Microsoft released Windows 8 -laboratories around the world in Aachen, Bangalore, Beijing, Cairo, Cambridge (United Kingdom), Cambridge (Massachusetts), Mountain View, Redmond, and San Francisco - USA.

Last week, Microsoft released a Windows 8, the next major rethink of its OS, which is expected to go on sale later this year. As tablets and smartphones have started to replace PC and laptops, and as increasingly sophisticated Web based services have grown in importance, Microsoft has fallen down behind the likes of Apple, Google, and Facebook, oracle, in providing the software that most people use every day. Windows 8 represents an attempt to catch up and remain relevant. Although unfinished (and subject to significant changes before its official release), Windows 8 looks set to be the most radical reinvention of Microsoft's OS since Windows 95. It blurs the line between pc and mobile computing, and contains some clever tricks that could help Microsoft push into mobile, social networking, and consumer cloud services. But the combination of a tablet and a desktop interface may also prove confusing for some users. I didn't test Windows 8 on a touch-screen device, but then most people will encounter Windows 8 on a new laptop or pc. While 62.5 million tablets were sold in 2011, according to IDC, that's only 15 percent of all the PCs sold. Instead of developing one version of Windows for tablets and another for desktops—as Apple inc has done with OSX and iOS—Microsoft chose to build an operating system that does it all. It's an approach that makes sense for Microsoft, since it will help introduce users to its mobile os.

Windows 8, the first thing you'll notice is that, instead of the familiar Windows pc, you're met with a series of tiles, each representing a different app or online service. This new start screen is based on Metro, the interface Microsoft created for Windows based smart Phone, and it includes many of the same features as that operating system. Each tile can be more than just a button, showing the latest updates from a program underneath—a new e-mail message, Facebook post, or tweet, or an upcoming calendar event. And it's simple to rearrange the tiles to make all this information accessible at a glance. The regular Windows desktop is still there, it's just hidden underneath this start screen; one of the tiles on this screen will still take you to a familiar-looking Window 7-like interface—complete with windows, a task bar, and normal Windows applications. But it's impossible to use the operating system without returning to the Metro start screen every time you want to start an application. By right-clicking on the bottom left corner of the screen, you can access things like control panel, search, run, and the command prompt. Even on a non-touch screen device, the Metro-style interface is intuitive and slick. It feels very different from any previous version of Windows 7 8 version , and distinct from either Apple inc or Google's mobile operating systems.

Windows 8 also comes with several tablet-style apps, which are shown on the start screen, as well as Metro versions of existing applications like Mail and IE. I found the Metro version of some apps, like IE 10, surprisingly enjoyable even on a desktop (pc) computer—all of the browser "chrome" disappears while you're reading a webpage; the useful stuff (the address bar, tabs, settings) returns with a click or a swipe. But having two versions of certain apps, and thus two different ways of doing things, could prove confusing for some people. Using a regular mouse and keyboard with the Metro interface can be clunky. Opening and closing app, for instance, requires grabbing them from the top and pulling them to the bottom of the screen. Some Metro application, like the Finance one, are probably well-suited to a tablet but felt out of place on a regular PC. Merging the two interfaces means the Windows button is replaced by the Metro start screen. In the conventional pc mode, clicking the bottom left corner of the screen, or hitting the Windows button on your keyboard, simply returns you to the start screen. This takes some getting used to, and it seems like a compromise made at the expense of usability on an ordinary laptop or desktop - pc.

Another big change with Windows 8 is its connection to the cloud. Whenever you log into another machine running Windows 8—with an e-mail address and password tied to Windows Live—you'll see the same start screen and have all your other preferences in place. It's a smart move, and most people will find it convenient. You can also connect your Window 8 (and Windows Live) account to various online services—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.—and these will also automatically be set up when you log in somewhere else. And, of course, you'll have access to all the documents you've saved on Microsoft's cloud service, SkyDrive. Again, though, these cloud features work best in the Metro mode—I couldn't see a simple way to access SkyDrive from regular old Windows Explorer, for example. Windows 8 also tries to be the glue that holds your online social life together—another innovation borrowed from Windows Phone. An application called People grabs contacts from online services like Facebook and Twitter (with your permission, of course) to create a single address book and social platform. The app shows Facebook and Twitter updates neatly together, and lets you reply, post, and comment without ever leaving Windows 8. Once a Facebook friend has connected his or her account to Windows 8, you can chat live via Microsoft Messenger app, and other Windows 8 apps are designed to encourage sharing via the People Application Many people will probably find this useful, but since it lacks the nuances of the actual Facebook or Twitter interfaces, it seems an innovation best suited to a mobile device.

Windows 8 introduces an app store, similar to Apple's and Google's. It's sparsely populated at the moment (I found only three "social" apps, for example), but that's hardly surprising given that the OS is still in development. In fact, Windows 8 clearly presents a neat opportunity: putting a tablet and desktop OS together should encourage Microsoft's army of developers to start building many more tablet and mobile Windows application. From now on, if you're developing a pc application for Windows 8, it'll make sense to make it tablet-compatible from the start. Microsoft has also released development tools to make it easier to build programs that work both as Metro apps and desktop applications. Overall, Windows 8 is shows an impressive amount of innovation, and many of its features promise to work extremely well on touch-operated devices. But the decision to merge the Metro interface with a conventional Windows desktop, while clever from a strategic perspective, is a bit frustrating. Given enough time, I'm sure I'd get used to Windows 8's split personality; but I'm not sure it would make any more sense.

Internet users won’t wait a second for results

Wait a second. No, that’s too long. Remember when you were willing to wait a few seconds for a computer to respond to a click on a Web site or a tap on a keyboard? These days, even 4oo milliseconds - literally the blink of an eye - is too long, as Google engineers have discovered. That barely perceptible delay causes people to search less. “Subconsciously, you don’t like to wait,” said Shree.ArvindJain, a Google company engineer, and the resident speed maestro. “Every millisecond matters.” Google and other tech companies are on a new quest for high speed, challenging the likes of Shree.ArvindJain to make fast go faster. The reason is that data-hungry smartphones and tablets are creating frustrating digital traffic jams, as people download maps, video clips of sports highlights, news updates or recommendations for nearby restaurants. The competition to be the quickest is fierce. People will visit a Website less often if it is slower than a close competitor by more than 250 milliseconds (a millisecond is a thousandth of a second). “250 milliseconds, either slower or faster, is close to the magic number now for competitive advantage on the Web,” said Harry Shum, a speed specialist at Microsoft. The performance of Websites varies, and so do Internet user expectations. A person will be more patient waiting for a video clip to load than for a search result.

