China Bans Windows 8 On Government Computers

Microsoft was just socked with another blow in China. The Central Government Procurement Center has banned the use of Windows 8 on government computers. Reuters reports that computer security relating to Windows XP was cited as the reason.

Like many others, the Chinese government is not happy with Microsoft for ending Windows XP support. The antiquated operating system still powers 50% of China’s desktop market, according to Reuters.

This latest setback comes as Microsoft is struggling in the massive market. Even though computer sales in China matches that of the U.S., the company earned much less revenue, matching that of a smaller market such as the Netherlands.

The company warned for years that support was ending and that companies should upgrade to the latest Microsoft operating system. Yet there were still holdouts for various reasons — but why fix something that’s not broken?

Microsoft is in a tough spot. Microsoft needs to adequately prop-up its latest operating system, but Windows XP will continue to power vital systems that deserve security patches. China is seemingly turning its back on Microsoft until this is resolved.

The Surface Pro 3 Is Microsoft’s Answer To The MacBook Air. Again.

Microsoft just announced the Surface Pro 3 and a new direction for the Surface line. Microsoft is no longer looking to counter the iPad. The Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft’s answer to the “heavy” MacBook Air.
This argument is not new. Microsoft touched on this with the Surface Pro and then the Surface Pro 2. The value proposition is simply more clear now. Instead of muddling the argument with examples of how the Surface Pro can be an iPad and a MacBook Air and then an iPad again, Microsoft is now simply saying the new Surface Pro is better than the MacBook Air.
To be honest, it’s the Windows world’s best answer to the fantastic MacBook Air yet. It’s seemingly more powerful and versatile than anything from Samsung, Lenovo or HP.
The Surface has always promised a tablet could replace a laptop. But through two Surface generations, that has so far failed to materialize. The Surface Pro 1 and 2 were too heavy and thick. The screen was too small and the device didn’t work well while on a lap. The Surface Pro 3 answers all of that.
The screen is now larger at 12-inches and sports a higher resolution than the MacBook Air. The Surface Pro 3 with a keyboard is thinner than the MacBook Air. There’s 4g built-in. And for better or worse, the Surface Pro 3 is a touchscreen and has novel OneNote features such as a mode that instantly lets users jot down notes even when the device is turned off.
Still, it’s no MacBook Air.
I once wrote an article comparing the first generation Surface Pro and the MacBook Air. I was mostly wrong. I used the original Surface Pro as a daily driver for several months. The relationship didn’t work out. Microsoft’s promise of a dual function device fell short in real life. The original Surface Pro just didn’t have the chops to hang. I couldn’t use it in my lap, the device wasn’t powerful enough to smoothly run multiple applications over several monitors. The experience was frustrating.
The MacBook Air is the best laptop on the market, bar none. There’s no argument. Apple has progressed the MacBook Air to near perfection. Microsoft knows that, which is why it so directly targeted the device in today’s unveiling.
At this point in the storyline, specs are meaningless. It’s about the experience and with the MacBook Air, Apple created and evolved the computer to truly mean personal. The MacBook Air is not the biggest or baddest laptop available, but it’s the most personal and that’s what makes it sell.
The Surface has always promised to be more personal. But the experience was still lacking. As I found during my time with previous Surface models, the form factor and platform just didn’t mesh.
But Microsoft kept at it and pushed the Surface larger and thinner. Meanwhile, Windows 8 evolved since its release, carefully blending the old Windows with the new Windows. Microsoft might have finally hit a point in both the software and hardware’s life where the Surface can finally be a Windows user’s MacBook Air.

