Network Updates

Twitter Launches An “Alpha” Testing Program On Android, Invites Users To Give Feedback And Collaborate Directly

2013-11-10T01:07:00.002+05:30

Twitter launched a beta testing program on Android which allows users to opt-in to try out early versions of the Twitter application and other unreleased features which are being considered for inclusion in the official Twitter mobile applications. Now it seems the company is taking this testing one step further – or rather, one step back – with the launch of an alpha testing program for Android users.

Alpha versions of the Twitter app “will include earlier iterations of experiments,” says Twitter in a post to the Twitter for Android Alpha Program Google Group, where it shares announcements about its testing programs.The program will also give users the opportunity to provide direct feedback and collaborate directly with the company via a forum, the message explains.

That’s much more involvement that the beta program allows for, as beta users generally just receive a new build of the Android app for testing purposes, but don’t really interact with the company beyond sharing bug reports. Alpha testers, meanwhile, may have the ability to actually influence the direction Twitter heads.

The program will have limited space, and it will be accepting requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those who are invited in will receive an email confirmation in a few days if they’re able to get in. Note that joining a test group like this is not for those who rely heavily on the Twitter app working perfectly all the time. An alpha build of an app will have stability issues and far more bugs than the beta or public releases.

Twitter is not the only company to turn to Google Groups and the Android platform to gather up app testers. Other companies have also begun running tests there in recent months, including both Snapchat and Facebook. But Twitter is keen to experiment with its mobile interface, having added a number of new features and changes just ahead of yesterday’s IPO event, including rich media-filled Twitter Cards, a blue line to connect conversations, interaction buttons on the mobile timeline, pre-expanded images, and more.

Not all the changes have been warmly welcomed by Twitter’s user base however – the blue line, in particular, irks some to no end. But with Twitter’s alpha program, there may be room for Twitter’s most vocal and engaged users to have a say in these changes earlier on.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 2 dual-mode notebook

2013-11-09T01:21:00.000+05:30

Lenovo has planned to sell the IdeaPad Flex 2 multi-mode notebook in India for a price of Rs 42,250 for users who are not interested in carrying multiple devices all the time. Like its Yoga counterparts, the laptop can act as a tablet when its display is flipped backwards. The company has a range of such gadgets on offer and only recently it launched slates under the Yoga brand which can be used in various modes.

To make the Flex 2 capable of offering the functionality of a tablet, it has been fitted with a 10-point multi-touch display apart from the AccuType keyboard which also graces the gadget. This screen claims to render visuals in 1366 x 768 pixel resolution and can bend up to an angle of 300 degrees. This flexibility lets you have a makeshift stand to position the notebook on a table.

The Flex 2 includes 720p Webcam, USB 3.0 ports, memory card slots, HDMI ports, connectivity options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 4GB of DDR3L RAM and high performance GPU Nvidia GeForce GT 740M . It can be customized with a fourth generation Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors and a 45Wh battery stays under the hood to deliver battery life of about 9 hours runs on Windows 8 .

Its exterior measures 13.51 x 9.87 x 0.23 inches and weighs in at around 2 kilograms. The device is drenched in the shade of black and features silver-grey edges. And as it sports an HD webcam, you can engage in video conferencing over the internet as well. Wireless communication options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are present along with connectivity ports for USB and HDMI cables. It even has a memory card slot.

Apple and Microsoft sues Google and most big Android manufacturers

2013-11-01T22:40:00.001+05:30

Many companies including Microsoft, Apple, Sony, Ericsson, and BlackBerry filed lawsuits again Android manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei, Asustek, and ZTE, as well as other Android manufacturers. All the lawsuits target Google as well, if only indirectly, and one mentions the company by name, saying its core money-maker, Adwords, violates a 1998 patent.

The company is called Rockstar, and was established as a consortium in 2011, to bid on the trove of technology patents left behind by the bankrupt Canadian technology company Nortel. Back then, Apple, Microsoft, BlackBerry, Ericsson, and Sony teamed up to bid for almost 6,000 of Nortel’s patents, many covering mobile technology. The so-called Rockstar Bidco consortium eventually won the acution, with a bid of $4.5 billion. The other big competitor in the auction was Google, who bid $4.4 billion before giving up. Later, Google bought Motorola for $12.5 billion, and its own treasure trove of patents was reportedly one of the main reasons behind the acquisition.

Rockstar was widely expected to attempt to monetize the 6,000 patents it bought from Nortel, and this week the company made its first move by filing lawsuits against Google, Asustek, HTC, Huawei, LG Electronics, Pantech, Samsung, and ZTE. The suits were filed in the Eastern District of Texas, a district that is well known for favoring plaintiffs in patent cases.

The complaint against Google involves six patents related to serving ads in a search engine describing “an advertisement machine which provides advertisements to a user searching for desired information within a data network”. The technology isn’t related to mobile, but it’s a frontal attack to Google’s bread and butter business, AdWords. The oldest patent precedes Google’s founding, being awarded in 1997, while the newest was awarded in 2011.