And websites constantly face trade-offs between visual richness and snappy response times. As entertainment and news sites, like The New York Times site, offer more video clips and interactive graphics, that can slow things down. But speed matters in every context, research shows. Four out of five online users will click away if a video stalls while loading. The major search engines, Google and Microsoft’s Bing, are the speed demons of the Web, analysts say, typically delivering results in less than a 2nd. In 2009, a study by Forrester Research found that online shoppers expected pages to load in two seconds or fewer - and at three 2nd, a big share abandon the site. Only three years earlier a similar Forrester study found the average expectations for page load times were four seconds or fewer. The two-second rule is still often cited as a standard for Web commerce sites. Yet experts in human-computer interaction say that rule is outdated. “The old two-second guideline has long been surpassed on the racetrack of Web expectations,” said Mr.EricHorvitz, a scientist at Microsoft’s research labs.
There are laboratories around the world in Aachen, Bangalore, Beijing, Cairo, Cambridge (United Kingdom), Cambridge (Massachusetts), Mountain View, Redmond, and San Francisco - USA.

1.5 billion euros ($2.0-billion) in Europe alone

World largest fair this week urged operators to convert "silent roamers" or travellers who stop using their mobile phones once abroad for fear of a massive bill. If unlocked, the market could be worth a massive 1.5 billion euros ($2.0-billion) in Europe alone. "I know that 40 percent customers are nervous about using data services abroad," said European Commissioner of New Technologies Neelie Kroes at the mobile Mobile World Congress. "Because, with EU roaming prices still so high, they know they could be in for a nasty surprise when they open their bill," she added. Tele-communications operators apply a so-called roaming surcharge when a mobile telephone is used abroad. The telephone bill could therefore be enormously high if a user keeps a smartphone constantly connected to the internet while overseas. "We probably have 2-3 of the person who have turned off their data, because they're scared to death of the roaming cost, and we're talking about person the telecom world!" noted Jeff Gordon, chief executive of Syniverse, which deals with roaming issues for 7oo mobile phone operators across the world. While some just disable their data function, others stop using their mobile phones completely. According to Syniverse, out of 75 million people who travel to another country in a month, close to 70 % never use the data service and half make no calls at all. Analyst firm Greenwich Consulting estimates that data roaming alone is an untapped 1.5 billion euro business in Europe alone. "A smartphone is a great travelling companion and data services should be kept on rather than turned off, as they are today," said Magnus Rehle, director of the consultancy.

Cost international roaming have got to come down. None of us like surprises, we don't want to have to live in fear of the 5,ooo euro telephone bill," noted Gordon. Bengt Nordstrom, chief executive of research institute Northstream noted that the reluctance to slash roaming cost is because "roaming is very, very profitable for operators." Yet, he pointed out that operators "can still make a lot of money with decent roaming cost." Some have begun to react. "We have been talking about roaming with other operators for a longtime," said Stephane Richard, chief executive of France Telecom department, which runs the Orange mobile phone service. "Everyone recognises that the current system is not satisfactory, as the prices are sometimes so high that they discourage usage," he added. Orange has used the Barcelona congress to unveil a new roaming offer combining voice, SMS and data within the EU. But more coordinated action across the 27-country bloc may soon arrive. The European Commission has already forced the sector to cut cost dramatically in recent years. But Brussels seems determined to go further. At the European Parliament, the industry commission on Tuesday validated Kroes' proposals to further slash cost and European parliamentarians are to vote on the issue in early April. "I am looking forward to a good result on roaming. And to getting an ambitious political agreement next month," said Kroes. "Such an agreement must secure a truly competitive single market for roaming services, with more choice and much lower consumer prices," she added.

sustainable development at Sony Mobile phone France

Billion mobile phone made globally every year but fewer than 1 percent are recycled, experts say, noting that billions of euros could be saved if consumers go green. “Sometimes the size of a mobile phone is deceiving for the perception of the affect it does to the global environment,” said Sprint Nextel VP of product, Mr.Fared Adib. The value of the materials in each mobile phone device is also often underestimated. A typical mobile phone weighing less than one hundred fifty GM contains valuable material such as silver, gold, other Metals and rare minerals—highly sought after elements critical in high technology manufacturing. “Given today’s low collection and recycling rates, nearly all of this material is lost,” said the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a research institute. In Europe alone, one hundred sixty million discarded mobile phones result in a loss of about $500 million every year, it said in a report. Bertrand Villie, who is in charge of sustainable development at Sony Mobile phone France, confirmed the trend. “Very few person their mobile phones back, unless they are defective. We have tried to stimulate this, but rates of returns are very low,” he said. Analysts argue that there is a strong economic case for recycling and reuse, not to mention an environmental one. If the most reusable components such as the digital camera, display and battery and charger were stripped out, and used in the production of new devices, the costs of remanufacturing lowest cost mobile phones could be slashed by 50 percent.

percent collection rate for reuse and re-manufacturing, the industry could save over $2 billion on material and $160 million on energy price every year in Europe alone. While some mobile phones are indeed at the end of their life cycle and need to be scrapped completely and recycled, many others can be re-used. A movement is now underway to push for greater re-use. Sprint Nextel has formed an alliance with three other firms in the industry to get more people to bring their old mobile phones back for refurbishing, so that others who may not be able to afford brand new mobile phones, can reuse them. “This is an opportunity for a product that is out of reach to some, that costs maybe $ 4oo to $ 5oo. We’re taking these products and putting them in emerging markets” where technology remains scarce, said Adib. Besides offering a financial incentive to consumers, the group called Device Renewal Forum is starting certification standard for refurbished mobile phones that ensures that only properly functioning devices reenter the market. “The biggest use of recycling is reuse—to use it until it’s functionally obsolete rather than perceptively obsolete,” stressed David Edmondson, chief executive of eRecyclingCorps, a founding member of the forum.

