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At its seventh annual Visual Networking Index, Cisco suggested the possibility of a drastic increase in the global internet traffic. According to the company, a growth rate of 23 percent is expected between 2012 to 2017. This dramatic burst isn't supposed to last but will be enough to aggregate to 1.4 zettabytes (ZBs) of global traffic by 2017. That amount alone is greater than the history of internet from 1984 to 2012 (1.2 ZB). Cisco predicts that by the year 2018, almost half of the world's population will be online. The surge in online activity could be attributed to more users, users connecting more devices, growing network and broadband speeds and more media-rich content in the next few years. With that many users, comes the need of sustainability. The average internet speed is expected to go up too. Mobile connections will target 8Mbps by 2017 and Wi-Fi speeds are anticipated to reach 30Mbps.
Technological advances will broaden the aspects of connectivity with more and more devices connected to the Internet. Cisco also forecasts a potential rise of M2M (Machine to Machine) products. It highlights the increasing interaction of quotidian devices with the real-world. For example, a refrigerator that can talk to people or is able to interact with other machines. 2017 is likely to see a total of 8 billion devices connected as M2M, combined with the support of IPv6-capable devices.
Just a couple of weeks back, the tech specs of Acer Iconia W3 tablet were revealed on the company’s Finnish site. And now, ahead of the Computex 2013 showcase event, Acer has launched this Windows 8 featuring 8.1-inch tablet. Acer's Iconia series has been a hit. Coming pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 (that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote), the Iconia W3 belongs the price tag of €139 (approx. Rs. 10,200 in India). The trend of having a keyboard that attached to the tablet, that was popularized by the Microsoft Surface is now being carrying forward by Acer. So, the tablet comes with an optional full-size Bluetooth keyboard that holds it upright for typing. Pretty useful. And of course, there's a virtual keypad, ideal for on-the-go thumb typing.
At tech specs of 540 gms and 11.35 mm thin, the device is slim and light. The 8.1-inch LED-backlit display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and the two web camera - front and rear are both good enough at 2 megapixels. Powered by the Intel Atom Z2760 mobile-optimized processor, Acer has suggested that 8 hours of battery life can be expected and extended using the Connected Standby mode. Thanks to Windows 8, using the Live Tiles right on the start page is possible.
The Acer Iconia W3 has support for the 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi networks and hotspots and a micro-HDMI port means that you can connect this tablet to the TV or external display for sharing presentations, photos and video. That tablet is available in either 32 GB or 64 GB variants of internal storage and the micro-USB port is available. As far as the pricing is concerned, the 32 GB version comes at Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of €329 (Rs. 24,000) and 64GB versino at €379 (Rs. 28,000). Available at retail and online stores June onwards, the optional keyboard will be available for a price of €69.- and the case will be available for €24.90 (grey) and €27.90 (white).
In direct cut-throat competition with Asus at the Computex 2013 event in Taipei, it is going to be a war of the tech giants to reveal their extraordinary products and gain maximum attraction. We are hooked to our screens to find out the details. How about you? Share your views, hopes and expectations from the event and the companies in comments below.
3D printing experiment is being done in the space under zero gravity conditions at the ISS. If the experiment is successful, we'll soon see a new era of manufacturing parts in the space. 3D print will use extrusion additive manufacturing that builds objects layer by later from polymers and other materials. NASA and a California based firm 'Mad In Space' have joined hands to begin the experiment in the next year. It'd be the first 3D microgravity experiment to be carried out in the International Space Station.
One of the aims of the experiment will be to test the technology to reduce cargo weight and volume. In future, the astronauts will be able to print the tools or components they need while in space. NASA believes in the potential of 3D printing technology and believes that one day, it will allow humans to manufacture entire spaceship in the space. This would eliminate the design constraints caused by the launch-related restrictions.
The importance of 3D printing technology is growing every day. NASA believes that this technology will be incredibly useful in our mission to send humans to Mars.
Alongside the Acer Iconia W3 Tablet, the Taipei based Taiwanese manufacturer has also launched a first-of-its-kind phablet called the 'Acer Liquid S1'. Designed to be your companion in travel, the huge 5.7" HD (1280 x 720 pixel resolution) screen is supposed to help you increase your productivity levels on-the-go. A 'mobile wireless office' is how Acer describes its self-proclaimed phablet. And if or not rightfully so, this smartphone-tablet combo has support for dual SIM cards and is running over the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Powered by a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, Acer thinks, and we try to believe, that the phablet's battery sustains a day full of usage.
The company has tried to fit-in a lot many features of its own to make its product appealing for the users who love to multi-task and want to do a lot more with their phone other than making-receiving calls or playing games. The support for AcerCloud Docs lets the business people wirelessly retrieve their files and Acer Remote Files makes sure that users can also remotely access files from their main PC. Th Acer Float User Interface has been set up to allow using several app windows at once. Moreover, by just pressing a key Float Apps shortcut springs up and then the apps on a translucent screen float over the function being used. Other than that, there's a Float Caller notification that pops up when you get an incoming call, while the Acer Auto Profile makes sure you don't have to fiddle with the network settings. Especially when you are at a frequently visited location, Liquid S1 switched among the predefined profiles for networks.
If those features have failed to impress you, let us take you through the mundane routine of the general tech specs - Along with support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G, while the photo taking, video recording is made possible using the rear camera, the the front camera with 88° wide viewing angle plus the 24 mm lens can capture Wide Front Shot and do the video calling back home. Thanks to Voice Unlock, users will be able to directly open the apps or interfaces by recording and using personal voice commands. Coming to the audio - there is Studio Sound for an extra-wide stereo image with DTS Studio Sound. The 2-way Live Screen app means users can invite friends for temporary live group sharing.
As Acer puts it, the phone is designed minimally for the target audience of "assertive businesspeople and passionate explorers". And if that involves you, you should know that the Acer Liquid S1 comes in two colors - matte black or white. Starting to ship from third quarter of 2013, the phablet will be available in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, UK and Germany, followed by Spain and Italy. There's no official word about the exact release date or about the U.S. Launch. At a price of €349 (approx. Rs. 26,000), do you think this phone reaches anywhere in the best buy bracket? Let us know your reactions in comments below.
