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Friday, March 30, 2012

Google To Sell Tabs Via Its Online Store

In an effort to fight back Apple and Amazon, Google will now be selling co-branded tablets through its own online store. While details of the store are still unclear, the search giant’s move is being seen as an effort to push its tablet sales. According to a WSJ report, like the Nexus One, some future Android tablets are expected to be co-branded with Google's name, said people familiar with the matter. The company is expected to sell devices from a variety of manufacturers. Google won't make the devices and its existing partners such as Samsung Electronics Co. and AsusTeK Computer Inc. will be responsible for the hardware, these people said. Click here to read the full story
Google, Android, online store, Amazon, Apple, competition

Opera Mini 7 For Android Uses Only 10 Per Cent Data!

Opera has recently launched Opera Mini 7 for Android. The latest version of the mobile Web browser has been released for devices running Android 1.5 and above. The new browser brings along several new features, which according to the company, will improve the browser's penetration in India. EFYTimes spoke to Mrunmaiy Abroal, communications manager, Opera Software about the new browser and its usability in the Indian market. Excepts:
What is Opera Mini 7 for Android all about? What are the new features incorporated in it?
I will give you a brief of what Opera is for all mobile devices- Opera makes two kinds of mobile browsers- one is Opera Mini and the other one is Opera Mobile. Opera Mini is a browser which works on the cloud. So all the data that comes to a phone through Opera Mini actually passes through Opera servers. Opera servers compress the pages and then send the data to your devices. It's almost around 90 per cent compression that takes place. It means less data comes to your phone, which means less cost for the end user. So Opera Mini actually saves cost for the users. If a user has downloaded 100 KB data, only 10 KB is actually coming to your phone. It also uses less RAM on your phone. So even if you have a basic phone, which is not very high-end, you can have a good Web browsing experience with Opera Mini on it. Recently we came out with version 7 of Opera Mini.
One feature which Opera Mini has is 'speed dial', which is a very trademark feature that our browsers have. We have speed dial on our desktop browsers as well. Speed dials work some what like this- whenever you open the browser, the home page has speed dial buttons which you can configure. So you can access a site of your choice just with a touch, directly from the homepage of the browser. Usually there are around nine speed dials but with this version of Opera Mini, you can set as many speed dials as you wish to. Apart from it, the regular features like remembering your password and syncing between the desktop browser and the mobile browser are also available.
Opera, Opera Mobila, Opera Mini, Opera Mini 7, Opera Mini 7 for Android, Android, ANdroid OS, Firefox, Micromax, Lava Mobiles, Maxx mobiles

Opera Mini 7 has arrived for Android. Is it available across platforms?
Yes. Infact, we are the only mobile browser that is available across platforms, be it Symbian, Android, or iOS.
How do you see Opera Mini 7 being accepted in the Indian market, where both social networking and Android are hot?
Opera Mini is already a market leader in India. The data from StatCounter about mobile browser market in India reveals that Opera Mini is the most used mobile browser in India. When you talk about Android and social networking, Opera Mini has a very specific feature where you can share data on social network. So if I am reading an article on EFYTimes.com and I like it, I can share it on Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking options. I just have to go to the share button and share it on any platform of my choice. So, you can easily share information with one touch. Talking about Android, this open source platform is growing leaps and bounds in India. So we see it as a great growth opportunity in India. We are sure that this is the platform where we want to increase our presence.
Will it be correct to say that Opera is banking big on Android for its market share in India?
Absolutely. Android is a very promising platform and it will work great specially in India. The reason why we think Opera Mini for Android will grow in India is because our network feeds are not as high as compared to other nations. Even if we talk of the 3G network, there are challenges that a normal user faces in terms of speed and connectivity. That's where Opera Mini has an advantage because compresses data and your browsing becomes faster and is no longer dependent on network feeds for speed. In countries like India, Africa or Bangladesh, where network is clearly an issue, we have seen that Opera Mini performs really well because of this quality of the browser. Apart from this, the increasing number of mobile devices in India is another reason why we see Opera Mini will surely grow in the country.
What initiatives will you take to increase the penetration of your browser in the country?
We have joined hands with Indian handset manufacturers like Micromax, Lava, Maxx mobiles, Lemon Mobiles, who provide Opera Mini pre-installed in their devices. Low cost devices surely have a good penetration among masses. So, I think this is a strong move from our end and we are working strategically in this direction.
Is Opera competing with browsers like Firefox and Chrome in desktop space or is it concentrating on the mobile space for future?
Our aim is to have a browser on every platform that has access to the Internet. So definitely we are not avoiding the desktop space. But strategically we are not into marketing for our products big time. So, that is why you don't see much of Opera advertising. On the desktop front, the Opera browser has a feature called Opera Turbo, which compresses the data. Any other browser does not have this feature.
How do you see the Android space evolving in India?
India is still very much dominated with Java and basic Symbian phones led by Nokia. The local manufacturers, who are entering the market are launching the basic Java phones, but because a lot of OEMs are showing interest in launching Android handsets at a cheaper cost, this will definitely increase the popularity of Android platform in India. More than that, Indians are very technology savvy and they are keen to adopt new technologies. This is where Android has a fair chance to gain. It is positively the most promising OS in the market right now. People will adopt the Android platform as it is available at an affordable price point.
There are other browsers for Android apart from Opera Mini 7. Where do you see your browser in the competition?
It is like in any other space. Android definitely has a lot many options to offer. The challenge is to offer the best technology to keep up to the expectations of the consumers and keep innovating. We, at Opera, try to do just that and probably that's the reason why we have good penetration in the Android market.

Final Beta Release Of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Announced

The Ubuntu team has announced the second and final beta of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. The developers have updated the kernel to a version based on the Linux 3.2.12 kernel in the second beta. Beta 2 also includes LibreOffice 3.5.1 and the final version of Firefox 11.0. The final version of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS or "Precise Pangolin" is due for release in April 2012. It will include extended support: three years for desktops and five years for the server version. As a long-term support release, 12.04 is planned to be "tough and long-lasting, reliable, solid as a rock and well defended", said Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth. Click here to read the full story
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

Study: Cloud Usage Surging, Leveling Playing Field for Small and Midsize Businesses

Microsoft Corp. today announced new research predicting a significant increase in paid cloud services over the next five years among small and midsize businesses (SMBs). The research conducted by Edge Strategies includes survey responses from IT decision-makers or influencers at more than 3,000 SMBs in 13 countries. According to survey results, paid cloud services are expected to double in five years, while the number of the world’s smallest companies using at least one paid cloud service will triple in the next three years.

The move to the cloud represents a major opportunity for service providers, and partnering with Microsoft offers the most complete set of cloud-based solutions to meet SMB needs.

The move to the cloud represents a major opportunity for service providers, and partnering with Microsoft offers the most complete set of cloud-based solutions to meet SMB needs.

