Microsoft has resorted to Bing bribery before, but now it’s using free wi-fi minutes instead of cashback on shopping. The program, which actually began in September, relies on users liking Bing after trying it once, and returning to use it.
Bing and JiWire announced the program on Monday.
Retrevo, a website that calls itself the “ultimate electronics marketplace,” took a look at iPhone owners. It tried to determine an iPhone user’s personality profile. One thing’s clear: in terms of dating, iPhone users are dogs.
Why is that? Well, One in three iPhone owners has texted or emailed [...]
Interesting new follow-up on a device we reviewed earlier.
Have a look at this 1080p Media Player with PVR & HDTV Tuner from Astone.
Coming up: here.
By Martin Regtien
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
The Vantage Vue was sent to us courtesy of www.davisnet.com in USA and through their Australian distributor Ecowatch at www.davisinstruments.com.au in Australia. With the product being their latest 2010 model hot off the assembly line it required some last minute radio frequency alterations to conform with Australian legal requirements.
Have Davis set [...]
Kevin Cheng reports:
From time to time DigitalReviews is approached to review products because of our reputation for unbiased, no holds barred reviews. I have to admit that I never heard of Axus in my travels, but they have kindly provided two of their FiT RAID Series chassis for our reviewing [...]
From technology enthusiasts to the average Joe running Windows, everyone was looking at Microsoft for the past 2 years, their hopes gathered around a simple name: Windows 7. There are many reasons why this version of Windows was sought after, not the least being the public relations nightmare brought by Vista.
But did Microsoft come through with a stable computing platform, with decent hardware requirements and a hardened security model? The definite answer is yes. I’ve been running Windows 7 on my laptop for over a month, installed all the applications I’d normally use – iTunes, Office, Firefox, Mozy – and they all worked fine, without any compatibility settings or whatnot.
While my computer is far from being state of the art, it is able to run Firefox, iTunes, Word and Photoshop at the same time, with decent speed. On just 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a 2,2Ghz AMD Turion 62 single core processor. The visual effects are fluid on a two year old ATi X200M graphics chipset with just 64MB of RAM. What they did under the hood, optimizing the code to run faster, is simply amazing. Running Vista on this laptop was like swimming with cement boots, even with the visual effects turned off.
A very important aspect for Windows users, security, has also been addressed in many ways, and while most of the technologies were present in Vista, they have been improved in Windows 7. The UAC (User Access Control) dialogs are less frequent and not so annoying, executables are scanned for digital signatures of their vendor, you are notified about files downloaded from the internet as well as an improved firewall and notification center. DEP (Data Execution Prevention) is enabled by default, we still have the KPP (Kernel Patch Protection) and a significantly improved Autorun. Also, the privilege level of your account is not root, which would grant you unlimited access to system resources, but a member of the Administrators group. To affect changes that may affect system integrity and security you have to accept an UAC prompt. In addition to this, all start-up items that access critical system areas are also required to be manually approved via an UAC prompt. Checks and flags are implemented all around, to the point that you would have to ignore multiple security warnings in order to get infected. These are all significant changes from Windows XP. All around, you can see that the engineers have dedicated a significant amount of time to securing the operating system.
From such an important aspect as security,we go on to examine the improvements in the user interface department. The taskbar, part Mac OS X dock, part Start menu is an elegant and comprehensive UI element. The functionality offered is simply amazing; We have quick access to commonly used applications, an amazing way to find the window you’re looking for with Quick Look, a streamlined notification area which is clean yet retains usability and instant search from the Start menu. I’m sorry to disappoint the Linux and Mac OS fans, but Windows 7, as it is today, has the most advanced and usable UI.
With Windows 7 Microsoft has changed the game. I for one was saving money for a MacBook, which from a Windows XP viewpoint is an incredible upgrade. But compared to Windows 7, not so much. We have performance, stability, a not too shabby security model, an incredible selection of hardware and software. If lastly, we consider the price – free until June next year – we have an incredibly attractive offer. The ball is at Apple and the pitch is going down at WWDC. Unless something amazing comes out, it’s going to be a homerun for Windows 7.
As always, I’d love to hear what you think about this topic. You can check out How To Install Windows 7 on a Virtual Machine with VirtualBox and Test Windows 7 RC on a Virtual Machine written by Guy McDowell.
David is a technologist who spent the past 6 years building applications for the Web. Prior to Zecter, David developed applications and services at Amazon, where he got a taste of writing internet-scale applications and cloud computing. – ZD
Today’s article is a bit technical and abstract but nonetheless interesting. Read our interview with David Zhao from Zumo Drive.
D.Z.: We started ZumoDrive because online storage wasn’t usable. Most of the storage services consist of a web page with a upload button. We saw the vision where online storage would be seamless integrated with the operating system so that all of the applications can connect to the cloud.
Our primary goal is to provide transparent access to the cloud to the users. We want to free people from thinking about backup, syncing files across different machines, and running out of space on their devices. They should be able to install ZumoDrive and be able to take full benefit of the cloud right away.