The budget-restrained techies have got something really exciting to look forward to. ARM, the mobile processor design giant, is foraying into the mid-range smartphone segment where they've kept a selling target of 580 million devices by 2015. To tone up that segment of $250-$350 prized smarts, the company is developing the ARM Cortex-A12 CPU design that houses future chips to look after your processing requirements while ARM Mali-622 GPU and ARM Mali-V500 video processor shall cater to your graphic needs.
The basic aim for designing these chips into the mid-range devices is to expand all content creation work like video editing, adding special effects creation in photographs, etc in the budget-friendly segment as well. Not only these, but features like natural language processing, handwriting recognition and hardware-based security that's presently enjoyed on high-end models shall be making its way in mid-range too, thus offering the best of both worlds to the customer.
The mid-range chips shall be so designed that they'll also offer a better display pixel resolution, better battery life, better camera quality, increased storage and memory plus additional sophisticated technology. And Cortex A-12's energy-efficient tag makes it the most obvious choice for its inclusion in mid-range smartphones. With support from ARM POP technology and the ARM Development Studio 5 toolchain, ARM partners can deliver smartphones and tablets with higher efficiency and reduced time to market. According to ARM, Cortex-A12 CPU gives 40% better performance as compared to Cortex-A9, while the ARM Mali-T622 GPU is smaller and 50% more energy efficient than Mali-T600 series graphics chips. Mali-V500 video processor supports HD (1080p) processing and is the first ARM design ever to support TrustZone secure video, which offers anti-piracy benefits to video distributors, and disallows protected videos to be decoded/streamed on phone. The chips are expected to be incorporated into mobile devices mid-2014 onwards.
With the power in their hands to be backing the 580 million mid-range mobile devices over the next two years, while keeping in mind the fact that the mid-range market is projected to exceed the number of premium smartphones and tablets beginning in 2015, ARM Architecture is sure taking steps in the right direction. And for the consumers who don't care about flagship devices and are willing to wait till mid 2014, this news could definitely mean something significant. What say you?
Continuing our Computex coverage, we have ASUS debuting its two Desktop PCs G10 and M51 with fourth generation (Haswell) Intel Core i7 processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics. But the feature that makes these features standout is the ASUS Power Pack. The ASUS Power Pack is a removable battery that acts like a mini UPS for the PC providing 25 seconds of power backup and after the 25 seconds it automatically deploys hibernate mode to save the user session. This Power Pack can also be removed from the desktop to act like a portable rechargeable battery pack for smartphones and tablets.
For enhancing the gaming experience the G10 has been equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX680 graphics with 3D Vision Surround capable of supporting up to four monitors at once. It also has indicator LEDs to show the operational state of any attached USB storage device. For audiophiles, ASUS has enhanced audio with SonicMaster technology and provided its AudioWizard interface that allows custom sound settings.
ASUS G10 Desktop PC
Both these PCs come with ASUS Smart Cooling System that automatically controls the fan speed to achieve the perfect balance between cooling and noise reduction. ASUS Universal Storage Module hot-swap drive bay makes for easy and fast data sharing. Front mounted USB 3.0 ports with Ai Charger technology for rapid charging of mobile devices. The M51 also comes with an additional wireless charging tray.
ASUS M51 Desktop PC
We are still waiting on the availability and pricing details but it can be safely assumed that it will be on the pricey side.
Update – According to reports from Engadget, The G10 comes with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD paired with a 128GB SSD. An in terms of connectivity it has a 16-in-1 memory card reader, a DVD burner, six USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 connections, HDMI-out, DVI-D and VGA. And it would make its way to shelves in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2013.
Computex, Taiwan has made sure that gadgets enthusiasts get a wider choice of products. So continuing our focus on ASUS and confirming last week rumors, Let’s check out the two Android tablets from ASUS one by one.
MeMO Pad HD 7
This 7inch tablet runs the slightly older Android 4.0 on an ARM Cortex A7 quad-core CPU with 1GB of RAM. The 7 inch display has a resolution of 1280x800 pixels with IPS to provide 170 degree viewing angles. For photography it comes with a 1.2 MP front camera and an optional 5 MP rear camera on high end models. Keeping up with times the tablet comes with stereo speakers with ASUS SonicMaster audio technology for an added punch. ASUS is also claiming that the lithium polymer battery (mAh unspecified) will be able to provide 10 hours 720p video playback. Taking lessons from the drawbacks of the Nexus 7, ASUS has provided a microSD slot and micro USB socket this time. The models will be available in 8GB and 16GB capacity with a price tag of 129 USD (7,315 INR) and 149 USD (8,450 INR) from July 2013 respectively in four colour variants of black, white, pink and green. Users will also be getting 16GB ASUS WebStorage free for one year.
ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10
The latest addition to the MeMo Pad series is the ASUS MeMO Pad FHD 10. This 10 inch Android 4.2 Jelly Bean tablet runs on a 1.6 Intel Atom Z2560 (Clover Trail+) with 2GB RAM. As the name FHD suggests, it has a Full HD IPS display of 1920 x 1200 pixels capable of HD playback and HD video recording with help of its 5MP rear camera. On the front it comes with a 1.2 MP snapper. The 9.5 mm thick tablet is powered by a 25Wh battery capable of providing 10 hours of 720p video playback. Connectivity options include 802.11a/b/g/n, GPS and GLONASS navigation. The ‘micro-weave finish’ of the product is complemented by its four color variants of Royal Blue, Silk White, and Vivid Pink. The product will be available in 16 GB or 32 GB models at an undisclosed price from September 2013. The company also throws in a 5GB of free lifetime ASUS WebStorage.
MeMO Pad Accessories
To add value to the above two devices, ASUS also unveiled two covers. A TransCover for both the devices acts like a prop up stand for the tablet and a Persona Cover only for the 7 inch MeMo Pad to act as a back cover.
Ebook
Mobile Multimedia – User and Technology Perspectives
Edited by Dian Tjondronegoro
Published by InTech
Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Copyright © 2011 InTech
All chapters are Open Access distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles even for
commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which
ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. After this work
has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in
any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the
work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify
the original source.
As for readers, this license allows users to download, copy and build upon published
chapters even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly
credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications.
Notice
Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors
and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the
accuracy of information contained in the published chapters. The publisher assumes no
responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any
materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book.
Publishing Process Manager Gorana Scerbe
Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic
Cover Designer InTech Design Team
First published January, 2012
Printed in Croatia
A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com
Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechweb.org
Mobile Multimedia – User and Technology Perspectives, Edited by Dian Tjondronegoro
p. cm.