Rockstar attacked the group of Android manufacturers with a batch of seven diverse patents, including ones that pertain to navigation through electronic interfaces or to an integrated message center. The stakeholders of Rockstar claim that the consortium acts independently. And, because Rockstar doesn’t have any operations of its own, Google, and other companies in its sights, can’t retaliate with a countersuit, like Samsung did with Apple.

Because Rockstar is a distinct entity, it can even sue companies that its owners have patent agreements with – for instance, Apple and HTC signed a 10-Year patent licensing deal, but that didn’t shelter the Taiwanese company from Rockstar’s suit. Sony, as a stakeholder in Rockstar and a major Google Android partner, is also in an interesting position.

Patent lawsuits can take years to finalize, and it’s not clear yet if the patents that Rockstar yields as a weapon against Google and Android OEMs are essential to their business. In other words, there’s a long way to go before these lawsuits have any tangible effects. However, the fact that Rockstar has finally commenced its attack should be worrying for consumers, who have absolutely nothing to gain from it.

Intel reviled what happens in an Internet Minute

2013-10-15T19:20:00.002+05:30

What happens in an Internet minute? Today, the number of networked devices is equal to the global population. By 2015, the number of networked devices will be twice the global population.

Everything moves fast on the Internet, but just how fast are we talking about here? How much data gets shared across the Internet? How much data transferrers through Internet, While you start reading this article and thinking how the data is transfered in the span of time, Petabytes of data transfers through Internet this is how huge and faster Internet is, we are talking about emails, status posts, tweets and retweets,the downloading of apps and uploading of vacation pictures, streaming of online videos and music, online transactions and many more the list goes on.

Intel's internet minute infographic reveals exactly what we do online - with 639,800GB of data transferred

              What about the other side of the data transferrers i.e, servers, hosting, data storage, social networking and all other stuff.

             So what happens in an Internet minute? Well, folks at Intel did some number crunching and came up with a figure that describes what happens in sixty seconds on the Internet — 639,800 GB of global IP data gets transferred, that’s what. Above is an infographic to show you a breakdown of what contributes to more than half a million gigabytes of information being transferred all across the world every minute through the power of communication technology.

           This new study, by chipmaker Intel, found that more than 204 million mails are sent every minute, while 47,000 apps are downloaded and retail giant Amazon rings up around £55,000 ($83,000) are in sales. Around 20 million photos and
6 million Facebook pages are viewed, 1.3 million video clips on YouTube are watched.

Nearly 64,000 GB of global ip data is transferred in just one Internet minute.

'Computing is transforming and touching more people in a wider range of devices,' said Intel's Krystal Temple. But while it's hard to miss the proliferation of portable devices, it's what we don't see that's the bigger issue.

What many people don't see is that the increase in mobile devices has a tremendous impact on the amount of data traffic crossing the network. It's a little easy to understand once we think about all that's done on a connected device like a smartphone's .

Google’s data center in Douglas County, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.

Listening to music, watching videos, downloading and uploading photos, playing online games, refreshing and retweet twitter feeds and status updates - all of those activities generate network traffic. The study by Intel also looked at how the data could expand dramatically in the future, It predicted that by 2015, the number of networked devices is expected to be double the world's population and it would take five years to view all the video content crossing IP networks each second by then.

The Intel also reveled it is developing new networking equipment to deal with the increase in traffic, codenamed 'Crystal Forest,' that will boost performance and specially designed chipset for network infrastructure.

Intel's new Crystal Forest chipset includes an undisclosed embedded CPU, an 89XX-series chipset and their Data Plane Development Kit which is the SDK they've created for designing fast path network processing.

This is not a competitor to AMD's Freedom Fabric which is designed for communication within a large series of processing nodes, instead you will see Crystal Forest powering high end routers and web appliances.

Intel has designed this new chipset to increase the performance of cryptography and compression on network packets and claims it will increase speed as well as security, along with the benefits of support coming directly from Intel.

HTC Desire 500 launching in india with Android 4.2, Sense 5.0

2013-10-10T10:25:00.000+05:30

HTC launched a new phone in its Desire series - the HTC Desire 500 for Rs 24,290 today. The mid-range model features a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, HTC Blinkfeed and Video Highlights.

“The Desire 500 is perfect for people who are always-on-the-go, it enables powerful multitasking and live-streaming of important and interesting information, and it boasts an excellent camera and that bring your important moments to life.”

Camera:

- An 8MP camera combines with the dedicated HTC Image Chip processor to take pictures

- A 1.6MP front-facing camera

Video Highlights

This feature allows you to take stills and videos from one event or days’ shooting and compiles them into a 30-second reel, set to music according to one of five themes.

Blinkfeed

The HTC Desire 500 brings HTC’s acclaimed BlinkFeed to the Desire range. Transforming the home screen into a customisable stream of live information, HTC BlinkFeed is displayed on a 4.3inch display and aggregates social streams and news.

