Microsoft's first PC lives!

 

Reviewers complain about using Surface on their lap. I completely reject that. I use the Pro on my lap, sans kickstand, most of the time. No gripes here.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Microsoft's first PC, the Surface Pro, has survived Round One.

A report this week said 400,000 Surface Pros were sold in about a month since its release. That's a decent start (contrary to the media's take).

Remember, this is an $899-$999 tablet (though I prefer to describe it as a full-blown Windows PC compacted and stuffed into a tablet's chassis), not a $199 Nexus 7 or $329 iPad Mini.

Also remember this is just the start. The Pro should evolve to the point where you can have a 1.5 or 2 pound tablet with all-day (at least) battery life -- and still get all of the performance of a mainstream Windows 8 laptop.

And that's the deal-closer for me. It's fast. Don't believe me? Check out these benchmarks.

"Surface Pro is easily the fastest tablet on the market today," Anandtech said.

The basic point being that Intel's Ivy Bridge silicon crushes Apple's A6X-based iPad and ARM-based Android tablets in most benchmarks.

And it's not just numbers -- you feel it. Everything pops and there's almost none of the lag you invariably run into with other tablets.

Related stories

• Microsoft Surface Pro sales hit 400K in a hurry

I know this because I've been using the Pro and its speed is addictive -- despite the comparative heft and shorter battery life compared with other tablets (though I wouldn't call 2 pounds "heavy" and battery life isn't as bad as reviewers make it out to be if you tweak Windows 8 settings).

Then there's the design. After the Pro, it's hard to go back to the old clamshell paradigm (which, in my case, is a Dell Adamo).

I've said this before, but relocating the electronics behind the screen changes everything. That includes relegating the keyboard -- something reviewers over the decades have spilled untold oceans of ink evaluating because of its importance -- to second fiddle. The touch display rules.

Which brings us to a sticky area for the Pro. I'm guessing that traditional consumers of PCs who are trying to make the leap from laptop to tablet will want more keyboard options directly from Microsoft. And bundled at lower prices.

I use the touch cover and it's fine, though it could use a larger touch pad. But, again, Microsoft should come up with another keyboard option (as a Surface-specific accessory) that makes the transition less painful for consumers who still demand a killer keyboard-touch pad.

But whatever happens, Microsoft is on to something. And I expect Surface will survive many more rounds.

Surface Pro in the standard laptop mode.

(Credit: Brooke Crothers)

Fake FBI computer virus tricks users into sending money

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The so-called FBI virus has come to East Tennessee, corrupting computers of unsuspecting victims despite notifications from the real FBI that it does not send unsolicited emails to the public.

The crooks have stayed ahead of the game by creating different versions of the scam.

Computer users who have experienced this fake FBI lockdown infection first receive a full screen warning.

Sometimes there’s an FBI logo, sometimes not, but too often, people click on the site and their trouble begins.

“If the FBI were going after you, would they tell you?” said Todd Knowles of Big Bang Computers asked. “Probably not,” he said, laughing.

Knowles is familiar with the phony website that can lock down your computer for some bogus security reason.

To get it running again, through MoneyPak, you pay a $200. Unfortunately, people have fallen for it.

“It’s basically malware. They call it ransomware because it holds your computer ransom for money,” Knowles said.

Yet, he says, people fall for it all the time.

“I’ve had customers come in and say they have paid the MoneyPak fee,” he said. “They put the code in and it didn’t work. It’s just a scam for them to get money.”

Knowles operates a computer repair office in Lenoir City. Three or four times a day, he’ll get calls from potential customers saying they activated the virus on their computer.

“They’ll click the “x” on a pop up just to get it going, but a lot of times the way those virus are set up, if you hit an “x”, that will actually execute the virus,” he said.

Online you can find fixes to manually remove the virus if your computer has been corrupted. Some sites charge a fee, others do not.

To get rid of the virus, Knowles pulls out the hard drive and then slaves it onto another computer.

“That way it would start this hard drive and see what data was on it without actually starting the operating system or software that’s running on it,” he said. “Usually in a couple of hours we’d have it done and ready to go.”

Remember, that this is not a real warning. This type of financial cyber crime is known as a fear-based scam. It’s meant to scare you.