ISBN 978-953-307-908-0
Ebook
Published by In-Teh
In-Teh
Olajnica 19/2, 32000 Vukovar, Croatia
Abstracting and non-profit use of the material is permitted with credit to the source. Statements and
opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of
the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the
published articles. Publisher assumes no responsibility liability for any damage or injury to persons or
property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained inside. After
this work has been published by the In-Teh, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any
publication of which they are an author or editor, and the make other personal use of the work.
© 2009 In-teh
www.intechweb.org
Additional copies can be obtained from:
publication@intechweb.org
First published December 2009
Printed in India
Technical Editor: Zeljko Debeljuh
Renewable Energy,
Edited by T J Hammons
p. cm.
ISBN 978-953-7619-52-7
Ebook
Monitoring, Control and Effects of Air Pollution
Edited by Andrzej G. Chmielewski
Published by InTech
Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Copyright © 2011 InTech
All chapters are Open Access articles distributed under the Creative Commons
Non Commercial Share Alike Attribution 3.0 license, which permits to copy,
distribute, transmit, and adapt the work in any medium, so long as the original
work is properly cited. After this work has been published by InTech, authors
have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they
are the author, and to make other personal use of the work. Any republication,
referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify the original source.
Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors
and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted
for the accuracy of information contained in the published articles. The publisher
assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out
of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book.
Publishing Process Manager Ivana Lorkovic
Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic
Cover Designer Jan Hyrat
Image Copyright SimonasP, 2010. Used under license from Shutterstock.com
First published August, 2011
Printed in Croatia
A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com
Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechweb.org
Monitoring, Control and Effects of Air Pollution, Edited by Andrzej G. Chmielewski
p. cm.
ISBN 978-953-307-526-6
Ebook
Computer Graphics
Edited by Nobuhiko Mukai
Published by InTech
Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Copyright © 2012 InTech
All chapters are Open Access distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles even for
commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which
ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. After this work
has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in
any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the
work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify
the original source.
As for readers, this license allows users to download, copy and build upon published
chapters even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly
credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications.
Notice
Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors
and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the
accuracy of information contained in the published chapters. The publisher assumes no
responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any
materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book.
Publishing Process Manager Dragana Manestar
Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic
Cover Designer InTech Design Team
First published March, 2012
Printed in Croatia
A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com
Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechopen.com
Computer Graphics, Edited by Nobuhiko Mukai
Ebook
E-commerce provides immense capability for connectivity through buying and selling activities all over the world. During the last two decades new concepts of business have evolved due to popularity of the Internet, providing new business opportunities for commercial organisations and they are being further influenced by user activities of newer applications of the Internet. Business transactions are made possible through a combination of secure data processing, networking technologies and interactivity functions. Business models are also subjected to continuous external forces of technological evolution, innovative solutions derived through competition, creation of legal boundaries through legislation and social change. The main purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a familiarity of the web based e- commerce environment and position them to deal confidently with a competitive global business environment. The book contains a numbers of case studies providing the reader with different perspectives in interface design, technology usage, quality measurement and performance aspects of developing web-based e-commerce.
Edited by Kyeong Kang, ISBN 978-953-7619-98-5, Hard cover, 284 pages, Publisher: InTech, Chapters published February 01, 2010
Ebook
E-Learning is a vast and complex research topic that poses many challenges in every aspect: educational and pedagogical strategies and techniques and the tools for achieving them; usability, accessibility and user interface design; knowledge sharing and collaborative environments; technologies, architectures, and protocols; user activity monitoring, assessment and evaluation; experiences, case studies and more. This book’s authors come from all over the world; their ideas, studies, findings and experiences are a valuable contribution to enriching our knowledge in the field of eLearning. The book is divided into three sections. The first covers architectures and environments for eLearning, while the second part presents research on user interaction and technologies for building usable eLearning environments, which are the basis for realizing educational and pedagogical aims, and the final last part illustrates applications, laboratories, and experiences.
Edited by Marina Buzzi, ISBN 978-953-7619-95-4, Hard cover, 312 pages, Publisher: InTech, Chapters published February 01, 2010
Ebook
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இணையத்தில் உலா வந்த போது, சயின்ஸ் ஸ்நாக்ஸ் (Science Snacks) என்ற தலைப்பு சற்று வேடிக்கையாக என் கண்ணில் பட்டது. வியந்து உள்ளே சென்றேன். பின்னர் தான் தெரிந்தது, அங்கு உள்ள செய்திகள் மற்றும் தகவல்கள் அனைத்தும் மூளைக்கு தீனி (ஸ்நாக்ஸ்) போடும் அறிவியல் சமாச்சாரங்கள் என்று. அட, அப்படியா! என நாம் வியக்கும் வகையில், பல அறிவியல் விஷயங்களை இந்த இணைய தளம் நமக்குத் தருகிறது.
நாம் அன்றாடம் பார்க்கும் சில சாதாரண விஷயங்கள் குறித்து அவ்வளவாகச் சிந்திப்பதில்லை. ஆகாயம் ஏன் நீல நிறமாக இருக்கிறது? சூரியன் உதயம் மற்றும் அஸ்தமனம் ஏன் சிகப்பாக உள்ளது? பிளாஷ் லைட் எரிந்து அணைந்த பின்னர் அதன் இமேஜ் ஏன் நம் கண்கள் முன் தொடர்ந்து சில விநாடிகளுக்குத் தெரிகிறது? இரண்டு உதடுகளுக்கு இடையில் ஏன் சத்தம் வருகிறது? (இப்போது ஏன் உங்களுக்கு ஆர்வம் வருகிறது?)
இது போன்ற சாதாரண விஷயங்களுக்கு நாம் விளக்கங்களைத் தேடி எங்கு செல்வது? பல இணைய தளங்கள் இருந்தாலும், http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/index.html என்ற முகவரியில் உள்ள தளம், இந்த கேள்விகளுக்கு நல்ல விளக்கத்தினைத் தருகிறது. இது போன்ற பல விஷயங்கள் இதில் மிகவும் எளிமையாகவும், அனைத்து தகவல்களுடனும் தரப்பட்டுள்ளன.
