Friday, March 16, 2012

Microsoft Reveals Additional Details About Metro IE10

By now you know that Windows 8 will ship with two different versions of the Internet Explorer web browser. First the classic desktop version which is a direct upgrade of Internet Explorer 9 that is currently out and available, and then a modified Metro version that sports a minimalistic user interface and does away with plugins and browser add-ons.

We already mentioned that Mozilla and Google are working on Metro versions of their browsers, and that other companies like Opera are considering it. Microsoft recently revealed additional details about the Metro version of Internet Explorer 10 on the Building Windows 8 blog.

metro style internet explorer tabs 580x326 Microsoft Reveals Additional Details About Metro IE10

Metro IE10 comes with a chrome-less interface that displays interface elements only when they are needed. The browser will displays an address bar and a handful of interface elements at the bottom when you start typing.These icons include going back, reloading the page, using find on page, and opening a site in Internet Explorer for the desktop.

The most likely result is then auto-filled in the address bar, and all remaining sites in navigational tiles on the screen.

These tiles are divided into frequently visited sites, and pinned sites.

internet explorer favorites1 580x326 Microsoft Reveals Additional Details About Metro IE10

You can pin sites easily with a click on the pin icon when the address bar element is visible on the screen. Pinning is the equivalent to adding the site to the favorites of the browser. There is however one core difference between the two. Pinned sites are automatically added to your Metro start page. While this may  not be a problem for users who use the feature sparingly, it may be a problem for users with hundreds of favorites.

With site pinning, you can personalize your Windows Start screen with the sites you use all the time. You can pin any website to the Start screen from IE10, so you have one place to access all the things you care about or need.

The tiles for pinned sites reflect the site’s color and icon. With IE10, sites can provide background notifications for new messages and other account activity on the website. The site can also program additional commands that appear in IE’s navigation bar in a touch-friendly way, the same way that sites can program jumplists for IE on the desktop.

Pinned sites use the dominating color of the website for the tile’s background color, and the favicon in the middle. Favicons look a bit small compared to the tab size though.

The Metro version of Internet Explorer supports tabs, but hides them away on the screen as well. The tab switcher appears when you right-click the mouse, use the windows-z shortcut or swipe from the bottom or top of the screen with touch.

With the address bar hidden, it becomes difficulty to identify secure sites. Microsoft displays badges when the address bar is displayed that indicate the type of connection a site uses.

Microsoft has posted a list of changes from the Developer Preview, which you find below.

  • Full, independent composition enables responsive, fast and fluid behavior on real websites (including pages with fixed elements, nested scrolling regions, animations, and video)
  • Back and forward swipe navigation with preview
  • Double-tap to zoom in on content
  • Fast back and forward navigation controls for mouse
  • Mouse (CTRL+scroll wheel) and keyboard methods for quickly zooming in and out to mirror touch interactions
  • Automatic domain suggestions for faster navigation and less typing
  • Share charm support for URLs, snippets, images and selection with Mail and other apps
  • Search charm with visual search suggestions
  • Devices charm for printing, projecting, and playing video to external devices like TVs
  • Plug-in free support: notifications for sites requiring activeX
  • Background notifications for pinned sites and other tile improvements
  • Jumplists for pinned sites
  • InPrivate tabs that are easier to open
  • Clean up tabs command, which quickly closes all but current tab

Have you had the time to work with the Metro version of Internet Explorer 10? If so, what is your impression of the browser?


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Ex – Microsoft Employee Wants To Fix Windows 8

There can be no denying that Windows 8 has brought a radical new change to Windows as we know it. The Metro UI is completely new to Windows, it does take some time to get used to. One Ex-Microsoft employee has decided to express his views about the new Metro UI and Windows 8 as a whole. And he doesn’t like it.

The former employee has launched a website called “Fixing Windows 8” (at the time of writing this the website appears to be down) where he outlines various different suggestions that Microsoft could do the improve the user experience. The former employee is Mike Bibik who is a user interface designer.

Like a lot of people, Mike is pretty annoyed by the lack of a start button in Windows 8. His biggest gripe however seems to be with the new Metro UI and how it all seems to be based around touch ,with mouse and keyboard controls thrown in as an after thought.