Click for high-res version

“Gone are the days of large enterprises holding the keys to enterprise-class IT and services,” said Marco Limena, vice president, Operator Channels, Microsoft. “The cloud levels the playing field for SMBs, helping them compete in today’s quickly changing business environment, by spending less time and money on IT and more time focused on their most important priority — growing their businesses.”

Cloud computing is able to deliver more of what small and midsize businesses need — cheaper operations and faster, better fusion of vital information to virtually any device. In fact, the research finds 59 percent of companies currently using cloud services report significant productivity benefits from information technology, compared with just 30 percent of SMBs not yet using the cloud.

Moreover, despite a sluggish global economy, 63 percent of SMBs using cloud services today expect to grow in sales in the next 12 to 18 months while 55 percent believe technology will power their growth. SMBs worldwide are embracing cloud services to reap those benefits and stay ahead of competitors — 50 percent of SMBs say cloud computing is going to become more important for their operations, and 58 percent believe working in the cloud can make companies more competitive.

More Options, Fewer Concerns

SMBs’ appetites for the cloud are only growing as they add more devices and services — and as their concerns about the cloud wane.

Cloud adopters want to do more with devices. Mobility is essential to current cloud users. They want mobile devices for more than email, including productivity and business apps.

Security is a priority but no longer a main concern. Only about 20 percent of SMBs believe that data is less secure in the cloud than it is in their on-premise systems. Thirty-six percent overall and 49 percent of larger SMBs actually think that data is as secure in the cloud as in their own systems.

Local is better when it comes to service providers. Most SMBs feel it is important to buy services from a provider with a local presence, and 31 percent feel this is critical.

Opportunities for Microsoft Partners

Although many SMBs are interested in the benefits that the cloud can deliver, many are unable to identify which services would be most valuable for them to implement and select a service provider. More than 60 percent of SMBs indicate they do not have the resources necessary to implement new technologies and services, and 52 percent do not have the resources to get their employees trained. For the large ecosystem of cloud service providers, this represents significant opportunity to bridge the knowledge and implementation gap and gain new customers — 56 percent of SMBs report a preference toward buying IT and cloud services from a single source.

“Trust development is critical to our work with SMBs,” said Aaron Hollobaugh, vice president of Marketing, Hostway. “Increasingly, clients tell us they work with Hostway because our global datacenter network often provides local support. Client trust is earned because we view every business – regardless of size – as an enterprise. We combine enterprise-class technologies and cost-effective service with the Microsoft brand to deliver cloud solutions that address the enterprise needs of SMBs.”

About the Research

The Microsoft SMB Business in the Cloud 2012 research report was designed and conducted in conjunction with Edge Strategies Inc. (http://www.edgestrategies.com) in December 2011. The research questioned 3,000 SMBs that employ 2 to 250 employees across 13 countries worldwide: Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S. A copy of the survey results can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/telecom/docs/SMBCloud.pdf

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Windows Embedded Newsroom

Windows Embedded is the platforms, technologies and services that enable you to bring the power of Windows to specialized devices. We do this by making it simpler to connect consumer and enterprise devices to one another, connecting devices to and through cloud services, and extending Microsoft experiences and services to the developers and end users of these devices.

Putting Intelligent Systems to Work
March 28, 2012
IDC event showcases intelligent system strategies now a reality for businesses in retail, medical and automotive.


Feature: Intelligent Systems in Motion as Businesses Share Their Success Stories


Feature: Hillcrest Realizes Efficiency and Improved Data Access With Intelligent Systems


Feature: Ford Drives Vivid Picture of the Cloud and Connected Cars


Video: Kevin Dallas on the Real Business Values of Intelligent Systems


Blog: Realizing the Internet of Things: Intelligent Systems Are Here Now

Nokia launches first CDMA Windows Phone in China

Now things are really getting interesting. China Telecom and Nokia just unveiled the Nokia 800C, the first CDMA Windows Phone in China and the first Windows Phone on a major carrier there. Wang Xiaochu, Chairman of China Telecom, and Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia, announced the first CDMA Windows Phone in China at an event in Beijing today. The phone hits stores next month.

The phone—a China-tuned version of Nokia’s popular Lumia 800—hits stores in April and comes in black and cyan. And Nokia is just getting started: A CDMA version of the Lumia 610 is also headed to China Telecom sometime in the second quarter of 2012.

The companies are a great match. Nokia has been building and selling phones in China, the world’s biggest mobile market, for 26 years. Some 250 million people there already use a Nokia phone.

China Telecom, meanwhile, operates the world’s largest CDMA cell network.

As a result, Nokia 800C owners will have access to popular Chinese media and social networking services including Sina, SOHU, Tencent and Renren. The phone also comes with Lumia-exclusive apps. Nokia Maps provides 3D maps of China and 190 more countries, plus content from popular Chinese travel, food, and real estate sites. Nokia Drive is a voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation app. And Nokia Music offers unlimited free music for 12 months in mainland China.

Here’s something else cool: To celebrate the first Lumia in the country, Nokia plans to offer 100,000 free downloads of the hit games Fruit Ninja and Plants vs Zombies via the new Chinese-language Windows Phone Marketplace.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Red Hat Sets Release Date For OpenShift Source

Red Hat is going to sponsor the Open Cloud Conference presented by CloudCamps, taking place in Sunnyvale, California from 30 April through 3 May 2012. On the opening day of the event, the company will host developer workshops focused on Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), mobile and Java development in the cloud. During the conference, Red Hat also plans to begin open sourcing its Platform-as-a-Service system (PaaS), OpenShift.OpenShift Source,release,Open Cloud Conference
OpenShift was built with a number of open source technologies such as JBoss Application Server as well as technologies that Red Hat acquired from its acquisition of Makara in November 2010.
“Red Hat has taken a leadership role in the Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) space since the debut of our OpenShift platform in May 2011. As OpenShift has added new functionality, languages and flexibility for developers, we’ve continued to evolve our PaaS strategy to address the needs of our users and customers,” said Scott Crenshaw, vice president and general manager--cloud business unit at Red Hat. “We see the next wave in PaaS as focused on hybrid PaaS strategies and Red Hat is continuing to address this approach through the evolution of our OpenShift platform for both developers and the enterprise.”