தளத்தில் நுழைந்தவுடன் இரண்டு வரிசைகளில் மேலே காட்டப்பட்டிருப்பது போன்ற விஷயங்கள் தரப்பட்டுள்ளன. அவற்றைத் தேடி, நாம் விரும்புவதைக் கிளிக் செய்தால், அங்கு நம் கேள்விக்கான விடை தரப்படுவதுடன், எளிய பொருட்கள் மூலம் எப்படி அவற்றை விளக்கலாம் என்றும் காட்டப்படுகிறது. இது தான் இந்த தளத்தின் சிறப்பு.
Instructions, Advice, and Helpful hints என மூன்று பிரிவுகளில் இவை தரப்படுகின்றன. நீங்கள் பள்ளியிலோ அல்லது கல்லூரியிலோ படித்துக் கொண்டிருக்க வேண்டியதில்லை. இதில் உள்ள எளிய செயல்பாட்டினை மேற்கொண்டால் போதும். விஷயங்கள் தெளிவாகும்.
தளத்தின் முகப்பு பக்கத்தில் சயின்ஸ் ஸ்நாக்ஸ் மூன்று பிரிவுகளாகத் தரப்பட்டுள்ளன. Science by Subject, Snack supplies, Snacks from az என இவை உள்ளன. முதல் பிரிவில் கெமிஸ்ட்ரி, கலர், மின்சாரம் எனத் தொடங்கி, பாடப்பிரிவுகள் பதினாறு பெரிய பிரிவுகளில் தரப்பட்டுள்ளன. இவற்றைக் கிளிக் செய்தாலும் நாம் தேடும் தகவல்கள் கிடைக்கும். அறிவியலை மிக எளிதாகவும், விளக்கமாகவும் தரும் இந்த தளம் நாம் அடிக்கடி சென்று படித்து வர வேண்டிய ஒரு நல்ல புத்தகத் தளமாகும்.
India's leading engineering institute IIT Madras has a Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC), a unit of the Research and Development, that has come up with a new affordable eye screening technology called 'Eye PAC' that helps ophthalmologists do their work faster. Up till now, patients with eye problems had to spend a whole day at the hospital for just the screening. With what they've developed here, the process takes just five minutes. Eye PAC is a software that extracts clear information from eyes and in turn help screen a large number of patients and send only the needy ones for further treatment. Thus, the eye doctor can focus on giving immediate diagnostic solutions.
HTIC unit's head Mr. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam shared his concern by saying that "Over 80 per cent of cases of blindness in our country are preventable, if only there was no lack of qualified ophthalmologists." Therefore, using the Eye PAC technology what we essentially achieve is the bridging of gap of the shortage of ophthalmologists in the country.
The IIT's HTIC unit has worked on this project by collaborating with the Department of Biotechnology of Government of India. This project also supports '3nethra' -a low cost, portable, and highly integrated ophthalmology device for pre-screening and identification of potential eye diseases, developed by Bangalore-based med-tech firm Forus Health. 3nethra has been already installed in many locations across 10 countries such as India, China, France, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mauritius and Somalia. As we frequently read about the i-tech innovation across the world, in India we are seeing a lot of eye-tech innovation. Recently, we saw how four engineering students from Srinivas Institiute Of Technology, Mangalore came up with 'Eye Mouse' - a hands-free device that aims at letting the differently abled people use mouse on their computer screen in hands-free mode.
We look forward to more innovative solutions from India's leading technical institutes and organisations. What are your opinions? Share with us in comments.
WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. RAR files can usually compress content by 8 percent to 15 percent more than ZIP files can. WinRAR is a powerful compression tool with many integrated additional functions to help you organize your compressed archives. It can backup your data and reduce size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP and other files downloaded from Internet and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.
WinRAR puts you ahead of the crowd when it comes to compression. By consistently creating smaller archives, WinRAR is often faster than the competition. This will save you disc space, transmission costs AND valuable working time as well. WinRAR is ideal for multimedia files. WinRAR automatically recognizes and selects the best compression method. The special compression algorithm compresses multimedia files, executables and object libraries
Features of WinRAR:
- Using WinRAR puts you ahead of the crowd when it comes to compression by consistently making smaller archives than the competition, saving disk space and transmission costs.
- WinRAR provides complete support for RAR and ZIP archives and is able to unpack CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7Z, Z archives.
- WinRAR offers a graphic interactive interface utilizing mouse and menus as well as the command line interface.
- WinRAR is easier to use than many other archivers with the inclusion of a special "Wizard" mode which allows instant access to the basic archiving functions through a simple question and answer procedure. This avoids confusion in the early stages of use.
- WinRAR offers you the benefit of industry strength archive encryption using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a key of 128 bits.
- WinRAR supports files and archives up to 8,589 billion gigabytes in size. The number of archived files is, for all practical purposes, unlimited.
- WinRAR offers the ability to create selfextracting and multivolume archives.
Recovery record and recovery volumes allow to reconstruct even physically damaged archives.
- WinRAR features are constantly being developed to keep WinRAR ahead of the pack.
Installation :
* Setup the program using exe file
* Use the keygen (Run administ.)
* Enjoy!
Speed up your computer and keep it running at peak performance with WinZip System Utilities Suite, a comprehensive set of easy-to-use PC tools designed to help you clean, protect, and optimize your system.
- Includes over 20 system utilities to improve computer performance
- Features one-click functionality and easy, automated options
- Boasts a simple interface with an intuitive work flow
- Provides a one-stop solution for PC performance optimization
- Supported Languages: German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Portuguese.
Clean your system
Free up your computer from unwanted clutter! WinZip System Utilities Suite includes several powerful tools that scan and remove dead weight from your computer, all with a few simple clicks.
Protect your system
Avoid costly and potentially irreversible system issues! WinZip System Utilities Suite includes easy-to-use tools that protect your PC from security threats, crashes, and data loss. With WinZip System Utilities Suite, you can check your hard drives for file system and disk errors, permanently delete private data, and remove privacy-exposing traces that may lead to data leaks.
Optimize your system
Organize your system to run at peak performance without having to understand everything under the hood! WinZip System Utilities Suite includes helpful PC tools that do all the testing, fine tuning and rearranging for you. The result? A fully-optimized computer system that runs smoothly, efficiently, and much faster!
Install Notes:
1] Install The App
2] Do Not Launch The App
3] Copy Content from Crack Folder to Install Directory
4] Enjoy This Release!!
