Sunday, September 25, 2011

Windows 8


Once again I am back today with due of a weekend and time to spare I have decided to write about the most noticed talks on Engadget and Techcrunch in the recent month. 

For who might not have guessed it’s about the good old Microsoft Corporation with their new operating system Windows 8 (Touch Centric). Though the operating system is not bad as it looks and has some very cool features (if you have never used a pc in your life) and confusing/irritating (if you are a PC fan).

The start menu is gone, this time for good releasing a metro style app platform something, which reminds me of Launch Pad in Mac OS Lion. Though the look and feel is like that of the windows mobile making the desktop more of a bigger cellphone interface than a PC operating system as a whole. Things have gone a long way and as commented during the launch of the developer preview few weeks ago.

For some of you who loved to see applications all in one screen on a windows based PC this could be a good interface to get hands on, something you might have been waiting for, and for others this might be a start of a new generation of things which call for a change. Yes with the claim of Microsoft of moving PC design towards touch based devices this might seem the optimal OS after iOS, and by far its free and you can install it on any device with the same setup disc. The OS has a good feel for touch and the way things are designed with the apps there are new changes coming in.

Windows 8 has new features as well related to the App Alignment and Store feature, which is predictably like the Mac App store. In short everything from the Mac books and still not up to perfection. Rather this time Microsoft does stand a fair chance over the MacOS in terms of the metro look. Installations this time are simpler and the OS has a very quick boot time of about 30 seconds. (Reason might be since the start menu altogether has been disabled.) 

There are more things to it like the stock market live feeds, news feeds, Facebook and twitter integration, these might seem to be social OS when you first look at it. The Facebook integration this time might go for a toss since the recent changes in the layout of the Facebook page and features has changed drastically and all app developers have to work on the improvements so that people can adopt their apps with the new changes.

Social life these days has changed to a bigger extent and people are more concerned with getting updated what friends are doing and what they are thinking about, new feeds about the happenings round the globe and what people have to say about them, comments from the world leaders or the prominent personalities in Hollywood and Bollywood, political uproars in countries which we never even heard about or cared till recently, scandals and sex have been the most selling these days and affairs are a talk for a weekend, technology news and upcoming gadgets for geeks and freaks which has to be something which everyone wants to be updated on. When we see things like this being the priority of the users the main idea is to create a Operating System which caters to these needs and Wolah !! You have windows 8 doing just that.

Though having said that still a part of me says that this is not what I wanted a PC for, people work on PC and if they are forced by default while clicking the home page to see a screen giving updates of the daily life then who the hell will work in companies. Now that’s really something, which Microsoft should have thought of or might be thinking right now about the new operating system and its impact to its corporate clients. Since most of the corporates today want their resources (slaves or employees) to work in the office hours and extend support for late hours so that they can earn the maximum profits and clients like these will be totally shocked to see this new operating system which will destroy their forced dictatorship on their slaves ooops resources.

With some open topics and some closed the discussion still conclude on the fact that the step taken this time by Microsoft has given a change and this change might be just the one that was needed to revolutionize the way we operate PC’s (if there are still people using them).

For you to download the link of the new Operating System by Microsoft, Yes its FREE download for all.

and here are a few screenshots of the new look 



Saturday, September 24, 2011

Facebook Changes and New developments


Once again we have been amazed by the quick changes FB as always. Its fun to watch the Giant of Social Networking making changes so fast that users get uncomfortable.


One good thing about the changes is that there are new feeds in the side and people are able to keep track of their friends and relatives closely and much easily. The bad thing, for obvious reasons is now that privacy is hindered. Friends know when you are online and if you have a high EQ or if your counterparts have a higher EQ they will be affected Emotionally if you don't comment or reply to their posts.

But concerns apart there are new changes that are coming and these have not just made it more transparent but also there is a professional social touch to it. The way the organization of all the feeds is done on a single page is amazing, but what is more amazing is the new screen that is due launch on 1st Oct. 2011. Yes if you are guessing it right then it’s the new timeline page that Facebook has introduced for the developers and is about to be launched. If you are not a developer and don't want to mess around it will be better to wait till the final look arrives in another week. A preview of the same is shown below.


My Facebook Timeline Page





This look justifies the changes that have been made till date and the introduction of the feeds. But it just does not stop there, the best part is that you can see all of your Facebook history with the year specified and add comments to it. It can be assumed as the Facebook profile or rather your own social book or diary now. 


