Did our first glimpse of Metro Office apps just appear in Microsoft's Windows 8.1 pics?

Microsoft let many cats out of myriad bags in its whopping 1,817-word reveal of Windows 8.1 yesterday, but it's what the company didn't talk about that's almost more intriguing. Mixed in among all the chatter was a curious screenshot of the Windows 8.1 Start screen, and tucked away in amongst its Live Tiles were four eye-opening squares.


Folks, I think we just got our first look at modern-style Office apps. Or at least their Live Tiles.


Modern Office apps

 
Check out the image above, from Microsoft’s own Windows 8.1 blog post. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote all make an appearance, positioned there next to the SkyDrive app.

So what, you ask? Microsoft owns Office! Indeed it does—but Microsoft does not offer modern UI versions of its core Office programs. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote are only offered as desktop programs as of today. And pinning those desktop productivity programs to the Windows 8 Start screen creates tiles with the same light blue background as any other desktop app—and not the colorful squares shown in Microsoft's blog post.

Microsoft does offer a modern app for its Lync communications software, though, and its Start screen tile bears a striking resemblance to the Office app tiles in the Windows 8.1 blog post, from the simple colors to the "open book"-style design.


In the screenshot to the right, you’ll see tiles of Microsoft’s modern Lync app alongside tiles for the core Office desktop programs, all from my Windows 8 Start screen. See what I mean? 

Now, the appearance of colored Office tiles in Microsoft's blog post could just mean that we’ll have the ability to choose background color for tiles derived from desktop programs, which would be pretty cool in and of itself. (Update: And apparently the case, according to Foley's Tweet. Microsoft's blog post and the subsequent coverage said nothing about customizable tile colors, so hey, the appearance of those tiles nonetheless brought something new to light. -Brad) 

But consider that no other desktop program was shown in any of Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 screenshots... and the four tiles' close resemblence to the Lync app's tile, and the Start screen tiles for Microsoft's other preinstalled such as Video, Music, and Maps... and that those intriguing  modern-style Office “Gemini” rumors  have been floating around.

Suddenly, the Office tiles in the Windows 8.1 screenshots start to look like a lot more than mere squares. We may know for sure soon. If the Gemini rumors hold true, modern-style Office apps may just land on Start screens around the globe later this year

Read more »

இந்தியாவின் வளர்ச்சிக்குரிய தங்கச்சாவி சூரிய மின்சாரம்!

ஆசியாவிலேயே மாபெரும் சூரிய மின் சக்திப் பண்ணை 5,000 ஏக்கர் கரட்டுநிலத்தில் “”சாரங்க பூங்கா” என்ற பெயரில் குஜராத்தில் பதான் மாவட்டத்தில் அமைந்துள்ளது. 500 மில்லியன் வாட் (மி.வா.) மின் உற்பத்தி, இதர மாவட்டங்களில் 105 மி.வா., ஒட்டுமொத்தமாக குஜராத்தில் 605 மி.வா. என்பது ஒட்டுமொத்த இந்திய சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தியில் மூன்றில் இரண்டு பங்கு.

ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் குஜராத் மாநிலத்தில் 30 லட்சம் வாட் மாசற்ற மின்சக்தி, சூரியஒளி மூலம் பெறப்பட்டு 10 லட்சம் வீடுகளுக்கு வழங்கப்படுகிறது.ஆண்டுதோறும் சுமார் 10 லட்சம் டன் அளவில் “கார்பன்-டை-ஆக்சைடு’ புகை, ஓசோன் மண்டலத்தை அடையாமல் பாதுகாக்கப்பட்டு அதற்குரிய “கார்பன் கிரெடிட்’ பெற்றுவர முயன்று வருகிறது.

குஜராத்தின் தலைநகரமான காந்திநகர் முழுவதுமாக சூரிய மின்சக்தி மூலம் மின்சார வழங்கல் பெறவும் திட்டமிடப் பட்டுள்ளது. காந்தி நகரில் மட்டும் வீட்டுக்கூரை மீது சூரிய ஒளிப்பலகை ஈர்ப்பு திட்டம் நிறைவேற்றப்பட்டு 1.4 மில்லியன் வாட் மின்சக்தி பெறப்படுகிறது. 150 இடங்களில் சூரிய ஒளி ஈர்க்கும் மின்பலகைகள் 1 கிலோ வாட் முதல் 200 கிலோ வாட் வரை “வீட்டுக் கூரை திட்டம்’ அநேகமாக ஒவ்வோர் அடுக்குமாடிக் கட்டட உச்சிகளிலும் நிர்மாணிக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது.

இந்தியாவில் தமிழ்நாடு, ஒடிசா, ஆந்திரப்பிரதேசம், மகாராஷ்டிரம் போன்ற மாநிலங்களில் உள்ள கடற்கரைப் பிரதேசங்களின் சூழ்நிலை மட்டுமே காற்றாலை மின்திட்டத்திற்கு ஏற்றது என்பதைத் தமிழ்நாடு நிரூபித்தும்விட்டது. இந்தியாவிலேயே சூரிய மின்சக்தி உற்பத்தியில் குஜராத் முதலிடம் பெற்றுள்ளதைப்போல், தமிழ்நாடு காற்றாலை மின்திட்டத்தில் முதலிடம் பெற்றிருந்தாலும் சூரிய மின்சக்தி உற்பத்திக்கு சூரிய ஒளி இருந்தும் போதிய முன்னேற்றம் இல்லை.

இந்தியாவில் உள்ள அனைத்து மாநிலங்களிலும் சூரிய ஒளிக்குப் பஞ்சமே இல்லை. சூரிய ஒளியை வீணாக்காமல் மின்சக்தியாக மாற்றும் திட்டங்களை துரிதகதியில் செயல்படுத்தினால் உலகத்திற்கே இந்தியா ஒளி வழங்கும் நாள் தூரத்தில் இல்லை.

குஜராத்துக்கு அடுத்தபடியாக சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தியில் ராஜஸ்தான் மாநிலம் உள்ளது. அதேசமயம் சுயதேவைப் பூர்த்தி நோக்கில் அவரவர் வீட்டுத்தேவையை அவரவர் நிறைவேற்றிக்கொள்ளும் வீட்டுக்கூரை மின் திட்டத்தில் பிகார், கர்நாடகம், அசாம், சத்தீஸ்கர், ஒடிசா வழிகாட்டலாம்.