During the MWC keynote, Microsoft made it very clear that Windows 8 will work fantastically if you are using touch, mouse or keyboard, Unfortunately, that’s not entirely true.

Mikes main concerns are as follows:

  • New users won’t have a clue how to navigate through the interface as so many choices are hidden from view. You’ll need to know the various gestures to open up settings, the charms menu and other options. Also the lack of the start button will have users confused as to where they can find a master list of apps on their machine.
  • Because of the new Metro apps and how they function, they don’t have window controls like minimize and exit which will confuse users. They may not be aware of the fact that Windows 8 will pause apps and that they do not have to close them
  • Because the charms menu is hidden from view until the user goes looking for it, it makes it very difficult to perform basic options like searching within apps or powering off your device unless you know where to look.

I can agree with him on some of these points, but not entirely. I think that novice users, who are used to using a traditional desktop like Windows 7 will have trouble getting to terms with the lack of a start button and the hidden charm and settings controls. But power users and even intermediate Windows users should not have any problems getting to grips with the new controls very quickly.

Start 400x257 Ex Microsoft Employee Wants To Fix Windows 8

You can be sure that Microsoft will have a very comprehensive walk through of the new features when users power up a Windows 8 machine for the first time. I can imagine that there will also be an extensive marketing campaign to inform users of how different Windows 8 is compared to previous Windows OS’s.

Mike say’s that he’s not trying to be negative, he just wants to be informative and offer his opinion for alternative solutions. These include

  • Combining the desktop task bar with the new Start screen
  • Combining Charms and the master apps list into a single menu
  • Adding a dedicated Charms bar to the bottom of the screen
  • Reinstating a Start button on the desktop

Windows 8 is a big change, there’s no denying that, but there is an increasing number of people starting to be won over by it. I for one was a little sceptical at first, but after using it for a while now with just a mouse and keyboard, I’ve actually become quite used to all the gestures. I think what freaks most people out is the fact that you can’t see any on screen options until you actual perform a gesture by moving to the corners etc.. but it doesn’t take too long until that becomes second nature.

What do you think?

Do you agree with what Chris has to say?

Let us know in the comments


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App Activation Audio For iOS: Get An Audible Alert And Haptic Feedback When An App Is Launched

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While the Cydia store for jailbroken iOS devices houses thousands of tweaks, enhancements and extensions, it is hardly surprising that we sometimes see modifications that offer the same functionality which we’ve already seen. The official App Store is full of apps which offer duplicate services, with the difference generally coming down to how the app is presented and how efficiently it offers its functionality. Cydia is no different, and with the repositories fast becoming saturated with tweaks, it stands to reason that some are going to be duplicated.

iOS developer Laurence Millar has recently released his App Activation Audio tweak onto the BigBoss repository, which he describes as "the best app activation audio there is". We have previously posted about other Cydia-based software which offers the same kind of feature, however, Millar’s effort seems be a highly polished and professional effort with looks and works a lot better than any of the competition which we have come across. For those that have yet to experience this or similar offerings, the tweak essentially forces iOS to give an audible alert when the user of the device launches an app from the device’s SpringBoard.

App Activation Audio exists to do one thing and one thing only, and in that respect you really can’t fault it. The audible alert is invoked when the user launches an app through normal methods and therefore doesn’t require any additional learning or knowledge. The tweak also installs no additional icons, and comes only with a simple dedicated settings panel which contains the ability to toggle the modification on or off, adjust the volume of the alert as required, select an app launch tone and also choose whether or not the device should provide feedback through vibration upon app launch. The settings panel is built upon extremely familiar user interface elements and provides no surprises to seasoned iOS users, allowing seamless integration of the tweak into everyday usage.

It looks and feels good, does exactly what it says on the tin and offers twenty built-in tones to choose from as well as the option of enabling haptic feedback, so what else is there? Well, the question remains why would a user want to be alerted audibly when an app is launched? I could see this, and other tweaks of this nature providing some real world benefit to users who are visually impaired so they have confirmation of launch, but even that is pushing for an installation excuse. One thing which would dramatically improve an idea like this, is the ability to configure it to announce the name of the app that has been launched, but whether or not this is possible from a technical point of view is a different story altogether.

