updating its blog. More importantly, from June 26th when the developer conference 'Build' commences, we get to see a preview of Windows 8.1 release. At Build, Microsoft's sharing more about Windows Embedded, which will be updated in the same timeframe as Windows 8.1. So, keep on hooked to your screens as more updates roll out.
India seems to be keen on setting up a high-speed bullet train route between Mumbai & Ahmedabad. The technology to setup bullet train will be provided by Japan. The project is expected to cost about $1billion in Yen-based loans to India. France too is interested in setting up their TGV high-speed railway network in India; but the Japanese seem to have won Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh's heart. The overall length of the route is expected to be about 500 kilometers. The technical reviews of the route are expected to be complete by 2014.
Japan Railways Group operates the 'Shinkansen' which is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. The maximum operating speed of the train is about 320 kmph and test runs have already cracked the 440 kmph barrier. The maglev trains are way faster than the bullet trains with a record speed of 581 kmph.
We wonder why Indian government has not opted to trust Indian engineer to design and develop high-speed trains in India than taking up loans from Japan to acquire decades old technology. It'd be an interesting mega-engineering project for Indian engineers.
Our favorite $25 computer has proven that it can work for you any way you want. It has been used in simple projects like voice activated garage doors and high-tech ones like wardriving. Now it is headed for the skies thanks to UK’s Dave Ackerman. He made use of the mini computer’s newly launched $25 camera attachment to capture gorgeous images of earth from a height of about 40 KMs from the ground.
Dave used the Model A of the Raspberry Pi computer along with its 5MP camera attachment (also capable of capturing 1080p videos) and attached it to a hydrogen balloon and a parachute. He set the camera to capture images of three quality types. The low and medium quality images that would be sent back to two wireless receivers and high quality images would be stored on the on-board SD card. In order to track location and flight path of the computer he installed a tracker powered by AA batteries that would last for the entire fight time. To make sure that only the “good” images are stored in the SD card the on-board software deleted the images that had bad exposure settings. At the end of the three hour flight the balloon burst the parachute was deployed for a safe landing of the 1.1kg payload that had been embedded in a piece of memory foam shaped like the Raspberry Pi logo. The above project also be seen as a low cost alternative to the PhoneSat projects.
For a complete gallery of images shot by the Raspberry Pi head over to Dave’s website.
The term 'Jugaad' was traditionally used in India to refer to the locally made motor vehicles, used mostly in small villages as a means of low-cost transportation. Now, we only call a trick - a Jugaad if it is an improvised arrangement or work-around done for the lack of resources. Putting proper sense to their innovation, second year engineering students of KJ Somaiya College in India have developed a dolphin-shaped, single-seater car with a body of fibre glass and being inspired by the book titled 'Jugaad Innovation', they are calling it the 'Jugaad ’13'. Proudly stating that it one of the most fuel efficient cars, the students say that their vehicle offers a mileage of 200 kmpl. In an attempt to answer to the country’s fuel problem and with a focus of winning the "Shell Eco-Marathon", an international competition to be held on Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia, in July, these students have come up with this incredibly innovative mean machine.
This 40 student team from KJ Somaiya College students, lead by Tony Thomas, a student himself have been shortlisted from Maharashtra among 12 Indian teams and from 150 teams across the world. Hailing from electronic and mechanical engineering streams, these students have worked hard for last five months to put together theirs effort into technical and marketing. And the outcome has been backed by Yamaha, Nyasa and Om freights as the project's chief sponsors.
After it rolled on the road for the first time on tuesday, the students were excited to shell out the tech specs that the car sports. The 35 cc petrol engine gives a maximum speed of 40 km/hr and this is one of the few prototypes that uses the fuel-efficient electronic fuel injection system. They have tried to make the vehicle as lightweight and aerodynamic as possible. These engineering students are confident that the car’s mileage will go up to 300kmpl in the Malaysia circuit. “If we do well, we can think of turning it into a full-scale luxury car in the competition next year, but we’re more keen on perfecting and improving on the prototype as it gives us more freedom to experiment,” Thomas said.
We wish the team behind the innovation all the best and are eager to watch more photos and videos. If any of the team members are reading this, please share the same in comments below.
Australian police in New South Wales recently issued a warning against the Defence Distributed 3D printed gun, stating: "No matter what end of this gun you can be on, you could die." Following a schematics given by an anonymous Wisconsin Engineer, the police department spent 27 hours and $35 to print the 15 pieces of 'Lulz Liberator' on a $1,650 desktop 3D printer, while it took just 60 seconds to assemble the whole gun. While testing, the plastic firearm underwent a 'catastrophic misfire', which NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione believes could have injured the user. The failure occurs because there are no standards followed while manufacturing these weapons.
The Australian police employed a cheaper printer and plastic combo to develop their 3D printed gun, and analyzed the same with the gun used by Defense Distributed. The commissioner believes that its just a matter of time when these 3D printed weapons shall be involved in some serious New South Wales crimes. While the US government pulled down all the CAD files that pertained to the development of this 3D weapon, almost 100,000 blueprints had been downloaded. With data out there in public hands, Scipione knows there's no way to stop, so that's why he's taking out time to let the to-be-gunsmiths know how potentially dangerous this deadly technology is. At least this warning issued shall instill some fear in them. "A 3D-printed gun is not potentially dangerous, it is dangerous," he says.
It's mandatory in Australia to have an appropriate license to make, possess or use a 3D printed gun. Check out this video below where Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione states about the lurking danger.
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