சூரிய மின்சக்தித் திட்டத்தில் தமிழ்நாடு தாமதமாக நுழைந்துள்ளதால் மிகவும் பின்தங்கியுள்ளது. அதேசமயம் இன்று ஆட்சியில் உள்ள மாநில அரசு மிகவும் சிறப்பான ஒரு திட்டத்தை குஜராத்தை முன்னோடியாகக் கொண்டு செயலாற்றத் தொடங்கிவிட்டது.

முதலாவதாக, புதுவீடு, கட்டடம் எழுப்புவோர் சூரியமின் பலகையை நிறுவ வேண்டும் என்று நிபந்தனை விதித்துள்ளது. ஆனால், இந்த நிபந்தனை சட்டமாக இயற்றப்படாமல் வேண்டுகோளாகவோ, கடமையாகவோ கட்டட உரிமையாளர்கள் ஏற்க வேண்டும். எனினும் இந்த வேண்டுகோள் நிபந்தனை தமிழ்நாட்டில் சூரிய சக்தி ஆற்றலின் தேவையை உணரச்செய்து சூரிய மின்சக்தி சாதனங்களுக்குப் போதுமான தேவையை உணரச் செய்யும். சூரிய சக்தி மின் உற்பத்தியை நான்கு வகையாக மாநில அரசு ஒழுங்குபடுத்தியுள்ளது.

முதல் வகையில் தற்சார்புள்ள சூரிய மின் சக்தி உற்பத்தியாளர்கள். இவர்கள் பெரிய முதலீட்டுத் திட்டத்தின்கீழ் இயங்குவார்கள். இவர்கள் தாம் உற்பத்தி செய்த மின்சாரத்தை வெளியில் விற்கலாம். “கிரிட்’டுக்கும் வழங்கலாம்.

இரண்டாவதாக தொழிற்சாலை உரிமையாளர்கள் – மாநில அரசின் நிபந்தனையை ஏற்றுத் தங்களின் சொந்த உபயோகத்திற்காக உற்பத்தி செய்யலாம்.

மூன்றாவதாகக் கல்வி நிலையங்கள், பல்கலைக்கழகம், கல்லூரிகள், பள்ளிகள் அவரவர் தங்கள் மாடிக்கு மேல் சூரிய ஒளி மின் பலகைகளை நிறுவிக்கொண்டு சொந்தத் தேவைகளை நிறைவேற்றிக் கொள்வதுடன் மாணவர்களுக்கு சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தி தொடர்பான தொழில்நுட்ப அறிவைக் கற்பிக்கலாம்.

நான்காவதாக ஒவ்வொரு வீட்டிலும் மின்தேவையை நிறைவேற்ற மின்பலகைக் கூரைகளை நிர்மாணித்துக் கொள்ளலாம்.

கடந்த அக்டோபரில் மாநில அரசின் சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தி திட்டம் வடிவமைக்கப்பட்டு இன்றைய நிலையில் மாநிலத்தின் சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தி 7 மெகாவாட் மட்டுமே. எனினும் மின்வாரியத்தின் ஓர் அங்கமான “டாஞ்சட்கோ’ 226 மெகாவாட் சூரிய மின்உற்பத்திக்குரிய திட்டங்களை ஏலம் எடுத்துள்ளது.

2014-இல் இந்த இலக்கை அடைவது என்பது தமிழ்நாட்டின் திட்டம். தனிப்பட்ட முறையில் “இந்தியா கிரீன் பவர்’ நிறுவனம் மூலம் 300 மெகாவாட் சூரிய மின் உற்பத்திக்குரிய சூரியப் பூங்கா நிறுவப்பட்டுள்ளது. முதலில் கூறியபடி தமிழ்நாட்டின் சூரிய மின்உற்பத்திக் கொள்கையின் நான்கு அங்கங்களும் இணைந்து, இரண்டே ஆண்டுகளில் தமிழ்நாட்டின் சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தி 1,000 மெகாவாட் இலக்கை அடையும். நாளையை யோசிப்பது நன்றே, இன்றைய நிலை என்ன?

சென்னைக்கு வெளியே எல்லா மாவட்டங்களிலும் காற்றாலை மின்சாரம் தடையுற்றால் மணிக்கு ஒருமுறை சுத்தமாக மின்சாரம் இருக்காது. நாள் ஒன்றுக்கு 12 மணிநேரம் வரை இருள் சூழ்ந்த வாழ்வுதான். இரவில் மின் விசிறி ஓடாதபோது கொசுத் தொல்லை. நாம் கொசுக்கடி தாங்காமல் காலைச் சொறிவோம். அரசு விவரம் புரியாமல் தலையைச் சொறியும். “இன்வர்ட்டர் சார்ஜ்’ ஆகாமல் வேலை செய்யாது. மின்சார அமைச்சர் காரணம் சொல்வார். இன்னும் 1 மாதம், 2 மாதம், 3 மாதம், 4 மாதம் என்று இழுத்து இழுத்து ஆண்டுகள் உருண்டோடிவிட்டன.

சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தித் திட்டங்கள் எல்லாம் அச்சடித்த காகிதங்களாக, அடுக்கு அடுக்காக, அலமாரிகளில் உள்ளன. ஏட்டில் எழுதப்பட்டவற்றை எப்படி நிறைவேற்ற முடியும்? ஒவ்வொரு கட்டத்திலும் எழக்கூடிய பிரச்னைகள் எவை? மாநில அரசை நம்பி சூரிய மின் திட்ட ஏலம் எடுத்தவர்களுக்கு சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தி சாதனங்களை மானிய விலையில் பெற்றுத்தர முடிந்ததா? மைய அரசு ஒதுக்கிய மானியங்களை வழங்க முடிந்ததா? ஒரு பிரபல நிறுவனம், வாங்கப்பட்ட சூரிய மின் உற்பத்தி சாதனங்களுக்குரிய மானியம் பெற முடியாமல் தத்தளிப்பதாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது. கிரிட்டுக்கு அனுப்பப்படும் சூரிய மின் சக்திக்கு லாபகரமான விலை உடனுக்குடன் கிடைக்க எதுவும் உறுதிமொழி உள்ளதா? எனினும் மாநில அரசு சூரிய மின்சக்தி ஆற்றலை உயர்த்த அறிவிப்புகளைச் செய்து வருகிறது. விவசாயத்தில் சூரிய ஆற்றலைக்கொண்டு மின்மோட்டார் குழாய்களை இயங்க வைப்பதில் முழு அளவு மானியம் வழங்குவதாகத் திட்டம் உள்ளது. புதிய திட்டம் இருக்கட்டும். நீர்ச்சிக்கன நடவடிக்கைக்காக நுண்ணீர்ப் பாசனம் வழங்கக்கூடிய சொட்டுநீர்க்குழாய், “ஸ்பிரிங்க்ளர்’, “ரைன்-கன்’ இணைப்புகளுக்கும் அவ்வாறே திட்டம் அறிவித்து இரண்டாண்டுகள் கழிந்துவிட்டன. எத்தனை விவசாயிகள் பயன்பெற்றனர்? எவ்வளவு இணைப்புகள் வழங்கப்பட்டன? எவ்வளவு பாசன நீர் மிச்சமானது? திட்டமிடுவதோ, அறிவிப்புகளை வழங்குவதோ பெரிதல்ல. அவை செயல்படும் முறையில் வேகம் வேண்டும்.

வேளாண்மை அலுவலர்கள் அரும்பாடுபட்டு அரசுப் பதவியைப் பெற்றுள்ளனர். மானிய விலையில் சான்றிதழ் விதைகள் வழங்கப்படுவதைப் பார்க்கும்போது புதிய பல விவசாயத் திட்டங்களால் நன்மை விவசாயிகளுக்கா, விவசாய அலுவலர்களுக்கா என்று யோசிக்க வேண்டியுள்ளது.

விவசாயிகளைத் தேடி விவசாய அலுவலர்கள் வந்து தேவைகளை நிறைவேற்றிய காலமெல்லாம் காமராஜர் ஆட்சிக்குப் பின் தொடரவே இல்லை. சரி, இவற்றையெல்லாம் மறந்துவிடலாம். மறப்பதைத் தவிர நம்மால் வேறு என்ன செய்ய முடியும்? அதேசமயம் சூரிய மின் சக்திப் பயன்பாட்டில் சில ஆக்கப்பூர்வமானவற்றை வரவேற்போம்.

சென்னையில் உள்ள ஐ.ஐ.டி. (இந்தியன் இன்ஸ்ட்யூட் ஆஃப் டெக்னாலஜி) சில ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு, டாக்டர் குமாரவேலால் தொடங்கப்பட்ட “சூரியஜால’ திட்டத்தின் சாதனைகளை நினைத்து மகிழ்வோம். சென்னை – மகாபலிபுரம் சாலையில் அமைந்துள்ள முத்துக்காட்டில் சூரிய சக்தி கொண்டு உவர் நீரை நன்னீராக மாற்றும் திட்டம் தொடங்கப்பட்டுப் போதிய நிதி உதவியில்லாமல் நின்றுபோனது. இப்போது சோலார் சாதனங்களின் விலை வீழ்ச்சியால், நின்றுபோன சூரியஜால திட்டம் பேராசிரியர் ஜகதீஷ்குமாரால் மீண்டும் தொடங்கப்பட்டு சோலார் நன்னீர்த்திட்டம் வெற்றியுடன் செயலாற்றுவதாகச் செய்தி.

சோலார் ஃபோட்டோ ஓல்ட்டிக் பேனல், கிரிட்டுடனோ டீசல் ஜெனரேட்டருடனோ இணைக்கப்படுவதால் சூரிய ஒளி இல்லாத நேரத்திலும், இரவிலும் தொடர்ந்து நன்னீர் எந்திரம் வேலை செய்யும். மலிவான “சோலார் செல்’ தயாரிப்பு, “சோலார் ஹீட்டர்’, “சோலார் ஃபிரிட்ஜ்’ போன்றவையும் ஐ.ஐ.டி. சூரிய ஜால திட்டத்தில் உள்ளது. இப்படிப்பட்ட தொழில்நுட்ப அறிவை மாநில அரசு அல்லது தனியார் நிறுவனங்கள் பயன்படுத்துமானால் மக்கள் மகிழ்வர்.

இந்தியாவிலும் சரி, தமிழ்நாட்டிலும் சரி – மின்சாரம் இல்லையென்றால் தொழில் இல்லை, விவசாயம் இல்லை. இதுநாள்வரை வழக்கமான மின்சக்தியைப் பெரும்பாலும் அனல் மின்சாரமாகப் பெற்றோம். அனல் மின்சாரம் நிலக்கரியை நம்பியுள்ளது. நிலக்கரி ஊழல் இந்தியத் தாய் மீது பூசிய கரியாகிவிட்டது. நிலக்கரி இருந்தும் வழங்கலில் தடங்கல் நீங்கவில்லை. கரி மின்சாரம் மாசுடையது. அணு மின்சாரம் ஆபத்தானது. இயற்கை எரிவாயுவும் பூமியைக் குடைந்து எடுக்கப்படுவதால் பூகம்ப ஆபத்து ஏற்படலாம். மரபுசாரா எரிசக்தியில் சூழல் கேடு இல்லாத மாசற்ற பொன்னாகக் கிடைப்பது சூரிய மின்சாரமும் காற்றாலை மின்சாரமும் என்பதில் ஐயம் இல்லை.

“பயோ-மாஸ்’ மின்சாரமும் (விறகு, உரிமட்டை) மாசற்றது. மாசற்ற மின்சாரத்தில் மலிவானது சூரிய மின்சாரமே, ஆரம்பச் செலவுதான் அதிகம். ஒவ்வொரு வீட்டிலும் சூரிய மின்சாரம் செயல்படுமானால் (ரிவர்ஸ் ஆஸ்மோசிஸ் முறையில், சூரியஒளி குறைந்த நேரத்திலும், இருட்டு நேரத்திலும் கிரிட் அல்லது டீசல் ஜெனரேட்டர் மூலம் மின்சாரம் பெறும் மாற்று ஏற்பாட்டுடன் இணைந்த சோலார் சிஸ்டம் ) வீட்டில் “ஒளி பிறக்கும்’. ஒவ்வொரு தொழிற்சாலைகளிலும் மேற்கூறிய வழியில் சூரிய மின்சாரம் செயல்படுமானால் உற்பத்தியும் வேலைவாய்ப்பும் பெருகும்.