As of right now, the fake FBI virus is affecting mostly Windows users, but some Mac users are starting to see issues with it, too.

Having the virus removed by a professional will cost you from $70 to $200.

Windows RT is a lemon. Here’s how Microsoft could make lemonade

Windows RT looks like it's failing, with Samsung ending sales of its tablet.

by Peter Bright - 

• OPERATING SYSTEMS
 
• PRODUCTIVITY

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The Samsung Ativ Tab: not coming to a store near you.

Samsung

Ever since it was announced, I've had skepticism about the purpose and value of Windows RT, Microsoft's version of Windows that runs on ARM computers. The upside of Windows RT—cheap devices and long battery life—was diluted by Intel finally managing to beat its Atom processor into shape. The downside—incompatibility with almost every Windows application ever written—seemed substantial.

I'm not alone in this skepticism. Acer decided not to ship a Windows RT product, preferring instead to gauge the market reaction (though the company may be softening its stance and might ship a Windows RT tablet later in the year, if it believes that Microsoft has made the operating system sufficiently appealing to consumers). Around the time of CES, Samsung said that it wasn't going to ship its Windows RT device, the Ativ Tab, in the US due to lack of retailer interest. The news has gotten worse: the company is now not going to sell it in Germany as a result of weak demand.

Windows RT is an odd mix of features. Under the hood, it's a near complete copy of Windows 8. In spite of having all the working parts of Windows 8, however, it can't (officially) be used to run desktop applications, even if the developers of those applications are willing to recompile for the ARM processor. Instead, all applications must come through the Windows Store, and be built using theWinRT API.

It does, however, support a handful of built-in desktop applications. Specifically, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote are all included. These versions are almost, but not quite, exact equivalents to their x86 counterparts. They are, however, lacking extensibility. There's no macro support, no add-in support. Screen recording in PowerPoint and OneNote is removed, so too is the ability to search audio and video recordings in OneNote.

Many of these missing features won't be noticed, but the lack of macros, and the outright omission of Outlook, is a critical issue for many businesses.

Business use leads onto the final Windows RT issue. Windows RT doesn't enable Windows 8 Pro features such as domain joining (though it can be administered using tools such as Intune). And the version of Office it ships with isn't licensed for business use. Business customers wanting to use Windows RT can do so, but they need to get a companion device license. This license doesn't change any software features; it just authorizes corporate use of the Office apps.

It's not altogether surprising that this range of features hasn't set the world on fire. The size, weight, and battery life of Windows RT devices is well matched by Atom-powered x86 devices—and x86 devices don't have any of the restrictions that ARM ones do. They can run desktop apps. And they cost about the same too. Sure, you'll have to buy Office as an extra, if you need it. But it'll be full Office. With macros. And Outlook.

As currently conceived, Windows RT is a lemon, and users are avoiding it in droves.

Enlarge / Microsoft's own Surface: one of the few Windows RT devices that you can actually buy.

But I'm not sure it has to be that way. With a few small changes, Windows RT could make sense, just perhaps not the way Microsoft intended.

Although I've argued on these pages that Microsoft should provide an official method for installing arbitrary apps, including desktop apps, on Windows RT, I think it's clear that there are some markets where the lock down isn't a hindrance, but rather a feature. Corporate desktops and kiosk machines, for example, can both make good use of these restrictions—often they're the kind of restrictions that administrators will impose anyway.

The problem is that the licensing conditions surrounding Windows RT make it an unpalatable product for these very markets. This is a problem that Microsoft could very easily fix. Those corporate usage companion licenses should do more than merely permit Office RT to be used for work. They should unlock domain joining, they should unlock macroing, and perhaps most significantly of all, they should include an Outlook license. There are already rumors that Microsoft is testing an Outlook for Windows RT. This lynchpin of the corporate world should be made official.

I believe this change should, from a technical perspective, be reasonably easy for Microsoft to implement. Macros might be a sticking point, as there are complexities with porting the macro virtual machine to a new architecture, but I'm told that the work has all been done—the decision to not enable macros in the shipping product was done to prevent them from being used to write apps.

With this, Windows RT would become a viable working platform that was tightly locked down, and that could run on relatively cheap, robust, no-moving-part devices.