Quantum computing to become a reality

NewYork Stock-Exchange-listed IBM says it has made a breakthrough that puts futuristic full-scale quantum computing on the path to becoming a reality. IBM company said yesterday it had achieved “major advances” in the performance of quantum-computing devices, taking it a step closer to create science-fiction it reality. Quantum computing has the potential to deliver computing power that cannot be matched by any supercomputer currently. Future possible app. include solving previously unsolvable mathematical problems, searching databases of unstructured information and performing a range of optimization tasks. IBM advances could computing give it an edge in owning the future IT behind computing, although it is doubtful that the full benefits of the breakthrough will be seen any time soon. IBM's researchers presented the results at the annual American Physical Society gathering, currently being held in Boston.

Fast forward future

Company says, based on its progress, optimism about superconducting quantum bits (qubits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit) and the possibilities for a future quantum computer are rapidly growing. Qubits differ from bits in that they can be either 0, 1 or both. “The quantum computing work we are doing shows it is no longer just a brute force physics experiment. It's time to start creating systems based on this science that will take computing to a new frontier,” says IBM scientist Matthias Steffen, who manages the research team focused on developing quantum computing systems. Qubits will allow quantum computers to work on millions of computations at once, while desktop PCs can usually only handle a few simultaneous computations. David DiVincenzo, professor at the Institute of Quantum Information, Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Juelich, says the device performance company reporting “brings them nearly to the tipping point”. “We can now see the building blocks that will be used to prove that error correction can be effective, and that reliable logical qubits can be realised.”

Not so fast

Swift Consulting CEO and tech blogger Liron Segev says company is making headway with an “awesome” technology and has made a major early advance. Segev says the technology behind quantum computing will, in future, replace the silicon chip, memory and processors that run current PCs. He says if company can control this aspect and the hardware, it will rule the technology world. However, Segev says company breakthrough does not practically mean much at this stage of the game. He explains quantum computing will only become a reality many years from now. “It will be cool stuff later on and the research has to happen now, but I doubt, in our lifetimes, we will see this.”

Sweden based group my - FC says its water-powered charger

Sweden based group my - FC says its water-powered charger could computing be the fix anywhere while battery giant Duracell is championing a push for vehicles and even stadiums to be built with energy "mats" that would power up your phones. " between the energy on a phone and the energy we consume is increasing for mobile charger. We need to charge more often but you don't want to be hooked onto a wall," said my-FC chief executive Bjorn Westerholm at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. His firm therefore came up with a portable fuel cell charger which is slightly bigger than a compact camera and which uses just one spoonful of water and a small metallic device called a fuel puck, to fully charge an apple`s iPhone. The PowerTrekk could appeal most to campers, aid workers or the military, said Westerholm, who is exhibiting the charger at the world's largest fair in Barcelona. "It could be sea water, fresh water. You need to carry water with you to survive anyway and the PowerTrekk needs just one spoonful", he said. "So you can Facebook, email even when you're in the outdoors for hours. "Our value proposition is that you don't need to go to the grid. You don't need to wait to charge your mobile phone." Competition for solutions to power up mobile phones is fierce. A Californian firm has launched a mobile phone that it claims can remain charged for up to fifteen years, making it the perfect spare in emergencies or disasters. XPAL Power rolled out a phone with a battery that "lasts fifteen years", said Christian Scheder, chairman of the Californian base company.

The so called Spareone, which will be commercialised in March 2012, remains charged for up to fifteen years if the mobile phone is turned off, and for two months if it is on. "This is great for emergency, disaster situations," Scheder said. Battery giant Duracell meanwhile has its own vision to keep the world charged. It is championing the PowerMat system, a mat which looks like a small tablet that plugs into the power source and which has sufficient space to charge two mobile phones which are equipped with special protective covers. But that is just the beginning, Stassi Anastassov, Duracell President, said. Beyond just targeting consumers with the charging kit, Duracell is at the Mobile phones World Congress to talk mobile phone manufacturers into designing a slot for a special chip or one even build it into the telephone, thereby doing away with the protective covers that are currently required to dock with the mat. The company further wants to fit the mats in public places, for instance, build them into tables at fast-food chains, thereby allowing anyone with equipped Mobile phones to charge up anytime any-ware. It already has a deal with world biggest car manufacture ring company General Motors to fit all vehicles from 2O13 with the charging mat. Likewise, it has an agreement to equip NewYork (usa) Madison Square Garden, starting with bar tabletops. "Of course it will take many years, the whole ecosystem will not be up tomorrow," said Anastassov. "But our vision is that you will be able to never go out of power, simply by facilitating the whole charging process for you. "It's very similar to banking and money. If you want to have cash, you can either have a full of money or you have an bank ATM card," he said.

ASUS Core tablet - development-team during the designing phase of Transformer Prime

ASUS Technology has unveiled its long anticipated Eee Pad (tablet) Transformer Prime, paired and primed to Perfection, powered by NVIDIA Tegra 3. The impressive Eee Pad Transformer Prime is available with 1o.1" WXGA Glare (LED), focusing on user experience and aesthetics more than the previous offering. To develop this state of the art product, ASUS development team focused on 4 key incredible principles that guided the development-team during the designing phase of Transformer Prime. ASUS Technology first tablet to use the NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-Core CPU, the Transformer Prime browses the website and plays 1080p High definition video at blazing speeds. The Tegra 3 also empowers the Transformer Prime to deliver a gaming experience comparable to that of a game console. Tegra 3 enables up to 61 percent consumption. This translates into an industry-leading 12 hours of battery life for High definition video playback. The snappier response time and better multi-tasking high performance make the Transformer Prime a true smartmobile entertainment power house. During the ASUS tablet launch event, ITVAR NEWS approached the veterans felicitating the event. ITVARNEWS enquired with Vishal Dhupar, MD, NVIDIA, Asia-South to take an insight about the much hyped Tegra 3 quad-core processor. Giving us an insight about the same, Vishal Dhupar said, “Tegra 3 was announced earlier this year and is 5x Tegra 2, consumes lower power, 3x faster GPU, with stereo 3D and the good thing with quad core is that it enhances battery duration.