ஒவ்வொரு விவசாயப் பண்ணையிலும் “சோலார் மோட்டார்’ குழாய் இணைப்பு இருந்தால் பசுமை வளம் பெறும். இந்தியாவின் வளர்ச்சிக்குரிய தங்கச்சாவி சூரிய மின்சாரம். குஜராத் நல்ல வழிகாட்டி. சூரிய மின்சார உற்பத்தியில் இந்திய மாநிலங்கள் குஜராத்தை முன்மாதிரியாக வைத்துக் காகிதத் திட்டம் தீட்டுவதுடன், தீட்டப்பட்ட காகிதத் திட்டங்களை நல்ல முறையில் நிறைவேற்ற முயலவும் வேண்டும். “”ஞாயிறு போற்றுதும்”, “”ஞாயிறு போற்றுதும்”. வாழ்க பாரதம்.

நன்றி! ஆர்.எஸ். நாராயணன்!

Read more »

லிட்டருக்கு 300 கி.மீ., வரை செல்லும் புது கார் தயார் – மும்பை மாணவர்களின் சாதனை!

இன்றைய நிலையில் தங்கமும் பெட்ரோலும்தான் விலை அதிகரித்துக் கொண்டே போகிறது. இதில் பெட்ரோல் விலையை சமாளிக்கும் விதத்தில் லிட்டருக்கு 300 கி.மீ., வரை செல்லும் புதிய வகை காரை தயாரித்து மும்பை மாணவர்கள் சாதனை படைத்துள்ளனர்.



இன்றும் கூட பெட்ரோலியப் பொருட்களின் தொடர் விலையேற்றத்தால் கார் விற்பனை படு மந்தமாக இருப்பதாக சமீபத்திய ஆய்வறிக்கை ஒன்று தெரிவிக்கிறது. இதற்கிடையில்தான், மும்பை சோமானியா கல்லூரி மாணவர்கள் சிலர் லிட்டருக்கு 300 கி.மீ., செல்லும் கார் ஒன்றை தயாரித்துள்ளனர். முன்புறம் இரண்டு சக்கரங்களுடனும் பின்புறம் ஒரு சக்கரத்துடனும் ரேஸ் கார் போன்று இருக்கும் இந்த காரின் பெயர் ஜூகாட். சோமானியா கல்லூரியில் உள்ள நூலகத்தில் ஜூகாட் இன்னொவேஷன் என்ற பெயரில் இருந்த புத்தகம் ஒன்றை படித்த மாணவர்கள் அதில் இண்ட்ரஸ்ட் வந்து புதிய கார் ஒன்றை கண்டுபிடிக்கும் முயற்சியில் இறங்கினர்.



கடந்த சில மாதங்களாகவே கல்லூரி முடிந்து நாள் ஒன்றிற்கு 8 முதல் 9 மணி நேரம் செலவிட்டு இந்த காரை உருவாக்கியுள்ளனர் இந்த மாணவர்கள். 60 கிலோ எடை கொண்ட இந்த காரை உருவாக்க அவர்களுக்கு ஆன செலவு ரூ. 4 லட்சம். ஆனால் ஒரு லிட்டர் பெட்ரோல் போட்டால் கார் செல்லும் தூரமோ 300 கி.மீ., தற்சமயம் இந்த கார் மலேசியாவில் வரும் ஜூலை மாதம் நடக்கவுள்ள ஷெல் ஈகோ மராத்தான் போட்டியில் கலந்து கொள்ளவுள்ளது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

 கூடுதல்  தகவல்களுக்கு இங்கே வரவும்

<>Link<>Link<>Link<>Link<>

Read more »

Hands on with the new Razer Blade, a gaming Ultrabook thinner than a Macbook Air!

Razer's latest Ultrabook is a wake-up call. It's a warning shot across the bow of Apple, Samsung and other manufacturers of premium thin-and-light laptops. And its message is clear: "Look at me." 



Look at how a gaming laptop that's thinner, lighter and more powerful than a Macbook Air can be built and marketed to consumers. The new Razer Blade is a piece of premium hardware with an equally premium price tag. And it's also an expensive wager that people will pay $1,800 or more for a Windows 8 Ultrabook designed explicitly for PC gaming—all while the PC market is hemorrhaging money. 

The Razer Blade is the thinnest, lightest gaming laptop we've ever seen.

That’s right, the new Razer Blade laptop, announced at a special Thursday press event in San Francisco, is no longer the 17-inch behemoth we once knew and (mostly) loved. That old model has been renamed the Razer Blade Pro to make room for the new Razer Blade, a 14-inch gaming machine with 8GB of RAM, an upgradeable 128 GB SSD, a discrete Nvidia GTX 765M GPU and a “fourth-generation” (read: Haswell) Intel CPU packed into an aluminum body that’s barely two-thirds of an inch thick. 



The whole package weighs in at just over four pounds and sports the sort of connectivity options you'd expect from a contemporary ultraportable, including three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI out, an 802.11 wireless adapter, and a Bluetooth 4.0 radio. The Blade will be available for pre-order on June 3rd, and while the price starts at $1,800, you can expect to pay more for models with a bigger hard drive. 

The new Razer Blade is very, very thin. Our hand model wants you to know that the bottom can also get very, very hot.

 

Razer says this new and improved Blade is the world’s thinnest, most powerful gaming laptop, and while I’m going to steer clear of vouching for the unit’s performance until we get one into our lab for thorough testing, I’m happy to report the Blade demo units we tinkered with during Razer's Thursday event were incredibly thin, remarkably light, and scorchingly fast. 



The new Blade feels like a MacBook Air without the sharp edges, though its sleek, matte black aluminum case feels a little flimsier than the MacBook Air’s aluminum unibody. The power adapter looks equally sleek in promo shots, and I poked around underneath our demo station to verify that, yes, the new Blade power brick is just as tiny as the adapters that power the old Razer Blade and the Razer Edge. 



And if it seems a little strange to praise a laptop for its lightweight power adapter, well, you’ve probably never had to lug a laptop back and forth across the country. 

