Microsoft Build, everything you need to know in 7 minute video

Microsoft Build -- everything you need to know in 7 minute video
If video above does not show or play go here

Microsoft still has a #Loser in Windows 8 point whatever, however --
Windows 7 Outgains Windows 8 and 8.1 Again, Windows XP Above 27%
Windows 8.1 grows steadily while Windows 8 stays flat, together they only have 11 percent market share. Windows 7 outgained them both by jumping 1.46 percentage points from 47.31 percent to 48.77 percent. Windows XP still has more than 27 percent of market share. How embarrassing for the team in Redmond! (sources: Net Applications and TheNextWeb)

Microsoft's Windows 8 is Less Popular than Discontinued Windows XP - CraveOnline: According to StatCounter, statistics revealed in March indicate that Windows 7 has held on to its spot as the world's most popular operating system by a considerable margin, with the OS installed on 55% of all surveyed systems. Meanwhile, Windows XP is the second most popular OS, despite Microsoft announcing that it will be discontinuing the OS in a matter of days, with 18.6% of all installs.

But Microsoft putting more lipstick on the pig, making Windows free on devices with screens under nine inches -- Microsoft making Windows free on devices with screens under nine inches | The Verge: "Microsoft today said it will make Windows free of charge for phones and tablets with screens smaller than nine inches, a move designed to help boost the company's market share. The announcement comes alongside plans to let developers make universal applications that work on all devices running Microsoft's software — both Windows Phone and Windows. That feature is headed to Windows 8.1 as well as Windows Phone 8.1, which was also detailed on stage and is arriving on mobile devices in the next few months."

How Russians Are Outsmarting Internet Censorship - Global Voices Advocacy: "Mere days after several opposition websites were blocked [Global Voices report] by Russia's mass communications regulatory agency, Roskomnadzor, free speech proponents have created a unique system for circumventing censorship — and imposing counter-attacks. This approach could create problems both for censors and pro-Kremlin websites. Indeed, it seems that Russian Internet activists have taken the adage “the best defense is a good offence” to heart."

Intel outs 64-bit KitKat Android, 'Braswell' chip for Chromebooks - CNET: "Intel revealed a new processor dubbed "Braswell," the QVOD media box, and a 64-bit Android kernel, among other announcements at the second day of a China conference...Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president at Intel, disclosed that a chip code-named Braswell will be the follow-on to a version of the Bay Trail processor now found in low-cost devices like Chromebooks and sub-$500 Windows PCs. Braswell will be a system-on-a-chip, aka SoC, built on the company's next-generation 14-nanometer manufacturing process. SoCs typically squeeze most of a device's core electronics onto one piece of silicon...."

FireChat Could Be the First in a Wave of Mesh Networking Apps | MIT Technology Review: "FireChat makes use of a feature Apple introduced in the latest version of its iOS mobile software, iOS7, called multipeer connectivity. This feature allows phones to connect to one another directly using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi as an alternative to the Internet. If you’re using FireChat, its “nearby” chat room lets you exchange messages with other users within 100 feet without sending data via your cellular provider."

[Rumor] "Android Silver" May Be Google's Attempt To Finally Provide A Premium Android Sale And Support Experience: "To qualify for Android Silver status, a handset must "run the latest version of Android with no or very limited customizations," (emphasis ours) and only 5 such handsets will be selected by Google for Silver status at any given time. These devices will not be sold by Google, however - at least not exclusively - this campaign is aimed squarely at carriers. Carrier stores will have an Android Silver display, showcasing the Android Silver devices available on their network. Google will be entirely in charge of how this experience is crafted, and carrier store staff must be trained and certified to sell Android Silver devices. Carriers will be required to stock a certain number of Android Silver devices and accessories." (read more at link above)

Amazon announces $99 set-top box
Boston Globe
NEW YORK — If Amazon has its way — and it did not become one of the country's most ... Google, and Apple, have three problems: It is too hard to search for content, performance is slow ... “The likely winners are Apple and Amazon, both of which offer entire ecosystems, ... Facebook · Twitter · Google+ ...

Microsoft Is Now An Underdog, Sort Of
Forbes
Microsoft Microsoft kicked off its Build developer conference in San ... Apple and Google battle already for supremacy in various aspects of the next ...

Microsoft's Cortana Raises Important Questions About Sexism and Gender Stereotyping
TIME
Cortana, the name Microsoft's given its response to Apple's Siri virtual assistant, may turn out to be a bolder move for the company than I suspect many ...

Apple Bulls Bet New Products Will Bring Stock Revival
Businessweek
Options (AAPL:US) traders are betting new Apple Inc. products will propel the world's largest company after it rebounded from the worst monthly loss ...