If having your device give an alert when something is launched is something you have been waiting for, or require from iOS, then App Activation Audio is the best of its kind and worth a download. However, as a commercial tweak, retailing at $1.99, it isn’t something I can see a lot of people installing just to give it a shot.

App Activation Audio is available from the BigBoss repository at a cost of $1.99 and requires iOS 4 or above.

Of course, you will need to jailbreak your device to install this tweak. For jailbreaking the latest iOS 5.1 (tethered), follow the instructions posted here to jailbreak using Redsn0w, or here for Sn0wbreeze. For jailbreaking iPhone 4S and iPad 2, you can simply follow our step by step tutorial posted here to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 using Absinthe on Windows or Mac. Those of you with an iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1, and iPod touches can use Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze to untether jailbreak on iOS 5.0.1.

You may also like to check out:

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.

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How To Quickly Switch Between Multiple Apple IDs / iTunes Accounts On iPhone, iPad, iPod touch

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It is becoming increasingly common that iPhone and iPad owners who use the App Store on a regular basis may have more than one Apple iTunes account through which they purchase and download apps. This could be for a number of reasons including holding separate accounts after emigrating to a new country, holding different IDs for the purchase of different accounts or merely just because it’s a free world and people can do whatever they wish.

In circumstances when a single device is used by a family household, and each member of that family has their own account in order to buy content and apps, it can become a bit of a logistical nightmare to update all of those apps if they have been purchased across multiple accounts. The process would involve receiving the annoying onscreen error message advising that the app wasn’t purchased on the registered account, followed by logging out of the account through settings, entering the new account details and then repeating the whole process until all updates are downloaded. Not exactly a seamless process.

Step forward a package in Cydia known as AccountChanger, which is aptly named considering its only function in life is to allow the seamless switching between Apple IDs through the Updates section of the official App Store. After installation, the App Store Updates tab is altered to include an ‘Accounts’ button in the top left hand corner of the tool bar. The Accounts option functions exactly as you would expect and when pressed; brings up a picker view, displaying all of the Apple IDs which have previously been used with that device. The purpose of this is to be able to easily select a secondary ID and then update as necessary without the need to remove and enter a new account through the ‘Store’ panel in the Settings app.

The picker view will present all Apple IDs that have previously been associated with that device, meaning that there are no options to configure and no place to manually add IDs. If you have more than one account that you would like AccountChanger to recognize but doesn’t then you will need to manually remove the existing account and enter the new one through the usual methods as a one time exercise in order to get AccountChanger to recognize it.

For those who are jailbroken and have multiple Apple IDs, AccountChanger could prove to be a life saver, certainly shaving off a lot of time from your update process. I would love the see the PasswordPilot tweak updated to be able to store more than one account password so the two could work side by side for ultimate App Store automation and time saving.

AccountChanger is available as a free of charge download on the BigBoss repository and requires iOS 5 or above.

Of course, you will need to jailbreak your device to install this tweak. For jailbreaking the latest iOS 5.1 (tethered), follow the instructions posted here to jailbreak using Redsn0w, or here for Sn0wbreeze. For jailbreaking iPhone 4S and iPad 2, you can simply follow our step by step tutorial posted here to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 using Absinthe on Windows or Mac. Those of you with an iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1, and iPod touches can use Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze to untether jailbreak on iOS 5.0.1.

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.

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Top Retina Display Ready Apps For Your New iPad Which You Should Download Right Now!

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The new iPad has finally arrived, much to the excitement of the many who’ve been waiting anxiously since last Wednesday’s announcement.

Seeing as the device now has a beautifully-crisp Retina display, the app makers have been hard at work updating their titles to take advantage of the increase in pixels. At 2048×1536, the clarity is now at an unbelievable level, improving the experience whether you’re a gamer, bookworm, or note-taker.

newipad

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best apps and games for your new device — all of which have been up scaled for the Retina display.

iPhoto

iPhoto

Having just been ported over to iPad, the OS X photo organizing, editing, printing and sharing app has also been optimized for the fruit company’s brand new tablet.

With a brand new iSight camera on the reverse of the device, the chances are, you’re going to need a decent accompanying app as opposed to the rather basic Photo album library. You can repair, saturate, desaturate, lighten, darken, sharpen, soften, and remove red-eye from your snaps, and at a very reasonable price of $4.99, this iOS remake comes highly recommended.