Google, Microsoft Mull Over Cloud Computing In India

Cloud computing is fast changing the way business is done and it has started to show its penetration in Indian companies too. In fact the business is expected to grow to $15-18 billion by 2020. And two major players who have are fast emerging as close competitors in the segment are Google and Microsoft. Well, for once you may wonder what the two companies have in common, but there is a list of services that have started to clash- office productivity tool and computer operating system. The two IT giants have already started the word war.
Google, Microsoft, cloud computing, India

Cloud computing is slowly and gradually dismissing the need of on-premise software and hardware, which can be bought as a service and paid for depending on usage. Google India head, Rajan Anandan who was with Microsoft before joining Google said, “Google is the largest cloud services company in India. We have 2,00,000 business that use Google cloud solutions and we have orders of magnitude bigger than Microsoft.” In response to the statement, even Microsoft MD, Sanket Akerker said, “We're competing with lots of folks in the cloud space. They (Google) are largely an advertising company, which is consumer oriented. They have taken their consumer assets and are trying to figure out how they can get into the enterprise business. It sort of doesn't work. We have taken our enterprise class and put those on cloud; we think that's a better approach.”
While both companies may keep lashing out accusations to show their superiority, the time is not far when the real deal will be clear.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Online Advertising Startup Competes More Effectively, Spends Less on IT With Cloud-Based Windows Azure

To target its customers’ online advertising efficiently, Netherlands-based startup Crumbtag has adopted Windows Azure, a cloud-based platform that provides the firm with cost-effective processing power and agile scalability.

Crumbtag had a novel idea for Internet ad placement that involved analyzing Web visitor behavior in real time, but this operation required massive data-processing capability. Since tapping into cloud services with the Windows Azure platform, the young company scales processing power and storage on demand, serves the needs of very large customers, and offers more competitive rates for online advertising.

“Because we are not spending millions on IT infrastructure, we can pass those savings on to customers,” said Crumbtag Founder and CEO Jan Kopmels. “As a small startup, we’ve been able to compete successfully for multinational customers and also demonstrate to them that we use cutting-edge technology.” Kopmels estimates that with the cloud-based Microsoft Corp. solution, Crumbtag has avoided a $10 million (U.S.) outlay for on-premises infrastructure.

Typically, online advertising firms match ads to users’ interests through the use of cookies, which are deposited covertly on a user’s computer during website visits. Cookies help determine the user’s online behavior, such as sites visited, paths to sites visited and shopping cart contents. However, privacy concerns have prompted many countries to outlaw them. From an advertiser’s perspective, cookies have limited value because they cannot be stored centrally for analysis.

Kopmels wanted to capture user behavior and process it in a giant statistical database. This would allow customers to place ads without relying on cookies and also adjust and refine their placements dynamically with every Web page view and click.

With a small but committed team, Kopmels launched Crumbtag in 2009 and spent two years developing technology for the ad-placement application. He came to the discouraging realization that the tiny firm would have to spend millions on datacenter infrastructure to process the prodigious amounts of data involved. “We needed a whole new infrastructure and business model to make Crumbtag viable,” he said.

In December 2010, the company explored several market-leading cloud services. Because they’d developed the ad-placement application using the Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 data management software, Crumbtag opted to go with the Microsoft cloud-based solution. “We looked briefly at Amazon cloud solutions but felt they were too immature,” Kopmels said. “Plus, we were a committed user of Microsoft technology.”

It took Crumbtag just six weeks to move the application to Windows Azure — about 20 minutes of which was required to migrate the database to SQL Azure. “For an experienced .NET developer, moving to Windows Azure is a piece of cake,” Kopmels said.

Crumbtag uses Windows Azure Compute to supply on-demand processing power for its application, which processes about 4,000 requests per second and provides a 20-millisecond response time to well-known Dutch companies ranging from small to multinational. Crumbtag also uses Windows Azure Caching to provide high-speed communication between virtual machines.

As it pursues plans to expand across Europe in 2012, Crumbtag is using Windows Azure to scale up quickly to serve its growing customer base. Cloud computing enables the small company to offer a more cost-effective solution that helps it win business against larger, more established players that are saddled with aging on-premises IT setups.

More information on Crumbtag’s move to Windows Azure is available in the Microsoft case study, Microsoft Showcase and Microsoft Customer Spotlight News Center.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Microsoft Raids Tackle Internet Crime

Microsoft employees, accompanied by United States marshals, raided two nondescript office buildings in Pennsylvania and Illinois on Friday, aiming to disrupt one of the most pernicious forms of online crime today — botnets, or groups of computers that help harvest bank account passwords and other personal information from millions of other computers.

With a warrant in hand from a federal judge authorizing the sweep, the Microsoft lawyers and technical personnel gathered evidence and deactivated Web servers ostensibly used by criminals in a scheme to infect computers and steal personal data. At the same time, Microsoft seized control of hundreds of Web addresses that it says were used as part of the same scheme.

The sweep was part of a civil suit brought by Microsoft in its increasingly aggressive campaign to take the lead in combating such crimes, rather than waiting for law enforcement agencies to act. The company’s targets were equipment used to control the botnets, which criminals, known as bot-herders, use for ill intent.

Microsoft has a big interest in making the Internet a safer place. Despite inroads made by Apple and others in some parts of the technology business, Microsoft’s Windows operating system still runs the vast majority of the computers connected to the Internet. The prevalence of its software has made Windows the most appealing target for online criminals, and the security holes they discover in the software are a persistent nuisance for Windows users.

Microsoft’s involvement in what had been considered largely a law enforcement function — fighting computer crime — is the brainchild of Richard Boscovich, a former federal prosecutor who is a senior lawyer in Microsoft’s digital crimes unit. That group watches over fraud that could affect the company’s products and reputation.

Mr. Boscovich, who handled drug, computer and financial crime cases in Miami in his former job, devised a novel legal strategy to underpin the growing number of Microsoft’s civil suits against bot-herders. Among other things, he argued that the culprits behind botnets were violating Microsoft’s trademarks through fake e-mails they used to spread their malicious software.

Mr. Boscovich said the Friday sweep was meant to send a message to the criminals behind the scheme, whose identities are unknown. “We’re letting them know we’re looking at them,” said Mr. Boscovich after participating in the Pennsylvania raid, in Scranton.

Before Friday’s sweep, Microsoft attacked three botnets in the last couple of years through civil suits. In each case, Microsoft obtained court orders that permitted it to seize Web addresses and computers associated with the botnets without first notifying the owners of the property. The secrecy was necessary, Microsoft argued, to prevent criminals from re-establishing new communications links to their infected computers.

Some security experts said Microsoft’s tactics had been effective, even if they had not eradicated the scourge of botnets.

“Taking the disruption into the courthouse was a brilliant idea and is helping the rest of the industry to reconsider what actions are possible, and that action is needed and can succeed,” said Richard Perlotto, director at the Shadowserver Foundation, a nonprofit group that tracks data about tools used for online fraud and forms of computer crime.

Mr. Perlotto and Microsoft said they did not see civil legal action against people who commit online crime as a replacement for law enforcement action, which can result in much stiffer criminal penalties. “We equate this to a neighborhood watch,” Mr. Boscovich said.

Jose Nazario, a senior security researcher at Arbor Networks, an Internet security firm, said that Microsoft’s record against botnets had been a “mixed bag” and that some of its gains were only temporary. After an earlier action against a botnet known as Waledac, for example, the software behind it was modified slightly to create a new botnet.