Aakash 4 specifications & features list is ready and and the draft describing the same is soon to be submitted to the Government for approval. J Satyanarayana, secretar of Department of Electronics & IT informed the PTI. The government is already rolling up sleeves for the fourth generation of the Aakash tablet while the fate of Aakash 3 isn't clear yet. J Satyanarayana further said that the tablet specifications are beging finalised keeping the cost factor in mind. "We should not add so many features that the cost will go beyond", he said.
With that in mind, what can we expect in terms of hardware and software from Aakash 4? Let's try & make a guess based on the finalised specs for Aakash 3. Here's what we think would get featured in Aakash 4.
Unless Aakash 4 offers features what we've guessed, we believe the upgrade won't be worth it. It'd also be interesting to see which firmware does Aakash 4 will ship with. It's high time that the latest version of Jelly Bean Android finds its way to the tablet.
Aakash tablet was a brainchild of Kapil Sibal, who currently leads the law ministry in India. The idea was to provide a budget-friendly gadget to students in India so that they can have Internet access for educational purposes. The contract to design and develop the tablet was handed over to a Canadian company 'Datawind'. The first version of Aakash was rolled out in October 2011. The section generation was launched last year. We don't yet have concrete information on the status of Aakash 3 tablet.
When asked whether any private players have shown interest in manufacturing or assembling the tablet in India, Satyanarayana said that no company has come forth yet, but once the specifications are finalised, proposals would come in.
We'd love to hear reviews and feedback about Aakash tablet from oure readers & members. Chinese computer giant Lenovo had backed out from submitting proposals stating that it was almost impossible to offer a better user experience in the price bracket set by the Government. Do Aakash owners think that the tablet offers value for money? Share your opinion with us through comments.
Motorola thinks that humans are wasting a lot of energy & time in remembering & typing passwords. Motorola has a fix - using body tatto or an FDA approved pill which will allow authentication without you having to do anything extra. The technology will eliminate the need of entering passwords to authenticate yourself with various computing systems - be it your personal computer, your electronic home security, your phone, tablet or wristwatch. Speaking at the D11 conference, Regina Dugan who was the first female head of DARPA showed off a tattoo on her arm - which by no means is your ordinary tattoo.
The stick-on electronic tatto on her arm comprised of a wireless power coil, ECG, temperature sensor, phone sensor and a small LED with wireless antenna border. She said that Motorola is currently working with inventors, Universities and a Massachusetts firm "MC10" to design the rubber-stamp based tattoos. Of course, the users will have a wide variety of designs.
The tattoo will last for about 2 weeks before it needs a replacement. The connections between the sensors and silicon are designed to flex by about 200%. Of course to prevent the system from potential damage from water; it will be sprayed with a plastic composite.
Just a couple of weeks back, we told you about ASUS's Teaser For Computex 2013. Though not a lot of fanfare, but ASUS did make its mark and created a lot of buzz with the trailer for what to expect from the Taiwanese manufacturer at the showcase event this year. With speculations rife about the new products from ASUS, the rumors have gone far and wide about the launch of a new tablet - always the most sought after gadget in out times. Remember the time in January last year, when ASUS's tablet photos were leaked? So, now the news air is carrying the rumor that ASUS Memo Pad 7 HD could be launched at Computex 2013.
If you're done recalling the extremely cheap 7-inch Memo pad that ASUS brought to the market this year, let us take you to the tech specs for its significantly improved version with the Memo Pad 7 HD. Along with a 7" IPS display that features a 1,280 x 720 pixel resolution, the rumors suggest the specs for Memo Pad 7 HD as a Android 4.2 Jelly Bean running tablet with support for Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, 1GB RAM, a quad-core 1.6GHz processor, and 16GB of internal memory. If you can't help but make a mental comparison of this tablet to Google’s Nexus 7, which happens to be manufactured by Asus as well, your mind is aligned with ours.
Banking on the past trend of having leaked images floating across the web, we are looking for some of them for the Memo Pad 7 HD sometime soon. Though the younger brother came in three color variants, Pink, Gray and white, it is being rumored that Memo Pad 7 HD will come in more colors options like black, white, blue, pink and yellow. As we await an official word, a teaser or a tech specs sheet leak, the price of the new tablet is being approximated at around $169 (i.e. Rs. 9,500 in India) for the US market.
Amidst all the release of the devices arriving this month, will Asus's tablet leave its footprint? The tech gang across the internet is anxious and full of excitement for some extraordinary gadgets and gizmos that will make way at Computex, how about you?
After the November release of Linux Mint 14 - Nadia, here's a significant update from the developers team with Linux Mint 15 'Olivia' featuring Cinnamon 1.8 and MATE 1.6. So, what is new with the features on this new version of Mint? Firstly, there are the two new cool tools added for the first time - 'Software Sources' and 'Driver Manager'. And then if the new UI's intuitiveness doesn't appeal your tastes, there's provision for HTML5, CSS, Javascript, WebGL themed login screen - The MDM has a GTK greeter, a themeable variant of the same and a brand new HTML greeter for new-gen animated and interactive themes. The new Software Sources tool called 'MintSources' built from scratch replaces software-properties-gtk and lets you easily enable or disable optional components and gain access to backports, unstable packages and source code. Featuring a PPA, 3rd party repositories and authentication keys management, MintSources has solutions for the APT problems. Then there's 'MintDrivers' as your Drive Manager, the new software-properties-gtk with a slightly better UI, that can be launched from the menu.
The most attention-driving feature of this update is the Cinnamon 1.8. With improved File Manager that lets user easily hide the sidebar and switch back and forth between places and treeview, the Cinnamon's latest release has Desklets, much-like KDE's Plasmoids or Android's Widgets - that can be added to your desktop. That's not all - you can have your own screensaver and have to do away with the Gnome Control Center, because you're making way for 'Cinnamon Settings'. And if you care for adding new themes or extensions aka 'spices', that can be done straight away from your desktop.
Lastly, coming to MATE 1.6 - the project in a significantly smaller in size than before has a lot of new features to show off. There's the MATE File Manager called 'Caja' with improved places section within the sidebar. Other than that the workspace switcher features a new option to wrap around between workspaces with the mouse wheel. There are bug fixes and improvements done to the Software Manager and the Update Manager, mostly related to UI.
