Thursday 24 January 2013

Microsoft updates Kinect SDK beta

Microsoft have pushed out an update to their public beta Kinect SDK, in the form of a "beta refresh". Following on from the huge popularity of the SDK since its release just over a month ago, the community have spoken and Microsoft have responded with this update.

 

Robotics Developer Studio supports .NET 4, Kinect SDK 2

Microsoft has released an update to its Robotics Developer Studio 4 Beta, and among a fair few new features to the system since the last Beta in September, it includes support for the brand new Kinect for Windows SDK.
“There has been tremendous excitement with Microsoft Kinect within the robotics space signaling the potential opportunities that exist in transforming robots to low-cost mainstream consumer devices” wrote the team. “With support from the Kinect sensor, [Robotics Studio] aims to make it easier for developers to build applications, including those directed at personal robotics and consumer scenarios, both in hardware and in simulation.”

 

‘Google co-founder tests Google glasses in subway‘ 

 

Yahoo! buys scrapbook website Snip.it 

Yahoo! confirmed Tuesday that it bought Snip.it, a young San Francisco startup that lets people create scrapbooks with pictures, articles, videos and other content found online.
"The Snip.it team created an innovative technology that lets people share content in a social and fun way," Yahoo! vice president of product Mike Kerns said in a statement emailed to AFP. 

Google announces redesigned, faster image search 

Search giant Google has revamped its image search feature. In a blog post, company's associate product manager, Hongyi Li, said that based on feedback from both users and webmasters, the company has redesigned Google Images.
The revamped Google Images page will be faster and more reliable than the current version, claims the post. The images will soon be displayed in an inline panel and will be accompanied by the associated metadata and key information. 

Thursday 17 January 2013

Windows Azure may be the overall platform for Microsoft's cloud services, but SQL Data Services (SDS) is the new name for the repository it will be based upon. Dave Campbell, a Microsoft technical fellow, is leading the SDS effort.
Windows Azure may be the overall platform for Microsoft's cloud services, but SQL Data Services (SDS) is the new name for the repository it will be based upon. Dave Campbell, a Microsoft technical fellow, is leading the SDS effort.

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Hands On With Microsoft‘s Impressive Surface Pro Tablet

For several months now, Microsoft's Surface RT has stood as an example of Microsoft's commitment to the concept of a Windows tablet.
But in the next few weeks, Microsoft will begin shipping the full-fledged Windows 8 version of the device (officially known as Surface with Windows 8 Pro, and priced at $899) offering improved performance as well as full-fledged Windows 8 compatibility and functionality. ReadWrite received a behind-the-scenes look at the new tablet at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Building F# apps under Linux and OS X just got a lot easier:

It’s all been happening in the world of F# in the past couple of weeks. Earlier in the month Microsoft announced the open-source availability of the F# compiler and core library source code. Late last week, Miguel de Icaza of the Mono project (which ports .NET languages to run on Linux, OS X, and other platforms) informed developers that they expect to be able to bring F# to many of the Mono platforms following the previous announcement.

Windows Phone developers get new tools for building mobile apps

Another trick has been added to the Windows Phone 7 developer’s kit with the release of the Microsoft Visual Basic CTP for Windows Phone Developer Tools.
The VB for Windows Phone tools allow developers to write Windows Phone 7 applications using the Visual Basic language as opposed to C# which was the only language previously available. The toolkit release includes all of the components required to get this up and running, including project templates, item templates, designer and emulator support, intellisense and debugging.

Monday 14 January 2013

New Browsers - Firefox 18 And Chrome 24 release


Pit - F# to JavaScript Compiler

Pit is a new open source project that compiles F# to JavaScript.
JavaScript is doing so many amazing things that you have to treat it as a first class high-level language, but for many programmings the idea that it is the new assembler is still sinking in

Minification and Bundling of CSS and JavaScript Files ASP.NET

Minification can be applied to both CSS and JavaScript files and it simply involves removing any unnecessary whitespace within the code. It might also involve trimming long variable and method names. However, your code will still run exactly as intended, but, due to the fact that it has been drastically reduced in size, it will run a lot faster. It is important to understand that, while humans might struggle to read this minified code, the browser will have no trouble at all processing the code. This is a necessary evil because the removal of whitespace and the obfuscation that needs to take place will ultimately help the file load faster. The built-in support for minification that comes with Visual Studio 2012 is also intelligent enough that, while you are in development, you will be able to see the full, un-minified code. When you run your website in release mode, the code will automatically get minified on the fly for you.