We also approached Alex Huang, Managing Director, Systems Business Group, ASUS Technology Pvt Ltd (India). On being asked about the kind of market share anticipated, Huang informed that ASUS Technology is targeting a market share of 15 percent- 20 percent in tablet segment. When we further enquired that when can we expect the entry of entry level tablets and what will be the price band, he said, “In the first half of this year itself, entry level tablets are expected and the price band will be between INR. 15,000- INR. 20,000”. Mentioning about the unique features of the newly launched asus tablet, he said, “The new offering distinguishes itself from the sea of tablets with its aggressive pricing and an optional accessory that easily transforms it into a notebook. The preface of ASUS Transformer Prime is a vivid proof of fundamental transformation that asus tablets are ushering in the personal computing space. It is packed with the security, responsiveness, and other exciting features, that deliver on the promise of being prime and to offer the most c0mplete and satisfying c0mputing experience”.

Apart from this, ITVARNEWS was also keen to bring to its readers about the kind of marketing initiatives that ASUS is taking for the product. So for this, we took forward our query to Unaez Quraishi- Sales and Distribution Director- System Business Group, ASUS Technology (India). Regarding this, he said, “As far as marketing is concerned, we have fifty stores having volunteers volunteering prime in stores. We will be starting a campaign for this, which will be starting this weekend and will continue till next weekend across country”. On being enquired about the sales expectations, he further said, “Last year in 2011 we had a 5 - percent market share and we are looking for a 20-percent market share this year. Moreover, we want to be among top 3 players in this space”.

The Transformer Prime is equipped with the most advanced Technology CMOS sensor and a big design to ensure sufficient light exposure and the ability to defocus the background and put emphasis on the object, making your photos bright and clear. With the high speed auto-focus and color enhancement design, the Transformer Prime can capture a clear and vivid image. The Transformer Prime offers a choice to enjoy both notebook mode and tablet mode with the optional mobile dock. The smartmobile dock offers a full new QWERTY keyboard with touchpad and USB port, while also extending battery life to an incredible eighteen hours for all day computing on the go. tablet Battery life is measured under power saving mode, playing 720p video playback and Brightness of 60nits, default volume with headphones. Transformer Prime comes with google Android Honeycomb 3.2 OS, which can be free upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice-Cream Sandwich; it is a revolutionary operating system specially designed and optimized for tablets, and enables users a full web experience for on-the-go website browsing, communicating and casual computing. Supporting Adobe Flash player and the ever growing google Android Market, entertainment is a finger swipe away. The convenient ASUS Technology also allows users to easily launch software, manage content and access online services and connect devices with a few simple taps. The Eee Pad Transformer Prime will be available in India at a price (tablet cost) point of MRP INR 49999/-.

Intel Capital developing technologies to promote new, compelling in-vehicle applications

Intel Capital has announced a $ 1oo million investment fund to help accelerate innovation and the adoption of new technology and services in the automotive industry. Intel Capital is the first international technology investment organization HQ Silicon Valley to announce a dedicated focus on automotive technology innovation. Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will be invested globally over the next four to five years in hardware amd software, services Intel Capital developing technologies to promote new, compelling in-vehicle applications and enable the seamless connection between device and any connected vehicles, including smartmobile devices and sensors. "Technology has become an integral component of everyday life, with consumers demanding uninterrupted access to the Internet and the constant flow of information, news, entertainment, and social media and many more services," said Arvind Sodhani,president of company and Intel executive vice president. "Automobiles must be able to provide these same consistent and engaging computing experiences, but in a safe manner. The company Connected Car Fund will drive the development of smart technologies to enhance the in vehicle experience of the future."

The announcement is part of company ongoing work with automakers and in-vehicle infotainment suppliers to help integrate advanced smart technologies into cars. Ultimately, the connected car will have the intelligence and context awareness to offer the right information, at the right time and in the right way to keep drivers and passengers informed, entertained and productive while maintaining optimal safety. Once the car becomes connected, it can also communicate with the cloud computing technologies, the transportation infrastructure and even other vehicles to provide additional services such as advanced driver assistance and current traffic information to optimize the flow of real time traffic. "The car is the ultimate mobile device," said Staci Palmer, general manager of company Automotive Solutions Division. "By 2014, automobiles will be among the top three fastest-growing areas for connected devices and Internet content.¹ Intel’s experience in developing personal computing, software, security and cloud computing technologies will bring a new level of innovation to the car to enhance the driving experience for both passengers and drivers."

To help realize that vision, areas of investment for the company Connected Car Fund will include technologies that advance the next generation of in-vehicle infotainment, advanced driver assistance systems and seamless samrtmobile connectivity. This includes new in-vehicle app. and development tools, next-generation ADAS technologies and multimodal capabilities such as speech recognition, gesture recognition and eye tracking optimized for the connected vehicle. In addition to the company Connected Car Fund, Intel Corporation (company) President and CEO Paul Otellini also announced at an event in Karlsruhe, Germany the opening of a new International Innovation and Product Development Center, an academic outreach program focused on IVI and telematics, and expansion of Intel Labs Experience and Interaction Research in automotive

Google X Laboratory

Google is planning to come up with Siri’s competitor, "Google Assistant", by the end of this year. Currently, the company is working on this artificial intelligence technology and this new venture is likely to outshine the potentials of Apple's Siri voice assistant. It is supposed that "Google Assistant" won’t be standalone app, on the other hand there are plans to release an API for developers to integrate the same into all sorts of apps, reports The Verge, an American technology website. The website also adds that the operation is managed by the Android team and not by the secret Google X Laboratory

Infosys signs pact with Maharashtra to develop Nagpur facility

Information technology major Infosys has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Maharashtra Government for developing a 142-acre facility at Nagpur maharastra india with a total investment of about Rs 45o crore. The facility will be located in a Special Economic Zone, which is a part of the mammoth 4,354 hectare Multimodal International Hub Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) project. The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) a subsidiary of the State Government is developing the project. The facility will be developed in 3 phases and provide employment to 14,000 people on completion. In the 1st phase, Rs 100 crore will be invested. Big Information technology companies like TCS and Mahindra Satyam already have their campuses at MIHAN. A senior official in MADC told Business Line that the Pune facility of Infosys has been almost been saturated and there is no further scope for expansion, therefore they have chosen MIHAN site. Nagpur will also provide trained manpower to the company as the city has many colleges of higher learning.