Yes everything and all the activities till date done on Facebook with the dates are aligned together with a timeline. You can browse through all the activities done on you wall and the posts. There is less to tell about it than to feel since Facebook becomes in a way your diary, which contains all your memories with your colleagues, college mates and school friends. This look is the best possible outcome and experience, which a person can gain from a social site, catering to the needs of a person personally making him attached to his social life once again in a world of internet and chat. The first look i had after opening the page was WOW this is something i wanted deep inside but never got the idea.

Kiddos to all the Facebook developers out there. 
Link for the timeline: 




And the comments about timelines from the Facebook post of Bret Taylor



"Yesterday we announced a new version of profile pages, called Timeline. It is such a great change. Timeline is truly personal and customizable, and it is so much more beautiful than our current profile page. Watch the video and read about it - we will be rolling it out over the next couple weeks.

After you watch the video, I'd love to hear what you think. As someone who has loved seeing friends and family members build scrapbooks over the years, I have had such a positive experience with the product so far. Looking at a friend's timeline is like sitting down and having them flip through a photo album in their living room - a personal, nostalgic experience. I am really proud of the team that put so much effort into the design and implementation of the product."


This is something really perfect in a way. :)

So go ahead guys and register for the switch which is out to be soon there. And for developers and geeks  visit the link to have a preview of the same. 

Apple iPhone 5

Finally Coming of the iPhone 5, news news news .... everywhere we do a search we get rumor's about the new iPhone 5 launching this october. people all over the world are interested in having the updates of the new phone but as always apple is still secretive about its new upcoming models.


there were many good ideas on the internet about how the new phone would look but one of them was much ahead of its times. Yes talking about the holographic display phone rumor which started circulating the web around september 2011. Here is a link of what i am talking about.



This was one of the best so far from the graphic design company called Aatma Studios. The concept was amazing but with a flaw where apple has stated that the phones will be usable and recyclable, in conditions of that if such a design was released today there will be countless people throwing away their iPhone 4's and trying to purchase the new model. the Sales of the iPhone will also be hampered in such a scenario.


But when we are looking for predictions then i guess the best possible one on the web is about the configuration like : 
1. 8 MegaPixel Camera.
2. A5 dual processer.
3. Larger screen.
4. It being both CDMA and GSM and off course carrier free.
5. Design would be thinner. 
6. Have a aluminium Back cover like the good old iPhone 3G and the iPod models.


This might well be the case seeing the way factory unlocked phones are much in demand looking at the emerging markets of asian countries where the carriers do not care about offers because customers keep switching to new carriers depending upon the offers present.


An Iphone in the current scenario is the highest used smartphone. there was a recent twitter post having the details of the web search in google. and more share of the search queries came from iOS devices.


"Apple continued to be the leading device manufacturer on our network in August, representing 23% of the Top 15 Manufacturers impression share (Chart A). Apple iPhone maintained the number one position on the Top 20 Mobile Phones ranking with 13% of the impression share."


Also there was a graph in the post stating the percentage share of the devices which are being used and the share of the market they have. Below is the image of the same.
Now Such a trend and highest market share almost double of its competitors is something which cannot go unnoticed. 


Well the credit to the research goes to the people who have conducted the survey and the site link "http://9to5mac.com/2011/09/23/in-mobile-apple-and-google-continue-to-rule-the-landscape/" hoping that i may not be caught for copywriter issues :D.


well what apple has in store is not coming out unless the iPhone gets launched somewhere in the middle of October, but as everyone says the model coming this time will a lot depend on Cook as to how he takes the presentation and how much would apple miss their showman Steven Paul Jobs for the presentation launches.


but not to forget its not the iPhone which is the only part anticipated for long. we have seen and known about the new iOS 5 which is also going to be launched soon. 200+ new features but the most anticipated ones are 
1. iPhone Messenger 
2. Tasks Reminder
3. Faster Interface and App switching
4. Notification Center
5. Camera Controls
6. NewsStand
7. Finally Twitter integration


and many more are present but these were some of the features which i liked the most, and more of them are yet to be explored. 


In Short October could be called in other terms as the apple month because of the new launches and the for stock market fans this might be the reason for the dropping of shares of apple this month, iPhone 5 could rise the stocks to a new level for sure.