While the latest release is garnering mixed reactions from the keen and curious, a lot of work seems to have gone for building up this upgrade for users. For developers, there's update with settings API for Applets/Desklets, Nemo Actions and the Standalone Looking Glass. What do you feel about this update? If we have some early bird users here, please share your views with us in the comments.
Icon Editor to Make Icons for Windows
Create High-Quality Icons for Windows
IconLover is a powerful, yet easy to use icon editor for making your own icons for any operating system, including Windows, Mac OS, UNIX/Linux and iPhone. It creates native Windows icons (ICO format) of all sizes, up to 256x256 used in Windows 8 and Windows 7, and native MacOS icons (ICNS format) up to 512x512 pixels (this size is used in the latest Mac OS "Leopard" and "Snow Leopard" versions). UNIX/Linux and iPhone use icons in PNG format which is fully supported by IconLover - you can create icons in this format from scratch or convert the existing Windows and Mac OS icons to PNG.
Numerous advanced features including support for variable transparency, built-in drop shadow, smoothing, roll, mirror and other effects, support for multi-layer images, ability to import and export a variety of image formats and batch processing of icons make IconLover the tool of choice for many professional icon designers.
Create and Edit Animated GIFs
IconLover features native support for GIF animation. You can use this icon software to create animated images, banners and buttons in almost no time.
Create and Edit Bitmap Images for Web and Other Uses
IconLover can also be used for creating and editing bitmap images in a variety of formats: BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TGA, TIFF etc. It supports transparency and a full range of other format-specific features.
Support for Windows 8 and Windows 7 compressed PNG Icons
IconLover fully supports the compressed PNG format recommended for 256x256 icons in Windows 8 and Windows 7. It helps reduce the overall size of the file without sacrificing image quality and preserves alpha channel transparency.
Automatically Make Icons from Images
Some designers prefer working with familiar software and then import the resulting image to IconLover and convert it to icons. With support for a variety of image formats, including Adobe Photoshop (PSD), IconLover enables icon designers easily convert images to icons.
Export Icon to Bitmap Images
You can also use IconLover to open Windows and Mac OS icon files (ICO, ICNS) and export them to common bitmap formats for use on a website, blog, application splash-screen etc.
Convert Icons between Windows
Full support for Windows (ICO) icon formats enables designers to use IconLover for easy conversion of icons between these operating systems. You can open a Mac OS icon in this icon software and save it for use on a Windows PC, and vice versa.
With IconLover 5.34, you can:
Manage icons, static and animated cursors, icon and cursor libraries and image lists
Create and edit smooth semi-transparent icons, static and animated cursors for Windows
Create and edit icons in standard and custom sizes, with color depth up to 32-bit True Color
Create and edit animated GIF images
Make stylish icons from your images
Paint images with gradients and fills
Create multi-layer images
Modify images with drop shadow, opacity, smoothing, negative, grayscale, colorization, rotation, roll and mirror, round corners effects
Import and export ICO, BMP, JPEG, ANI, CUR, GIF, PNG, TGA, TIFF, WMF, WBMP, XPM, XBM and Adobe Photoshop PSD image formats
Import Mac OS icons from ICNS and RSRC files
Make icons in ICNS format for Mac OS
Manage icon libraries for better and more efficient image storage
Extract icons from Windows executables, libraries and animated cursor files, ZIP and RAR archives
Export icon captions to text files
Download icons from the Internet
Modify icons inside executables
Search in folders for icons and cursors
Convert or apply effects to multiple icons at once
Customize desktop and folder icons
No internet activation required
System requirements: Windows PC.
Install Notes:
1] Install The App
2] Enter Serial
3] Enjoy This Release!!
Internet Download Manager has a smart download logic accelerator that features intelligent dynamic file segmentation and safe multipart downloading technology to accelerate your downloads. Unlike other download accelerators and managers that segment files before downloading starts, Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process.
Internet Download Manager reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve better acceleration performance. Internet Download Manager supports proxy servers, ftp and http protocols, firewalls, redirects, cookies, authorization, MP3 audio and MPEG video content processing. IDM integrates seamlessly into Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape, MSN Explorer, AOL, Opera, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Firebird, Avant Browser, MyIE2, and all other popular browsers to automatically handle your downloads. You can also drag and drop files, or use Internet Download Manager from command line. Internet Download Manager can dial your modem at the set time, download the files you want, then hang up or even shut down your computer when it's done.
Main Features:
• All popular browsers and applications are supported! Internet Download Manager has been tested with the following browsers: Internet Explorer, MSN Explorer, AOL, Netscape Communicator, Netscape 6, Netscape 7, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Firebird, Opera, NetCaptor, UltraBrowser, Slim Browser, Avant Browser, MyIE2, Optimal Desktop, Ace Explorer, Advanced Browser, 27 Tools-in-1 Wichio Browser, WindowSurfer, 550 Access Browser, FineBrowser Freeware, Kopassa Browser, Fast Browser Pro, Enigma Browser, GoSuRF, K-Meleon, Smart Explorer, The Off By One Web Browser, Smartalec Voyager, CrystalPort AppCapture, The Family Browser, XANA Web Browser, Bluto, AutoSurf, 32bit Web Browser, BrowseMan, WrestlingBrowser, Eminem Browser, UltraBrowser, Cygsoft LDAP Browser, and Net M@nager. Internet Download Manager supports all versions of popular browsers, and can be integrated into any 3rd party Internet applications.
• Easy downloading with one click. When you click on a download link in a browser, IDM will take over the download and accelerate it. IDM supports HTTP, FTP, HTTPS and MMS protocols.
• Download Speed Acceleration. Internet Download Manager can accelerate downloads by up to 5 times due to its intelligent dynamic file segmentation technology. Unlike other download managers and accelerators Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process and reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve best acceleration performance.
• Download Resume. Internet Download Manager will resume unfinished download from the place where they left off.
• YouTube grabber. Internet Download Manager can grab FLV videos from popular sites like YouTube, MySpaceTV, and Google Video.
• Simple installation wizard. Quick and easy installation program will make necessary settings for you, and check your connection at the end to ensure trouble free installation of Internet Download Manager
• Drag and Drop. You may simply drag and drop links to IDM, and drag and drop downloaded files out of Internet Download Manager.
• Automatic Antivirus checking. Antivirus checking makes your downloads free from viruses and trojans.
