Changing Times for Wireless
Incontinence is certainly no laughing matter and we’re ever mindful of the fact that for most of us good health is only a temporary condition, nevertheless we couldn’t resist the briefest of wry smiles after hearing about the SIM System electronic underpants. The basic concept is that when sensors embedded in the wearer’s pads detect moisture it sends an alert via a wireless link to a monitoring station, at a nursing home for instance, so staff can provide prompt assistance to a patient, when they need it. Over a period of several days the timing and frequency of the alerts is analysed, which could help carers and medical professionals determine if there’s pattern and subsequently assist with treatment or care strategies. Hopefully we’ll never have need of such a device – though the odds don’t look good as we live longer – so it’s good to know technology can help if, or rather when our plumbing lets us down.
Bing Translator Evolves with 7 New Languages
The addition of Haitian Creole in the second half of January 2010 was only the precursor for the introduction of no less than seven new languages between the 20+ already supported by Microsoft’s machine translation technology. While the addition of Haitian Creole was done out of critical necessity, as the Redmond company was laboring to support the international relief efforts in Haiti, the new seven languages for which support has been added as of today, March 1st, 2010, are part of the natural evolution of Microsoft Translator/Bing Translator.
“I am happy to announce the addition of seven new languages to our translation service. As always, they will be immediately available for your use through the APIs and all the products that consume the service. Here is the list of languages that have been added in the latest release. In addition there have been several updates to the Haitian Creole language since [January 2010],” explained Vikram Dendi, senior product manager, Microsoft Translator. Read more
Microsoft Plus Yahoo vs. Google, So It Begins
The Microsoft and Yahoo marriage has been blessed by antitrust regulators both in Europe and over the pond, giving the two companies green light to implement their anti-Google search alliance. On the morning of February 18th, 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Antitrust Commission have wrapped up their reviews of the Microsoft-Yahoo search agreement. With the alliance between the two giants cleared without restrictions, the duo will now move to implement the deal.
“Although we are just at the beginning of this process, we have reached an exciting milestone,” said Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. “I believe that together, Microsoft and Yahoo! will promote more choice, better value and greater innovation to our customers as well as to advertisers and publishers.”
Microsoft claims that the search agreement was announced in late July 2009, but the company has been flirting publicly with Yahoo for a total of over two years, but there’s no way of telling just how much time had Ballmer actually spent on this deal ahead of the start of 2008. The debut of February 2008, brought with it an unsolicited offer of $44.6 billion from Microsoft, which at the time was trying to acquire Yahoo. Making sure that the deal fell through was Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, then occupying the position of CEO. Read more
Remove Windows Live Messenger
Different programs can cause different changes to your computer, but some of the changes you may not like. When you install windows live messenger on your computer it will create a web shortcut under My Computer in windows xp.
In order to remove these My Sharing Folders icon from my computer, follow the procedure given below
First you need to know the complete version number of windows live messenger you have installed on your computer.
1. Open Live Messenger and go to Help >> About Windows Live Messenger ( you will a window like one shown below )
2. Run the following command in run prompt on xp – and substitute you full version number here Read more
Hulu Adds ABC Content
Hulu is taking another step in becoming the online hub for TV content with the announced availability of content from Disney’s ABC on the online video site. Initially announced a few months ago, the first episodes from one of ABC’s shows are now live on the site. The first snippet is made up of several episodes of the network’s popular primetime drama Grey’s Anatomy with other shows coming soon.
“Today marks the official start of a new relationship: the launch of ABC content on Hulu. Things kick off with five episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, the primetime drama set at Seattle Grace Hospital, where surgical interns try to navigate the challenges of romance and friendship as they scrub in for complicated medical cases,” Rebecca Harper wrote on the Hulu blog. “We have more ABC titles on the way, too,” she added.
The growing popularity of Hulu prompted Disney, which owns ABC, to join the site in April this year with each of the three big networks now owning a reported 27 percent of it. Since the announcement though things remained quiet and only today has ABC content become available. The network plans to add even more content in the coming two weeks, following the Grey’s Anatomy episodes with shows like Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Scrubs, and I Survived a Japanese Game Show. Read more
Firefox Erodes IE to New Low
The open-source browser from Mozilla has managed to grab a share of the market representing no less than half of the Microsoft proprietary browser, according to StatCounter data. Essentially, the market measuring firm indicates that Internet Explorer’s share has dropped to under 60% while Firefox has grown continually to its detriment and is up to 30%. The statistics made public are valid for users worldwide. The situation is much worse in the US for IE and Microsoft, StatCounter explains.
In the US alone, IE dropped from 56 .18% in June 2009 to just 54.77% in July. This while Firefox jumped from 31.5% to 32.34% in the same period of time. Safari is the bronze winner in the browser race with 7.59% while Chrome accounts for 3% and Opera for 0.72% in July. But the growth of Safari, Chrome and Opera pales in comparison to that of Firefox. Read more
Download Firefox 3.6 Nightly Builds
With Firefox 3.5 release coming near, Mozilla has already started working on Firefox’s next version codenamed Namoroka that is scheduled to launch in mid 2010. The pre-alpha builds are already out for Windows, Mac, and Linux. To keep day-to-day tab on the nightly builds, follow the link given at the bottom.
The release is being called Firefox 3.6, but should not be considered as a final name since it might later be called as Firefox.Next due to vast improvements and new features. To learn what’s new in Firefox 3.6, visit the Mozilla Links blog.
Download Firefox Nightly Builds
MSN and the City
Microsoft has overhauled its MSN City Guides online destination providing users with a range of enhancements better suited to connect them with locations, businesses, and events across US cities. MSN City Guides is a local offering from the Redmond company tailored specifically to the US market. The main aspect of the evolution of MSN City Guides is that the service is now designed to go well beyond MSN and integrate Windows Live and Facebook. Over 5,000 cities in the United States have been reviewed, with the content available to users immediately.
“The new MSN City Guides puts city life at your fingertips,” promised Scott Moore, U.S. executive producer, MSN. “All the information you need about a city or neighborhood is there easy to find, easy to use, easy to share. Our goal is to deliver the best resource for navigating U.S. cities, whether you’re a die-hard local or just visiting.” Read more
Google Has a Need for Speed
Everyone knows faster Internet is better, but Google is actually doing something about it. The company wants to make the web faster with a variety of different measures detailed on the newly launched site code.google.com/speed, aimed at web developers and full of tips, tutorials and tools, all focused on speed.
“We are excited to discuss what we’ve learned about web performance with the Internet community. However, to optimize the speed of web applications and make browsing the web as fast as turning the pages of a magazine, we need to work together as a community, to tackle some larger challenges that keep the web slow and prevent it from delivering its full potential,” the official Google blog reads. Read more
Wi-Spy
Here’s a handy little utility for laptop owners. It’s called Wireless NetViewand its sole purpose in life is to show you all of the wireless networks in your immediate vicinity. But wait, I hear you cry, my PC can already do that, using the built-in Windows utility or the one installed by the wireless adaptor. All true, but this one goes a whole lot further, drilling deep into the connection or access points properties, tell you all sorts of useful things about its real time and average signal strength, signal quality, authentication algorithm, security status, channel number and frequency, MAC address and much, much more. Okay, so maybe most of this information is only of interest to geeks and hackers, but it’ll give you something to do the next time you’re stuck at the airport, surfing for a free connection.