This would increase Windows RT's value on tablets and similar machines to an extent for corporate users, but I think Microsoft could then go a stage further: embrace Windows RT in non-tablet usage scenarios. Dell's Project Ophelia—an experimental system that puts an Android system on something about the size of a big USB key—is the kind of thing I have in mind. Build boxes maybe the size of a smartphone folded in half, perhaps even smaller, pack them with an ARM processor, 32 GB of flash, a DVI or HDMI port, an Ethernet port and/or Wi-Fi, and a couple of USB ports. For power, they could use a wall-wart. Electricity delivery using Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) over HDMI would be even more appealing, as they could then be powered directly by a monitor, but it may not be able to deliver quite enough power.

Such (hypothetical) systems would be cheap. Without a built-in screen or battery, you'd be looking at $100 in materials, if that. It would be cheap to run, cutting HVAC costs. It would be robust. No moving parts, nothing to tamper with or go wrong, tolerant of dust, dirt, and vibrations. It would be more than powerful enough for many common desk-bound office tasks. And it'd be tightly locked down, not to mention straight up incompatible with common malware.

For legacy applications, the solution would be to either rebuild them as Metro/WinRT apps, or to use remote desktop to run them on some kind of VDI infrastructure.

Obviously, these solutions wouldn't work well for every organization. I wouldn't pretend that this market would be as sexy as the tablet market, either, and it won't make as much money as Apple makes from the iPad. Microsoft still has a consumer tablet problem that needs a solution. But for the typical office worker this kind of machine would be a neat fit. They'd work well for kiosks and other shared computers, too. The technology all exists today; it just requires Microsoft to change the way Windows RT is sold. With this change, a change that makes Windows RT's current weaknesses into virtues, Microsoft might just have a chance of making some lemonade.

Google To Bring 'Newspapers' To Google Play

One would be able to read the subscribed content on mobile as well as tablet.

After recently shutting down its Reader service, it seems Google is now eyeing the newspaper segment by offering them on Google Play via Newspaper app. Google is now reportedly following Apple's footstep, which has launched its Newsstand service only a while ago. Such apps are already available on the Google app store but a Google-centric newspaper subscription service will garner better response. The details about the possible app have been detected by Android Police, who had found the existence of the rumoured Google app in a Javascript file hosted on the web version of Google Play. The portal also has information in the same JS file, which talked about the newspaper being available on both issue and subscription basis and with content readability being possible on both Android phones and tablets. The report does not mention about the possible time-frame, when the Newspaper app will hit the Google Play for end users but we reckon this could happen at the Google I/O slated to happen in May.  Features: To read Google Play News, you must have a supported Android phone or tablet Please sign in to get this News edition. Please sign in to purchase this News Issue. Please sign in to purchase this News Edition Subscription. Subscribing you to this news edition… You have subscribed to this news edition. It is now available on your device. This news issue is now available on your device.  EFYTIMES News Network