Hello! Welcome to this week’s edition of “Things You Really Probably Shouldn’t Do At Home! Seriously.”
Armed with a pinch of ingenuity and a heaping fistful of insanity, garage inventor Colin Furze has recreated Wolverine’s signature claws. They extend! They retract! They… look incredibly dangerous!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sdcGek-NoFQ

Others have taken a stab at this sort of project before, but all of those I’ve seen only do one half of the equation: the claw extension. Once the claws came out, they had to be manually set back in place. Weaaaak.
With the help of a super clever compressed air system, Furze’s claws are able to extend and retract on command. Sure, he needs to wear a big ol’ backpack to make it all work — but besides swappin’ out your skeleton for one with a bit more adamantium, this is probably about as close as you can get to the real deal.
As much as I’d love to play with a pair of these, I’m pretty sure I’d end up stabbing myself just putting on the backpack.
If the guy in the video looks familiar, don’t be too surprised. This isn’t Furze’s first venture into the land of insane DIY. Back in 2007, he made a massive (and terrifyingly shoddy looking) “Wall Of Death” so he could ride around almost horizontally on his lil’ Honda Skyride.

In 2012, he modified a mobility scooter, originally meant to go about 4 MPH, to blast around at just past 70.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0T5UOtMcjIo

BlackBerry Reveals Project Ion, Its QNX-Powered Effort To Underpin The Internet Of Things

BlackBerry is mostly discussed in terms of its slow decline in the global smartphone market, which it once pioneered. But it acquired QNX in 2010, and that would provide the basis not only for its BlackBerry 10 smartphone operating system, but also for the platform underlying a huge percentage of in-car infotainment systems. BlackBerry envisioned QNX extending to a still-wider range of devices to underpin the growth of the Internet of Things, and now it’s formalizing those efforts under its newly announced Project Ion.

Project Ion consists of multiple efforts designed to promote Internet of Things 
development, including a secure application platform based on QNX designed to gather data from across a range of devices and operating environments; relationship building between partners, carriers and app developers; and strategic partnership with industry organizations including the Industrial Internet Consortium and the Application Developer Alliance.

Ion’s goal is to give businesses access to the new kinds of insights that can be derived when every aspect of their business is a connected, data-gathering device. This includes stuff that BlackBerry already manages through its MDM efforts, like mobile devices and computers, but it also now includes sensors scattered throughout the factory floor, environmental and weather measurement devices, smart refrigeration units and transport vehicles, and so on. IoT is a market with some of the highest growth potential around, in part because it crosses verticals: it’s just as applicable for a large-scale industrial facility as it is in a multinational hospitality chain.

Others see and desire this carrot, of course. Google is one of those, and the search giant has clearly identified IoT as an opportunity to further extend the reach of Android, as revealed most recently in an SEC filing today. But what Project Ion aims to do can work hand-in-hand with Android acting as a default OS for individual connected devices; BlackBerry seems to want to be the connective tissue in a larger IoT nervous system – think less a SmartThings for the home and more a framework for the local electric company to analyze, track and better serve a web of those connected homes.

Is IoT the magic bullet for BlackBerry as it transitions away from the consumer market? Hard to say, as it’s a nascent market yet and it remains unclear exactly what it will provide partners, device makers and network operators. But if its in-car computing business is any indication of where it might be headed, then this could be bright spot in BlackBerry’s otherwise cloudy outlook.

Google Anticipates Serving Ads To Refrigerators, Cars And More

Update: Google provided the following statement to TechCrunch, clarifying the SEC document described below –

“We are in contact with the SEC to clarify the language in this 2013 filing, which does not reflect Google’s product roadmap.  Nest, which we acquired after this filing was made, does not have an ads-based model and has never had any such plans.”

