Month: April 2013

Made with the Chromebook in mind, but hey! It works in the Chrome browser too!

A speedy, more secure way to view Microsoft Office files directly in Chrome

“If you use a Chromebook, you’ve already been enjoying the ability to open Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files directly in your browser. Starting today, we’re excited to bring this same functionality to Chrome on Windows and Mac.

If you’re running Chrome Beta on Windows or Mac and install the Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) extension, you’ll be able to click a link to an Office file and open it directly in Chrome.

In addition to saving you time, the Chrome Office Viewer also protects you from malware delivered via Office files. Just like with web pages and PDFs, we’ve added a specialized sandbox to impede attackers who use compromised Office files to try to steal private information or monitor your activities.

To give it a try on Windows or Mac:

• Get Chrome Beta
• Install the Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) extension
• Start clicking your favorite Word docs, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint slides on the web”

The new release of Ubuntu is almost here, and it looks like there are some significant improvements in memory usage and boot time!

Ubuntu 13.04 release: Laying the groundwork for OS’ phone and tablet future

“Ubuntu 13.04 goes on general release tomorrow – bringing with it improvements to support the open source OS’ transformation into a platform that runs across phones, tablets, PCs and TVs.

The release demonstrates consistently faster boot speeds than earlier versions — down to about 40 seconds on Intel and AMD-based Acer Veriton desktop machines — shrinks memory usage by as much as 50MB, reduces image size and cuts power consumption, according to Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu.

‘We’ve been driving Ubuntu to be a coverged OS across different client form factors – tablet, phone, desktop. A lot of underlying work to make that happen has been happening in this development cycle,’ said Canonical CEO Jane Silber.

‘From the user perspective I think what people will notice is a real increase in speed and the visual smoothness of the experience. It’s a polishing of the user experience.’

Canonical is working on bringing the OS to two reference phones and two tablets, including the Nexus 7. The Ubunutu community already has the OS in some sort of working order on about 40 devices, said Silber.

At present there are code differences between the Ubuntu 13.04 release and Ubuntu Touch stack targeted at phones and tablets, but Silber says the two will converge with a future release, probably with the 13.10 Ubuntu release due out in October. 13.10 will see the X windows system used in 13.04 replaced with the MIR display server, which Silber said will make for a streamlined code base that can be more easily updated to support a range of devices. MIR is available as an option for developer testing of Ubuntu.

While producing a unified OS for multiple devices and form factors is’a big challenge’, according to Silber, she said the work is simplified by relying on a common core platform.

‘In some ways it’s increasing the work, but probably less than you would imagine. We’ve been working on Unity as an environment for several years now. From the outset we’ve designed it as an environment that appears differently in different form factors,’ she said.

Mark Baker, product manager for server at Canonical, said: ‘We’re a relatively small company in comparison to the people operating in the spaces we’re looking to push into: the tablet, phone and thin client space. We have to find a model that allows us to scale that development.

‘That means having the core Ubuntu platform – the kernel, libraries, APIs and other bits and pieces – that’s common across the whole Ubuntu product set. What varies is the presentation layer. Therefore while it’s more work than previously it’s a lot less work compared to say Apple that has completely different platforms based on the form factor or device they have. We’re at least compiling Ubuntu from that common platform.'”

So now they never have to leave their consoles? Will I ever see my son again?! (Fortunately, he prefers Mario’s Pizza to Pizza Hut, or I might have a REAL problem!)

Gamers can order Pizza Hut straight from the Xbox — with hand gestures!

“Long slave to the physical demands of picking up a phone, computer, smartphone, or tablet to place an order for food delivery, gamers can now create their own custom Pizza Hut pizzas — and order them — from their Xbox 360 console thanks to a unique partnership between Microsoft and the international chain.

The ‘Pizza Hut for Xbox’ app, now available, is even compatible with Kinect’s voice and motion-controlled input. Yes, users can simply speak to their console or wave their hands to create a custom pizza with personalized toppings.

Hungry gamers must first sync their Xbox Live account with a Pizza Hut account and select a nearby restaurant from which to place an order. The app also offers integration with Facebook, allowing users to post details about their order or just brag to their friends about how they just told an inanimate object to bring them dinner.

‘We’re always looking at ways to give our audience more of what they’re interested in,’ Microsoft’s director of programming for Xbox Live Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb told the gaming site Polygon.