• Advanced Browser Integration. When enabled, the feature can be used to catch any download from any application. None of download managers have this feature.
• Built-in Scheduler. Internet Download Manager can connect to the Internet at a set time, download the files you want, disconnect, or shut down your computer when it's done.
• IDM includes web site spider and grabber. IDM downloads all required files that are specified with filters from web sites, for example all pictures from a web site, or subsets of web sites, or complete web sites for offline browsing. It's possible to schedule multiple grabber projects to run them once at a specified time, stop them at a specified time, or run periodically to synchronize changes.
• IDM supports many types of proxy servers. For example, IDM works with Microsoft ISA, and FTP proxy servers.
• IDM supports main authentication protocols: Basic, Negotiate, NTLM, and Keberos. Thus IDM can access many Internet and proxy servers using login name and password.
• Download All feature. IDM can add all downloads linked to the current page. It's easy to download multiple files with this feature.
• Customizable Interface. You may choose the order, and what buttons and columns appear on the main IDM window.
• Download Categories. Internet Download Manager can be used to organize downloads automatically using defined download categories.
• Quick Update Feature. Quick update may check for new versions of IDM and update IDM once per week.
• Download limits. Progressive downloading with quotas feature. The feature is useful for connections that use some kind of fair access policy (or FAP) like Direcway, Direct PC, Hughes, etc.
What's new in version 6.15 Build 14? (Released: May 27, 2013)
-Fixed problems with downloading of youtube videos
-Fixed bugs
IDM is multilingual. IDM is translated to
Albanian, Arabic, Azerbaijan, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Uzbek languages.
With the help of ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), scientists have observed the "Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey Field" in the direction of the constellation Cetus, and succeeded in identifying 15 extremely dark galaxies which had been previously unknown.
In addition, they also successfully measured the number density of galaxies with 10 times less luminosity than ones previously observed with the conventional millimeter instruments.
Based on the observations with ALMA telescope, the research team led by Bunyo Hatsukade, a postdoc researcher, and Kouji Ohta, a professor, both from the Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, have revealed that approximately 80 percent of the unidentifiable millimeter wave signals from the universe are actually emitted from galaxies.
ALMA telescope finds 15 extremely dark galaxies unidentified until now
Their densities well match the prediction by theories of galaxy formation. Therefore, the researchers consider that they managed to capture more like "normal" galaxies, which had been impossible to detect up to now, than extremely bright "submillimeter-luminous galaxies".
Using ALMA and the Subaru Telescope , the research team is now seeking to uncover the overall picture of galaxy formation and evolution while conducting observations of much darker galaxies.
Conventional research on distant galaxies has been carried out mainly with visible light and near infrared light. However, it is possible that many galaxies in the universe have been overlooked as much of that radiation is largely absorbed by cosmic dust. That is why millimeter and submillimeter wave observations are important.
ALMA telescope finds 15 extremely dark galaxies unidentified until now
Stellar light absorbed by dust is reradiated from the dust as millimeter/submillimeter waves. Therefore galaxies, even those that it has not been possible to observe with optical telescopes, can be detected using these wavebands. Furthermore, millimeter/submillimeter waves are suitable for observation of distant galaxies. This is because the more distant the galaxy is, the more luminous part of light we can see due to the shift of wavelength of light by the expansion of the universe.
This effect is called "negative K correction" and it compensates the source dimming in the distant universe.
In past observations, gigantic galaxies deeply covered in dust, where several hundreds to thousands of stars are actively forming per year, have been detected with millimeter/submillimeter waves. To capture the overall picture of galaxies in the universe, it is important to observe "general galaxies" which have moderate star-formation activities. However, it has not been possible to detect faint galaxies due to the low sensitivity of existing observation instruments.
The research team observed a field named "Subaru/XMM-Newtown Deep Survey Field," located in the direction of the constellation Cetus, with the ALMA telescope. As a result, they succeeded in finding 15 extremely dark galaxies that were unidentified until now.
"It is thanks to the high performance of ALMA, which is proudly said to be the best in the world, that observations like this have been made possible," said Hatsukade.
With the ALMA observations the team successfully measured the number density of galaxies approximately 10 times darker than the millimeter wave research results up to now.
The new results agree well with the prediction by the theories of galaxy formation. That means, the galaxies detected in this research are the faint but dust-rich galaxies and they are most likely to be similar in type to normal galaxies not detected before.
In regards to this, Professor Ohta commented, "This is a big step towards getting the big picture of galaxy evolution as the objects connecting especially bright galaxies in millimeter/submillimeter waves and normal galaxies were detected with ALMA."
Furthermore, the team concluded that approximately 80 percent of the sources of the cosmic background radiation within the millimeter/submillimeter wavebands are more "normal galaxies" like those detected by ALMA this time.
Superhydrophobic Paper
Taking inspiration from the water repelling qualities of lotus leaves researchers Lester Li, Victor Breedveld and Dennis Hess of Georgia Institute of Technology have come up with a superhydrophobic paper that has been proven to repel most liquids and oils. The paper is made from standard softwood and hardwood fibers. The fibers then undergo the standard manufacturing process where the cellulose in them in broken down into smaller parts by mechanical grinding. In the conventional way the paper is pressed in presence of water, but while making this paper the water is removed and butanol is added instead. Butanol inhibits the hydrogen bonding that normally takes place between cellulose allowing better control of their spacing.
In the next step, the researchers used an oxygen plasma etching process to remove the layer of ‘fluffy’ cellulose layer to expose the ‘rougher’ layer of crystalline cellulose nanofibrils on which a thin coating of a fluoropolymer is applied to give it the liquid repelling capability. During the testing process the paper was able to repel water, motor oil, ethylene glycol and n-hexadecane solvent. Researchers have also managed to print patterns on the paper using a hydrophobic ink and a desktop printer. The liquid droplets adhered to the ink pattern and were repelled by the rest of the paper. The team hopes to see that their invention could lead to the development of inexpensive biomedical diagnostic tests where a droplet of liquid containing antigens can be rolled on to printed surface where it would be in contact with diagnostic chemicals and depending upon the reagents they would help identify the disease.
You might have already read about the Superomniphobic Layer developed by the University of Michigan but the difference between both is flexibility. The paper version is very flexible and to some extent cheaper than its predecessor.
For more details of the project, head over to Georgia Tech.