Download iPhoto for iPad [App Store Link]

Evernote

evernote

Note-taking is one of the most commonly carried-out activities on tablet devices. The market for such apps is huge, with Penultimate and Notability being two of the most popular apps available for the iPad.

As a measure of just how many there are competing for the attention of consumers, even Microsoft joined the party late last year, releasing an iOS version of its OneNote utility.

Free to download, Evernote is arguably the most popular option available. The free version is limited to 60 MB/month, while the premium service costs $5 per month or $45 per year. It comes with a bunch of useful features, allowing you to add text, audio, and images to the same note if you so wish.

With a near 5-star rating from several thousand famously fickle App Store voters, you needn’t take our word for it, either.

Download Evernote for iPad [App Store Link]

Tweetbot

Tweetbot is the accepted People’s Champion when it comes to Tweeting on iOS. It’s much more polished than the official app, which often succumbs to bugs and crashes, and has only recently been ported through to the larger of Apple’s iDevices.

With so much critical acclaim, it scarcely needs any introduction, but when an app is this good, we like to rave about it as much as we possibly can. The latest version, which costs $2.99, brings Streaming capabilities, improvements to the Tweetmarker service, as well as, of course, Retina graphics for the third-gen iPad. As a long-time user of this app on both iPhone and iPad, I would go as far as to say that no Twitter user should be without Tweetbot.

Download Tweetbot for iPad [App Store Link]

GarageBand

GarageBand

Like iPhoto, GarageBand is another app which started out as a Mac app. Since being released for iPad early last year, music fans have been busily producing their own tunes on-the-fly.

Despite the third-gen device focusing heavily on the display and image-taking capabilities, that doesn’t mean that a Retina-optimized GarageBand should be overlooked. If you have enjoyed using it in your iPad for the last year, you’ll surely continue to enjoy arranging and mixing your songs with up to eight other tracks using Touch Instruments, audio recordings, and loops.

Sharing is easy too, since you can email songs right from your iPad, as well as export your songs straight to the iTunes library on your Mac or PC.

It costs $4.99, and you can download it right now from the App Store.

Download GarageBand for iPad [App Store Link]

iWork

iWork for iPhone

The impressive trident of productivity apps have certainly been a winner, despite various attempts from third-party devs to dethrone Apple’s famous iWork Suite with a bunch of Office-like alternatives.

Like GarageBand and iPhoto, it has been around on the Mac for a number of years, but is now used by the many iPad-owning PC users too, thanks to its ease of use and great set of feature.

Consisting of Keynote, Pages and Numbers (Powerpoint, Word and Excel) to the Windows-tuned folk among you, it makes creating, saving editing and exporting documents extremely easy, and although the apps are priced at 10 bucks each, most would conclude that they are worth the money.

You can download Keynote from here, Pages here, and Numbers here [App Store Links].

NYTimes For iPad

NY Times for iPad

If you like to keep up-to date with the latest news, you’d be hard pushed to find a more respected source than the New York Times. Its iPad app is free of charge, and, like all the apps in our extensive list today, the user interface has been optimized for the new iPad’s Retina Display.

Free to download, it costs $34.99 for full access, with the main perk being banishment of those dreaded ads.

Download NYTimes for iPad [App Store Link]

SketchBook Pro for iPad

Sketchbook Pro for iPad

Created by AutoDesk – an omni-present market leader in professional design software, SketchBook Pro for iPad allows you to create some fantastic designs on your iPad.

Although there are plenty of apps catering to the creative mind, most lack the professionalism and precision of SketchBook.

If you have the finesse (and of course, an iPad), then this is a great choice for you to demonstrate it.

Download SketchBook Pro for iPad [App Store Link]

Reeder for iPad

Reeder

This great little RSS reader for iPad essentially rethinks Google Reader, adding a bunch of smart features rendering it the only such app you will ever need.

Polished to the point where it slots in as if it were native, it’s powered by a highly customizable interface separating it from every other such app available for the device.

The Retina graphics update is merely the tip of the iceberg; this app is – for lack of a more sophisticated phrase – the business!