The screen on the Razer Blade looks good when you're facing it dead on, but it looks washed out from almost any other angle.

 
Anyone who's carried a laptop during a cross-country expedition can also appreciate the value of a bright, sharp and (most importantly) shareable screen. The Razer Blade’s 14-inch, 1600-by-900 resolution screen does most of that, delivering crisp, vibrant images under fluorescent office lighting, but only if you have the screen tilted just right. The optimal viewing angle on the Blade is pretty narrow, and colors quickly invert and wash out if you stray too far beyond it.


During our demo, I played through a tense underground fight sequence in Metro: Last Light, which ran smoothly on high settings at the Blade’s native resolution. The deepest blacks of the underground tunnels looked a bit faded on the Blade’s screen, but that may be no fault of the hardware, as PC demo units often have their brightness settings cranked up to maximum to catch your eye across a crowded conference room. The new 14-inch Blade also lacks the customizable OLED Switchblade keypad that graced the original Razer Blade, presumably due to size constraints. 

Razer put out this promo shot to remind you that yes, despite naming their new 14-inch laptop the Razer Blade (pictured left), the old Razer Blade (on the right) is still available as the Razer Blade Pro.

 
The original 17-inch Razer Blade laptop isn’t going anywhere. Razer rechristened it the Razer Blade Pro, and it's been spruced it up with the same CPU and GPU that power the Razer Blade, along with slew of new Switchblade templates for productivity apps—Photoshop, Premiere and the like. 



Razer is also slashing the price of the Razer Blade Pro down to $2300, and selling it at an even deeper discount of $1000 to independent game developers with successful Kickstarter campaigns as part of Razer’s new developer outreach program. Dubbed the Razer Education/Indie Discount program, it offers Razer products at discount prices to creative professionals—game developers, game design students and development staff—who successfully apply via the Razer website. 



Debuting a premium Ultrabook in a PC market with an uncertain future is a bold move, but this isn't the first time Razer has pushed into a new market with high-priced hardware—the company built its reputation as a source of premium PC gaming hardware with quality mice and keyboards, then expanded into headsets and controllers before plunging into the shrinking PC market with the original Razer Blade gaming laptop and the Razer Edge Windows 8 tablet. 



The overpriced hardware gambit must be paying off, too. Razer shows no signs of being eager to leave the premium PC-building business. We'll find out if that confidence is warranted when the new Blade Ultrabooks start shipping in June. We can't wait to get one in for a final review.

Read more »

Asus crams 4K resolution into a 31.5-inch Ultra HD monitor!!!

Just in time for the Windows 8.1 debut and its hinted-at 4K resolution support, Asus is announcing a professional-grade (read: not cheap) Ultra HD LCD monitor.


The company will show the PQ321 Ultra HD, a 31.5-inch 4K Ultra HD monitor featuring a maximum resolution of 3840 by 2160 at Computex in Taipei, which starts Tuesday. The unit has a 16:9 aspect ratio, 176-degreee wide viewing angle, DisplayPort, dual HDMI inputs, and built-in 2W stereo speakers.


More pixels (per inch)


Asus said it used Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) for the active layer of the PQ321’s LCD panel instead of the standard amorphous silicon for LCD displays. Because IGZO panels can work with smaller transistors, Asus could cram smaller pixels onto the screen. That’s a good thing considering this panel has four times as many pixels as a standard 1080p monitor. 


The PQ321’s 140 pixels per inch may not sound great in an era when the iPad and other tablets have 264 ppi or more. But keep in mind a standard 1080p monitor with the same dimensions as the PQ321 would have exactly half the pixels per inch of Asus’ Ultra HD monitor.


Asus did not announce pricing or an official release date for the PQ321, but Hexus and Engadget both report that the monitor will debut in North America at the end of June.


Once you can buy Asus’ snazzy new monitor, however, what puts it to best use? Both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 will support 4K resolutions, and with the PQ321’s built-in speakers, using this monitor as a TV replacement should be a snap.


If you’re looking to do some PC gaming at 4K resolution, you’d better be prepared to shell out some serious dough—Not only for the monitor, but high end specs for your gaming box as well. A good start would be a high-powered graphics card like AMD’s $999 Radeon 7990.


Movies emerge


Gaming may be the first, best use for a 4K monitor. The next obvious choice is movies, but since 4K resolution has yet to go mainstream, finding 4K titles could be difficult. In late 2012, Sony released a hard drive containing ten 4K movies to buyers of its $25,000 84-inch 4K UHDTV. The company is also releasing classic movies remastered in 4K such as Glory, Taxi Driver, and Ghostbusters. 



Sony calls them "mastered in 4K" and ships the films on standard Blu-ray discs, but they're not really 4K technology. For starters, current Blu-ray discs max out at 1080p resolutions. So what you’re really getting are movies that were mastered at 4K in the editing suite, but play back at home at 1080p. That said, you may notice a small bump in picture quality such as color, detail, and contrast compared to standard Blu-ray discs. The labeling clarifies that they are "optimized for 4K Ultra HD TVs." 



An Ultra HD monitor sounds great, but there probably isn’t a ton of use for it yet unless you’re a serious gamer or looking to do graphics or video editing. But if Asus pushes the price low enough—which is reeeeeeeeally unlikely right now—you could pick up a PQ321 as an investment in the seemingly inevitable 4K future.
 

Read more »

How to reduce your office printing costs!!!

HP's ultra-fast 60ppm inkjet has low running costs of 2.0p and 5.3p for ISO black and colour pages

Get any two business people talking about printing and within minutes they'll be bemoaning ink and paper costs. The price of the printer is a one-off and soon slips into the mists of office history, but constant replenishment of consumables keeps reminding you of the true cost of printing.


It's a cost you can't avoid completely and is directly proportional to the number of documents you print. But there are things you can do to mitigate the costs, some of which are free and others cost little.


There are a number of features built into virtually every printer that can be used to reduce running costs. Which ones you choose to use are up to you, but all will control the use of one of two things: ink or toner and paper.
 

Ink/toner


The largest savings are in reducing ink/toner use, and the most obvious step is to use draft print mode wherever possible. This is a setting in the print driver, which can be accessed, for example, through the small Print Properties link on the Print page of recent versions of Word.