D.Z.: We’ve built our technology from the ground up. One of the key piece of it is a virtual file system that integrates directly with the OS. It handles caching, random access, and direct streaming from the cloud. The server side is built on top of Ruby and other open source technologies. We use Amazon as the backend cloud.
D.Z.: We have a very healthy paying to free ratio.
D.Z.: TechCrunch was great, it introduced ZumoDrive to a huge number of people. While I can’t disclose numbers, I can say that retention ratio for the service is very good.
D.Z.: Better web interface, better performance on the client, Linux, and more mobile devices soon.
D.Z.: There are a few players in the space, namely Dropbox and SugarSync. One of our main advantages is the ability to provide access to files without having to first download them onto the device. This creates a unique value proposition for devices that don’t have a lot of local storage. We also have a stronger focus around media and have unique capabilities for dealing with these type of files.
D.Z.: Yes, it definitely will be. It’s of great interest to us. More information about ZumoDrive is available here.
Who would you like the Tux Geek to interview next? Leave a comment.
There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding viruses, the security of Unix based OSs, even in more tech savvy groups. So, what’s the deal with viruses and Linux?
In the image above, a website tries to trick a user into installing a faux antivirus, malware. The problem is, Pascal, the guy that posted this screenshot to Flickr, obviously wasn’t running Windows.
Most of the time this is just a case of over simplification made by ‘Linux people’ in order to convince Windows people to try Linux.
The truth is that there are about 30 viruses for Linux. I know this number sounds extremely large, but bear with me.
The trick is that there aren’t any viruses in circulation – that can currently infect systems and are present on USB sticks, malicious servers, etc. In fact, most of those viruses are gathering dust somewhere on a floppy disk.
How come there are so few viruses for Linux? Linux is radically different from Windows because:
Linux can however store the Windows virus executables without getting infected itself. Which is why the bad guys use Linux themselves. Smart, isn’t it?
The structure of Linux makes writing a virus very difficult as it requires root access to do anything of significance. For a virus to run it would have to be granted root access with a password request. If you fail to give it root access then the most a virus could do, if anything, is damage your home directory. It is unlikely it could even run again so it would die there in your home directory. Most smart Linux users grasp the power of root access and would question why an unknown program is suddenly requesting root access. (You don’t enter your password for just ANY prompt do you? Only for programs YOU have called up, right?) –BrunoLinux
There’s a linux antivirus called Clam AntiVirus. Which is completely useless, because finding a Linux virus in the wild is like finding a unicorn in your backyard with a map of Atlantis on its forehead. Yes, that’s right.
Windows fanatics, please leave angry thoughts using the comment form below. Yes, make the pain go away, let it all out!
Last week we built a head tracking device, from a project originally created by a professor at Carnegie Mellon University named Johnny Lee.
His other project, the Wiimote powered interactive whiteboard, is just as impressive and twice as useful. It turns any projector, monitor, or laptop screen into an interactive display.
Here is an eye-popping video by Dr. Lee giving an example of his interactive whiteboard technology:
After you build the infrared LED pen (detailed later in this post), you can use it just like you would your mouse. Move around windows, draw diagrams, and distract annoying kids by opening Microsoft paint and letting them have at it. It is not only a simple software toy, but it can be immensely useful as a presentation tool.
Bluetooth Dongle & WiimoteThe first step in both of these projects is to connect your Wiimote to your PC via Bluetooth. You have two choices with this, you can connect using a 15 day free trial of a program called BlueSoleil, or you can trust windows to connect to your Wiimote and handle the connection. I have had terrible luck with BlueSoleil so I used the Windows Bluetooth connection suite. If you choose to use BlueSoleil here is a page showing what needs to be done.
I’m not a fan of trial software, so here is how I did it in Windows:
With the Bluetooth dongle of your choice (I chose a Linksys USBBT100) inserted into your computer, the new hardware wizard should detect and automatically install your dongle. When that is done there will be a Bluetooth symbol in the bottom right hand corner of your screen. Double click it and this screen should come up:
Click on Add… and the Add Bluetooth Wizard will come up. Make sure to click on the option showing that your device is ready to be connected.
After that, hold the 1 and 2 buttons on your Wiimote, this puts it in discovery mode. After the Wizard sees and adds your Wiimote, this screen will pop up:
Double click on the Nintendo peripheral:
Make sure you choose ‘Don’t use a passkey’! This is crucial. Hit next:
And you are now connected with your Wiimote. It will show up in your Devices list and all four blue lights on your Wiimote should be blinking. They will stay blinking as long as it is connected to your PC.
With that over with, 90% of the pain and suffering you will most likely have with this project are over. The first time I tried to do these projects it took me over an hour to connect my Wiimote using BlueSoleil. Finally fed up, I worked out the Windows version you see above.
• A Windows computer* with Bluetooth and a monitor or projector
• One Wiimote
• One Infrared LED
• One AA or AAA single battery pack
• Around a foot of small gauge wire
• A pushbutton momentary switch
• Body of a pen
• Soldering gun and solder
• Wire cutter/stripper
• Electrical Tape
• Latest Wii Interactive whiteboard software
*There are some hit and miss issues with Vista. When I did this project I used XP machines; your results may vary.