When Google acquired Nest, there were a lot of jokes made about a thermometer serving you ads, many of which were only half kidding. Now, Google has stated in plain English that it does see a future where it could be serving ads on thermostats, as well as on “refrigerators, car dashboards, [...] glasses, and watches,” which is only a partial list of the places it imagines its advertising content might appear in the future.
The statement comes from a letter Google sent to the SEC in December discovered by the Wall Street Journal, which was made public this week. Google is justifying its decision not to break out revenue generated from mobile devices, since the so-called ‘mobile’ category is shifting and in the process of changing every day. Eventually, Google basically notes, its services and ads might span just about every kind of hardware with a display and Internet connection. That’s probably a pretty fair appraisal of where things are headed with the future of smart homes and devices, but it’s still unusual to see Google talking about it so directly.
In the end, no one should be surprised that Google is open to the possibility of translating its most successful, core business (ads) to some of its recent, more experimental lines of business (Nest). Despite both companies noting early on in the relationship that initially Nest data and devices would be used only for Nest customer purposes, Google would simply be a bad, short-sighted business if it hadn’t considered how the Nest piece fit into its overall business down the road.
Also, Google is clearly picturing a world here where Android or some variant thereof powers a much wider range of devices than it does currently. It’s logical to assume that as more gadgets use its mobile OS to power their connected features and provide their software underpinnings that Google would naturally serve ads there, just as it does on Android smartphones and the web.
In short, don’t go pitching your Nest thermostat into the sea or whatever just yet. Google may serve ads to your climate control unit in the future, but at that point it probably won’t be as jarring as you expect, and it could also come with considerable benefits to the user to in exchange for the privilege

HP drops $100 quad-core Android tablet into US

Hewlett-Packard has undercut its $150 Android Slate 7 with a $100 tablet. And it's quad-core, to boot




Quad-core doesn't get much cheaper than this.
That would be the $99.99 HP 7 Plus, which is now available in the US market, after debuting in Europe a few months ago.

The quad-core processor is an 1GHz A31 provided by Allwinner Technology. The chip is based on the somewhat dated ARM Cortex A7 architecture. 

So, it's not the fastest mobile processor on the planet but it gets the job done for $100.
Other specs include the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system, 1 GB SDRAM, 8 GB of storage (eMMC), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, over 5 hours of battery life, a microSD slot, and a 7-inch diagonal IPS 1,024 x 600 display.

HP also sells the $150 Slate 7 based on a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor.


source: Cnet

Windows Phone 8.1 gets first update, improves battery life and squashes bugs

Windows Phone 8.1 has been with us for a month now. It came out April 14 and we’ve been loving it ever since. Today the first update is being pushed out to those in the Preview for Developers program who are running Windows Phone 8.1.

Rocking Windows Phone 8.1.? You’re on OS version 8.10.12359.845 if you are. This update will put you at OS version 8.10.12382.878. Head to settings > phone update > check for update to grab the new version and start the installation. 

What can you look forward to in this update? According to Joe Belfiore, you can look forward to a ton of bug fixes and battery improvements!

Update, play around and let us know what you notice!\

Pro tip: Not seeing the update? Make sure you still have the Preview for Developer app installed and that you're signed in with your Microsoft account. Also this update took a little bit of time to install for us. It held at 1% for a bit and then exploded to 100% during our install. 

Update: If you notice apps 'installing' after the update, just give it 5-10 minutes as the app migration will bring them over. Don't Fret!

Source: @MorrisMbithiN

Facebook woos journalists with 'FB Newswire

Facebook launched Thursday FB Newswire, billed as an online trove of real-time information for journalists and newsrooms to mine while reporting on events or crafting stories.

In partnership with News Corp-owned Storyful, FB Newswire aggregates newsworthy content shared publicly at the social network, including original pictures, videos, and comments posted by "people on the front lines of major events" such as protests, elections and sports matches.

"News is finding a bigger audience on Facebook than ever before," Facebook director of global media partnership Andy Mitchell said in a blog post. "Journalists and media organizations have become an integral part of Facebook."

The California-based social network has been ramping up features for real-time sharing and communicating in a challenge to Twitter, which has become a globally used platform for instantly sharing information about current events.

FB Newswire can be reached at facebook.com/FBNewswire and at Twitter account @FBNewswire.

News Corporation, which owns the Wall Street Journal, acquired Storyful in December in a deal valued at about $25 million.

The Dublin, Ireland-based start-up specializes in discovering, verifying and distributing "timely and relevant video and user-generated content" to partners, the list of which includes the Journal, according to News Corp.

"Journalists and media organizations have become an integral part of Facebook," Mitchell said.

"We're excited to deepen our relationship with media organizations and journalists in the days to come."