Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect

Select Microsoft Connect partners -- major players like HP -- have been given their first taste of Windows 8. According to various sources, the build string currently sits at 7971.0.110324-1900, which is the third milestone build of the successor to Windows 7.

So far, there haven't been many details revealed about Windows 8. An actual System Restore -- which is being referred to as History Vault -- has been reported, and the feature will allow users and administrators to completely roll back a system to a previous state. A factory reset option is also said to be included.

We've also seen Windows Live integration taking shape on the desktop. It's believed that you'll be able to log in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live credentials, not just a traditional offline Windows username and password.

All that's left now is for a leaked Windows 8 build to show up on a torrent site. Feel free to tip us if you see that happen.

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/windows-8-now-available-to-oems-via-microsoft-connect/

STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS SRA INTERNATIONAL

Windows 8 to feature adaptive Aero colorization, get it now on Windows 7

While we've still yet to see anything truly Earth-shattering, the tandem of Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott continues to churn out insight about interesting new features they've discovered in Windows 8 milestone 3. The latest discovery is that Aero in Windows 8 will be able to automatically adapt itself to match your current wallpaper image. It's a bit like what Windows 7 already does with your taskbar icons: if a program alert needs your attention, the icon will glow using the predominant color (e.g. Firefox should glow orange).

And yes, you can already make Windows 7 behave this way if you like. Over at CodePlex, there's a little program called Aura that parks itself in your system tray and automatically adjusts your window borders to compliment your wallpaper images. The effect is quite nice, and you can try it out by minimizing your windows and cycling through your theme's wallpapers (right click on your desktop and choose next desktop background).

Windows 8 to feature adaptive Aero colorization, get it now on Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/windows-8-to-feature-adaptive-aero-colorization-get-it-now-on-w/

TIBCO SOFTWARE THQ

Scrabble Helper helps you improve your Words With Friends gameplay

If you play Scrabble (or a scrabble-like game) from time to time, you may want to check out Scrabble Helper. This simple website is a godsend when you're at a loss for words. Simply enter whatever letters you have, and the word you'd like to connect with. Scrabble helper comes up with a whole bunch of suggestions sorted by score.

The site lets you select one of five dictionaries - Scrabble International/US, Lexulous International/US, and Words With Friends. Some people might say this constitutes cheating -- I think if the other side knows you're doing it, it's definitely not cheating. And it doesn't take the challenge out of the game, because implementing Scrabble Helper's suggestions and deciding which words you'd like to connect with still takes a fair bit of thought.

Very handy, though perhaps not one for the Scrabble puritans in the crowd.

Scrabble Helper helps you improve your Words With Friends gameplay originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/14/scrabble-helper-helps-you-improve-your-words-with-friends-gamepl/

VIEWSONIC VERISIGN

Exabytes: Documenting the 'digital age' and huge growth in computing capacity

Megabytes are dead. Gigabytes are passe. So much digital data now moves around the globe that those who endeavor to measure it employ a new - or new to non-nerds - term. Meet the exabyte. How much data is an exabyte? It's a billion gigabytes - and it signifies just how digital and data-intensive ...

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=f5ff5351328f307f5ad7cff4d20736c7

TERADATA TELETECH HOLDINGS

High court weighs Calif. effort to ban sale of violent video games to minors

Several Supreme Court justices strongly questioned during an animated argument Tuesday whether California's attempt to bar the sale of violent video games to minors could possibly meet constitutional muster.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=335682caa43925108b266998e6953ec2

VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES

Wealthiest in Washington area get best high-speed Internet values, study says

Residents of the wealthiest parts of the Washington region tend to get the best value in high-speed Internet service, paying less for faster speeds, according to a new study from American University.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=fe23f7a4505fa8fd1acefe1d3dafa608

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TERADATA

Verizon iPhone 4 doesn't represent a huge advance over AT&T's

A funny thing happened Thursday: Verizon finally started selling the iPhone, and mass hysteria did not erupt. After years of yearning and months of hype, there was not a mass rush to Apple's and Verizon's stores.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=68ed6e28d8b853b6044455477eca6e87

SONUS NETWORKS SONIC AUTOMOTIVE

Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look

While not a game per se, I found Mitoza intriguing enough to spend quite some time with it. You start off with a seed, and are then presented with two choices: you can either click a flower pot, or click a cute little birdie.

If you click the flower pot, a flower pot appears and the seed is planted inside. You're then presented with two further choices -- a water can or a bottle of fertilizer. Each choice you make causes your creation to morph, and presents you with two other choices.

There's no winning or losing, really. Each "game" usually lasts around four or five choices, at which point the plant/animal dies in some creative (but not too gruesome) way. At this point you instantly start over with a new seed.