Marsrocks
With NASA trying really hard from quite a few years to find water on the surface of Mars, they have been collecting real good proof over the years. To add another evidence to the lot, Curiosity, the Rover sent by NASA on Mars, came across pebbles near the Gale Crater. Pebbles are usually formed when they are eroded by wind or water, and these pebbles seemed pretty close to the ones formed due to water, the same way as on Earth. Pebbles roll and bump onto other pebbles and settle at places, eventually forming their well rounded edges. Wind couldn't be the reason behind them since these pebbles seemed too big, about 1.5 inches in diameter. These kind of pebbles have not only been found near the Gale Crater but also on other parts of the Red Planet.
Many rock formations and landscapes on Mars have been found to look similar to the ones carved out of rivers and streams on our planet, still adding to the possibility that water once flowed over the barren planet. The parts where these pebbles were found are reported to have had ankle deep water and sometimes have been waist deep. The pebbles have also been analysed and found to have not travelled a distance more than nine miles.
Mars has always been in the news frequently, with Curiosity finding something interesting almost every month. This planet is supposed to be the closest to the conditions seen on Earth, but with time Mars might have died away. The people at NASA are determined to find water on the dusty planet and are really hoping in to bump into extra-terrestrial life up there soon. And while Curiosity keeps on looking for more, we anticipate some great discoveries to be unveiled.
1. Lock screen slideshow
"As people started using Windows 8, we found that people were using their Lock screens to show pictures of their families," Leblond says. So in Windows 8.1, you can turn your PC or tablet into a picture frame by making your Lock screen a slide show of your pictures - either locally on the device or photos from Microsoft SkyDrive. "We also added the ability to take pictures with the built-in camera right from the Lock screen without having to log in."
2. More backgrounds
Windows 8.1 offers more colours and backgrounds for the Start screen - including some with motion. You can also choose your desktop background as your Start screen background.
3. Different tile sizes
As in Windows Phone 8, the Windows 8.1 Start screen features a variety of tile sizes including a new large and new small tile. It's also even easier to name groups and rearrange tiles, says Leblond: "We found people were accidentally moving tiles on their Start screen so in Windows 8.1, you press and hold (or right click) to move things around." You can now select multiple apps all at once, resize them, uninstall them, or rearrange them: "View all apps just by swiping from the bottom to view all apps, and we've added the ability to filter your apps by name, date installed, most used, or by category. You want the Start screen to be about all the things you love. So when you install a new app from the Windows Store, we no longer put that app on your Start screen. Instead, you'll find these apps under apps view as mentioned above and marked as 'new' where you can choose to pin the apps you want to your Start screen."
4. Aggregated search
Instead of having to select an app and then search when you go to the Search charm, Bing now powers an aggregated search system from the web, your files, SkyDrive and elsewhere. Leblond says: "We think this will really change the way you interact with the Web and with Windows making it quicker and easier to get things done. It is the modern version of the command line! Results from local files, apps, and settings are easily accessed in the same convenient view by scrolling to the left."
5. Enhanced apps
New app enhancements are also promised to all the built-in apps. According to Leblond: "The Photos app now has some new editing features that let you quickly edit or adjust photos when you view them in the Photos app or open them from other places like the Mail, SkyDrive, and Camera apps. And our Music app has been completely redesigned to help pick and play music from your collection. We plan to talk more about updates to the built in apps in Windows 8.1 and some brand new apps we will be introducing in [the] future. We're also making improvements for using multiple apps at once in Windows 8.1."
6. More snap views
If, like us, you use Windows 8 a lot, you'll have been frustrated by the lack of 50:50 split snap views. This is the game-changer for Windows 8 apps. "You will have more ways to see multiple apps on the screen at the same time," says Leblond. "You can resize apps to any size you want, share the screen between two apps, or have up to three apps on each screen if you have a multiple displays connected, you can have different Windows Store apps running on all the displays at the same time and the Start Screen can stay open on one monitor (yes!). This makes multi-tasking even easier. Also in Windows 8.1, you can have multiple windows of the same app snapped together - such as two Internet Explorer windows." We're really looking forward to that.
7. An enhanced Windows Store
App updates will now install automatically in the background as they come through the Store. And search is available in the upper right hand corner for finding the apps you want. Leblond elaborates: "The improved Windows Store is designed to show more info than before in Windows 8 with detailed lists of top free apps, new releases, and picks for you on the homepage. The app listing is more descriptive and informative and includes an area for related apps to help with app discovery."
8. Save direct to SkyDrive, plus offline files
In Windows 8.1 your files can be saved directly to SkyDrive. The SkyDrive app will also get a new update so that files are available even when offline - as in the desktop version.
9. You no longer need the desktop Control Panel
The updated PC Settings in Windows 8.1 gives you access to all your settings on your device without having to go to the Control Panel on the desktop. "You can do things like change your display resolution, set power options, see the make and model of my PC, change the product key, let me do Windows Update, and even join a domain – all from PC Settings," says Leblond. You can also manage SkyDrive from PC Settings as well.
10. A new Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer 11 will ship with Windows 8.1. "IE11 will offer even better touch performance, faster page load times and several other new features we think you will enjoy," says Leblond. "For example, you can now adjust the appearance of modern IE11 to always show the address bar and you can have as many open tabs as you like. And you can access your open tabs in sync across your other Windows 8.1 devices."
11. Better with a mouse and keyboard
For devices without touch, Windows 8.1 features a number of improvements for easier navigation using a mouse and keyboard. "PCs today are evolving for a world of mobile computing where people interact with their devices through touch, and we designed Windows 8 for this," explains Leblond. "But we also recognize there are many non-touch devices in use today - especially in the commercial setting."
12. A change to the Start 'tip'
You've already heard about this one, right? Leblond adds that there are also options to change what the corners do, and options to boot into alternate screens: "For example, if you prefer to see the Apps view versus all the tiles, you can choose to have the Start screen go directly to Apps view."
Microsoft says it will be releasing more Windows 8.1 details "in the coming weeks. As you've heard us talk about before, Windows 8.1 will be available later this year as a free update."
Microsoft also says that it will also be sharing more about Windows Embedded at Build. Embedded will be
"updated in the same timeframe as Windows 8.1. We're aligning the platforms even more to bring Windows to form factors of all types, including not only tablets and PCs, but also the growing category of devices such as ATMs, point of service (POS) terminals, and kiosks."
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