Apple, Facebook, Google Internet Data Centers Getting Greener, Report Finds
Fox Business
Apple Inc, Google Inc and Facebook Inc have made significant progress in adopting renewable energy sources to power their Web services, the ...

Apple to raise app prices by up to 30 per cent
Sydney Morning Herald
A price increase was foreshadowed by Fairfax Media on Tuesday, and has been followed up with the release of updated pricing tables to Apple ...

Does Microsoft Office Turn an iPad Into a Workhorse? Just Barely
Wall Street Journal
How Word, Excel and PowerPoint perform on Apple's market-leading tablet..... Microsoft says Apple restricts developers from pointing users to offers ...

Apple's WWDC set for June 2–6, and you must apply to attend — Tech News and Analysis - Gigaom
By Stacey Higginbotham
Amazon has one of the dirtiest powered clouds around, says Greenpeace. Apr. 2, 2014. While Google, Facebook, Apple and others made major ...
Gigaom

Report: Google Wants to Become a Wireless Carrier - Gizmodo
By Adam Clark Estes
Google bosses are dreaming about adding wireless service to the search giant's menu of offerings. A couple of unnamed sources "who have ...
Gizmodo

Google Has 49 Pct Of Mobile Ad Revs, Just 18 Pct Of Time Spent: "Google makes more than its “fair share” of mobile ad revenue based on time spent with Google mobile properties, whereas Facebook’s revenues are in line with time spent. That’s according to data published by Flurry, relying on ad revenue estimates from eMarketer."
more technology news below ( @ web version--link below)

Follow @expricom

How to keep using Microsoft Windows XP after April 8

It's not hard -- or problematic -- if you know how to use XP after April 8 --

How can I keep using XP after April 8? | The Tech Guy:
1. Stop using XP as an administrator. Use it as a limited user instead. Add an account as an administrator and then demote your existing account to limited user. This will stop over 90% of all the exploits out there.
2. Stop using Internet Explorer. Go with Google Chrome [browser]. It's free and far more secure.
3. Don't click on links in email.
4. Only get your software from original vendors.
5. Keep your anti virus software up to date.- See more at: http://techguylabs.com/episodes/1067/how-can-i-keep-using-xp-after-april-8#sthash.IgWradIJ.dpuf

Obama's move to relieve snooping fears | TheHill: "“When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government,” Zuckerberg wrote, adding that revelations about NSA spying programs had left him “confused and frustrated.”"

Intel's desktop of the future very tablet-ish, tired | ZDNet: "Intel thinks the desktop PC has legs, but the future is going to feature either large portable tablet-like devices or tiny computers that resemble bricks."

Your next corporate computer might be a Chromebook | ZDNet: "Quick, name a personal computing device that's simple and painless to operate, has a very low learning curve, is virus and malware resistant, is extremely secure, requires no extra software, and is inexpensive—less expensive than a phone, tablet, or laptop computer. Hint: It's a Chromebook. It might be hard to imagine that there's such a device available to you and your users, that is all those things, but it's true. The Chromebook comes very close to being the perfect corporate computing device.  What makes it the perfect educational computer also makes it the near perfect corporate computer...."

This is no way to buy a Windows PC | ZDNet: "There's no shortage of Windows PCs and tablets from which to choose, but there's still no good way to make the choice." -- Mary Jo Foley

Crytophones Encrypt Calls Against Surveillance | MIT Technology Review: "....Goldsmith’s company sells a $3,500 “cryptophone” that scrambles calls so they can’t be listened in on. Until recently, the high-priced smartphone was something of a James Bond–style novelty item. But news of extensive U.S. eavesdropping on people including heads of state has sent demand from wary companies and governments soaring. “We’re producing 400 a week and can’t really keep up,” says Goldsmith...."

Guardian: Apple reserves the right to read your iCloud e-mail
Fortune
FORTUNE -- Microsoft (MSFT) is not the only company that reserves the ... accept --Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and Yahoo (YHOO) do as well.

Google speeds WebP image format, brings animation support to Chrome
CNET
Stephen Konig, a Google product manager, discusses the WebP image ... Google has built a new version of its WebP software into Chrome to let ... makers to support WebP, despite some urging from sites such as Facebook and Netflix. ... Microsoft revises privacy policy in wake of Hotmail search case.

Google Fights Back to Defend Google Glass Against 'Myths'
eWeek
Google tries to improve public perceptions of its Google Glass eyewear-mounted computers. Several analysts give their views on the company's ...

Facebook releases Hack programming language for HHVM
Phys.Org
(Phys.org) —Facebook this week unveiled Hack, a programming language they had in use for a year but have now released as per an official ...

Apple reportedly considering on-demand music service and iTunes for Android
tuaw.com
Apple may be considering a number of intriguing changes to its music ... an iTunes App for Android phones, the Google rival that has been growing ...