In this section you basically create something from scratch. It’s a very simple circuit involving a power source, a switch, and an infrared LED.
Here is a preassembled pen light. It shows the simple circuit before it is compacted:
A good place to start would be to solder both of the wires onto the switch:
Then threading those wires into the body of the pen:
And then soldering the LED to both of the exposed wires. Take care to either hot glue or tape one of the terminals so that you don’t get a short circuit:
When that is completed tidy up the pen however you like, but you should have a final product:
Connect your Wiimote to your PC and place it at a distance and an angle that allows it to see all of the whiteboard. Launch the whiteboard program and go through the four point calibration. After that you are good to go!
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial, if you have any issues with setting up either of these projects please visit Dr. Lee’s homepage and forums. There are a lot of resources there that can help with Vista issues and hardware incompatibility.
Here are some links that may prove useful: Johnny Lee’s Wiimote Project, Interactive Whiteboard FAQ, Head Tracking FAQ.
In this article we get to discuss Opera’s role as an innovator in the browser market as well as find out if Opera will release its code under the GPL and some technical bits about the ‘Turbo’ technology.
Recently I wrote an article about Opera 10 – which is currently in development – and got a lot of backlash from readers.
According to about 70 comments which were published, I downplayed Opera’s importance as a browser and as an innovator.
Jon says:
I agree with N_P. To say Opera has stagnated because it has not brought true innovation is just wrong. For one, they were the first to introduce a system like “speed-dial” which you describe as being familiar to rival browsers who were simply emulating Opera’s innovation.
I left the Opera camp a long time ago, at least 4 years, and according to some, I’ve missed the mark completely when I said Opera didn’t bring true innovation these past years.
You are wrong, then. Firefox’s awesome bar? Ripped off from Opera. Chrome and Safari’s top sites feature? Ripped off from Opera. And so it continues… Just look at the feature list for Safari 4. It’s like looking at a list of existing Opera features!
Thomas Ford, Communications Manager at Opera, contacted me after a day or so with some clarifications. We continued our conversation, and, as a result, I’ve got some interesting bits of information which I’m going to share with you.
T.F.: A lot of the comments raise different points, but I’d like to highlight a few that they didn’t. I won’t take issue with you saying there isn’t much new in the labs release. That’s fair. The labs release of Opera 10 with Turbo is essentially to showcase that technology only. It certainly isn’t a complete representation of Opera 10.
T.F.: One important thing about Turbo though is that it is different from Opera Mini technology. Where Opera Mini’s OBML is actually a transcoding technology, Opera Turbo is a compression technology. They have fundamentally the same client-server architecture, but they work quite differently. Opera Mini translates the code from the Web into OBML then spits it out on the handset. Opera Turbo simply compresses things. It doesn’t transcode. This means you can use technologies like Ajax which are broken in the transcoding process.
I replied shortly:
S.N.: Truth be said, I’ve lost my faith in Opera a while ago and I didn’t give Opera Turbo enough time when I wrote the review, which was clearly pointed out by the comments.[…]
Referring to ads integrated into the browser interface, one of the main reasons I gave up on Opera years ago:
T.F.: Totally fair. I think the ads turned a lot of people off. We faced a problem. We used to be a paid product, then wanted to release a free version. Of course, we had engineers to pay and our mobile business had yet to really take off. So the ads were a necessary evil to make enough money to keep operating. I think that was in 2000 or so. In 2005 we were able to go free through the same monetization strategy Firefox uses (Google search).
I think there are a lot of users who went through the same thing with Opera. Convincing them to try us again is a challenge, but I think we’re trying even harder now.
T.F.: It’s actually something that has come up a lot. I should point out that some things we do are open source. We released Opera Dragonfly (our developer tools) under a BSD license and we’ve released a bunch of open developer libraries.
But in terms of releasing the browser core under a GPL or other OS license, the benefit isn’t necessarily there for us. We make a significant amount of revenue from licensing the browser. Since we have only one core (the same browser core is at the center of Opera on desktop, on mobile and on TVs, etc), we would give away a lot of our competitive advantage.
Our CEO I think had a decent answer to the question. He’s a computer scientist by training and has worked on open source projects before. Here’s an interview that might be interesting if you have the time.
You raise a valid question and it’s definitely something we can’t rule out for the future as our company evolves. Overall though, I think our resources are best spent trying to bring open standards to the Web to improve interoperability.
T.F.: In practice OEMs and network operators expect many things from a Web browser. Often it requires a great deal of customization to meet their demands. No two OEMs or operators have the same demands so it makes the mobile browser space quite different to the PC browser space.
I don’t think that it necessarily would cut into our revenues. Currently there are several Windows Mobile browsers already available. Even with those competitors we have been able to grow our revenues every quarter.
Mozilla does present a more formidable competitor due to its brand recognition and pre-existing user base. I guess we’ll have to see how it plays out. I’d like to think we add value to operators and OEMs through close collaboration and partnership and thus would continue to earn their business.
To conclude, I think Opera 10 is definitely worth another review when it reaches Release Candidate status.
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