Bundling CSS and JavaScript is an effective way to reduce the number of HTTP requests that a web page needs to make. The more HTTP requests that a browser needs to make, the longer it takes for a web page to load. This is because each HTTP requests takes time and, quite often, your browser will only be able to download a certain number of files in parallel. By combining all JavaScript files into a single script and similarly combining all CSS into a single StyleSheet, you can severely reduce the number of HTTP requests that your web page makes. For example, if there are two CSS files on a webpage, simply by combining the two files into one you are effectively reducing the number of HTTP requests that a browser needs to make from 2 to 1. There is no reason why combining two JavaScript files together into one should stop them from working just as effectively as if they were two separate files.

Five Awesome Tools Improving Website Development Procedures:

The Firebug:If you are into computer technology then you must have heard the name of Firebug. It is a very crucial and probably the most popular tool for web development. Interestingly, this important tool can be downloaded free from the internet. The various functions performed by this tool are analyzing of web pages, debugging and testing them. As a result the whole procedure of be development becomes considerably simpler. With the help of the Network tab of the Firebug tool, one would be allowed to inspect the CSS, JS, HTML, XHR and JS components. YSlow:One would find YSlow with the Firebug. This tool is used to rank the website through an evaluation process, which is done keeping the high performance websites as a par. The yahoo Developer Network details out these websites. Every single rule in the list has an alphabet between A-F assigned to it. Through these one would get an idea of how to rank a website on the front-end performances. Moreover, you would also get to have an idea of the areas where you need to make improvements like using CDN, to make as few HTTP requests as possible and compress the external JAVA Script. IBM Page Detailer:With this tool, you would be able to analyze each of the web components, which is being downloaded at that very instance. Since this tool would stick to the browser, all you need to do is get into the IBM Page Detailer and navigate to the website you need to. The moment you would be clicking on the component on the website’s page, a slide window will be opened and the component’s entire requisite details would be listed in there. Now, when the process starts on the page, a window will be opened where the information about the process would be obtained. Fiddler 2:This is a tool used for debugging. It is based on HTML and thus one would be able to scrutinize both outgoing as well as incoming traffic to a website. With its awesome debugging features Fiddler 2 can be used as par the requirements of the customers. however, it would be wise to go through the guide which MSDN has issued, prior to using this tool. Each and every feature and function of this tool is discussed in this guide. Moreover, various tips on improving the performance like creating custom flags for the need of dealing with a critical issues etc. Cuzillion:This is one high-performance tool, which helps in tracing how several web page elements mane mutual interactions. Updated and modified web pages are checked and tested with the help of this tool. This is an important step before you zero upon the final look of your website. In addition to this, one would also get some useful suggestion on troubleshooting and some miscellaneous tips to help in the improvement of the website’s performance.

TIL power rangers created the Google chrome symbol

Sunday 13 January 2013

Microsoft releases Silverlight 2:

Silverlight 2 is to launch tomorrow, bringing the .NET framework to the browser and a much improved feature-set over its initial release. Developers can now write Silverlight applications using any .NET language (including VB, C#, JavaScript, IronPython and IronRuby), thanks to the inclusion of a stripped down version of the .NET framework. Also included are a much wider range of built-in controls including data grids and list boxes, and rich networking support including REST, WS*/SOAP and raw socket support.

Windows Phone developers get new tools for building mobile apps

Another trick has been added to the Windows Phone 7 developer’s kit with the release of the Microsoft Visual Basic CTP for Windows Phone Developer Tools.

F# compiler and core library now open source

Early this morning Microsoft made available a package of compiler and library source code for F#. F# is a functional programming language that runs on the .NET framework. While it is not as mature as C# or VB, the languages more often used to build for .NET, it has progressed quickly and is extremely popular in development environments where functional paradigms have been traditional, for example banking and finance.