Facebook love notes keep gal's hope for missing beau alive
New York Post
Sarah Hamil Bajc and American boyfriend Philip Wood, from missing Malaysian flight MH370. Photo: Sarah Hamil Bajc and American boyfriend Philip ...

Should Apple allow 'Flappy Bird' developer to bring his game back to the app store?
VentureBeat
This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.

Most of Us Are Part Neanderthal by Steven Mithen | The New York Review of Books: "....Archaeologists and physical anthropologists have long debated the evolutionary relationship between modern humans and Neanderthals, relying on the similarities and differences between their designs of stone artifacts and the shapes of their bones, with little real understanding of how these might have arisen. Interminable academic arguments have been swept away by the revolution in studies of ancient DNA, led by Pääbo (now at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig) and brilliantly recounted in his new book, Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes...."

The Making of Myths, by Laurent Bossavit | Model View Culture: "...To paraphrase Jack Sparrow (or Virginia Satir, if you prefer): "the problem is not the problem; the problem is the myth that conditions our attitudes about the problem."... open your eyes to the pervasive influence of culture on all the things you deplore; to acquire and use whatever tools, from semiotics or literary criticism or whatever, seem to be handy in understanding the water of myth around you. And when you get there: write about it (or sing, or make movies). This, really, is the key thing. Not only do we need to talk more, not less, about how we develop software, we also need to talk about the things we say: we need critique...."
more technology news below ( @ web version--link below)

Follow @expricom

New Microsoft CEO may be facing "Perfect Storm"

The new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will have his hands full dealing with Steve Ballmer's failed strategies -- the Windows 8 "debacle," Windows Phone stalled sales, and the continuing losses Nokia is going to produce (Microsoft hardware is mostly unprofitable) --

How Will Major Industry Shifts Impact Windows Phone? | Windows Phone content from Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: "Nokia doesn't make any money selling Windows Phone handsets. And Nokia is the only company selling Windows Phone handsets."

Windows XP and Windows 8: The worst possible combination for Microsoft | ZDNet: " . . . PCs are no longer the automatic choice for business, thanks to the rise of the tablet. Neither is Windows, with Android desktops and Chromebooks also on an upward trajectory. And, thanks to BYOD, most firms are already used to staff turning up with iPads and Kindle Fire tablets; Microsoft's desktop dominance is already fraying around the edges...By updating the look and feel of Windows to cope with the threat from tablets, Microsoft may have opened the door to its rivals, not slammed it in their faces — hence the profusion of Android desktops generating excitement at CES this year, for example..."

Microsoft stays in-house, taps Nadella as new CEO
Computerworld
"During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella," said Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and former chairman, in a statement before the market bell Tuesday. But the new chief executive was not ...

Microsoft Names New Chief; Gates to Be Adviser

New York Times
SEATTLE — Microsoft on Tuesday announced that Satya Nadella would be its next leader, betting on a longtime engineering executive to help the company keep better pace with changes in technology. The selection of Mr. Nadella to replace Steven....

Microsoft: Why the Windows XP show is finally over
ZDNet
It's easy to get sentimental about Windows XP and forget the hostile reception the OS received at launch — but the fact is, it's simply not cut out for the modern world, according to a senior Microsoft executive. Despite the undeniable eventual ...

Google Opens Chromecast To Developers

InformationWeek
Chromecast remains at the top of the Amazon.com Best Sellers In Electronics list. Initially, Chromecast users could access content only through Google Play, Google'sYouTube, and Netflix. Support for HBO ... Since Apple made iOS the foundation of the...

Apple Quietly Builds New Networks
Wall Street Journal
Apple's online delivery needs have grown in the last few years, driven by its iCloud service for storing users' data and rising sales of music, videos and games from iTunes and the App Store. But the iPhone maker is reported to have broader ambitions ...

Google, Facebook and other Internet companies disclose secret US demands for ...
San Jose Mercury News
Google was the first leading Internet company to report on other types of government information demands, while Microsoft and others have followed suit in recent years. In its report ... Apple reported the same range of numbers last week. Civil ...

Apple, Microsoft join carriers in $750M pledge to education
CNET
Apple is pledging $100 million in iPads, according to the AP. Microsoft is offering up its "billion-dollar response," which is essentially the potential to inject $1 billion in savings into the system. The company will offer Windows-based tablets ...

Google told it must move 'mystery' barge
Boston.com
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google does not have the proper permits for a mystery barge at a construction site on an island in San Francisco Bay, a state official said, and must move the floating, four-story building that drew wide attention and fueled weeks ...

Apple patents inductive charging pad with orientation-based device docking ...
Apple Insider
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a patent for switching docking functions, such as data syncing, diagnostics or charging, based on the orientation of a device while laying on an inductive charging pad. Charging....

more technology news below

Follow @expricom