Windows 8 Destined For A 2012 Launch - I4U

2012 will bring about it a new presidential election, the perceived day of global destruction...and a brand new Windows operating system.

It would be just a few years since the launch of Windows 7, an operating system that people have found at least tolerable, if not an improvement, after the debacle that was Windows Vista.

The news came from a Dutch Microsoft website in which an employee blogged about the next operating system being a couple years away. Production and planning are already underway.

Not much is known about what Windows 8 would bring to the table. However, based on previous leaks it appears Microsoft wants a centralized PC "App Store" interface, as well as faster boot-up times and the ability to log in users based on facial recognition.

With a two year buffer, it should still give users a reasonable amount of time to use Windows 7 before accepting that it's time to update. The turnaround time for a new operating system would be notably reduced from prior history, including the long and dreaded amount of time it took for Microsoft to usurp Vista with Windows 7.

Via Mashable

View the original article here

Prop. 23 defeat sweet for Tom Steyer - San Jose Mercury News

View the original article here

T-Mobile renames upgraded 3G network '4G' - BusinessWeek

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK

Sprint and Verizon Wireless are building wireless data networks using new technologies that the industry calls fourth-generation, or 4G. Not to be outdone, T-Mobile USA is launching a campaign this week that renames its upgraded 3G network "4G."

T-Mobile says the move is justified because downloads on its network are as fast as the new 4G networks.

Previously, T-Mobile has referred to the network as offering "4G speeds," but it's giving up that qualification to call it straight-up 4G in TV ads that started Tuesday evening.

Sprint Nextel Corp. says the 4G name isn't just about speeds, but the underlying technology. Sprint says T-Mobile's network doesn't qualify, though it didn't say if it might challenge T-Mobile's advertising in court or with a complaint to the advertising industry's self-regulatory board.

View the original article here

Windows Phone 7 Sales Reportedly Strong in International Markets - eWeek

Windows Phone 7 sales seem to be off to a solid start in international markets, according to reports from around the world.

DigiTimes reported in a Nov. 3 article that sales of HTC-built Windows Phone 7 smartphones are ?better than expected? in Europe and Australia. Stocks of the HTC HD7 and HTC 7 Mozart had apparently sold out in both the latter country and Germany.

?Early supporters of the new operating system such as South Korea?s Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are also experiencing rising demand from carriers,? the article suggested, indicating the sales information came from unnamed ?Taiwan-based handset makers.?

Meanwhile, stocks of Windows Phone 7 devices in the U.K. are apparently low, according to several media outlets. ?We will be launching with limited amounts of both our Windows Phone 7 devices, the HTC 7 Mozart and the Samsung Omnia 7,? a representative from U.K. carrier Orange wrote in an e-mail to Mobile Today. ?We are, however, anticipating that our competitors could be in a similar situation.? Orange customers were apparently being offered a cash voucher in exchange for preordering a Windows Phone 7 device.

The Mobile Today article quoted an Orange manager as saying: ?I was shocked when I heard the news. We are the lead partner for Windows Phone 7. But I believe this is a manufacturer issue on a worldwide scale.?

Windows Phone 7 will make its debut in the U.S. market Nov. 8, with two devices?the HTC Surround and Samsung Focus?on AT&T. At the company?s Professional Developers Conference 2010, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer suggested that the smartphone platform has a chance in what he termed a still-nascent mobile market, despite fierce competition from the likes of Apple iPhone and Google Android.

?We?re early; there?s no question we?re early,? he told the audience during an Oct. 28 speech, according to CNNMoney.com. ?I think we kind of nailed it. When you see it, you just go ?oooh.??

Windows Phone 7 differs from its competitors with a user interface that aggregates Web content and applications into six subject-specific ?Hubs,? such as ?People? and ?Games.? Microsoft hopes that format will attract users away from competing platforms that rely on grid-like screens of individual apps.

During the PDC, Ballmer also reiterated that Microsoft intends to reverse its fortunes in smartphones, where its market-share has fallen steadily over several quarters. The company is reportedly pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into marketing efforts.

?Make no mistake about it, we?re all in,? Ballmer reportedly told the audience. ?I get all kinds of questions about ?What if you don?t do this or that,? or blah, blah, blah. Boom, baby, that?s what we?re going to do.?

 

View the original article here

Google Settles Buzz Lawsuit - InformationWeek

Google began sending messages to Gmail users in the U.S. on Tuesday to provide notification that it had reached a settlement in the Buzz class action lawsuit.

The launch of Google's Buzz social networking service in February prompted a privacy outcry and subsequent lawsuits, which were aggregated into a class action.

Google made a series of changes to its service to address complaints that Buzz exposed private and potentially sensitive Gmail contacts. These included making choices about followers and following more visible, moving to an auto-suggest model rather than automatic following, and the addition of Buzz to the Google Dashboard to make it easier to see one's Buzz settings.

The settlement does not include an admission of error or any compensation for Gmail users. Rather it acknowledges the changes Google made in its service to address complaints and commits $8.5 million, less legal fees, to be directed to "organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the Web," as Google puts it in its letter.

Those seeking compensation have to opt-out of the settlement before the December 6 deadline, file a separate lawsuit, and win in court.

As a result of a separate privacy snafu -- the company's inadvertent gathering of WiFi packet data through its Street View cars -- Google last week made a significant commitment to improve its approach to privacy by adding a new director of privacy to oversee product management, implementing additional process controls and auditing, and adding further privacy education for employees.

See the latest collaboration tools and technologies at Enterprise 2.0 Santa Clara's comprehensive conference and expo. It happens Nov. 8-11, 2010, in Santa Clara, Calif. Find out more.

View the original article here