“You can take out a botnet, but unless you take down the coders and put the clients behind bars, they’re just going to go ahead and do this again,” Mr. Nazario said.

Windows Azure Welcomes Movideo’s Online Video Platform

As a media-centric and integrated online video platform, Movideo delivers an end-to-end video solution. The company is focused on the encoding, storing, management, syndication and delivery of audiovisual content.
Movideo platform offers support for multiple end-user devices, and is accompanied by a series of business intelligence tools that enable detailed analysis.
Owned by the ASX-listed MCM Entertainment Group Ltd. (MEG), Movideo aims at taking advantage of the fast expanding global online video market.
“The global alliance with Microsoft is first a technical alliance whereby Windows Azure becomes the infrastructure platform for our cloud software as a service product, Movideo,” said Tony McGinn, Movideo CEO and MEG founder.
“The strong road map for Windows Azure resources the scalable infrastructure that underpins the Movideo offering, allowing us to get on with our role of optimizing the management and delivery of our customers’ great content.
“Second, the alliance is about sales and marketing support and coordination to drive growth for Movideo and Windows Azure. We can leverage tremendous advantages working beside such an experienced and far-reaching software partner.”
Movideo plans on becoming one of the dominant players in the digital media environment, especially in the Asia-Pacific area. At the moment, the company is undertaking one of the largest Java transitions to Windows Azure.
The agreement with Microsoft is focused on long-term pricing, technical support, and sales and marketing backing.
“Movideo has a proven track record in delivering great content to customers, and the strategic relationship announced today provides incredible scale, vast expertise and a proven ability to execute,” Kathy Lee, Azure Platform Strategy advisor, Microsoft Hong Kong, said.
“By leveraging the power of Windows Azure, Movideo is creating a scalable solution that can be easily customized to grow with the needs of its customers.”

Microsoft and Nokia to Invest Up to 18 Million Euros in Mobile Application Development Program at Aalto University

To drive innovation and business opportunities in Finland’s mobile ecosystem and beyond, Microsoft Corp. and Nokia will each invest up to 9 million euros into a newly established mobile application development program at Aalto University during the next three years. The AppCampus program has been set up to foster the creation of innovative mobile applications for the Windows Phone ecosystem and in addition, Nokia platforms, including Symbian and Series 40, to create a new generation of self-sustaining mobile startups.

Kicking off in May 2012, the Finland-based program will be led and managed by Aalto University, which has a growing reputation as a hotbed of new startup companies. AppCampus is intended to attract thousands of application proposals from students and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Aalto University will make a significant contribution to the project by providing premises, coaching services, and access to both academic and business networks for budding app developers.

Within the AppCampus program, mobile entrepreneurs can benefit from comprehensive support, training in mobile technology, design and usability, and funding to create innovative new mobile apps and services. Windows Phone Marketplace and Nokia Store offer local and global business opportunities to program participants via distribution to consumers around the world.

Mentored by veterans in the mobile industry, program participants will be given insights and business coaching to help them commercialize their ideas while retaining the full intellectual property rights for their innovations.

“The ICT industry and knowledge base in Finland is one of the most competitive in the world, particularly in the mobile technology field,” said Jyrki Katainen, Finnish prime minister, at the launch event for the AppCampus program in Helsinki. “Finland is an early-adopter market, and the significance of national education and technology innovation is deeply rooted in our culture. As a result, there is a growing appetite for entrepreneurship among the younger generation at Aalto University and beyond. The partnership between Microsoft and Nokia is a critical investment in this growing ecosystem and represents an exciting opportunity and access to global markets for our local startup community.”

“AppCampus offers an unprecedented opportunity for entrepreneurs to put their ideas into practice and create world-class mobile products,” said Klaus Holse, president, Microsoft Western Europe. “We want to turn a new leaf in the mobile industry and foster Finland’s role as a center of excellence for mobile technology. Such investment into early-stage concepts has rarely been seen in this sector, and this demonstrates how highly both Nokia and Microsoft value Finnish mobile expertise.”

“We are proud to announce this new program, which will enable new and existing developers to create next-generation mobile apps and unique user experiences,” said Kai Öistämö, executive vice president, Nokia Corp. “The partnership will allow developers to ideate and monetize business opportunities globally, via both Windows Phone Marketplace and Nokia Store.”

“An essential part of Aalto University’s mission is to strengthen Finland’s competitiveness,” said Tuula Teeri, president of Aalto University. “We are pleased to host this initiative, which concretely boosts utilization of new knowledge and skills in creation of new entrepreneurial ventures.”

“Through our technology transfer and Aalto Venture Garage activities, the Aalto University community has been able to help catalyze the creation and growth of more than 30 companies during the past two years, with a number of them having mobile applications,” said Will Cardwell, head of the Aalto University Center for Entrepreneurship, which will be charged with managing the program. “The people and ideas we work with hail from all corners of the world, and our partnership with Microsoft and Nokia will further strengthen our global network. This program will provide a unique opportunity to turn application ideas into real business with the support of world-class partners and coaches.”

“Within our student community, we have a strong mission to boost entrepreneurship and to create more startups,” said Teemu Tapanila, a board member of the Aalto Entrepreneurship Society and leader of the Windows Phone Aalto community. “We warmly welcome the opportunities and networks brought by this cooperation.”

Microsoft Joins Financial Services Industry to Disrupt Massive Zeus Cybercrime Operation That Fuels Worldwide Fraud and Identity Theft

In its most complex effort to disrupt botnets to date, Microsoft Corp., in collaboration with the financial services industry — including the Financial Services – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) and NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association — as well as Kyrus Tech Inc., announced it has successfully executed a coordinated global action against some of the most notorious cybercrime operations that fuel online fraud and identity theft. With this legal and technical action, a number of the most harmful botnets using the Zeus family of malware worldwide have been disrupted in an unprecedented, proactive cross-industry action against this cybercriminal organization.

Through an extensive and collaborative investigation into the Zeus threat, Microsoft and its banking, finance and technical partners discovered that once a computer is infected with Zeus, the malware can monitor a victim’s online activity and automatically start keylogging, or recording a person’s every keystroke, when a person types in the name of a financial institution or ecommerce site. With this information, cybercriminals can steal personal information that can be used for identity theft or to fraudulently make purchases or access other private accounts. In fact, since 2007, Microsoft has detected more than 13 million suspected infections of the Zeus malware worldwide, including approximately 3 million computers in the United States alone.

“With this action, we’ve disrupted a critical source of money-making for digital fraudsters and cyberthieves, while gaining important information to help identify those responsible and better protect victims,” said Richard Boscovich, senior attorney for the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit. “The Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit has long been working to combat cybercrime operations, and today is a particularly important strike against cybercrime that we expect will be felt across the criminal underground for a long time to come.”