Download Reeder for iPad [App Store Link]

Real Racing 2 HD

RR2HD

Due to the runaway superior graphics of both Real Racing and the sequel – strangely entitled Real Racing 2 – both titles have remained near the summit of the games charts ever since they were released onto the App Store.

Then again, the Real Racing experience isn’t once to be taken merely at face value, and both games provide cutting-edge gameplay and a decent challenge in order to keep a gamer interested for more than half an hour.

In iOS terms, these games are your Gran Turismo series – setting a high benchmark from which other publishers and developers are struggling to emulate.

If you’re into your racing games, Real Racing 2 HD is the best; and with the sharp visuals now even sharper, you’ll surely be engrossed in what is quickly becoming a classic iOS title.

Download Real Racing 2 HD [App Store Link]

Flight Control Rocket

Flight Control Rocket

Flight Control – a simple concept which involved landing small planes on color coded runways in a candy land environment – became an early favorite among iOS users, particularly as Apple demoed the game throughout most of its iconic stores on both the iPad and iPhone.

Creator Firemint Party has ditched the cheesy music and visuals (well, sort of), to create a similar experience but with a more spacey, rocket-themed edginess.

The more it doesn’t sound as though it would be your type of game, the more I would encourage you to download it, as it is incredibly addictive.

Download Flight Control Rocket [App Store Link]

Labyrinth 2 HD

L2HD

Ahh, finally – some physics, I hear you cry! No list of iOS games would be complete without some form of physics-based puzzler, and Labyrinth is one of those that, although very well put together, will make you look rather unstable if you play while on the train/subway.

You must direct a small spherical object around a maze while avoiding the obstacles, before dropping it in the designated gap.

A lot of tilting, frustration and practice is needed before you finally find the hole, but, if you keep the faith, you’ll feel elated once you get it in. Wink.

At $7.99, it’s rather steep, but, worth it for the hours of fun you could be having.

Download Labyrinth 2 HD [App Store Link]

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy

SGAS

We just couldn’t leave this one out of the list, we bring you a game first demoed by Apple at the official announcement at the Yerba Buena. Created by a true veteran of the gamersphere in the form of Namco, this fun, addictive sky shooter provides a great alternative to the flurry of first-person shooters available at the App Store.

Although it offers a campaign mode that’ll have you doing battle instead of being productive, the main appeal is – as usual – in the multiplayer experience, which is as smooth and streamlined as you could possibly imagine.

It costs $4.99, and in our view, is well worth it.

Download Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy [App Store Link]

Twitter

Twitter

Lets face it, with deep integration of Twitter itself in iOS, there’s a very small chance that you’re left out from the 140 character party. And having been updated with Retina display graphics just this morning, it would be an unwise move not to install the official Twitter for iPad client on your shiny new Retina display oozing iPad.

It would be unfair not to let those Tweets fly out in their Retina glory, agreed?

Download Twitter for iPad [App Store Link]

Infinity Blade II

IBII

First showcased back in October at the iPhone 4S announcement, it’s a game driven by jaw dropping and some serious whooping graphics. Having been updated with Retina graphics just for the new iPad, it’s a game which should sit on any iPad owner’s SpringBoard no matter what happens.

For a price of $6.99, it might sound a bit too steep, but the graphics and gameplay which it has to offer, the price is more than justified.

Download Infinity Blade II for iPad [App Store Link]

The space taken up by these new apps and games will undoubtedly have increased, meaning your 16GB flash memory may not be sufficient this time around. If you’ve yet to make the purchase of the new iPad, you may want to consider the 32GB model if you like to have a more than just a couple of apps and games on your SpringBoard.

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.

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Hands-on with the ASUS P1 LED Pico Projector

Today, ASUS is announcing that they are bringing the ASUS P1 LED Pico Projector to North America! Originally announced at CeBIT 2011, the P1 had previously been available in Asia. This little projector is absolutely perfect for the traveling professional for quick and easy on-the-spot presentations. It can also be useful for entertainment purposes too! I was able to get my hands on a P1 and give it a spin for myself.

DSC02345

First off – the P1 is really small.

DSC02356

In the above photo, you can see the P1 next to my Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone. The P1 is literally the size of a CD case and as thick as a small paperback book. Its size makes this projector incredibly portable. ASUS includes a carrying case with the projector that allows you to put the projector and required cables all into a single case that you can put in your bag for travel.