Mono for Android preview arrives, get .NET on your Android

A preview program for Mono for Android has just opened up, allowing developers interested in getting .NET running on Android-powered smartphones an opportunity to take it for a spin.

Microsoft wraps WPC by committing to the cloud

Microsoft have been rounding off their Worldwide Partner Conference in the US with a review of where Microsoft will be focussing their business software on going forwards – and it’s all looking up (at the Cloud).

Oracle Corp to fix Java security flaw ‘shortly‘ :

Oracle Corp said it is preparing an update to address a flaw in its widely used Java software after the US Department of Homeland Security urged computer users to disable the program in web browsers because criminal hackers are exploiting a security bug to attack PCs.

Google‘s ultrafast Internet draws startups to Kansas City :

Inside a small bungalow on the street separating Kansas City, Kansas, from its sister city in Missouri, a small group of entrepreneurs are working on their ideas for the next high-tech startup, tapping Google Inc.'s new superfast Internet connection that has turned the neighborhood into an unlikely settlement dubbed the ``Silicon Prairie.''

C# wins developers, but Java still reigns

Microsoft's C# language appears set to overtake C++ in regard to its popularity with developers, a monthly survey of programming languages finds. But the language could be held back because C++ is better for mobile application development, an official in charge of the survey said.

Friday 11 January 2013

Gabe Newell, chief executive of gaming company Valve has said that software giant Microsoft's Windows 8 was like a 'giant sadness'.

Gabe Newell, chief executive of gaming company Valve has said that software giant Microsoft's Windows 8 was like a 'giant sadness'.

Wireless charging: Pick Google Samsung or Nokia

You are not alone. With millions of mobile devices handling more tasks, batteries are draining faster, forcing the industry to look for solutions including wireless charging, which can give consumers a power boost on the go.

Wireless charging: Pick Google Samsung or Nokia

You are not alone. With millions of mobile devices handling more tasks, batteries are draining faster, forcing the industry to look for solutions including wireless charging, which can give consumers a power boost on the go.

Developing a private cloud

Cloud computing continues to transform the enterprises it touches. Moving business processes, data storage, and embracing more virtualisation are all key components of today's cloud environments.

Facebook testing $100 charge to message strangers

Facebook is at it again, folks. The social network giant is testing out yet another new feature, and this time it’s almost too ridiculous to believe. Facebook is testing a new service that charges you $100 to send a message to a stranger. So, instead of having the message land in their “Other” inbox, it will go straight to their main inbox.

Skype founder browsing the world for next hot tech idea

Niklas Zennstrom, co-founder of internet phone service Skype, believes the next hot tech business will just as likely spring from Istanbul or Sao Paolo as from Silicon Valley or the coolest districts of London. And he is prepared to fly around the world to find it.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs tops list of world‘s best CEOs

Late visionary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has topped a list of the world's best chief executives, according to a report. The global list, compiled by French business school Insead for Harvard Business Review, ranked the former Apple head first.

Infosys to induct junior employees into consulting

India's second-ranked software exporter Infosys said it will begin inducting junior level employees into its consulting division by re-training them. Until now, only senior- and middle-level employees were hired for the vertical.

Thursday 10 January 2013

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Promises 10Gbps Data Transfers, Coming in 2014

The trade organization behind the USB 3.0 specification has announced a new upgraded spec that promises higher data speeds over backwards compatible connections. The new spec enhanced SuperSpeed USB 3.0 spec should deliver a 10 Gbps data rate -- the same as current Thunderbolt connectors -- though don't expect it any time soon. The new protocol should be finalized sometime in 2013, with initial products featuring the connector appearing in late-2014 or 2015, reports CNET.

US fiscal cliff: How it will hurt IT companies

Warning to investors: major UStechnology companies could miss estimates for fourth-quarter earnings as "fiscal cliff" worries likely led some corporate clients to tighten their belts last month and refrain from spending all of their 2012 IT budgets.

Plastic Logic and Intel team on PaperTab to finally undermine trees

Plastic Logic, Intel, and Queen’s University have revealed a new tablet using a flexible plastic display, the PaperTab, with a 10.7-inch near-indestructible display and a Core i5 processor. The PaperTab, part of Canadian university Queen’s Human Media Lab research, aims to finally replace paper with a color display and an innovative new interface which tries to mimic physical stacks of documents.