World's First "phonesat", STRaND-1, Successfully Launched Into Orbit

World's First "phonesat", STRaND-1, Successfully Launched Into Orbit

Launched into a 785km Sun-synchronous orbit on ISRO’s PSLV launcher, the spacecraft is an innovative 3U CubeSat weighing 4.3 kg and is the world’s first “phonesat” to go into orbit, as well as the first UK CubeSat to be launched. Developed by a team from the University of Surrey’s Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), STRaND-1 is a training and demonstration mission, designed to test commercial off-the-shelf technologies in space.  Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, SSC Director and also Executive Chairman of SSTL, commented “STRaND-1 from SSC and SSTL is an example of the real synergy of academic research linked to commercial development and exploitation that is the hallmark of Surrey.  This mission is a fantastic achievement and a great tribute to the hard work of the engineers involved. The UK’s first nanosatellite SNAP-1, also built by SSC & SSTL and launched in 2000, was the world’s most advanced nanosatellite at the time – STRaND-1 continues that story with the latest technologies available to us in 2013.”  Sir Martin added: “This launch is SSTL’s first with ISRO, and I am looking forward to exploring opportunities for further launches and a wider collaboration on space projects in the future.” During the first phase of the mission, STRaND-1 will be controlled by the satellite’s attitude control system and a new high-speed linux-based CubeSat computer.  During phase two the STRaND-1 team plans to switch many of the satellite’s in-orbit operations to the smartphone, a Google Nexus One which uses the Android operating system, thereby testing the capabilities of many standard smartphone components for a space environment. The smartphone has also been loaded with a number of experimental ‘Apps’, some serious and some just for fun. STRaND-1 is flying innovative new technologies such as a ‘WARP DRiVE’ (Water Alcohol Resistojet Propulsion Deorbit Re-entry Velocity Experiment) and electric Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs); both ‘firsts’ to fly on a nanosatellite. The WARP DRiVE propulsion system is designed to deorbit the satellite at the end of its useful lifetime.  STRaND-1 is being commissioned and operated from the Surrey Space Centre’s ground station at the University of Surrey and amateur radio operators can track it from all over the world.  Details of the downlink frequency are available at www.uk.amsat.org and we invite radio amateurs world-wide to track STRaND-1. Commissioning is expected to take approximately two weeks, with the switchover to the smartphone and the Apps having to wait until all the other systems onboard the satellite have been fully tested. You can follow STRaND at https://twitter.com/SurreyNanosats and for more information visit http://www.sstl.co.uk/STRAND-nanosatellite The Apps on board STRaND-1 were developed by winners of a facebook competition held last year: iTesa will record the magnitude of the magnetic field around the phone during orbit.  Used as a precursor to further scientific studies, such as detecting Alfven waves (magnetic oscillations in our upper atmosphere), the iTEsa app could provide proof of principle. The STRAND Data app will show satellite telemetry on the smartphone's display which can be imaged by an additional camera on-board.  This will enable new graphical telemetry to interpret trends. The 360 app will take images using the smartphone's camera and use the technology onboard the spacecraft to establish STRaND-1's position.  The public will be able to request their own unique satellite image of Earth through the website, where images can be seen on a map showing where they have been acquired. http://www.360app.co.uk/ The Scream in Space app was developed by Cambridge University Space Flight and will make full use of the smartphone's speakers. Testing the theory 'in space no-one can hear you scream, made popular in the 1979 film 'Alien', the app will play videos of the best screams while in orbit and screams will be recorded using the smartphone's own microphone. www.screaminspace.com

Facebook Rolls Out Update For Its Android App

The social-networking giant has rolled out the update on its own, without going through the Google Play medium.

Recently, there have been reports that Facebook is notifying about a possible updated version on Android, that does not respond or offer any function when selected. Most of us have suspected this to be a malware attack but Facebook has come out and informed that they are actually pushing out the update on their own, which means the update is not available on the Play Store. If you are one those who have checked the 'allow installations from unknown sources' option in the settings menu, then the message might have popped up on your phone. To get the update from Facebook, one has to use the phone with Wi-Fi network as the download will not be available on a mobile data connection. As per reports, the update box appeared on numerous phones, but it is strange that Facebook took so much time to inform their users about the plan to push out the update on Android without the access of Google Play. Android is prone to malware attacks, which is why any unwanted or unknown files, information or update get flagged-off as possible threat. This strange update from Facebook for its Android app comes with unknown changes and logs but we're hoping they offer an enhanced version of the social networking app.   EFYTIMES News Network

Hidden Cost Of iPad Mini: Its Real Cons Revealed

iPad Mini, the smaller variant of iPad, has been able to attract wide array of consumers due to its pricing.

iPad Mini was launched by Apple with much fanfare. The smaller variant of the original iPad tablet was seen as the perfect slate, that could offer better usability, as compared to the smaller [17.7-cm (7-inch)] and slightly bigger [24.2-cm (9.7-inch)]. The iPad Mini offered a 20.1-cm (7.9-inch) screen size, that was widely appreciated across the globe. iPad Mini's launch was seen as sign that the Cupertino-based brand is eyeing change in its strategy and offer products at affordable price points. The Mini has apparently been able to surpass the previous iPads in terms of sale and this clearly reflects the success of the form factor. People have always wanted an affordable tablet option for first-time buy and iPad Mini at $329 costs $150 less than the iPad 2, which is a lot. http://www.efytimes.com

Billionaire Bill Gates blasts capitalism

Billionaire Bill Gates blasts capitalism saying that it's the reason why research for 'male baldness gets more funding than malaria'

Billionaire Bill Gates criticized capitalism saying that it causes fundraising efforts to go to trivial issues that bother rich people a opposed to global health epidemics that are devastating the poor.