DSC02338

The size, however, is just one piece of this amazing little device. It also comes packing some amazing features. The P1 operates with 200 ANSI lumens with a 1280x800 HD resolution and can scale projection size up to 40” from only 3 feet away. And being that it is a LED projector – the LED light source helps save energy and lasts over 30,000 hours in terms of operation. The P1 also has “instant-on” capabilities – turning off and on in nearly 5 seconds. There is virtually almost no wait for the projection to reach full brightness either. It just shows up.

DSC02353

In trying the P1 out here in my office, I got a very clear image. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get the projector 3 feet away to fully test the 40” display size but I had it projecting at a decent size! The P1 also has a feature called Auto Keystone Correction. What this does is it allows the P1 to automatically adjust the corners of the projection to 90-degree angles so that the projection will appear centered instead of off-balance.

DSC02355

The P1 was developed with the traveling professional in mind – someone who does a lot of traveling to different places who might need to present a Microsoft PowerPoint deck to a small group of people. But the P1 also has value to someone like meet who isn’t necessarily a traveling professional. Its capabilities can be also applied for personal entertainment purposes too!

SONY DSC

Imagine getting a small group of friends together to watch a movie from your PC and you whip out the P1 to project a 40” image of the movie? Pretty incredible.

Starting today, the ASUS P1 LED Pico Projector will be available in North American for $499 at major retailers.

Encouraging News Regarding Jailbreak Of iPad (3rd-Generation)

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On a day that will undoubtedly be dominated by those keenest of early-adopters, the iPhone Dev-Team has assessed the jailbreaking prospects of the third-gen iPad, and concluded that the mountain may not be that steep to scale.

The device, which hits stores at 8AM this morning, is likely to sell out fairly quickly, with many of the tech world’s most ardent disciples having descended on that familiar pilgrimage to their nearest Apple Store. Indeed, we suspect some of you guys are queuing up as we speak, so this morale-boosting jailbreak news will certainly bring a little respite to an otherwise tedious waiting game.

newipad

The iPhone Dev-Team has noted that the way iPad 2 was jailbroken about 4 months ago can be replicated on iOS 5.1, providing at least a platform from which the jailbreak can eventually be forged:

We can confirm that the method used to jailbreak the iPad2 4 months ago (before corona) still works even in 5.1.  That means we’ll at least be able to get our foot in the door to get the required kernel dumps on the iPad3.  That’s an important step, but by no means is it the end of the story.

Additionally, the post goes on to discuss @i0n1c’s Twitter teaser, which we covered late yesterday.

ipad2,1_5.1_cydia_close

The legendary jailbreaker showed off images of his iPad 2 jailbroken on iOS 5.1, and his method is said to be unrelated to the one being discussed above. The post continues:

We’ve also seen bits and pieces of an entirely different jailbreak method being investigated by someone close to the Cydia repo scene.

With the Corona revelation, @i0n1c’s tantalizing showcasing, along with this unspecified third party all battling for the same cause, the future of the jailbreak scene looks to be in great hands. Add to this @pod2g’s continuous endeavors into an exploit, and we’re looking at a formidable bunch of talented individuals working hard to find a potential jailbreak for the new iPad.

If you are buying the new iPad, and would like to see a jailbreak at some point in the near future, make sure you do not update it whatsoever, since Apple tends to knock the jailbreak scene down a peg or two with each iOS revision.

In the meantime, for those of you who own A4 devices (like iPhone 4, iPad 1, iPod touches) can jailbreak the latest iOS 5.1 (tethered) by following the instructions posted here to jailbreak using Redsn0w, or here using Sn0wbreeze. For jailbreaking iPhone 4S and iPad 2, you can simply follow our step by step tutorial posted here to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 using Absinthe on Windows or Mac. Those of you with an iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1, and iPod touches can use Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze to untether jailbreak on iOS 5.0.1.

You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.

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Windows8 Embedded Helps make the Internet of Things Possible

Microsoft has previewed Windows8 embedded. This is the third Windows8 OS presented by Microsoft; the other two are Windows8 and Windows8 server. This product is different because it is used for small computational and sensor-based electronic components that collect data and automate simple actions. Embedded computing involves placing computer processors within common objects in order to collect data, guide operations and offer user interactivity.