Will update once the launch arrives. :)

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Blunders !!! Come on Microsoft Do something better

Hi All,
Today while going through the microsoft website i noticed something so funny could not resist to put it down. Now let me remind you as to how has Microsoft listed out internet explorer having numerous number of features and shown itself leading towards the best browsers.

Defects 1. Safari not included (FEAR maybe)
2. Chrome included (OMG.... version 10)
3. Firefox Included (OOOOMG ... version 4 .... now come on !!!!)

The strategy to compare with the older products is something i am not able to perceive or is it that they regard the world dumb enough to not notice it !!!

really something has to be fed into the brains of people working in Microsoft that GUYS!! ... there is a thin line in believing that others are idiots and in proving others that you are one, And Microsoft has done just that.

here is the screenshot of the same..



This has somehow become a nice time pass to go through all the further more defects and wanted ignorances being adopted by the firm. :)

Friday, August 26, 2011

Steve Jobs Quitting as CEO, Is it the end of Innovation... ??

Today most of us came to know about the apple story about steve jobs leaving the post of the CEO due to bad health conditions. It might not have come as a shock since it was expected due to his health conditions, but the question now remains is there anyway the move would impact Apple after he is gone.

Steve Jobs can be regarded as the true geek, or a Leader with the quality to make change in the industry. A change so powerful enough which make the consumers think about the way they were living, and revolutionized the digital age with products like the iPad, iPod, iPhone, Macintosh OS and many others. Never has a achievement in the books of steve jobs been easy looking into the history of the organization which started as a illegal Blue boxes used to make free long-distance calls to now a world leader of phones, music devices, laptops and entertainment with style.

A quote which i was reading in one of the websites today stated, something which Jobs had told -- "I was worth over $1 million when I was 23," Jobs would later say in a video inter- view, "and over $10 million when I was 24 and over $100 million when I was 25. And it wasn't that important because I never did it for the money."

This was the statement given by steve jobs when the company went public in 1980 releasing an IPO which made Steve Jobs a millionaire even faster than Ford Motor Company.

The life of this man was not easy in anyway soon after the release of the Macintosh, Steve had a conflict with the company due to which he was sent out from the Company he had founded. But he did not give up, the later startup NeXT which contributed a lot in the coming years especially when it came to the design of the iPod and iTunes. in 1986 Steve Jobs purchased the computer graphics division of Lucasflim for $10 million and founded the Company today known as PIXAR, and the rest is history as to how the graphic storytelling and movies changed with the release of ToyStory, Finding Nemo and others. Steve Jobs proved that the ideas he had, had the capacity to change the industry and his ideas were not just though of but a lot of effort was given to it to revolutionize the view of business.

"When these films take four years to make and they last for 60 or 100 years, you start to develop a longer focal length point of view than just the next six months," Jobs said on the Charlie Rose show in 1996. And when the company Pixar went public the biggest IPO of the year beating Netscape in 1995. Jobs became a billionaire.

Steve Jobs was then re-called in Apple given the power he deserved and then the rest is history, which today's generation calls the i's of the industry. (iPad, iPod and the iPhone).
In Jan 2007 when the iPhone was released it was the first of its kind because for the first time a handset was selling the carrier. (ATnT) and later on iPhone turned into the profit engine which starting running Apple Computers Inc. which after the release of the iPhone got named as Apple Inc. as we know today as the consumer powerhouse.

The idea of apple having retain exclusive outlets for their own products was criticized by the industry experts but Steve proved them wrong when the Retail outlets of apple became a huge success and gained profits which were not expected or predicted by anyone.


Today after this legacy of the legend, his resignation from the post of CEO not only questions the future of apple but also the innovation and quality of products its known for.

Apple is lined up for the new model of iPhone in the end September and the new iPad sometime in next year, these are the last remains of the legacy the man has left behind, the later progress of the company has yet to be seen.

As Steve Jobs said “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”

He has successfully to his word created the 5 dents in the universe Apple II, Macintosh, iPod, iPhone and the iPad.
A thumbs up to the living legend and the world class innovator who will always be admired for the contribution he has given to the industry and the motivation of the new ideas, with the motto of nothing is impossible and the industry can be changed the way you want it, just that the idea should be strong enough to drive the industry and not be driven by the industry.

This summary is written in dedication of the Man whom i admire for his "Real Geek" attitude and strong business sense to foresee the market and understand the consumer minds by making them have a need for new innovative products.

The new age ...