‘If you look at our audience, they love pizza. I mean, who doesn’t? It has international appeal, and Pizza Hut is a recognized brand that matches up well with the Xbox brand.’

The Pizza Hut app launched today in the U.S., and Pizza Hut is offering customers a 15 percent discount on their first purchase, provided they place the order before May 6.

Neither Microsoft nor Pizza Hut has given any details about a possible international launch of the Pizza Hut app in the future. Representatives from both companies were not immediately available for comment on this story, though the official Pizza Hut Twitter account did share the news.”

I NEED this! But, I don’t want to have to move to Japan! Come on, America! You have to catch up!

Japan introduces world’s fastest internet speeds with Sony Nuro Fiber service

It appears as though the competition for highest internet speed is on the move as the use of optic fiber connections begins to make lasting strides. Broadband, a term once upon a time used to describe wider band frequency usage to provide faster data throughput rates, has now become a mere marketing gimmick by ISPs advertising their high-speed services. Now, it seems as though the key word to look out for is “fiber.” With that, just a few days ago, a Japanese ISP launched its new fiber connection service that boasts the world’s fastest data rate at 2 Gbps.

Fiber optic communication currently reigns supreme in wired networking thanks to its simple principle of carrying data through fast moving pulses of light. Google Fiber has recently pioneered the efforts of providing its blazing speed connections to a limited number of cities in the United States – Kansas City (MO and KS), Austin, and a handful of others will soon have 1 Gbps connections available. The reason for such slow implementation is simply due to the complexity involved in implementing an optic fiber network – lots of time, effort, and money goes into taking down and putting up new connection lines. Thus, densely packed communities are most likely to benefit more immediate implementation as is seen by the United Arab Emirates’ 70% fiber availability, and Japan’s recent move raising its availability to 25% of households.

Japan’s So-net Entertainment ISP is being backed by Sony during the launch of its ‘Nuro’ fiber-based service. To be available for the upgrade, residents must be located within the Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, Tochigi, or Tokyo regions of the country. The service will cost customers ¥4,980 ($51 USD) for a two-year contract on top of a one-time ¥52,500 ($537 USD) installation fee. Their monthly bill will also cover the rental of an Optical Network Unite (ONU) – a device necessary for converting high-speed fiber connections for in home, broadband use.

Due to the lack of computer network support for fiber connections, it is unlikely that Nuro fiber internet subscribers will actually see speeds close to the advertised 2Gbps down/1Gbps up anytime soon. As these fast internet connections become more abundant with time, network adapters capable of handling such speeds will too begin making their way into more homes. Let’s hope the technology roll-out begins making its way to our respective communities soon.”

The Verge says that the Start Button will be back in Windows 8.1. Well, I would hope so! Unless Microsoft wants to keep turning a deaf ear to it’s users! Yeesh!

Windows 8.1 set to bring back the Start button

“Microsoft is preparing to revive the traditional Start button it killed with Windows 8. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to The Verge that Windows 8.1 will include the return of the Start button. We understand that the button will act as a method to simply access the Start Screen, and will not include the traditional Start Menu. The button is said to look near-identical to the existing Windows flag used in the Charm bar.

Microsoft’s change of heart follows another recent planned change for Windows 8.1: a boot to desktop option. We understand Microsoft will add an option to allow users to boot directly to the traditional desktop environment in future builds of the upcoming Windows 8 upgrade. Most internal builds of Windows 8.1 do not include the Start button or boot to desktop options, but Microsoft is said to be planning how to add these into the operating system. ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley previously reported on Microsoft’s plans to bring back the Start button and a boot to desktop option.

The death of the traditional Start button in Windows 8 was one of a number of controversial changes introduced with Microsoft’s latest operating system. In our review of Windows 8 we called the new navigation changes ‘a steep learning curve,’ and feedback on the Start button removal has been mixed. 1.5 million downloads of Pokki, a Start Menu replacement, and other similar tools suggest that Windows 8 users still want the Start button and Start Menu. Microsoft explained away its removal using data it gathered from the company’s Customer Experience Improvement Program, but we understand the return in Windows 8.1 is due to customer feedback. We may see the Start button return in the upcoming Windows 8.1 Public Preview, if not expect to see it in the final version due later this year.”