Where are embedded systems used?

They are found in many consumer and industrial applications such as vending machines, refrigerators, digital music players, automobiles, and routine assembly line tasks. All of this is possible because as the cost and power requirements of microprocessors continue to drop, the use of sophisticated microcontrollers becomes more feasible for a wider variety of tasks. And the microcontrollers will need an operating system to run the hardware. That is where Windows8 embedded comes in.

Windows8Embedded 400x276 Windows8 Embedded Helps make the Internet of Things Possible

Microsoft has focused its efforts on refining Windows Embedded for a subset of this market called intelligent systems, which combine processing power with networking and cloud computing to bring more computational prowess to devices.

This idea of cheap and plentiful network-connected embedded devices has been called the “Internet of things,” meaning the system that does online detection of offline objects and their physical properties. Although it has been predicted for many years, such an Internet of things may actually take hold now in part due to  cloud computing services like Microsoft Azure.

So for instance, owners of vending machines, could benefit by embedding the machines with processors and connecting them to a network. A small system embedded inside a machine can keep a tally of which snacks or other items are being sold. With Windows8, the system would be able to provide other information that could keep a vibrant inventory, increase sales. and get a running tally of all the snacks being sold across all the machines.

Source: Computer World PCWorld

Microsoft


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If the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is ‘Feature Complete’ Where are the Missing Features?

When Microsoft released the Windows 8 Consumer preview recently they described it as “feature complete”, which came as no surprise to anyone.  The Windows 7 beta was also feature complete and indeed “feature locked”.  Between the release of the beta in January 2009 and the final product that October absolutely nothing changed.

This won’t be the same for Windows 8 however where several features within the operating system are either unfinished or simply missing completely.  One indication that this might happen was shortly after the Developer Preview was released which was missing Windows Media Centre, a perhaps little used feature that’s crucially important to those people, including myself, who do actually use it.  I for instance have had a Media Centre PC as my main means of receiving and recording live TV in my living room since 2003.

Microsoft had to announce shortly after the DP was released that Media Centre was going to be in the final version of Windows 8, but that it simply wasn’t finished yet.  It is in the Consumer Preview but it’s the earlier Windows 7 version and not a swanky new one.  We know this because it doesn’t have a new Metro interface or the new Windows 8 logo.

Another feature that is missing is Windows To Go.  We can imagine that this feature is actually very difficult to code and, like the Storage Spaces feature might be a bit late.  Storage Spaces has been finished for the Consumer Preview however, primarily I think because it’s loosely based on a similar feature that’s been kicking around Windows Home Server for several years now.  Windows To Go, where you can boot your entire copy of Windows 8 from a USB pen drive on any other computer, is completely absent from the Consumer Preview version however.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview Running Oracle VM VirtualBox 4 400x349 If the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is Feature Complete Where are the Missing Features?Some people have also said that the new Hyper-V virtualisation client in Windows 8 is also missing from the Consumer Preview.  This actually isn’t the case, it is there but it’s just switched off.  If you go into Programs and Features and then select Turn Windows Features on and off you will see it in the list.  Ticking it will activate it though your computer might need to reboot.

What is unclear is if these missing features, and indeed any more that we may not yet know about, will be tricked down through Windows update or separate ISO installation files, or if we won’t get to see them until the RTM (Release to Manufacturing) version of the operating system?

As a Windows author this is personally very frustrating as it’s impossible to write about features that either don’t exist or that there is no information about, let alone the problems associated with getting screen grabs of them.

For everyone else though just these two missing features are ones that have got people very excited, and I’m sure many people hope that Microsoft do release or at least announce something soon.

Windows 8 is very different to the Windows 7 in that is certainly not “feature locked”.  Despite being based on the already very stable Windows 7 code-base it is actually quite unstable at times with certain software elements prone to crashing.  This will no doubt be the fault of the new WinRT run-time engine powering Metro which may also be unfinished.

It will be great to see a final and complete Windows 8 however, especially as an author, and I’m sure the world can’t get access to these features soon enough.  What do you think about the incomplete or missing features in Windows 8?  Why not tell us in the comments below.


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