Google Chrome -browse 40,000 Websites that the company monitors

In IT market : browser battle returned to a kind of normalcy last couple of days as Microsoft's IE (Internet Explorer), which had posted its huge-ever share increase in Jan, declined slightly in Feb. And Google-Chrome fell for the 2-nd month in Web metrics firm Net Application's statistics as the company acknowledged it has been over counting that browser share for months. Chrome's pre-rendering feature -- where the browser loading pages in the background that the user may view -- kicked off last Aug with version 13, and was enhanced in Chrome 17 that launched about a couple of days ago. As users type in search strings, whether at www.google.com or in the browser's combined address bar-search field, dubbed the "omnibox," G00gle loads one or more hidden pages that it thinks the user will select from the ensuing search links. Net Applications admitted that it had given Chr0me a larger share than the browser deserved. "[Pre-rendering] creates unviewed visits that should not be counted in Chrome's usage share," said Net Applications on its web-site yesterday. Starting with the data from Feb, Net Applications has adjusted Chrome's share -- which is derived from the page views attributed to the browser -- by tossing aside unused pre-loaded pages and counting only those the user actually sees.

"Pre-rendering in Feb. o accounted for 4.3 % of Chrome's daily unique visitors," said Net Applications. Chrome is the only major browser that offers pre-rendering. Under the new meth0d0l0gy, Chrome's share fell about one half of a percentage point to end February with 18.9 percent, off its peak of 19.1 % last December. The browser remained in the No. 3 slot, behind both IE and Firefox. Last month, Net Applications linked Chrome's decline to Google's Jan. decision to demote the Page-Rank - a rating Google assigns based on how many other sites link to a URL -- for Chrome's download site after it c0nfirmed a marketing campaign had violated the company's own rules against paid links. At the time, Google said it would punish its own browser with a 60-day Page-Rank demotion; the time out ends in a just few days, after which Google will presumably restore the download page's prominence in search results for "browser." Currently, Firefox is the top result of such searches, while Opera Software's Opera is 3rd, Apple's Safari is 5th, and IE is 7th. IE lost just over one-tenth of a percentage point to account for 52.8 % all browsers used on desktop and notebook personal computers, while Firefox stayed flat at 20.9 %. Safari's share grew the most of any browser last month, adding three-tenths of a percentage point to reach 5.2 percent, an all-time high in Net Applications' tracking. Safari's spike wasn't a surprise: The share of apple - Mac OS X, whose users also comprise the bulk of Safari's Browser users, climbed by a record amount last couple of days, too.

Among the multiple editions of IE, the 11 year old Microsoft IE6 lost the most share, falling down by more than a percentage point to 6.9 %, while the newer IE7 fell to 4.7 %. Meanwhile, IE8 and IE9 gained four-tenths of a point and almost a full point, respectively. IE9 saw its share climb to 12.6 %. IE9 on Windows 7, which Microsoft again said was its "core metric," now accounts for 30.1 % the world's browsers used on that operating system, and owns a 40.5 % of the Windows 7 browser market in the U.S. On Wednesday, Microsoft issued the fifth so-called "Platform Preview" of IE10, the next browser in its line, as part of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The preview -- essentially an alpha edition -- also runs on Windows 7, but will not work on either Windows XP or Vista. Net App. has not yet begun tracking IE10 share. Rival Irish measurement company Stat Counter painted a gloomier picture of IE's position, saying that ie browser had dropped 1.7 points to 35.8 %, while Chrome was in the No. 2 spot with 29.8 %-- an increase of 1.4 points -- and Firefox held steady at third with 24.9 percent. Net App. calculates browser usage share with data obtained from more than 16o million unique visitors who browse 40,000 Websites that the company monitors. More browser statistics can be f0und on the company's website.

PHP 5.4 languages -building websites and portal in the market

PHP is one of the most widely used languages for building websites and portal in the market, php 5.4 updated with a number of improvements to ease development and speed performance of language. "Essentially, most of the new features don't radically change the language, just refine it," said Zeev Suraski, one of the principal contributors to PHP as well as CTO of PHP software vendor Zend Technologies. "What you could do before, you can do in an easier, more elegant way now." For developers, the PHP syntax has been streamlined for easier usability. A new method, called Traits, will enable developers to reuse code. The array syntax has been simplified. Improvements have been added to allow PHP work better with the JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) data exchange format. PHP 5.4 includes native support for Asian languages, eliminating the need for programmers to compile a special version of PHP to present content in those languages. Much work has also been done on this version PHP to improve performance. Thanks to s0me code refactoring, PHP can now support up to 4o % more users on the same server. "We've reduced memory consumption. When you have a popular Website, it's all about density--how many requests per second can your server take. Typically the real limiter is memory. By reducing memory consumption, you can increase density," he said. PHP is used by approximately 5 million developers in all over world, primarily for building Website pages with content that is routinely updated or changed, as well as for building Web base applications. It is the sixth most widely used programming language worldwide, according to the most recent monthly estimate by the Tiobe Group. In conjunction with this release version, Zend also has released the third beta version of Zend Framework 2, which includes support for PHP 5.4. Zend is also testing a PHP hosted service, called the Zend Developer Cloud.