The graphics are captivating; the whole thing has a cinematic feel to it, with a bit of artificial camera shake added for style.

All in all, it's a fun, peaceful way to spend a few minutes, and it might even make you think a little bit while you're at it.

Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/mitoza-is-a-fun-freaky-web-toy-with-an-artistic-look/

VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY

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Source: http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=108a0df9512d8e18b682f0f2e261ca5f&p=4

TIBCO SOFTWARE WESTERN DIGITAL

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game

Sand Trap is one of those games that at first seem too hard to bother with, but when you try to stop playing it you discover you're hooked.

The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.

As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.

As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.

If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/sand-trap-is-a-fun-physics-maze-game/

TELETECH HOLDINGS TECHNITROL

AMD Radeon R9 290 Review: Hawaii Just Got Cheaper

This has been an exciting few weeks in the GPU space, to say the least. AMD has released a new line-up of cards that cover the entire spectrum, from entry-level, affordable products, to ultra-powerful, high-end solutions, targeted at hardcore gamers. We’ve also seen NVIDIA react to AMD’s recent releases with significant price cuts...

Source: http://hothardware.com/News/AMD-Radeon-R9-290-Review-Hawaii-Just-Got-Cheaper/

VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC

Thousands of iPad Apps Is that All it Has to Offer?

The mad rush to get hold of an iPad certainly led a lot of people to believe that this nifty little gadget would put a smart phone to shame. The fact that users would be able to get thousands of apps on their iPad might have had something to do with craze and Apple did make it one of the selling points about the device. Apple marketed the iPad as having specifically designed apps and that these ranged from leisure [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/thousands-of-ipad-apps-is-that-all-it-has-to-offer/

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TERADATA

Kenneth Olsen, pioneering founder of computer company, dies at 84

Kenneth Olsen, 84, a computer industry pioneer and co-founder of Digital Equipment Corp., died Feb. 6. The place and cause of death were not disclosed.

Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=ed2a3086b726d0c202f5f3c63b85473f

SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS

Zen Coding high-speed HTML shorthand plug-in updated

Zen Coding made quite a splash when we first covered it almost a year ago. For those who aren't familiar, Zen is a fantastic form of shorthand for quickly hand-coding HTML. And today, a new version is out!

Here are some of the goodies version 0.7 brings to the party:

• Text nodes: Writing something like a[href=/]{Click here} now works, and puts "Click here" within the link.
• New actions added: Increment/decrement number under cursor, evaluate math expressions, and more.
• Wrap with Abbreviation was upgraded.

There are several other improvements but they're all rather technical. If you use Zen Coding (or are intrigued by the concept) go ahead and read the release notes for this new version.

Zen Coding has official implementations for a ton of editors, including TextMate, Apatana, Coda, E2, Komodo, Notepad++, PSPad, and more. It also has unofficial builds for Vim, UltraEdit, Visual Studio and more.

If you want to play with Zen Coding without installing it, you can use the online demo to see some of its magic in action.

Zen Coding high-speed HTML shorthand plug-in updated originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/15/zen-coding-high-speed-html-shorthand-plug-in-updated/

TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS

Surface Pro 2 firmware update packs a big battery boost

A firmware update for Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 appears to have drastically improved battery life, addressing one of the beefy tablet's biggest weak points.

Microsoft issued the firmware update shortly after the Surface Pro 2 launched. According to AnandTech, web browsing on Wi-Fi jumped to 8.33 hours, compared to 6.68 hours before the firmware update. Video playback also got a boost, from 6.65 hours to 7.73 hours.

Another test by The Verge yielded 8 hours and 51 minutes of battery life when cycling through web pages and still images. That's a 20 percent improvement over the 7 hours and 33 minutes achieved in the site's previous testing.

AnandTech says the update allows Surface Pro 2's Marvell Wi-Fi solution to reach lower power states than before. It's unclear why this functionality wasn't included at launch. In any case, the firmware update appears to validate Microsoft's claims of a 75 percent battery improvement over the original Surface Pro. The first-generation Pro lasted for about four or five hours on a charge, so a 75 percent improvement would put Surface Pro 2 battery life in the seven- to eight-hour range.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2060490/surface-pro-2-firmware-update-packs-a-big-battery-boost.html#tk.rss_all

TERADATA TELETECH HOLDINGS

Surface Pro 2 review: This is the Windows tablet you're looking for

You have to appreciate Microsoft’s tenacity. After launching the original Surface Pro tablet to mixed reviews, the company opted not to rebuild from scratch but to refine its vision for a thick and heavy, but powerful, tablet. The result is Surface Pro 2.