This disruption was made possible through a successful pleading before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, which allowed Microsoft and its partners to conduct a coordinated seizure of command and control servers running some of the worst known Zeus botnets. Because the botnet operators used Zeus to steal victims’ online banking credentials and transfer stolen funds, FS-ISAC and NACHA joined Microsoft as plaintiffs in the civil suit, and Kyrus Tech Inc. served as a declarant in the case. Other organizations, including F-Secure, also provided supporting information for the case.

As a part of the operation, on March 23, Microsoft and its co-plaintiffs, escorted by the U.S. Marshals, seized command and control servers in two hosting locations, Scranton, Pa., and Lombard, Ill., to seize and preserve valuable data and virtual evidence from the botnets for the case. Microsoft and its partners took down two Internet Protocol addresses behind the Zeus command and control structure, and Microsoft is currently monitoring 800 domains secured in the operation, which are helping identify thousands of computers infected by Zeus.

This is the second time Microsoft has conducted physical seizures in a botnet operation, and it is the first time other organizations have joined Microsoft as plaintiffs in the legal case for a botnet operation. This is also the first operation for Microsoft that involved the simultaneous disruption of multiple operating botnets in a single action and is the first known time the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act has been applied as the legal basis in a consolidated civil case to charge all those responsible in the use of a botnet.

“As crimes against banks and their customers move from stickups to mouse clicks, we’re also using our own mouse clicks — as well as the law — to help protect consumers and businesses,” said Greg Garcia, a spokesperson for the three major financial industry associations that worked with Microsoft on this initiative. “Disrupting the Zeus botnets is just one strike in our long-term commitment to help defend and protect people.”

Because of the complexities of these targets, unlike Microsoft’s previous botnet operations, the goal of this action was not to permanently shut down all impacted Zeus botnets. However, this action is expected to significantly impact the cybercriminals’ operations and infrastructure, advance global efforts to help victims regain control of their infected computers, and also help further investigations against those responsible for the threat. As with its previous botnet operations, Microsoft will now use the intelligence gained from this operation to partner with Internet service providers and Community Emergency Response Teams around the world to help rescue people’s computers from the control of Zeus, helping to reduce the size of the threat that these botnets pose and to help make the Internet safer for consumers and businesses worldwide. Together, these aspects of the operation are expected to undermine the criminal infrastructure that relies on these botnets every day to make money and to help provide new tools for the industry to work together to proactively fight cybercrime.

Michael Tanji, chief security officer of Kyrus Tech Inc., who helped analyze the Zeus malware and determine which botnets were the most dangerous said, “We are proud to have played a part in this groundbreaking effort and hope that others will start working together to combat malicious activity at the same scale as it is being perpetrated.”

There are steps consumers and businesses can take to better help protect themselves from becoming victims of malware, fraud and identity theft. All computer users should exercise safe practices, such as running up-to-date and legitimate computer software, firewall protection, and antivirus or antimalware protection. People should also exercise caution when surfing the Web and clicking on ads or email attachments that may prove to be malicious. For computer owners worried their computers might be infected, Microsoft offers free information and malware cleaning tools at http://support.microsoft.com/botnets that can help people remove Zeus and other malware from their computers. For businesses looking for more information about corporate account takeover issues, including those due to malicious software, a fraud advisory from FS-ISAC, the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service can be found at http://www.fsisac.com/files/public/db/p265.pdf.

More information about today’s news and the coordinated action against Zeus is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/dcu. Legal documentation in the case can be found at http://www.zeuslegalnotice.com.

Google Puts A New 'Play' Button To Its Navigation Bar

If you have visited the Google homepage today, chances are high that you might have witnessed a button that says 'Play' on the black navigation bar situated on the top of the homepage. Clicking on it will take you to the Google Play homepage, better known as the Android Market earlier.
The move is part of the company's efforts to promote the rebranded Android Market that combines apps, music, movies and e-books.
google, google play, play google, google play button, google app store, android market , google play store, android

The company's Google Music and Google eBookstore has also been combined with the new Google Play store now. At present, Google Play only offers movies for rental, but the company is keen to offering the choice of buying movies as well.
With the availability of Google services on smartphones, tablets, computers and TVs, the 'Play' service will act as a central multimedia hub that will feed the users' utility and multimedia needs

Friday, March 23, 2012

Nilekani Team Moots 1 Million Mini-ATMs In Villages

A Nandan Nilekani-led task force on an Aadhaar-enabled unified payment infrastructure has suggested setting up of 1 million interoperable micro-ATMs across the country, which will be operated by business correspondents. The appointment of business correspondents will ensure that social sector schemes' benefit reach the beneficiaries in about 600,000 villages.
A micro-ATM is a small machine; it connects to the banks server through the banking correspondent's mobile phone.
The task force, headed by Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI), submitted the final report to the union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday.
Aadhaar,Nandan Nilekani,Mukerjee

"Aadhaar-enabled e-payment system would help not only in ensuring the timely payments directly to the intended beneficiaries but would also help in reducing the time taken, transaction costs and the leakages among others," DNA quoted Mukherjee as saying.
For setting up this network of million micro-ATMs, the report said that a last mile transaction fee of 3.14 per cent with a cap of Rs 20 per transaction be paid by Government to banks. According to the report, the mini-ATMs can be used for balance query, deposits, withdrawals and remittances.
The task force also suggested that all payments of Government above Rs 1,000 should be made or received electronically over a period of time.

Centre To Link Pension Payments To Aadhaar

At a meeting chaired by Jairam Ramesh, union minister of rural development, it was decided that payment of pension for the elderly, widows and disabled persons will be linked to Aadhaar in order to ensure timely delivery. Likely to be evolved by 10 March 2012, the new system will first be launched on a test basis in some states. If successful, it will also cover the entire country by the next financial year. "The architecture of the route taken by the money to reach the beneficiary will also be revised. The system will be so developed that the funds the states receive from the Centre are directly paid to the beneficiary through micro ATMs," mentions a report by Business Line.

$40 I-slate Tablet Coming To Indian Schools

I-slate, a low-cost learning tool designed for classrooms, is under joint development by hardware experts at Rice University (Singapore) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Villages for Development and Learning Foundation (ViDAL) and a US-based design team.
As part of a pilot programme, these entities have already provided 30 tablets to school children in two government schools in Mahaboobnagar district. “We have been studying the user experience for the last three years. We will be coming out with a detailed paper,” Krishna Palem, a professor at both Rice and NTU, and part of the I-slate team, told Business Line.
NTU and ViDAL plan to introduce 50,000 tablets for children in one of the poorest districts in India in the next three years. With the introduction of I-slate, the primary goal is to replace hand-held slates and chalk used by millions of Indian school children in rural areas.
$40 I-slate Tablet

The device originated from Institute for Sustainable and Applied Infodynamics (ISAID), a joint programme of Rice University and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Krishna Palem, director, ISAID, earlier said, "Our study clearly shows the I-slate is an effective learning tool for all students, regardless of their learning ability. The first production I-slates will be pre-loaded with lessons for mathematics, science and social studies."
In bulk, these tablets will cost around $30-40 from vendors. NTU and ViDAL would be responsible for the content that goes into these tablets.
The chips used in I-slate are designed in collaboration with Switzerland's Center For Electronics And Microtechnology. The solar-powered mechanism of the device will function like a solar-panel seen on most modern calculators.
The I-slate prototype runs Google's Android operating system. However, the final version of the device due in mid-2012 will require a new OS. LinuxDevices earlier reported, "Presumably, the replacement OS will also be based on Linux, but will be tailored for a processor being developed specifically for the final tablet."