Microsoft Announces Small Business Competency In MPN

Microsoft will announced Small Business Competency in the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) in June 2o12. Microsoft partners with silver or gold competency will be able to offer Windows 7, Windows Server 2oo8, Windows Small Business Server 2o11 and Microsoft Office 365. The Microsoft said that the goal of the new competency is to enable partners to seize the big market opportunity represented by the world-wide addressable software industries for SMBs, of which cloud services represents a growing share. "As the cloud opportunity continues to expand and mature in the small-business segment, this new competency will enable each Small Business Competency partner to have a cloud conversation with each of their customers," Corporate Vice-President, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft. "It offers partners world-class value, service and support from Microsoft to help increase their profitability when marketing, selling and servicing key SMB Microsoft products for customers and furthers our mission of building a high-quality partner ecosystem focused on driving breakthrough growth for end User."

AT&T data plans for smartphone - website, company urged customers to use Wi--Fi

AT&T clarified when and how it will slow down the connection-speed of smart-phone users who still have an unlimited data plan. Starting immediately, those with unlimited data will be warned via text message when their billing cycle consumption nears 3GB for a 3G device, or 5GB for a mobile device connecting through the faster LTE network. If the customer passes those consumption barriers, AT&T will drastically reduce the speed of the data connection until the end of the billing cycle, at which point the meter is reset plan. Previously, the carrier had slowed connections for customers it identified as among the heaviest data consumers -- those in the top 5% -- but had given them no warning prior to strangling their bandwidth. The company couched the change as a benefit to its users. "Our unlimited plan customers have told us they want more clarity around how the program works and what they can expect," company said in a statement yesterday. "And for context, less than 5 per cent of smartphone client use more than 3GB per month." Jack Gold, principal analyst with J. Gold Associates, said company was both being clearer to customers and tightening the screws on those with unlimited plans. "The down line is everyone wants to have unlimited data, but at the same time they complain that the service sucks," said Gold. "But it's not an unlimited resource. Get used to it."

company first began throttling unlimited users' data speeds last year, but had dropped those plans for new customers in June 2o1o. People who had already signed up for unlimited data, however, have been allowed to retain those plans, even when they purchased a new device. Most of the company customers with unlimited data bought an iPhone during the stretch between June 2007 and June 2o1o. "I'm with company on this one," said Gold. "Cellular data is a limited commodity." The problem company finds itself in is the fault of both the company and customers, Gold added. "Users have unrealistic expectations, but it's also the carrier's fault," he said. "They offered unlimited data because they wanted people to use it." And now, with the spectrum crowded -- more so in some markets than others -- AT&T finds itself, as Gold put it, "Damned if they do, damned if they don't." The alternative would be for company to bite the bullet and discard all unlimited plans currently held by customers. But Gold saw such as move as very unlikely. "That would be a really tough one," he said. "They would get clobbered, because they had an agreement with those customers. This way, they come across as not quite as much of a bad guy as they would [if they ditched all unlimited plans]."

Sprint is the only major U.S. carrier to still offer an unlimited data plan to new smartphone customers. Like company and Verizon, Sprint sells a variety of google Android powered phones as well as Apple i-Phone 4S. Verizon, which briefly offered unlimited data last year -- it touted that as a selling point when it launched the iPhone 4 on its network -- stopped selling the plan to new customers in July 2011. AT&T has been struggling for some time to get a handle on data consumption: Since mid-2o1o, it's sold tiered deals at various prices. Last month, the carrier raised data plan prices between 11 % and 33 % -- the latter for the least-expensive plan -- as it raised the data allowance between 25 % and 50 %. On its website, company urged customers to use Wi--Fi as much as possible. and reminded users they could check their billing cycle data consumption at any time by dialing "*data#" -- sans the quotation marks -- on their smartphone.

IBM India intros entry-level private cloud offering

IBM India launch of an entry level private cloud offering, Smart Cloud Entry. “Cloud computing is much more than simply saving on Information technology implementation costs because it offers an enormous opportunity to innovate. With the IBM Smart Cloud Entry, we will enable customers to transition smoothly to a cloud based infrastructure through an easy-to-use web-based interface. The s0lution is competitively positioned for Indian company easily tap in to the benefits of cloud,” said vice president, Growth Initiatives, Systems and Technology Group, IBM India South Asia. According to the company the Smart Cloud Entry enables 0rganizations to deploy self-service provisioning of visualized w0rkloads, allowing them to start the transition to a cloud-based infrastructure. It uses a 'simple' interface, and is designed to help both entry level firms and sophisticated clients adopt private clouds from scratch or transform current virtualized systems into cloud infrastructures. "This enables rapid scalability by all0wing additional servers or blades to be added to the cloud infrastructure. includes basic workload metering to supp0rt a "pay per use" business m0del," he added. The IBM Smart Cloud Entry is part of its SmartCloud Foundation portfolio.

HTC phones apps Mapping solutions provider company

Mapping solutions provider company Tom Tom today said it has partnered with handset Creator HTC to provide maps, points of interest and turn by turn directions for its range of smart phone in India. This contract marks the first consumer focused Execution of Tom Tom's map data in the rapidly growing Indian Mobile market, Tom Tom said in a statement. According to ABI Research, more than 5.2 million smart are expected to be shipped to India in 2o12 and is projected to more than triple by 2o15. "We are excited to exposit our global offerings by powering the map services for all HTC smart phone in India market," Vice President of Tom Tom(Sales and Marketing Licensing) Nuno Campos said. Headquartered in Amsterdam, Tom Tom has over three thousand five hundred employees and operates from fifty locations in thirty-five countries. Tom Tom provides consumers, enterprises, governments and auto-motive industry solutions like digital maps, traffic intelligence solution, navigation software, devices, fleet management solution and smart phone apps, among others. Tom Tom has entered India in September two thousand eleven, with its range of VIA series of Portable Navigation Devices. "India is not only a key market for HTC mobile and services, but also one of the big countries with the second largest population in the world," said Faisal Siddiqui, india htc manager, HTC India. Tom Tom is the ideal partner to provide the most current map data that will enable Indian consumers to use their HTC smart phones to navigate accurately and effortlessly.

liferay 5.2.3, liferay 6, Liferay releases version 4.1.0

Open source portal development

liferay new version customization training

liferay 5.2.3, liferay 6, Liferay releases version 4.1.0, Liferay Portal 6.1, Liferay 6.0 version

liferay theme tutorial

liferay theme development tutorial :

how to create liferay portal theme

Liferay Theme is use to change liferay website look.

