Microsoft Announced New Windows 8-Ready Hardware
Ahead of the Windows 8 release at the end of October, Microsoft has opted to jump the gun and make a few new OS-specific accessories available in the form of the Wedge Mobile Keyboard and Wedge Touch Mouse—two Aluminum-clad products with a few unassuming tricks up their sleeves.
Aside from the rock-solid build quality, Bluetooth-connectivity, and Windows 8-specific keys (charms, search, etc.) the Wedge Mobile Keyboard's magic lies in it's cover. The soft rubber surface is meant to be placed against a tablet's screen when in transit, and the battery compartment of the keyboard pulls double duty as a hand grip so that you can carry that tablet and the keyboard easily with one hand.
But the cover hides another secret: if you fold it in half, it will hold its shape, allowing you to bend it into a stand for a Windows 8 tablet, ensuring the piece always maintains some utility.
Aside from the rock-solid build quality, Bluetooth-connectivity, and Windows 8-specific keys (charms, search, etc.) the Wedge Mobile Keyboard's magic lies in it's cover. The soft rubber surface is meant to be placed against a tablet's screen when in transit, and the battery compartment of the keyboard pulls double duty as a hand grip so that you can carry that tablet and the keyboard easily with one hand.
But the cover hides another secret: if you fold it in half, it will hold its shape, allowing you to bend it into a stand for a Windows 8 tablet, ensuring the piece always maintains some utility.
The Wedge Touch Mouse, meanwhile, is a tiny piece of distinctly-shaped technology which also makes use of Bluetooth and Microsoft's BlueTrack technology. But what hides beneath the buttons is a touch-sensitive surface which allows you to scroll up and down through the Metro UI. Additionally, a minor, but smart feature of the mouse revolves around the battery compartment: once you open its spring-loaded cover with the push of the button, you can't latch it again unless the battery is placed in the right direction. It's a little thing, but so, so ingenious.
In addition to the Wedge accessories, Microsoft also released the Sculpt Mobile Keyboard and Touch Mouse, which lack some of the premium styling and functionality of the aforementioned products, but still offer a wireless connection, and ability to navigate through the Windows 8 UI quickly and easily. Furthermore, the Microsoft Touch Mouse, which first landed in consumer hands last year, has been updated with Windows 8 multitouch gestures (but can be programmed for Windows 7-style gestures if you like. All the products will begin shipping to retail outlets in August in time for the Windows 8 launch. The Wedge keyboard and mouse will cost $80 and $70, respectively, while the Sculpt keyboard and mouse will each cost $50. The Touch Mouse will still sell for $80.
In addition to the Wedge accessories, Microsoft also released the Sculpt Mobile Keyboard and Touch Mouse, which lack some of the premium styling and functionality of the aforementioned products, but still offer a wireless connection, and ability to navigate through the Windows 8 UI quickly and easily. Furthermore, the Microsoft Touch Mouse, which first landed in consumer hands last year, has been updated with Windows 8 multitouch gestures (but can be programmed for Windows 7-style gestures if you like. All the products will begin shipping to retail outlets in August in time for the Windows 8 launch. The Wedge keyboard and mouse will cost $80 and $70, respectively, while the Sculpt keyboard and mouse will each cost $50. The Touch Mouse will still sell for $80.
Google Fiber: Google's new ultra-high speed internet
After more than two years of anticipation, Google finally announced Thursday that the company's ultra-high speed internet service Google Fiber would become available to the residents of its test community Kansas City starting in September.
Offering an internet connectivity speed of one gigabit per second, Google said the service will be about 100 times faster than the speed most Americans have with current broadband connections .
Instead of a broadband connection, Google Fiber is composed of thin optical fiber lines that run directly from a person's home to a data centre, which is then in turn connected to the national internet backbone.
According to Google, it is this "direct connection" from a person's home to the national backbone that will allow users to experience such high internet speeds.
Google said it was inspired to develop Google Fiber in line with the Federal Communication Commission's 2010 National Broadband Plan, which calls for making high speed internet more widely available in the US. Despite the fact that internet was invented in the US, according to content delivery network Akamai's 2011 State of the Internet report, the US ranks only 12th globally in internet connection speed, with an average connection of 5.8 megabits per second. South Korea ranks first, with an average speed of 17.5 megabits per second.
After months of laying the infrastructure and groundwork, Google Fiber will finally start home-installation after the pre-registration deadline Sep 9. The internet service is priced at $70 a month, which is competitive with most US broadband internet providers.
Google also announced the new internet service could be paired with a television component, Google Fiber TV, which Google says will include regular broadcast channels and thousands of TV shows on demand.
Although Google already owns video-sharing site YouTube, it will be the company's first venture into serving as a television provider.
The Google Fiber project first started in February 2010, when Google announced that the company planned to build an ultra-high speed internet network in a select US city that was willing to partner with them.
According to Google, the response was overwhelming. The company received invitations from almost 1,100 US communities and close to 200,000 individuals, all expressing their desire for faster internet service. Some cities even tried doing stunts hoping to attract the Google Fiber project, with one city mayor even jumping into a frozen river and posting the request on YouTube.