Dell OpenStack-Powered Cloud Solution With Ubuntu

At World Hosting Day in Germany, Dell joined hands with Canonical to provide and support OpenStack-based clouds with Ubuntu. OpenStack was launched in July 2010 by Rackspace and NASA. It is an open source software platform for creating highly scalable and easy-to-implement public and private clouds. Canonical's Martin Stadtler, said: "This is a great opportunity for enterprise customers who want to deploy their own private clouds with the same features and capabilities as public clouds. So whether you are considering, actively planning or in the process of deploying an internal open cloud, you can count on Canonical and Dell for support in your work.

HP Launches Wall Art Application!

Hewlett Packard (HP) has been in the laptop and printer business for a long time now and it seems that the company is finally trying to bring about some innovative changes. On Thursday, HP announced the launch of its application service, HP Wall Art. It is a wallpaper printing service by "Arun & Rajive" powered by HP. The service offers you a wide range of wallpaper for your rooms. The company brings out its Wall Art service through their website, www.createyourwalls.com, where you can select from a host of designs, that have been clearly categorised.
When asked about their new venture, Puneet Chadha, director, Graphic Business Solution, HP India, said that they are expanding from printer to printing business and according to him it has been pretty successful in its pilot stage. Chadha also introduced Sidharth Malhotra's company, 'Arun & Rajive' as the first HP print provider.

Sidharth Malhotra, owner at Arun & Rajive and Puneet Chadha, Director-Graphics Solutions Business, HP Imaging and Printing Group India

When asked about the process and pricing, Chadha replied that it is a very easy process. One can apply the wallpapers themselves by using water and sticking them on the wall or can even have the company to do it. The wallpapers cost Rs 162 sq/m if you choose to put them on your own but if you require company's assistance, then it will cost Rs 180 sq/m along with service charges that includes VAT and labour charges.

Wall Art demo of a girl's room

Create your walls is an eco-friendly concept that basically targets middle class and higher class segment of the society. It involves designing your walls using the online design tool on the website by dragging and dropping images on the background, thereby, ordering it for purchase. According to Sidharth, 50 per cent of their target customers are kids as they are more attracted towards pictures and colours.


This can be your drawing room too!

HP has planned to promote their wall art application by setting booths in various malls, creating colourful and attractive walls in toy stores, which is expected to catch attention, especially for kids.
It has been said that these wallpapers can last up to 20 years and are pretty easy to maintain. They can be cleaned with a wet sponge to remove stains.

Fake 'Android Store' Selling Genuine iPhones In China

China-based blogger Brian Glucroft has spotted a rather distinctive looking 'Android Store' in the town of Nanping, Guangdong province. With the Android logo all over the place, the outlet can dupe anyone into believing that it is an official 'Android Store'. But of course, this so-called Android store selling Apple iPhones too is not affiliated with Google in any way.
The text underneath the Android logo (see the outlet's picture) reads "Celebrities Smartphone Experience Store", or "The Famous Smart Phone Experiencing Store". Interestingly, the store is advertising the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S with boards outside.
Android Store,iPhone

Glucroft says: "I doubt Google would be thrilled with all of the choices made by this Android store owner. For example, in addition to a variety of Android-based mobile phones the store also sold Apple products such as iPhones, iPads, and computers."
The counterfeiting just doesn't seem to stop in China. Last year, local trade officials discovered several fake Apple Stores in China. The unofficial retail outlets, now shut down by the Chinese authorities, were so close to the original that even the employees there were convinced that they were working for the Apple.

Facebook Buys 750 Patents From IBM

Earlier this month Yahoo! Inc had filed a legal suit against Facebook for using 10 of their patents. The company even claimed that Facebook is profitable because of Yahoo!’s patents that cover online advertising technology. It seems the social network giant is gearing up to answer back.
Facebook bought 750 patents from International Business Machine (IBM) to strengthen its intellectual property portfolio.
Facebook, IBM, patents, intellectual property

A source on condition of anonymity revealed that these patents cover a broad range of technology, right from search to semiconductors. While it is still unclear how much Facebook paid for the IBM patents, it is a known fact that tech companies have increased their intellectual property prices to build their portfolios.
No one from the companies was available for comment but this news was first reported by Bloomberg.

Sony Releases Xperia S Open Source Archive

Further building a good name for itself amongst the Android community, Sony has released an archive of code and the tools necessary for its Xperia S smartphone. The Android-based phone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 platform.
"We’re releasing the open source archive for the Xperia S, which contains files you can use when building a kernel. This is the first time we publish source code for a product built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 platform, and to flash this software, you need do some additional steps and run a script that we also release today," the company announced in a blog post.
Xperia S,Open Source Archive

Since this is the first time the company is publishing the code "for a product built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 platform", custom ROM developers can make use of it while working on handsets featuring the same chipsets, such as the HTC Evo 3D.
Besides the source code and tools required to build ROM images, the open source archive for the Xperia S also includes a binary firmware blob and a script. "This script is used specifically for Xperia S and replaces mkbootimg, which you would normally use. The script creates a flashable image needed to flash your ROM onto Xperia S. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to flash the software on your Xperia S," the blog post added.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Daily App Review: Draw Something Free (Android And iOS)

Almost like clockwork, every few months there comes along an app that surprises everyone (including those who love it) by becoming a sensation. Angry Birds did it, as did Cut The Rope, and now it is the turn of Draw Something.

Draw Something is inspired by classic non-tech games like Pictionary and dumb charades. The game is literally all about drawing and identifying drawings. And you do not have to be an artist to be able to play it. This is how it works--you download the app (the Android and iOS versions are very similar) and then hit the Create Game Game mode. And it is here that you discover what is making the game tick--its multiplayer, or rather two-player, nature.

You cannot play Draw Something against your phone or tablet--you have to pick out a real person to compete against. To do this, you can either use your Facebook account to get friends who are playing the same game, sign up for a log in (it's free), send an e-mail, or if you would rather not give out any details about yourself, simply ask the game to choose a random opponent. Once your opponent is ready, all you have to do is guess the word the other person has represented in the form of a drawing. You are then given a choice of words which you have to express in the form of a drawing. The words come in three categories--easy, medium and hard. And you can choose to get new words if you wish. The harder the word you choose the more gold coins you stand to gain if you can express it well enough in sketch form.