The Microsoft founder was speaking at a conference about his latest philanthropic push to end malaria, saying that it gets slighted in terms of funding because the ones with the checkbooks are typically men in wealthy countries.

'The malaria vaccine in humanist terms is the biggest need. But it gets virtually no funding. But if you are working on male baldness or other things you get an order of magnitude more research funding because of the voice in the marketplace than something like malaria,' he said.

Tough talk: Bill Gates, who is worth $67billion, said that there are flaws in the capitalist system during a talk on malaria research (though he is pictured here earlier last week)

Wired Magazine reported the comment from the Royal Academy of Engineering's Global Grand Challenges Summit.

'Our priorities are tilted by marketplace imperatives,' Gates explained. 

 

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He said that the way to fix the disparity is to address this 'flaw in the pure capitalistic approach.'

The hypocrisy comes as Gates- who has long earned his title of the richest man in America- chose to take aim at the financial system that lead to his success.

Tough critics: Warren Buffett (left) and Richard Branson (right) have criticized capitalism in the past as well

To date, Gates is worth $67billion, and has dedicated the majority of his time since handing over day-to-day Microsoft operations in 2008 to the philanthropic foundation he runs with his wife Melinda.

His isn't the first billionaire to bash the ladder that they climbed up either.

The Huffington Post points out that Virgin magnate Richard Branson, filmmaker George Lucas and financial planners Warren Buffett and George Soros have all faulted the capitalist system for inequality.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

How To Find Totally Free Unlimited Internet Access Almost Anywhere

How To Find Totally Free Unlimited Internet Access Almost Anywhere

This is no joke. There are still Internet Service Providers (ISPs) out there offering free service. We’re going to look at a few ways to find totally free unlimited Internet access, legitimately and legally.

There are two routes to go here. You can go the WiFi route, which is far more popular and usually in the broadband range for speed. Or, you can go the dial-up route which is slower, however you can access it from the convenience of your own home or maybe from a hotel without WiFi service.

It may be slower than molasses going uphill in winter, but beggars can’t be choosers.

ALL FREE ISP

All Free ISP has a simple way to access their database and find a service provider near you. A major benefit is that their database covers the United States of America as well as Canada. You are more likely to find free service in the U.S.A. than in Canada, so I was pleasantly surprised to find several providers in my home province of Alberta.

Just go to All Free ISP and select your State or Province. You can also search by ZIP or Postal Code. Then click on our friend, the Go button. I’m also partial to his cousins theEnter and Next button – really handy fellows, the whole bunch.

The website then shows you a page of free and cheap ISPs you can access from your area. Here’s what showed up for me.

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See how it breaks the list down into cities? That’s a nice touch. How about the rating system and letting you know what platforms are supported? Pretty nifty. From here, you can click on the name of an ISP and find out more about them. Let’s do that, shall we?

This just shows you a basic overview of the ISP. Really, do I need to explain this? No, exactly! That’s why I like this site. If you go to All Free ISP and follow through to this point, you’ll see that there is way more information than I’m showing here. Based on what they present, you can make an educated guess about whether you want to use this ISP or not.

At this point also, you realize that nothing is really free. If you choose Juno, you’ll be subjected to large banner ads for the privilege of using their service. No different than watching TV really.

FREEDOM LIST

You might be living or travelling outside of the northern two-thirds of North America and be in need of dial-up service. Yes, believe it or not, there is more to the world than North America. I know, shocker isn’t it?! Freedom List offers a, well, list of free ISPs broken down by country. Just take a look! Pretty impressive, huh?

So, if your WiFi card is broken, or you just can’t sit at the cafe any longer, check Freedom List out.

YOUR ISP

Another place to check for free dial-up Internet access is your current ISP. Many of them offer you a certain amount of hours of dial-up access for free, if you have a paid broadband account. Some of them even have directories of dial-up numbers that you can use across the country or even internationally. If they have a dial-up number near to where you are staying, chances are you won’t even have to pay long distance fees.