Description:

1>Create Theme

Using eclips, Theme is very easy to create see below

file->new->Liferay project

When u select liferay project then display a window in which give name of project.

After that click “Next” button,see after click “next” button there is there some option

like

1>portlet

2>Ext

3>hook

4>theme

5> layout

We select theme option then click “Finish” button to create theme.

2> Anatomy of theme:

/deep-blue-theme/
/docroot/
/WEB-INF/
liferay-plugin-package.properties
/_diffs/ (subfolders not created by default)
/css/
/images/
/js/
/templates/
/css/
application.css
base.css
custom.css
dockbar.css
extras.css
forms.css
layout.css
main.css
navigation.css
portlet.css
/images/
(many directories)
/js/
main.js
/templates/
init_custom.vm
navigation.vm
portal_normal.vm
portal_pop_up.vm

3>Customize theme:

To devlope easy way to use this trick.

In our theme has buil.xml file,to edit file.In editing just replace “_style” word with “classic” word. Then deploy theme, then u see that many folders r ctreated in theme. They all are “classic”

theme folder. When deploye theme “built.xml” file copy classic theme from liferay tomcat and past in our theme.

Now, theme has for five folders

1>_diffs

2>css

3>templet

4>images

5>JS

4>CSS in theme:

We use to css file to make attractive web look.

Now,In CSS folder has many diffrent css file for diffrent web part, such that NAVIGATION part has navigation.css file and so on.

But we are not use every css file,only use custom.css file for modify theme. Custom.css file is load after all .css file are loaded.So that Custom.css file is override attributes which are define in another .css file.

It important to kwonlege of css and html tag,attributes and so on.

4.1>Some Useful css attribute

1>Backgroung image

->We r set two images in background at diffrent position,use below command.

background: url("../images/pimage/a.jpg") no-repeat right top

,url("../images/pimage/about_line.jpg") no-repeat left bottom;

->use WIDTH attributes which increase distance between “right top” and

“left bottom” images.

2>Border

->For border style,use BORDER attributes in css class.

->BORDER has three attributes type

1>border-width:In pixel.

2>border-style:give diffrent border like solid,doted and so more.

3>border-color:give color we assing.

->give three attribute in single line use below syntex

border:width type color;

3>Border-radius

->It is give curve to rectangle border.

->Synrex:-> border-radius:20px;

->Diffrent Browser has diffrent border-radius attribute,for example mozile firefox

use -mz-border-radious.

4>Border-shadow

->give shadow effect to border with diffrent color

->Syntex:

effect of

darkness

|

\/

border-shadow:10px 15px 5px red <-- color of shadow

/\ /\

| |

move to move to

right bottom

Now,to make horizontal navigtion menu using css,use below attributes

Making horizontal menu we use <ul>

<li> <a>Menu name </a></li>

<li><a>Menu name </a></li>

. . . . .

. . . . .

</ul>

Above code give vertical menu, for horizontal menu give below style.

5>List-style

->This attributes give <ul></ul> tag.

-><ul> tag display circle,square,upper-roman and lower-roman,but these r not use in menu. So use below syntex:

List-style-type : none

->LIST-STYLE has three attributes

1>list-style-type

2>list-style-position : inside,outide

3>list-style-image : url(“”)

->Above code is assing in single line

Syntex:

list-style : type image-url position

6>Display

->Display attribute use in <li> </li> tag, this attribute has diffrent values.

->We use “INLINE” value which display elemaent in horizontal which is required fer horizontal menu.

->Other use is DISPLAY attributes we hide element.It defined by NONE value.

->Syntex:

display : none ; <---value

display : inline;

There are many css attributes for creating theme, some css attributes r below.

7>Mergine

->It is use to make gap between two border

->It is out side of border

8>Padding

->It is use to make gap between border and element(context)

->Is is inside of border

9>Pointer

->To change mouse curser image

10>Visibility

->Hidden value is hide data but it make gap for data.

->Compare with Display : none

-> 'Display : none ' not make gap for data.

Web Browsers : blocks scripts from suspicious websites

6 Best Web Browsers

Selecting a web browser is a difficult task for many especially when there are many sophisticated ones around, each offering lightning speeds, high security and many add-ons. In order to find the best browser, ComputerWorld tested the latest versions of six widely used desktop and laptop browsers on speed, safety, extra features and extension benchmarks. The results were interesting with a surprise third place winner RocketMelt 0.9, which is almost new and comes integrated with Facebook. Here are the rankings of six browsers.

#6 Apple Safari 5.1.2

Safari came in the last position - Safari is a simple and adequate browser with solid security features. It didn’t score well on speed benchmarks but performed well with Windows machines. Organizing Safari without iCloud is troublesome. With the integration of browser sandboxing in Apple’s new Lion OS, the safari now has more security tools and features. It also came last in HTML5 testing.

Good: Solid security Network, Fastest mobile synchronizing while using iOS devices

Bad: Slow in loading pages built with HTML5 and JavaScript

#5 Opera 11.61

Opera came in fifth position - If you are looking for speed, this is the best browser for you. The beautiful feature in opera is “widgets”- light applications from games to RSS feeds, which runs on your desktop as separate programmes. The browser also has another tool called Opera Turbo, which compress the web pages to few bytes and enable easy browsing for users with slow internet connection. On the other hand, it is not much customizable and the interface takes a little time to getting used to.

Good: Quick loading, unique browsing experience with widgets.

Bad: Low in security options, not HTML5 friendly.

#4: Internet Explorer 9

IE9 won the fourth position - The browser from Microsoft was always lagging behind its rivals. But with the introduction of new features including the ability to block sites from collecting data on your browsing habits and the new Application Reputation app, which scans and warns about the downloads for malicious files, the browser finally overcome some of its rivals. It also has inbuilt cross-site scripting protection, which blocks scripts from suspicious websites. It came second in the HTML5 benchmark test, but finished last in processing JavaScript.

Good: Security features, faster HTML5 processing

Bad: Tab management, no themes and automated bookmark sync.