Today the industry is swarming with new products, technology has changed the way from what it was previously thought to be and what it has reached currently. There are a lot of challenges in the current product line and the demand of the gadgets is increasing day by day. The computing innovation has died out and innovations are based on money making ideas. Companies like Microsoft, Intel, Nokia, Motorola have died out in moving the industry and are still trying to make a progress in the market by trying to sell out ideas which are not much of use but are made a need.

The main fuel for this revolution was the renowned innovator (metaphorically) Apple Computer Inc. which started the trend of introducing new products which were accepted by the public since they were different and had a whole new idea about them. Often quoted as the dents which have been created in the universe products like Macintosh, iPod, iPhone and iPad have revolutionized the computing industry changing the idea that to be tech-savy a person needed to be geek. Today in the modern world or the era of computing the product line presented to the industry by the Apple Inc. was a different thought on its own. Industry experts declined the ideas of products which had no ideal use for the consumer have today made the consumer demand for them, in a way making market for the product by just its looks, design and simplicity.

This change has been credited to the One man Steven Phil Jobs who founded the Apple Inc. and then later on went ahead with a thought and plan to release the products in the market at the precise time when it gains the popularity and creates a market share of its own products in such a way that even though pricey still the consumer would purchase it. Industry today is in a state that Apple products are the best in line, which was even recently seen in the stock markets as Apple Inc. overtook the oil giant Exon chemicals as the US largest company. Also there was no idea in the telecoms market that the carrier would have to change its way based on the phone the consumer uses so as to support its features (ATnT) with the product iPhone the company not only revolutionized the telecoms domain but also redefined a smart phone altogether.

Apart from the work Apple was doing in the market to introduce new products the decade also saw the rise of firms like Google and Facebook which not only gained market but also slowly became the world gaints taking of the market from IBM and HP to mode different domain the Internet. Google became famous by the policy of Do no Evil and Facebook revolutionized the social networking and brought it to a level such that people now use it for keeping in touch with dear ones.

Emotions, Attraction, Glamor, Status, Knowledge were some of the areas where the new age products aimed at targeting the consumer. Industry changed from products to ideas and now its in a situation that the idea is more valuable than the product itself. Ideas have changed the line of thinking of the current audience and the consumers can no longer be wooed with the charms and methods of the old age line-up products. The new era of computing and devices which were a decade ago not even thought of have now become a need of the people in the day to day lives.

we still remember the days when children used to spend times into books and in libraries to prepare a research project or read about a new technology, today google has revolutionized the digital world in a way that sitting at home in the comfort of the surroundings a person can gather information pertaining to any subject and any topic in the world. obtain data about the latest ongoing researches and the new ideas which are being developed and worked upon. In a way the world together has been shortened and seems just a click or a touch away.

Information is power, in other ways the information age has also seen some of the best and the worst effects of it. Technology is a tool as well as a curse, anti-social elements are now using the Internet to communicate and tracking of the people has furthermore become difficult task. Where we see a wikipedia a free online encyclopedia containing data about anything on the earth, we also see wikileaks which has brought out everything hidden since decades about the governments and the organizations deepest secrets right before the eyes of the common man. today the common man is no longer ignorant about the world, in-fact in many situations is far more well informed than the other non-tech counterparts. These rapid trends but obviously has generated market and business to many entrepreneurs.

with the boon of the new generation of everything we also have a curse because the process of understand and learning has reduced, people in the industry have been replaced by machines, and the average understanding and the effort made to study and analyze things has decreased significantly. It can also be called an age where if a person is not aware of the Internet, then he is regarded as an illiterate. Core branches of engineering, Medicine and even Arts have had the impact of the growing technology industry and the changes in the IT sector is bringing in further changes in all domains. Its now a chain and the series of events lead to different others, which many times are not even predictable.

With the dawn of the new century we have seen the markets crashing and the effects being more adverse than they were before. the small mistakes or the improper government policies just not only impact the single industry or sector anymore, today its effects are seen just anywhere. We have seen the demise of the giants like the Lehman Brothers, Satyam and a numerous more companies which could not have been thought about.

US no longer remains the innovator of the world, the new brains and ideas are not just limited to the west any longer. Technology has brought the world closer and the information age has given power to anyone to become a hero or start another innovation. China, India and other south eastern countries are being recognized as the major market and industry movers. competition has grown further and the time is not about conflict of interest but the competition of the common interest to grow and prosper, as the world today has become a market and the players can come from anyplace, its just a matter of time about who wins the war and who makes the maximum profit.