Ultimately, the Midwest community of Kansas City was chosen as the Google Fiber launch site in spring 2011. According to Wandres, Kansas City was chosen because of its business-friendly infrastructure, community involvement, and supportive officials.
Offering an internet connectivity speed of one gigabit per second, Google said the service will be about 100 times faster than the speed most Americans have with current broadband connections .
Instead of a broadband connection, Google Fiber is composed of thin optical fiber lines that run directly from a person's home to a data centre, which is then in turn connected to the national internet backbone.
According to Google, it is this "direct connection" from a person's home to the national backbone that will allow users to experience such high internet speeds.
Google said it was inspired to develop Google Fiber in line with the Federal Communication Commission's 2010 National Broadband Plan, which calls for making high speed internet more widely available in the US. Despite the fact that internet was invented in the US, according to content delivery network Akamai's 2011 State of the Internet report, the US ranks only 12th globally in internet connection speed, with an average connection of 5.8 megabits per second. South Korea ranks first, with an average speed of 17.5 megabits per second.
After months of laying the infrastructure and groundwork, Google Fiber will finally start home-installation after the pre-registration deadline Sep 9. The internet service is priced at $70 a month, which is competitive with most US broadband internet providers.
Google also announced the new internet service could be paired with a television component, Google Fiber TV, which Google says will include regular broadcast channels and thousands of TV shows on demand.
Although Google already owns video-sharing site YouTube, it will be the company's first venture into serving as a television provider.
The Google Fiber project first started in February 2010, when Google announced that the company planned to build an ultra-high speed internet network in a select US city that was willing to partner with them.
According to Google, the response was overwhelming. The company received invitations from almost 1,100 US communities and close to 200,000 individuals, all expressing their desire for faster internet service. Some cities even tried doing stunts hoping to attract the Google Fiber project, with one city mayor even jumping into a frozen river and posting the request on YouTube.
Ultimately, the Midwest community of Kansas City was chosen as the Google Fiber launch site in spring 2011. According to Wandres, Kansas City was chosen because of its business-friendly infrastructure, community involvement, and supportive officials.
Nokia to launch Windows phone 8 devices
September is looking to be an intriguing period, with growing rumblings of the next-generation iPhone getting a release date earlier that month. Microsoft and Nokia aren’t willing to just stand around, though, and the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer is supposedly scheduled to hold a “World Event” on the 5th of the month to showcase the first two Windows Phone 8 handsets in the world.
The release of these Windows Phone 8 devices – supposedly the Lumia 910 and Lumia 920 – will give Nokia one month as the single provider of smartphones that run Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system.
According to the rumors, Windows Phone 8 should support a wide range of new features, particularly support for multi-core CPUs and new resizable versions of “live tiles,” the operating system’s iconic app and widgets.
While we know absolutely nothing about Nokia’s upcoming smartphones, these devices should have hardware that would allow them to compete with at least upper-midrange Android handsets. Dual-core chipsets, 720p displays and support for external storage should be just the start, but quad-core processors aren’t too remote a possibility.
More importantly, these devices could integrate Nokia’s PureView imaging technology, which would allow the inclusion of high-megapixel and high-quality cameras. The Nokia 808 PureView – whose camera has a 41-megapxel sensor and Carl Zeiss optics – is easily the best cameraphone ever created, but is hamstrung by the unfortunately lower-midrange hardware it’s equipped with. A high-end Windows Phone 8 PureView Lumia should give this camera the type of device that it deserves to be in.
Estimates of Windows Phone’s market share differ, but it is clearly in fourth-place, lagging behind Android, iOS and BlackBerry. However, it’s predicted to steadily gain a foothold and expand its market share in the United States to at least 4% and internationally to 5.2%.
Sales of the new Windows Phone 8 models from Nokia should contribute significantly to this.
The release of these Windows Phone 8 devices – supposedly the Lumia 910 and Lumia 920 – will give Nokia one month as the single provider of smartphones that run Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system.
According to the rumors, Windows Phone 8 should support a wide range of new features, particularly support for multi-core CPUs and new resizable versions of “live tiles,” the operating system’s iconic app and widgets.
While we know absolutely nothing about Nokia’s upcoming smartphones, these devices should have hardware that would allow them to compete with at least upper-midrange Android handsets. Dual-core chipsets, 720p displays and support for external storage should be just the start, but quad-core processors aren’t too remote a possibility.
More importantly, these devices could integrate Nokia’s PureView imaging technology, which would allow the inclusion of high-megapixel and high-quality cameras. The Nokia 808 PureView – whose camera has a 41-megapxel sensor and Carl Zeiss optics – is easily the best cameraphone ever created, but is hamstrung by the unfortunately lower-midrange hardware it’s equipped with. A high-end Windows Phone 8 PureView Lumia should give this camera the type of device that it deserves to be in.
Estimates of Windows Phone’s market share differ, but it is clearly in fourth-place, lagging behind Android, iOS and BlackBerry. However, it’s predicted to steadily gain a foothold and expand its market share in the United States to at least 4% and internationally to 5.2%.
Sales of the new Windows Phone 8 models from Nokia should contribute significantly to this.