Much like Windows 8.1, Surface Pro 2 is less conflicted on both the laptop and tablet sides of the hybrid equation, arriving with a more flexible kickstand, improved Touch and Type Covers, longer battery life, and better thermal design. It’s still less than the best of both worlds, but the balance between them no longer feels so uneasy.

The Surface Pro 2 is also a better lesson in compromise than the just-released Surface 2. Both hybrid devices sport incremental rather than revolutionary upgrades, but the Pro version is simply more useful when you’re working with your hardware in the field.

Image: Michael Homnick

The Surface Pro 2 is a tablet that leans toward a laptop, and does a better job of it than most hybrids currently available.

As with the original Pro hybrid, the Surface Pro 2 resembles a plain old tablet until you unfurl the integrated kickstand and attach a keyboard cover to the base, transforming the device into a small, funky-looking laptop. It retains the satisfying clicking sounds as you close the kickstand or snap in a keyboard cover, and the trapezoidal design still looks vaguely like a piece of Imperial architecture straight out of Star Wars.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2058685/surface-pro-2-review-this-is-the-windows-tablet-youre-looking-for.html#tk.rss_laptopcomputers

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TERADATA

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface

Bing's new HTML5-and-CSS3-enhanced search interface, which was first demonstrated back in September 2010 to showcase the power of IE9, has started to roll out.

The most notable addition to the new interface is is smooth page transitions -- the fade in and out -- and navigation tabs (maps, images, videos, etc.) now persistently float at the top of the page. WinRumors is also reporting that a feature reminiscent of Google Instant search is being added to Bing, with page elements smoothly transitioning in and out as you type in your search query.

If you want to try out the new Bing UI, your best bet is to set your locale to United States - English and pray that you're part of the initial roll out. Alternatively, just wait a few days until MIX 2011, Microsoft's Web developer conference, which is when the new Bing UI should be officially launched.

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/bing-begins-roll-out-of-html5-enhanced-search-interface/

TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES TNS

Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott have posted a second look at some of the early changes which have surface in Windows 8 milestone 3. First there was the restyled Welcome Screen, and now it appears that Microsoft is toying with bringing the Ribbon UI to Explorer.

The Ribbon, like in Microsoft Word and Excel, is context-aware, adding tabs for specific tasks which apply to the folder you're viewing -- such as library or picture management. You can also make out two new buttons in the status bar, which allow you to change the current folder's view style.

It's clear from all the placeholder images and repeated elements that this is very much a work in progress, but featuring the Ribbon more prominently in Windows 8 would certainly be a logical progression for Microsoft. It's slowly become more ubiquitous, moving beyond Office and into Wordpad, Paint, and several of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

There's more to the screenshots than the Ribbon UI, however. Our friend Long Zheng has noted two interesting elements in the images: Web sharing and sync (image after the break). That would likely mean users will be able to quickly upload files to SkyDrive and synchronize using Live Mesh right from Explorer in Windows 8. That's not a total surprise considering many of the earliest leaked images of Windows 8 showed Windows Live integration on the desktop.

Continue reading Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/03/windows-8-explorer-to-feature-ribbon-ui-skydrive-and-mesh-integ/

UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR

Got a new iPad Air? Don't forget your free iLife and iWork apps from Apple!

If you picked up a shiny new iPad Air today, be sure to drop by the App Store and download the free iLife and iWork applications from Apple! Recently made free with the purchase of a new iOS device, the collection of Apple applications is a great way to add productivity and creativity to your new iPad. And of course, with iCloud integration you get to share your content with respective applications on your Mac and iPhone.

So, grab them for yourselves using the handy links below, and if you're a first time downloader of any of them, let me know what you think!

• Free - Download Now - Pages for iPad
• Free - Download Now - Numbers for iPad
• Free - Download Now - Keynote for iPad
• Free - Download Now - iMovie for iPad
• Free - Download Now - iPhoto for iPad
• Free - Download Now - Garageband for iPad

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/O6J8bqCeaPY/story01.htm

SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS

iPad Air: Design evolution

From iPad to iPad air: Three years and a half-a-pound later

The iPad Air is an amazing piece of design and engineering. What was first introduced in 2010 as a 0.5-inch, 1.5lbs post-PC revolution has been steadily transformed into a 0.29-inch, 1lbs damn-near MacBook Air-level revelation. Packing the power of an Apple A7 into something barely any bigger than the 9.7-inch screen it encases is impressive enough by itself, but when you see and feel it next to what's come before, the difference of three years and half-a-pound is enormous.

How ludicrously thin Apple can take it, how monstrously powerful they can make it - these are questions for another day. Right now, I'm holding something in my hands that makes Star Trek look outdated and clunky. Insane.

I'll add some more photos as our review process continues, but here's a sampling to get things started.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/dKxN8dU3BRg/story01.htm

TELETECH HOLDINGS TECHNITROL