The best way to find out if your ISP has free dial-up is to check out their website, or call their customer service number. Usually, they’re more than glad to help you. The hardest part will be trying to remember how to make a connection using a dial-up modem again. What was once second nature is now a chore.

YOUR TOWN OR COUNTY

Municipal Internet Access or Municipal WiFi seems to be an on-again off-again project for most communities. While driving across the countryside of Alberta for my job, I’ve noticed my WiFi card picking up access points that are provided by the county. If I were a resident of that county, I could get an account and access the Internet for little to no cost. It’s provided for with my taxes.

Municipalities also often provide totally free, unlimited Internet access at locations such as the municipal offices, libraries and some schools. To find out more about what your community offers, contact your local government offices.

Editor’s note: Remember, there are always security issues when using a public internet connection. Karl teaches you how to protect your personal information while enjoying free wifi connectivity.

Know of any other interesting ways to get legal free Internet access? Share it in the comments. We all like a freebie now and again. Got a tip on access being provided by your government? Let everyone know – it’s good to use the services you already pay for.

Image credit: andrewgrill

source:http://www.makeuseof.com

As Samsung Eclipses Apple, What Would Jobs Do?

As Samsung Eclipses Apple, What Would Jobs Do?

 When Steve Jobs had something to announce, it was news.  And he announced it with such verve and showmanship that the news became a spectacle.  For years, tech executives have labored under a self-imposed burden of trying to imitate his showmanship.  Most fare poorly in their attempts.

Meanwhile, Samsung had, tortoise-like, been building high-quality gadgets at good prices.  As its mojo increased, so did its marketing budget and its willingness to tweakApple publicly.  And inevitably, Apple’s stock price would begin to slide back from its record heights amid all the competition for its mantle.

Thursday, Samsung faced extremely high expectations for its new Galaxy S4 smartphone, which meant they felt a need to create an extreme spectacle. They birthed what appears to be an excellent new product at an overblown showcase at Radio City Music Hall, confirming many experts’ belief that Samsung is inevitably eclipsing Apple.

For Apple and its aficionados, it is a rude welcome to the “what have you done for us lately” cycle of media coverage.  The media spin cycles demand that a winner be proclaimed at every turn, and that today’s trajectory be treated as irreversible destiny.  This applies in campaign politics, sports and tech equally.  And for Samsung, they move from the role of the hunter to the hunted.

What comes next for Apple?  Are they simply missing the singular genius of Steve Jobs?

The company has too much talent and too much support to be dismissed in a flip fashion by analysts and journalists.  Alabama‘s Crimson Tide and Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish may have reigned supreme incollege football this season, but both programs had been declared irrelevant just a few years ago. Greatness is earned over time, and Apple remains in a strong position to keep earning it, though swoons will be unavoidable.

Apple’s challenge is to honor its founding father by moving past his ghost. Its focus will need to be not on what Jobs would do if he were still here, but rather what on what it means to have its co-founder’s DNA at this particular moment in time.  What does that mean during the current Samsung lovefest in the media?

To weather a new environment, Apple must continue to “Think Different.”   CEO Tim Cook and his team should resist the pressure to refine old and familiar tactics that suited another time.  This may be a perfect time for Apple to pivot away from the news-as-spectacle approach that it pioneered (and which Samsung sought to out-do on Thursday), and find new ways of reaching the popular imagination.  These new ways should be based on the individual gifts of its current team, not on a need to slavishly follow the ruts left by Jobs.  They can leave that to others.

(Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

To succeed going forward, Apple also must liberate itself from its own recent mythology.  Apple’s leadership must free itself from “insanely good” expectations and proactively challenge the premise that each new product or iteration is supposed to be revolutionary.  The company succeeded in a number of sprints recently. Going forward it must be prepared for marathons. (And fortunately for it, it has enviable cash reserves for such a contest.)

The company has had a core identity.  Apple is peculiarly human for a tech company. Apple is creative.  Apple represents a zenlike approach to products and innovation–clean, minimalistic and aesthetically delightful.  A certain kind of consumer appreciated it during even the worst times.  Rivals may gain ground at times, but Apple’s goal should be to resist imitating its imitators, while playing for the long term.

Forbes.