There is a group of letters under the drawing that contains the word that you have to guess. You can use a bomb to remove some of the letters to make guessing easier. Drawing is done by running your finger over the touchscreen and you can mess around with a few colours. In most cases, the drawing quality is going to be rather ordinary and you can figure out the image drawn, unless your opponent is trying to make it really tough for you. You can blow away some of the unnecessary letters by buying bombs using your gold coins, and can buy more colours too. In fact, the paid version of the game comes with extra letters, and more gold coins. And with no ads (worth considering, when you think of the kind of havoc they are supposed to be wreaking on battery life).

And that really is all there is to it--you draw something, your opponent guesses the word it represents, then they draw something, and it is your turn to guess. You get push notifications whenever there is a drawing for you to guess and you keep moving up levels depending on the amount of gold you get. Shades of Pictionary? Yep, albeit with some elements of charades and Hangman. It is best played with your Facebook friends as you can then poke fun at the relative absence of each other's drawing skills without giving too much offence--incidentally, you can draw whatever you wish, to the extent of even using words to write down a clue!

All of which makes it good, clean fun. For a while. After about 10 minutes, we did feel a sense of ennui creeping in. Drawing is also not really too easy, and we recommend using this app on a tablet if you have one--it works best on larger displays. We also would have liked more interactivity between opponents (live chat, anyone?) and maybe more sketching options. Still, there is no doubt that Draw Something is becoming a bit of a cult hit on both Android and iOS, which proves that not everyone is looking for a game with cutting edge graphics. At the end of day, many of us just want something that is simple. And someone to play with.
Draw Something provides both. Try it. You might get addicted. Thousands already have.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Minnesota Maximizes Productivity and Reduces Costs by Moving to Microsoft Office 365

With an eye toward increasing worker productivity and delivering enhanced constituent services, the State of Minnesota moved to Microsoft Office 365 to upgrade its communication and collaboration systems for markedly increased capacity and capability with no reported downtime or disruption during the migration.

“One of our requirements for adopting Office 365 cloud services was seamless end-user adoption,” said Tarek Tomes, assistant commissioner, Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology (OET). “Microsoft migration methodology allowed us to achieve that.” In two months, the Microsoft Outlook mailboxes for 35,000 state workers were moved, resulting in 50 times more storage capacity.

OET provides IT services to Minnesota’s executive branch, which is composed of more than 70 agencies, and to other public-sector customers (including local governments, cities, counties and educational organizations). With this move, Minnesota is the first U.S. state to adopt a large collaboration and communication suite in a cloud environment. The deployment encompasses all executive branch agencies, and other OET customers also can choose to participate in the use of Office 365.

With Microsoft Corp.’s cloud productivity services, the State of Minnesota can expand its IT capabilities, increase security and markedly reduce costs by taking advantage of the combined demand of all state agencies. “We anticipate many long-term benefits,” Tomes said, mentioning specifically the ability to reduce support-service infrastructure and capital investments.

Office 365 provides a reliable platform with robust security features, reduced administration costs and increased opportunities for cross-agency communication and collaboration to improve delivery of services to Minnesotans.

“The collaborative tools within this suite are excellent, and we have already started using Microsoft SharePoint Online for capturing what’s going on in agencies,” said Carolyn Parnell, State of Minnesota chief information officer. She noted that the change frees employees to perform more innovative technology tasks that the organization values.

“Minnesota’s decision to adopt the Office 365 cloud offering, and successful migration indicates its confidence and trust in a long-term, committed company such as Microsoft,” said Gail Thomas, vice president of State and Local Government at Microsoft. “Governments small and large are looking to Microsoft for security, privacy, scalability and trust in the long-term road map in their IT consolidation choices, and it is our goal to deliver the best possible service to those governments and their citizens as a committed government partner.”

Minnesota is joined by thousands of government agencies that have made a decision to move to Office 365 — New York, the states of California and Nebraska, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and more than 1,000 other local government customers, including Colorado Springs Utilities.

More information on Office 365 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/online-software.aspx. More information on the State of Minnesota’s move to Office 365 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?CaseStudyID=4000011770. More information about Microsoft Customer Spotlight is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/customerspotlight.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Go Inside ‘The Hunger Games’ Movie with Groundbreaking New IE9 Site

The pages of the bestselling trilogy “The Hunger Games” introduced readers to a captivating set of characters living in a post-apocalyptic world, and on Friday the movie adaptation of the first book will bring that world to life.

Thanks to a partnership between Microsoft’s Internet Explorer team and Lionsgate, fans of The Hunger Games can dive in and experience the world of Panem and its opulent and oppressive Capitol city today.

The Capitol Skyline in Panem.

The Capitol Skyline in Panem.

Click for larger version.

Today, Lionsgate and Microsoft launch a “game-changing” Web experience that pulls visitors into the world of The Hunger Games from the moment they step off their train in the Capitol city. Visitors can do things like tour the Capitol, visit the Avenue of Tributes, and hear an address from President Snow.

“We wanted to make a breakthrough online experience for fans. We are so excited at what we were able to create with the team at Microsoft by tapping into the power of Internet Explorer and the investments they’ve made in their product to bring Web content to life,” said David Hayes, vice president of digital marketing for movie studio Lionsgate. “We’re thrilled to show off the Capitol Tour to Hunger Games fans around the world.”

The site, powered by HTML5 and CSS3, is animated, colorful and true to the style of the movie and the book, said Ryan Gavin, general manager for Internet Explorer. Visitors will see the city’s iconic skyline, with a breathtaking level of detail down to the twinkling stars and drifting clouds. They’ll see the highly fashionable Capitol citizens out and about in the city, and even cross paths with some of the iconic characters from the books and movie.

The sheer scale and complexity of the project required a crack team of creative and technical experts, including special effects experts from Lionsgate, members of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer team, and creative experts from digital agencies Ignition Interactive and The Nerdery.

A game master works in the Control Room to prepare for the Hunger Games.

A game master works in the Control Room to prepare for the Hunger Games.

Click for larger version.

Evan Dehaven, president and executive creative director of Ignition Interactive, said his company appreciated the opportunity to work on a project that is a true breakthrough for designing in HTML5.

“It’s such a great thing that Microsoft has fostered, through Internet Explorer 9, the idea that the Web is beautiful,” said Dehaven, who is currently working on Web experiences for nearly 30 films. “They want to bring things to life and allow people to tell stories through technology rather than telling people to live within these boxes and these rules while they’re making something. Now we’re just looking forward to fans and the world seeing what we’ve created.”

Dehaven hopes the Hunger Games site’s creative use of HTML5 will be a trendsetter for movie and television experiences online.

Microsoft approached Lionsgate last year about creating a “game-changing, one-of-a-kind” website for the highly anticipated movie adaptation of the bestselling book, Gavin said.