#3: Facebook RockMelt 0.9

RockM elt, the not so popular browser surprisingly finished third. - It looks similar to chrome as it is built on Google’s chromium framework. The browser is completely integrated with Facebook and has many features to make the social-fans happy. A strip located on the browser will display your Facebook friend’s icons and their availability to chat. Within the browser, you can also choose apps for different websites that notify you of a newly posted comment. By signing in through Facebook, your bookmarks and settings are automatically synchronized through the Facebook account among computers and iOS devices that use RockMelt app, as the browser collects your browsing habits. It processed HTML5 faster than Chrome but many extensions that work on Chrome didn’t function in RockMelt.

Good: Automatic sync among computers, Make “Facebooking” easy, JavaScript and pages load smoothly.

Bad: Facebook sign-in required to use the complete features of this browser, little number of add-ons and extensions.

#2: Mozilla Firefox 10

The most Versatile browser, finished second. - Firefox is a feature-filled browser and with the new version, it became more beautiful, with a simplified interface, which can be customized in many ways. The big advantage of Firefox is the thousands of add-ons, but with the addition of more add-ons, the browser tends to perform slowly. It finished first in HTML5 tests and third in loading JavaScripts. But it was little slower in loading web pages. It will work with any security software and has a good pop-up filter, malware protection and support private browsing. The best feature is it will allow you to collect tabs into manageable groups like work, home etc which will come handy in many situations.

Soon, mobile phones to project images and movies on wall

Mobile phones presently available in the market can help users view high quality images and video, but the phones’ small size sets insurmountable limits on screen size, and thus, the viewing experience. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, EpiCrystals Oy and the Aalto University are developing a better laser light source for projectors that will be integrated into mobile phones, which will enable accurate and efficient projection of, for example, photographs and movies on any surface. Mobile phones equipped with the laser light source can be within the ordinary consumer's reach already in a few years time. Small-size laser projectors 1-2 centimetres in length can be integrated into many kinds of electronic appliances, such as digital or video cameras, gaming devices and mobile phones. Integrated micro projectors could, in practice, project images the size of an A3 sheet of paper on a wall. The challenge is to develop a small, energy-efficient and luminous three-colour (RGB) light source, whose manufacturing costs can be kept low, for use in the projectors. Solutions for these challenges are sought in a project combining Finnish know-how, whose parties are VTT, EpiCrystals Inc. and the Aalto University. “The project has successfully combined multi-technological know-how from VTT and its partners in the project, from manufacturing materials and the accurate focusing of laser chips all the way to production line design,” said Principal Scientist Timo Aalto from VTT.

“The project was launched last autumn, and we are now entering the stage where we can move from brainstorming and design to building prototypes. “It is our goal to prove by next summer that large quantities of the new laser light sources can be manufactured quickly and economically.” EpiCrystals Inc. aims straight for the global market with its product, and it is the company's goal to be the technology and market leader in laser light sources for micro projectors by 2015. “We are developing an entirely new technology that is currently not in use anywhere else in the world. At the moment, there are stand-alone projectors on the market that can be connected to electronic appliances and early stage integrated projectors, but their quality and price are not competitive enough,” said Vice President of Business Development Tomi Jouhti of EpiCrystals Oy. “Large electronics manufacturers are extremely interested in integrated projectors, and market research shows that demand for these micro projectors will increase strongly in the coming years. “Soon, around two billion mobile phones per year will be sold in the world, and if even a couple of per cent of those contain a projector, we are talking about tens of millions of copies, and the hundred million mark is not far either,” Jouhti said.

Mobile phone running low on battery?

It is the nightmare of the wired world -- a smartphone low on battery. Now Swedish group myFC says its water-powered charger could be the fix anywhere while battery giant Duracell is championing a push for cars and even stadiums to be built with energy "mats" that would power up phones. A Californian firm, meanwhile, has launched a phone that it claims can remain charged for up to 15 years, making it the perfect spare in emergencies or disasters. "The difference between the energy on a phone and the energy we consume is increasing. We need to charge more often but you don't want to be hooked onto a wall," said myFC chief executive Bjorn Westerholm. His firm has therefore come up with a portable fuel cell charger which is slightly larger than a compact camera and which uses just one spoonful of water and a small metallic device called a fuel puck, to fully charge an iPhone. The PowerTrekk could appeal most to campers, aid workers or the military, said Westerholm, who is exhibiting the charger at the world's biggest mobile fair in Barcelona. "It could be sea water, fresh water. You need to carry water with you to survive anyway and the PowerTrekk needs just one spoonful," he told AFP.

"So you can Facebook, email even when you're in the outdoors for hours. "Our value proposition is that you don't need to go to the grid. You don't need to wait to charge your phone." Competition for solutions to power up phones is fierce. XPAL Power rolled out a phone with a battery that "lasts 15 years," said Christian Scheder, chairman of the Californian firm. The so-called Spareone, which will be commercialised in March, remains charged for up to 15 years if the phone is turned off, and for two months if it is on. "This is great for emergency, disaster situations," Scheder said. Battery giant Duracell meanwhile has its own vision to keep the world charged. It is championing the PowerMat system, a mat which looks like a small tablet that plugs into the power source and which has sufficient space to charge two phones which are equipped with special protective covers. But that is just the beginning, Stassi Anastassov, Duracell President, told AFP. Beyond just targeting consumers with the charging kit, Duracell is at the Mobile World Congress to talk phone manufacturers into designing a slot for a special chip or even build it into the telephone, thereby doing away with the protective covers that are currently required to dock with the mat. The company further wants to fit the mats in public places, for instance, build them into tables at fast-food chains, thereby allowing anyone with equipped phones to charge up anytime. It already has a deal with General Motors to fit all vehicles from 2013 with the charging mat. Likewise, it has an agreement to equip New York's Madison Square Garden, starting with bar tabletops. "Of course it will take many years, the whole ecosystem will not be up tomorrow," said Anastassov. "But our vision is that you will be able to never go out of power, simply by facilitating the whole charging process for you. "It's very similar to banking and money. If you want to have cash, you can either have a very big wallet full of money or you have an ATM card," he said.