Draft mode works by printing selected dots from the full matrix that's printed in normal print mode. This gives a lighter and dottier appearance to text, but in most cases, it's still perfectly readable and is fine for day-to-day office use.


It usually increases print speed too, so there's a double gain.


Some printers offer an 'ink-saver' or 'toner-saver' mode instead of a true draft, which isn't normally quicker than normal print and some, particularly older Epsons, use a different default font for draft text print, which may make slight changes to the layout of pages.


You can save money by using third party inks and toners, although printer manufacturers try to deter this by voiding warranties and linking their cartridges to their machines electronically. From our testing, we consistently see better quality print using manufacturer's cartridges than with third parties, but some third party products, like those from www.stinkyinkshop.co.uk, come close.
 

Paper


If you print a lot of documents, paper costs will also mount up, with a ream of paper typically costing between £3 and £5. But paper savings are also easy to achieve on most printers.


More and more machines offer duplex print, where pages are printed on both sides of the paper. Each time you print duplex, you save close to half your paper costs, between 0.5p and 1.0p per page, depending on paper.


For internal office documents, you can also print more than one page per sheet. Most printers have facilities to do this automatically and printing even two pages per sheet, where for instance you print two A5 page images on an A4 page, is a useful saving, over time.


Multiple pages per sheet require original text at a reasonable size, otherwise it can be hard to read.


Combining duplex and multiple pages can also work well. A long, single-side A4 document can be reduced to a two-sided A5 booklet, saving 75% of the paper in the process.


It may be obvious, but you can always save money by looking at the cost when selection papers. Don't feel you have to use specialist inkjet or laser paper for day-to-day work; many cheaper papers work well, including multi-use types, designed to work in both types of printer.


Buying one paper for all your office printing can provide extra economies of scale.
 

Better draft

 
If you want to use draft print but your printer's draft output is particularly dotty or poorly formed, you could use EcoPrint 2. This is a commercial program, costing $40 (£26.50), or $60 (£40) for the Pro version, which provides a good quality draft print for which you can select the amount of ink/toner saving you want.


With savings of between 10% and 50% it gives lighter prints, but with very little degradation in the quality of text and graphics.


If you have sufficient funds, it's always worth buying the high capacity XL versions of cartridges. Although these can be up to double the cost of the regular consumables, they give back more than this in extra pages printed.
 


Before buying


As well as checking that any new printer you're considering supports features like duplex print and multiple pages per sheet, you should do a little calculation. In general, the higher the asking price of the printer, the lower the running costs per page.


What you need to know is how many pages you'll have to print to make back the extra cost of a more expensive printer.


Here's an example: say you print about 1,500 pages a year, made up of 1,000 black and 500 colour. You're considering two printers (we'll use inkjets in this example): one costs £130, with page costs of 3.7p black and 11.9p colour, including 1p paper; the other costs £190, with pages costs of 2.1p and 5.3p.


Over the three years life of your printer, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the first will be £420, while the second will have a TCO of £333, nearly £90 less.


If you keep your printer more than three years, or print more than 1,500 pages per year, the difference will be even greater.


Using these few, simple ideas, you can make significant savings to your overall printing costs. You needn't feel so much at the mercy of suppliers who know the real money is not in the printer, but in its inks or toners.

Read more »

Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 business laptops! -10

Panasonic Toughbook CF-19


From £2,400


The Panasonic ToughBook is a bit of an anomaly on this list. It's not sleek or light, doesn't boast an HD display and still runs Windows 7, albeit the professional version. But it's tough as the proverbial coffin nail and if your work involves spending any considerable amount of time outside, it's the only logical choice.


The 10.1-inch display will rotate and fold down creating, effectively, a tablet that measures 51mm thick and weighs 2.3kg.


Panasonic hasn't changed the ToughBook's chassis since it revealed the machine back in 2007 and it remains water and dust proof as well as shock resistant. Rubber flaps cover all the vital ports to keep the dust and debris of the outside world away from the internals.


Specs-wise, Panasonic has included an Intel Core i5-3320 processor and 4GB RAM and a battery capable, it says, of 10 hours of usage. Certain new features have been added, such as a USB 3.0 port and the CF-19 also has the option of 3G broadband if you don't have Wi-Fi or a hard wired internet connection.


Admittedly, this is a niche product with an exceptionally high price point and won't be suitable for the majority of scenarios. But if you're looking for a rugged work laptop to survive overseas fieldwork or life on a building site, then this is the machine.

Read more »

Asus VivoBook S400C business laptops! - 9

Asus VivoBook S400C


From £454


It was a difficult choice to include the VivoBook S400Cover Asus' more powerful Zenbook U500 but ultimately the former's balance of performance and price won out. The 14.1-inch S400C features a full capacitive touchscreen, albeit with only a 1,366 x 7.68 resolution.


The dual-core Intel Core i3 processor and 4GB RAM don't offer much in performance terms and other machines on this list will easily outstrip the S400C when it comes to raw power. However, you get a generous 500GB of hard drive storage and all the requisite ports including USB, VGA, Ethernet, HDMI and an SD Card reader.


What's more, the VivoBook S400C is actually a very well made and attractive laptop. The chassis is just 20mm thick and has a black, brushed aluminium lid that compliments the silver elsewhere on the laptop. There's a chiclit keyboard that's comfortable for typing and the three and a half hour battery life is pretty reasonable as well.


At this price, you can't expect much but extra features in the form of Asus' SonicMaster audio technology and, of course, the touchscreen help to make this a good choice. If you're after an all-rounder that looks nice and won't break the bank, the VivoBook S400C could be worth a look.

Read more »

Toshiba Satellite U940 business laptops!- 8

Toshiba Satellite U940


£599


The Toshiba Satellite U940 is one of the few business laptops on this list that doesn't feature a touchscreen. That helps to keep the price down to sub-£600 and means that if you don't particularly want or need a touchscreen in a new laptop, it could be worth exploring.


It's also worth pointing out that at 1,366 x 768, the 14-inch screen will only manage 720p HD playback. However, what you do get is some pretty reasonable performance considering the price. The Satellite U940 comes with an Intel Core i5 processor (which can be scaled down to an i3 if you want to keep costs down further) with 6GB RAM. There's a 750GB hard drive and a 32GB SSD which means this has the benefit of both fast boot-up and plenty of storage.