Download Internet Explorer 9

“They loved the idea. We had the opportunity to really dig into the universe of the Hunger Games and fundamentally change how people perceive what’s possible on the Web, all of which is best experienced in Internet Explorer 9,” Gavin said. “We wanted to create something that crossed the boundaries of books and movies, and we see this type of online experience as the next evolution in how Hollywood uses the Web.”

Typical movie websites mainly exist to house associated content – movie trailers and film clips, photos and electronic press kits. If there’s anything more, it’s usually an interactive game or social media connection.

Most movie websites are also designed using Adobe Flash, which means they can’t be accessed by people using other platforms and devices, Gavin said. The team set out to design the site using HTML5 and CSS3, which means the content is more broadly available across platforms, devices and browsers without the need for plug-ins.

Though the Hunger Games site is designed to work on all major browser formats, a chic hologram tour guide offers visitors this encouragement as they arrive at the Capitol train station, “The Capitol recommends you use Internet Explorer 9 during your tour for the best experience of our city.”

A little plot background, for those who haven’t read the bestselling trilogy: The Hunger Games is set in the future, and North America (now called Panem) consists of 12 districts that work to support Panem’s Capitol. As punishment for the districts’ past rebellions against the Capitol, every year one boy and girl from each district are selected to participate in the “Hunger Games,” in which they fight for their lives in an elaborate outdoor arena. The trilogy follows the story of Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old who volunteers to compete in the games to spare her little sister, whose name was chosen to participate in the Hunger Games’ annual lottery.

The Welcome Center of the Capitol greets fans arriving for the 74th annual Hunger Games.

The Welcome Center of the Capitol greets fans arriving for the 74th annual Hunger Games.

Click for larger version.

Team members behind the website project, many of whom are huge fans of the Hunger Games trilogy, thought of themselves not just as content creators but as careful stewards of the story. Gavin recently attended the Hollywood premiere of the film, and said he was thrilled at how well the movie represented the book, and also at how well the Web experience represents both.

Along with the Capitol Tour and the other Hunger Games experiences that launch today, the team will be adding even more in the weeks to come, including a training center where visitors can see Hunger Games competitors exercising and preparing for the games, and a memorabilia center where visitors can explore artifacts and weapons used in previous Hunger Games.

The memorabilia center is not found in the book or movie, but takes elements from both and brings them to life, but the filmmakers thought the center was in keeping with the story, and liked the idea of having such an exclusive experience for fans on the Web, Gavin said.

“Visitors will be able to look at items, rotate them, and see information about how they were used and what they do. It’s what a museum of the future will look like,” Gavin said. “It’s the perfect opportunity for uber-fans of the book series to go geek out on the history of the Hunger Games.”

To receive notifications about Hunger Games content updates, users should pin the site to their Internet Explorer 9 toolbar, he said

VLC Media Player 2.0.1 Released

Version 2.0.1 of the open source VLC Media Player includes fixes for more than 110 bugs. The maintenance update also closes two security holes that an attacker could exploit to compromise a victim's system, said VideoLAN developer Jean-Baptiste Kempf. The release also provides support for MxPEG files, introduces new features in the Mac OS X interface, in addition to faster decoding and fixes for hundred of bugs and regression, notably for HLS, MKV, RAR, Ogg, Bluray discs and many other things. VLC 2.0.1 is now available to download for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

The New iPad Faces Overheating Complaints

If you feel that the news surrounding the new iPad has been too sugary, here comes a sour news. The official Apple support forum is abuzz with customers complaining about overheating issues with the tablet. The complain include both the LTW and Wi-Fi only version. Users have stated that the device gets ‘uncomfortably warm’ within a span of an hour. While this is a useful piece of news for those planning to buy the device, it still needs to be seen how Apple deals with the issue

Monday, March 19, 2012

JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6 Beta Launched

Red Hat has announced the downloadable public beta versions of both JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6 and JBoss Developer Studio 5. JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6 offers several new highlights, including a cloud-ready architecture. "JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6 was created with the cloud in mind. As such, it's been designed and architected for use everywhere, including in on-premise and public clouds. This approach offers enterprises the ability to ease into the cloud without fear that the applications they develop and deploy today will be irrelevant tomorrow," Red Hat said.

Delhi Boy Wins 'Google Code-In' Contest

Age is never a constraint when it comes to talent. Delhi boy Abhishek Arora is one such example. At a young age of 14, this small wonder has proved himself to be a pioneer in the world of coding. Much to your delight, the young lad actually behaves like a pro when you mention coding in C and C++ languages.
The child prodigy has made a mark for himself by becoming one of the 10 winners of this year’s Google Code In contest. Google Code In is a contest designed to introduce pre-university students (age 13-17) to the world of open source software development. According to Google, 542 students from 56 countries participated in the contest and completed an impressive 3,054 tasks in the contest.
Abhishek was one amongst the 10 pre-university students who completed an impressive 449 tasks during the eight week contest period. He will be getting the grand prize as a part of which, he will be flown to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California in early June along with a parent or legal guardian for a four night trip. During the trip he will get to attend an exclusive awards ceremony along with an opportunity to meet with Google engineers, and enjoy a fun day exploring San Francisco. Also, did we mention the cash prize of $500 too!

13 Million Broadband Connections In India

A recent report revealed that India had almost 13.35 million broadband connections by the end of 2011. Maharasthra along with Goa accounted for the highest number with 0.23 million connections. In addition to the existing numbers, government has plans to have 175 million connections by 2017 and 600 million by 2020, that too at a minimum speed of 2Mbps. This was included in the draft for the National Telecom Policy 2012.

Here Comes Linux Kernel Version 3.3

Linus Torvalds has finally announced the seventh release candidate (RC7) for Version 3.3 of the software. Torvalds noted that a host of small issues prompted the decision to go with RC7 rather than a full release of 3.3. "Now, none of the fixes here are all that scary in themselves, but there were just too many of them, and across various subsystems. Networking, memory management, drivers, you name it," he wrote.
Linux 3.2 was released more than 10 weeks ago.

Interestingly, Android has been baked into the Linux 3.3 kernel thus making it more straightforward for developers to create cross-platform applications. "Although Android and mainline Linux have always shared plenty of code, the underlying kernels have been separate; this new release means manufacturers will be able to simply throw their hardware-specific drivers into a Linux-based gadget and have a functional Android device," SlashGear said in a report.
"For a long time, code from the Android project has not been merged back to the Linux repositories due to disagreement between developers from both projects. Fortunately, after several years the differences are being ironed out. Various Android subsystems and features have already been merged, and more will follow in the future. This will make things easier for everybody, including the Android mod community, or Linux distros that want to support Android programs," states the Linux 3.3 release notes.

Microsoft PhotoDNA Technology to Help Law Enforcement Fight Child Pornography

Microsoft and NetClean make PhotoDNA technology available to law enforcement at no cost to help them fight child pornography.

Friday, March 16, 2012

VDI Overview