AcerCloud expands support to iOS with new features

It was at last year’s CES that Acer was seen touting the features of AcerCloud, but this year, the company has more to talk about. Acer has announced that AcerCloud will soon be expanding to iOS, meaning consumers will be able to share files between Apple’s mobile OS, Android, and Windows. This platform expansion wasn’t the only thing Acer announced today, though, as AcerCloud will also be getting a few interesting new features.

ZTE unveils world‘s thinnest full-HD phone Grand S

Consumers will now have to pay up to 30 per cent extra for data services as leading telecom players Bharti Airtel and Vodafone are hiking tariffs and others may soon follow suit. Bharti Airtel recently increased 2G data rates and rivals are expected to take similar steps to cover costs and improve margins, said industry officials.

ZTE unveils world‘s thinnest full-HD phone Grand S

ZTE has unveiled what it claims is the world's thinnest full-HD smartphone, ZTE Grand S, at the ongoing Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The 5-inch smartphone is only 6.9mm thick and is 69mm wide and 142mm tall.

Times Internet Limited to manage Gawker Media‘s two technology websites :

Times Internet Ltd (TIL) has formed a strategic alliance with American online firm Gawker Media to manage the latter's two technology websites in India. The partnership gives TIL exclusive right to brand, monetise, syndicate and sub-license Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com within India.

Cisco’s country manager Naresh Wadhwa to quit

Naresh Wadhwa, who has been Cisco's country manager for India since 2007 and who will quit the networking major later this month, plans to start a venture that will seek to make infrastructure more intelligent.

What is behind Google chairman‘s North Korea visit

Google chairman Eric Schmidt's "private" visit to North Korea raises many questions, not least because he embodies what regimes in Pyongyang have spent decades resisting with all the considerable power at their disposal.

Acer unveils low-cost mini tablet Iconia B1

Acer said Wednesday the tablet will be powered by a dual core processor made by Taiwan-based MediaTek, whose processors are widely used by Chinese makers of low-cost smartphones

TVs: How the future will look

TV makers showing off their new wares at a huge trade fair will seek to dazzle consumers with bigger, bolder displays, and smarter technologies for consumers who want television to be a "multiscreen" experience.

Videogames move further into Internet cloud :

One major step came from computer graphics giant and chipmaker Nvidia, which announced agreements with six cloud gaming companies to deliver games to global broadband companies. This will allow gamers to play on any screen -- including smart TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones.

Monday 7 January 2013

NIIT, Nasscom team up to train 1 lakh students in 3 years

The training programmes will be offered through two initiatives - Foundation Skills in IT (FSIT) for engineering graduates and Global BusinessFoundation Skills (GBFS) for graduates for all streams.

Soon, smartphone app to open car doors

Researchers have developed a new software that makes the technology of opening car and home doors using smart phone apps more secure and versatile.

Confirmed: Google’s Eric Schmidt is heading to North Korea

Few details were available, and the information came from sources who were familiar with the issue. Now we have confirmation via the former New Mexico governor, who just issued a message confirming the rumor.

Internet emits 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide

Internet and other components of information communication and technology (ICT) industry annually produces more than 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas, and is expected to double by 2020, a new study has found.

New Facebook app to allow free voice calls to friends

Facebook is preparing to launch a new feature for its Messenger app which allows users of the social networking site to place free voice calls to friends.

Sunday 6 January 2013

Internet emits 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide

Internet and other components of information communication and technology (ICT) industry annually produces more than 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas, and is expected to double by 2020, a new study has found.

Saturday 5 January 2013

Shenoy One of the few Indians to climb the global management team of Intel

Navin Shenoy, till last year, was Asia-Pacific head for the firm. In an exclusive interaction,Shenoy outlines his firm’s views on the computer and smartphone market. Edited Excerpts.

No Cannibalisation, all Devices are Going to Co-Exist: Shenoy

Navin Shenoy, till last year, was Asia-Pacific head for the firm. In an exclusive interaction,Shenoy outlines his firm’s views on the computer and smartphone market. Edited Excerpts.

