Software Headline

Googorola Over Android

Kiwi — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:57:42 +0000

According to Channel EMEA, ”I think that Android may end up as a closed system because of [Google's] relationship with Motorola,” Whitman said in her keynote presentation at HP’s company’s global partner summit in Las Vegas.

I think there is room for another operating system,” she said. “iOS is great but it is a closed system.” Android is currently open – as long as you’re not relying on getting all the info about the latest and greatest versions under development – but Whitman suggests that developers not bank on it remaining so.

“These things take time, she believes. “We decided to contribute webOS to the open source community,” she said, “and this will take three to four years to play out.”

Source: The Register

Mac Wants To Be More Like The iPhone

Kiwi — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:53:43 +0000

Apple CEO Tim Cook is now aiming for the opposite – he wants the Mac to be more like the iPhone, not the other way around. A new version of Mac OS X was unveiled (in fact, the company is dropping the whole ‘Mac’ moniker and going with just OS X) codenamed ‘Mountain Lion.’

This next generation operating system, released to developers as a beta version, demonstrates further alignment between the smartphone and desktop world. In the article, Tim Cook is quoted as saying “We see that people are in love with a lot of apps and functionality here … Anywhere where that makes sense, we are going to move that over to Mac.”

Apps seem to be the, erm, killer app here, that’s for sure, and it’s clear that Apple is thinking of a future where the Mac computer OS X and the iPhone’s iOS coexist far more intimately. While all kinds of devices will continue to be manufactured, and probably maintain their unique characteristics, we’ll see far more similarities in the software look, feel and apps they run.

Source: Yahoo News

It’s Over for Sony and Ericsson

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:29:17 +0000

Sony and Ericsson are now officially divorced. The divorce papers have been officially signed for Sony Ericsson, giving Japanese entertainment biz Sony its very own phone-making unit and Swedish company Ericsson some lovely cash.

Sony will rename Sony Ericsson “Sony Mobile Communications”, and further integrate the mobile phone business as a vital element of its electronics business, with the aim of accelerating convergence between Sony’s lineup of network enabled consumer electronics products, including smart phones, tablets, TVs and PCs.

“We will now enhance our focus on enabling connectivity for all devices, using our R&D and industry leading patent portfolio to realise a truly connected world,” Hans Vestberg, president and CEO, said at the time.

Source: The Register – Software

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LibreOffice v.3.5 Coming Soon

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:18:26 +0000

The Document Foundation (TDF) has announced the release of LibreOffice 3.5, which it modestly describes as “the best free office suite ever.”

We inherited a 15 years old code base, where features were not implemented and bugs were not solved in order to avoid creating problems, and this – with time – was the origin of a large technical debt,” says Caolán McNamara, a senior Red Hat developer who is one of TDF’s founders and directors.

“We had two options: a conservative strategy, which would immediately please all users, leaving the code basically unchanged, and our more aggressive feature development and code renovation path, which has created some stability problems in the short term but is rapidly leading to a completely new and substantially improved free office suite: LibreOffice 3.5, the best free office suite ever.”

Source: The Register – Software

Soon to be Released – MS System Center 2012

Kiwi — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:42:21 +0000

Microsoft System Center 2012 is a comprehensive solution built to manage today’s increasingly virtualized datacenters as well as emerging private and public cloud environments and will be released in the first half of 2012, aiming for the “Microsoft Management Summit” that will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada in April 2012.

System Center 2012 is offered in two editions: Standard and Datacenter. Both editions include the full set of System Center server management capabilities and are only differentiated by virtualization rights.

System Center 2012 captures and aggregates knowledge about systems, policies, processes and best practices so that you can optimize your infrastructure to reduce costs, improve application availability and enhance service delivery.

Source: SND Latest News

Microsoft Bets on Office 15 and IE10

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:57:04 +0000

Steve Ballmer wasn’t kidding when he said Windows 8 could be Microsoft’s “riskiest product bet.”

With two-and-a-half weeks to go until Microsoft delivers the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, time has run out on holding back and Microsoft is now telling Windows devs just what they’re in for with the next version of its PC client.

We’re looking at an operating system that fundamentally changes the way apps will be written for, and delivered to, versions of Windows.

Source: The Register – Software

Google Offering to Pay Web Users to Track Their Every Move

Kiwi — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:28:16 +0000

Less than a month after announcing a controversial new privacy policy that shares user data across all its sites with no opt-out option, Google is introducing a system to monitor all online activity of those who participate in a program called Screenwise.

In exchange for unrestricted access to information on your every online move, the search and software giant is offering financial compensation.

By signing up for Screenwise and installing a browser plugin (only Google Chrome is supported at present), you’ll be given $5 in store credit on Amazon.

For every three months you continue to provide Google with browsing data, you’ll earn an addition $5 gift card, up to a total of $25. Only those over 13 can participate and, perhaps not surprisingly, signups are currently on hold due to overwhelming interest.

Source: Yahoo News!

Steve Jobs’ Top Secret File Revealed

admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:46:25 +0000

An FBI report on Steve Jobs revealed many unflattering disclosures such as colleagues who called him “abrasive,” “demanding” and “deceptive.”

From the file, it seems Jobs spent some time working for the government, reportedly on satellite and software-related programs. In fact, in 1988, Jobs held a “Top Secret” clearance. He lost that clearance in 1990.

It’s not known if Jobs was aware of his FBI file, but he was interviewed during the background check and cooperated.

Source: News items | ZDNet

Sinofsky Shows Off Windows 8 on ARM and Office15

Kiwi — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:21:02 +0000

Windows boss Stephen Sinofsky has ended months of speculation with the first (fairly)detailed drilldown into Windows 8 on ARM (WOA) platform, and says it should be ready for a simultaneous launch with its x86/64 counterpart.

Devices running WOA will come with both a Metro touch-based interface and the more traditional desktop, and will run Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote applications with full document compatibility with x86/64 systems.

Photo sharing, calendar, mail, storage and contact applications will also be the same as on ARM and x86/64. But that’s it for compatibility – all other apps on WOA have to be Metro-style WinRT and come via the Windows Store.

Source: The Register

Kaspersky Lab’s Sales Slowed in 2011

Kiwi — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:51:21 +0000

Russia’s Kaspersky Lab reported that sales growth slowed substantially last year as the world’s No. 4 maker of anti-virus software said its business was starting to mature.

The company, co-founded by computer security expert Eugene Kaspersky, said that sales grew 14 percent last year. That is down from growth of 38 percent in the prior year.

Revenue totalled $612 million last year. The company declined to provide profit figures.

Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Garry Kondakov downplayed the decline, saying that the drop was a result of the company’s maturation.

“I think it is natural,” he said at a press briefing in Cancun, Mexico.

Source: Yahoo News