There are plenty of ports and connections on the 1.79kg frame including two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, HDMI and Ethernet connections and an SD card reader.


The Satellite picks up points for having a comfortable, well-sized keyboard and trackpad, making it good for prolonged typing. Unfortunately, it loses some of those points because, although the plasticky, industrial blue chassis feels solid enough, it hardly looks attractive.

Read more »

Acer Aspire S7 business laptops! - 7

Acer Aspire S7


From £899


Acer's Ultrabooks have been steadily getting better and its most recent, the Aspire S7, stands as an excellent choice for a business machine away from the office. The Full HD 13.3-inch touchscreen is bright with exceptional clarity and the use of a middling Intel Core i5-3317U processor and 4GB RAM allows it to stay shy of the £1,000 mark.


The Aspire S7 is extremely portable at only 1.3kg and measures only 11.9mm thick. It's one of the best looking Ultrabooks here as well, with a white Gorilla Glass 2 chassis, soft backlit keyboard and large integrated trackpad.


Ports are pretty scarce due to the size, but you're still afforded two USB 3.0 slots, a Micro HDMI port and a card reader. The only shortcoming here is the lack of an Ethernet port.


Apart from the aesthetics, the Acer Aspire S7 can also boast of a strong battery performance, offering a quoted 12 hours of life that is more likely around eight hours in real time usage.


Admittedly the price is still a little high for an Acer machine and the processing power isn't as good as some of the other machines on the list, but the Aspire S7 more than makes up for that in looks and portability.

Read more »

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch business laptops!- 6

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch



From £1,455


The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is Lenovo's flagship business laptop and now the Chinese company has improved the model by adding a touchscreen to run with Windows 8. This has the effect of bulking up the chassis slightly to 21mm thick and 151kg in weight, but it's as durable as ever and the carbon fibre casing can easily withstand a knock or two.


Power users won't be disappointed as Lenovo will let you choose either an i5 or i7 processor with up to 8GB RAM and a 180GB SSD. The 14-inch display is a ten finger multitouch screen with HD+ resolution and anti-glare coating that means you can work in brightly lit environments without irritating distractions.


Where the Carbon Touch really comes into its own is the array of business-friendly features that Lenovo has included. Along with a fingerprint scanner, there's RapidCharge technology to effectively charge the machine from dead in 45 minutes, and the battery itself will give you a good seven hours of usage from a full charge.


It's not perfect – the integrated graphics card isn't up to the task of heavy graphics processes like professional editing software. But Lenovo offers an excellent three-year warranty that might sway you towards this machine.

Read more »

Samsung Series 9 NP900X3D business laptops! - 5

Samsung Series 9 NP900X3D


From £850


Designed for portability over everything else, the Samsung Series 9 NP900X3D is a stunning piece of craftsmanship that will suit you well if you're constantly travelling for work. The chassis is only 13.2mm deep at its thickest point and at 1.13kg you can almost forget you're carrying it.


Samsung has fitted the latest Series 9 with a 13.3-inch 1,600 x 900 display that uses SuperBright technology to light the screen at 400nit. An integrated light sensor regulates the brightness of the display and the backlit keyboard depending on the ambient light. If you're regularly taking the red eye flight to New York and back, this is the laptop you'll want.


But it has its downside: the price is a little steep, there's no touchscreen and the processor is only Intel Core i5 level. The latter hasn't been updated from Intel's last generation and the integrated graphics are limiting for graphics heavy work.


Unfortunately, the thinness of the chassis comes at the expense of connectivity as you'll only find two USB ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, memory card reader and a micro HDMI port. The specifications may leave something to be desired but if you avoid bulky laptops like the plague, then this will be an attractive purchase.

Read more »

Dell Inspiron 15z business laptops! - 4

Dell Inspiron 15z


From £659


Dell's Inspiron series has served us well over the years, and the company has now updated its Inspiron 15z model with Windows 8 and a 720p touchscreen. It strikes a reasonable balance between affordability and performance and the option to customise your order gives you even more freedom when buying.


The price we've quoted gets you an Intel Core i3-3217U processor running at 1.8GHz and backed with a more than capable 6GB of RAM. There's also 500GB of storage space accompanied by a 32GB mSATA SSD that's responsible for booting Windows 8 as fast as possible.


The Inspiron 15z also features the DVD optical drive that's becoming something of a rarity for laptops these days. If you've still got programs and data on CDs then this will no doubt be an important choice for you.


The other reason we're recommending the Inspiron 15z as a business laptop is that the build quality is first class and very reliable. The silver aluminium chassis is understated and free from unwanted flexing or rattling. You'll also find the keyboard and trackpad are very comfortable to use for extended periods of time.

Read more »

HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook business laptops! - 3

HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook



£250

 
At first glance, Chromebooks might not hold much appeal, as they essentially require an internet connection to work. However, many Google apps can now be configured to work offline, and if you're simply looking for a cheap way to get some emails done on the train or check the next day's presentation at home then this is an excellent way of doing so.



The HP Pavilion 14 uses a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Celeron 847 processor and comes with a 14-inch screen at the standard 1,366 x 768 resolution.



It weighs 1.8kg and, like other Chromebooks, is constructed from plastic to keep the costs down. However, the 2GB RAM and 16GB SSD are more than capable of running web-based Chrome and you're given three USB ports, 10/100Mbps Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi


.
For general usage, you'll get around four and a half hours from the Pavilion 14's removable battery, and HP has even seen fit to include Altec Lansing speakers for playing music. If you want a budget machine to keep up with work outside the office and can be reasonably sure of a constant internet connection then this is well worth a closer look.

Read more »

MacBook Pro with Retina Display business laptops! - 2

MacBook Pro with Retina Display

 
From £1,999


If you're a creative designer or work in the graphics industry then the MacBook Pro is going to be near the top of your list for a work-based laptop; but the staggering graphical power and screen resolution is matched by the astronomical price.




The top specification arrives with a 2.7-inch quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of DDR3 RAM and 512GB of flash storage.



Graphics are supplied by an Nvidia GeForce GT650M with 1GB of dedicated video memory that backs up the Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated chip. Apple has included both Thunderbolt and DVI digital video output that lets you attach up to four extra monitors to the MacBook Pro for a complete professional setup.