Harvard Grad Starts Math Museum Helped by Google

As a devout numbers geek, Glen Whitney was bothered that the cultural landscape offered no museum celebrating the field of mathematics. So he left his job as an algorithms specialist and manager at Renaissance Technologies, a quantitative hedge fund started by Jim Simons, and created the nonprofit Museum of Mathematics.

Samsung Galaxy phones get price cut in India

Here's some good news for Samsung fans in the country. Samsung Galaxy S III, the current flagship model of the company, has received a price cut and is now available for Rs 30,490 on the internet.

Facebook forced to drop flawed special New Year messaging feature:

Nearly a week after Facebook launched its New Year's messaging feature, the social networking site was on Monday forced to drop the app following a flaw that allowed anyone to see and even delete personal messages intended for others.

Internet quietly celebrates its 30th birthday

The Internet, a revolutionary and cheap communications system that has transformed the lives of billions of people across the world, turned 30 today.

Samsung Galaxy phones get price cut in India

Here's some good news for Samsung fans in the country. Samsung Galaxy S III, the current flagship model of the company, has received a price cut and is now available for Rs 30,490 on the internet.

Friday 4 January 2013

IT hubs coming up in Andhra‘s Tier-II cities

The Andhra Pradesh government is taking steps to promote Information Technology in the state, Minister for Information Technology and Communications Ponnala Lakshmaiah said today.

Google Glass spotted in wild with prescription lenses

Google’s Glass wearable computer has been spotted in the wild in New York City, complete with what appears to be integrated prescription lenses.

How technology powers supply chain:

Supply chain is about managing a network of several interconnected businesses that are involved in the process of delivering the product to the end customer.

Acer to launch 7-inch Android 4.1 tablet at Rs 7,999 in India:

The competition in the budget tablet market seems to be getting hotter. Acer is reportedly all set to launch its upcoming Iconia Tab B1 for Rs 7,999 in India. The tablet is speculated to be rolled out in early 2013.

New Year‘s resolutions around the world in Google

Google is letting people peg their New Year's resolutions to an online map and see what promises others around the world have set out to keep in 2013.

Samsung Galaxy S IV ‘coming’ in May 2014

Seems, Samsung is again readying a big launch for the month of May. The company which unveiled its flagship smartphone Galaxy S3 in May last year, is reportedly launching its successor Samsung Galaxy S IV in May 2013.

Videocon launches 10-inch tablet VT 10:

It runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system and is powered by a 1.5GHz dual core processor. There's IPS capacitive touch screen display with 1280x800 screen resolution. Battery is 6800 mAh.

IBM India appoints Vanitha Narayanan as MD

Vanitha Narayanan takes over from Shanker Annaswamy who will continue to remain in IBM as the Senior Adviser to the corporation on India Enterprise, the company said in a statement.

Tuesday 1 January 2013

Android only detects about 15 percent of known malware

If Google wants Android to continue being a good operating system that wins many hearts, it had better listen to various comments made about the OS. And security is one of them at the top of the list.

Security flaws found in many Samsung mobile devices

Security experts have discovered many vulnerabilities in Samsung's Exynos 4-powered devices, including the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note, that bypasses system-wide security permissions, like letting data be extracted from RAM or malicious code to be injected directly into the device.

Larry Wall's open source programming language Pearl is 25 years old

Developed on December 18, 1987 by a programmer called Larry Wall, Perl is an open source programming language used by developers and Unix/Linux system admins all over the world to automate any number of data management tasks, and yesterday Perl celebrated its 25th birthday.

Dell abandons Android

Amazon is selling books and Google is making it up with search, but Dell could not find a way to build a business on Android, Clarke said.

Google heads for total war with Microsoft

Google has declared war on Microsoft saying that it wants to get 90 percent of users who don't need to have the most advanced features of Office.

More Technical Difficulties at Netflix

This holiday season has been a rough one for Netflix. Following a lengthy outage of its Internet video streaming service on Christmas Eve, the company has been hit anew with technical difficulties.

Gloves come off at low end of the tablet market

According to Digitimes, Asustek's tablet shipments will reach 6.3 million units in 2012 with Google Nexus 7 accounting for 4.5 million units. In 2013, Asustek is set to ship 12 million tablets and with expected 24 million notebook shipments, the company aims to ship totally 36 million mobile devices