Even without the extra monitors, the 2,880 x 1,800, 220ppi display on the 15.4-inch screen is breathtaking and ideal for filmmakers, game designers or anyone else who needs the best screen money can buy.



All that technology brings the MacBook Pro in at 2.02kg and 9.7-inches thick.



The price precludes this being a realistic purchase for all but the most demanding of professionals. But it undoubtedly deserves a spot in our list.

Read more »

Sony Vaio Duo 11 business laptops! - 1

Sony Vaio Duo 11

 
£1,149


The only hybrid device on our list, the Sony Vaio Duo 11 is an exceptionally powerful sliding Ultrabook that doubles as a full featured Windows 8 tablet.



One of its highlights is an 11.6-inch full HD IPS touchscreen display, which also provides also the main navigation method as there's no touchpad, merely an optical nubbin stuck into the keyboard.



If you're looking for portability this is going to be of interest, although we have to point out that at 1.3kg, the Duo 11 is about the same weight as a standard laptop. However, the tapered edges and classic Vaio styling mean it's certainly a looker and won't fail to draw heads in the boardroom.



Performance and connectivity haven't been left out. At the entry level configuration at the price we've quoted above, you'll find an x86 Intel Core i5 processor with integrated graphics and 4GB of RAM.



The speed comes from the 256GB SSD storage space and Sony has fitted the Duo 11 with two USB ports (one of which is the faster 3.0 format), HDMI, VGA and Ethernet ports as well as an SD card slot.



The caveat to this machine is that battery life could be improved. Sony quotes up to six and a half hours, but in real life don't expect more than about five.

Read more »

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 Price In India, Features And Specs Listed!

         

                     Lenovo's Ultrabook Convertible, aptly christened IdeaPad Yoga 13, has been rolled out in India recently for over Rs 1,03,775/- with all its aluminium unibody awesomeness. With Windows 8 Pro OS to spine it, the tablet-to-laptop (and vice versa) convertible boasts a full HD 13.3 inch IPS LCD capacitive display with 10-finger multi-touch technology which revolves 360 degrees that offers user a freedom to browse anything any way with just a single touch on the screen. The 360 degree Flip and Fold design lets the device shift between four modes (Notebook Mode, Stand Mode, Tent Mode and Tablet mode) while the AccuType keyboard remains static in its place.



               The 1.5kg weighing device is equipped with 3rd generation 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3537U processor, which provides enough power to combine integrated touch, keyboard, and mouse for a better user experience. Intel HD Graphics 4000 has been incorporated within the system, and the battery life of Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 is of 8 hours. A 1.0M 720p HD integrated webcam suffices for video calls. It offers a memory of 8GB DDR3. For connectivity, the device offers USB 2.0 port, USB 3.0 port, USB 3.0 Super Speed (that transfers data 10x faster than its earlier versions), a combo jack, HDMI and a 2-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC). It even supports Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi.
 

Read more »

Apple iPhone Sales Grow By 400% In India; iPod Touch Becomes Cheaper!!

                The immensely successful, Steve-Jobs inspired Apple product 'the iPhone' is making it big in India. Thanks to the EMI as well as cash back schemes offered, Apple India's monthly iPhone sales have risen by 300% to 400% over the last few months. To quote the numbers, the iPhone sales are now nearing 400,000 units per month in India (analysts at Credit Suisse share). That is huge. How is this news significant, you ask? Well, it is the fact that the budget-driven, low-end feature phone prone audience in India no more seems to be perceiving the iPhone as a high-end product. It has become an affordable option for the masses. More importantly, this news coincides with another mind-boggling headline from Apple - the launch of a budget iPod Touch.



              Yep, Apple has launched a cheaper 16 GB iPod Touch that doesn't feature the rear-facing iSight camera for $229, which is $70 cheaper. Though the new iPod touch has the same tech specs - a 4-inch Retina display, a dual-core A5 processor, and a front-facing FaceTime HD camera for video calling, it now comes in just one color — grey with a black front.



               So, it seems Apple is growing by leaps and bounds in India. The key to its success is its super aggressive pricing and and the advertising mania it has created. You can rarely go through a fresh copy of newspaper or a TV channel without seeing an advertisement about the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S older models. It is interesting to note that those are not sold in any other country and have surprisingly created a strong foothold for iPhone as a product in India.



              What do CEans here have to say about this news? We would like to know, so speak up in the comments. And not to miss - if you are looking forward to buying the new iPod touch, know that it is shipping 'within 24 hours' if you live in the United States, or you can pick it up at an Apple retail store starting tomorrow, May 31.

Read more »

8K Ultra HD Camera & H.265 Encoder Developed!

             Engineers at NHK are developing an 8K Ultra HD television and the broadcasts are expected to begin in Japan in 2016. The camera head required is being jointly developed with Astrodesign and the initial prototypes are much compact and lightweight; with total weight approximately about 2 Kg. The engineering team has been successful in packing a 33MP image sensor and all the surrounding driving circuits inside a 10cm x 10cm box. The image sensor itself is just 25mm diagonally, which allowed the lens to be made compact as well. The lens is particularly used in digital cinema recordings, but now it can be used to capture Ultra High-Definition videos as well.




              The monitor has 4K resolution, but the signal processing is 8K. The team says that the image sensor itself can run at 120 Hz, however the signal processing component is not ready for it yet. The display, therefore, runs at 60Hz. 



           NHK has also developed the world's first HEVC/H.265 real-time encoder for 8K Ultra HD video. HEVC is the latest video encoding system and has been accepted as a standard this year. Compared to MPEG2, this code has 4x compression efficiency. While encoding an Ultra HD video with a very high resolution, encoding is done in real-time by dividing the screen in 17 strips. Compression to 85 Mbps enables on Ultra HD channel to be transmitted using one satellite transponder.

Read more »

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Update First Look - Here's An All You Want To Know!

              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.

Read more »

Bullet Train To Run In India On Mumbai-Ahmedabad Route Using Japanese Technology

               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. 

Read more »

Raspberry Pi Heads For The Skies; Captures Stunning Images of Earth From A Height Of 40 Km

             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.

Read more »

Indian Engineers Build 'Jugaad 13' - The 200 Kmpl Car For International Race

              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.

Read more »

Australian Police Issue Warning On 3D Printed Guns; Say Misfiring 'Kills At Both Ends'

                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.


 

Read more »