Processor and memory

Sporting a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, the HTC Desire 500 offers high-speed multitasking, super-fast web browsing and graphic-intense gaming on the move. With 4GB onboard memory and support for microSD cards of up to 64GB, you need never run out of space for the photos, videos, apps and games that matter most.

Availability

The new HTC Desire 500 will be available with major retailers at MOP of Rs. 21,490, and MRP of Rs 24,290 across India market. The HTC Desire 500 will also be available with dual SIM support and NFC in select markets.

HTC Desire 500 detailed Specs

SIM CARD TYPE

micro SIM

MEMORY

Total storage : 4 GB, available capacity varies

RAM : 1 GB

Expansion card slot supports microSD™ memory card for up to 64GB additional storage (card not included)

NETWORK

2G/ 2.5G - GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

900/1800/1900 MHz

3G/ 3.5G - UMTS/ HSPA:

900/2100 MHz with HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps

GPS

GPS/AGPS

SENSORS

Accelerometer

Proximity sensor

Ambient light sensor

CAMERA

8 MP camera with auto focus, LED flash

BSI sensor, Sensor size 1/3.2"

Dedicated HTC ImageChip

F2.0 aperture and 28 mm lens

Smart Flash: Five levels of flash automatically set by distance to subject

Front Camera: 1.6 MP with BSI sensor

720p video recording

Gallery with Video Highlights and HTC Share

Continuous shooting and VideoPic

Slow motion video recording with variable speed playback

BATTERY

Removable rechargeable Li-polymer battery

Capacity : 1800 mAh

Talk time :

Up to 12.1 hours for 3G

Standby time :

Up to 435 hours for 3G

AC ADAPTER

Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz

DC output: 5 V and 1 A

Samsung unveils world's first curved screen smartphone

2013-10-09T23:19:00.000+05:30

Samsung Electronics has become the first manufacturer to unveil a smartphone with a curved screen.

Samsung innovation war with rivals such as Apple Inc and LG Electronics Inc, Curved displays are on the frontline to expand its lead in the slowing market for high-end smartphones

The Unique design of the device resembles the Galaxy S3 and S4, but it has slight dip in the middle that looks the mobile curve alone vertical axis. The phone's body itself is rigid, so it doesn't acutally flex or bend . The Galaxy Round's 5.7-inch (14.4-centimetre) display has a slight horizontal curve and weighs less than the Galaxy Note 3, allowing a more comfortable grip than other flat-screen models on the market, Samsung said in a statement.

The global flexible display industry is predicted to grow rapidly in the next few years. Research firm IHS Display estimates the market will be worth $1.5 billion (£900 million) by 2016 and more than $10 billion by 2019.

Bendable displays could revolutionise the high-end smartphone market by making foldable designs possible as well as helping create an "unbreakable" screen thanks to its plastic base.This year one billion smartphones are expected to be made according to analysis by CCC Insight, with that becoming close to two billion in 2017.

The Galaxy Round will launch in Samsung's home country of South Korea and there are no plans yet for a global rollout.

Android phablets Optima Smart OPS 80 and OPS 80Q in India

2013-10-04T20:19:00.002+05:30

Sunstrike Telecom has introduced two new phablets for the Indian market under its Optima Smart series, dubbed OPS 80 and OPS 80Q. However, the company has not revealed the pricing for both the devices.

Optima Smart OPS 80 and OPS 80Q

The Optima Smart OPS 80Q measures 142x72.2x9.9mm, and features a 5-inch qHD (540x960 pixel) IPS display. The phablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash while there is a 2-megpixel front-facing camera. The device includes 4GB of inbuilt storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. It includes an 1800mAh battery.

On the other hand, the Optima Smart OPS 80 features a 5.3-inch WVGA (480x800pixel) display, and is based on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and also includes a 1.3-megapixel front camera. It comes with 4GB of inbuilt storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. The device includes 2600mAh battery.

Commenting on the launch, Capt. Chanpreet Singh, Managing Director, Sunstrike Telecom Pvt. Ltd. said, "We are proud to announce our entry in the premium smartphone market in India and we are sure that our innovation based products will charm their way into the hearts of young Indians. Our innovation based devices have wonderful features that are most sought after today and are certain to please the Indian consumer."

PRISM Flash Game Is Hilarious with Edward Snowden

2013-10-02T04:31:00.000+05:30

Edward Snowden is now a criminal in the eyes of the U.S Government

Edward Snowden has become instantly famous after the US data collecting movement know as PRISM. Fortunately for game developers with their creative thoughts they took it as an opportunity to create a game called "Snowden's Leaks: The Game" that is not only new and timely but also fun and hilarious.

Snowden's Leaks : The Game

NSA spy on everyone and steals the data, in this game Edward Snowden whose cartoon image shows him wearing his familiar glasses. He will steal the data from the NSA and copy all of them in the flash drive. As the total data is collected by facing several obstacles along the way passing though security, avoiding camera detection, blocking agents, hiding beyond U.S flag, the funny thing here is even escaping from the President Obama.

They are many things in the game to safe Edward himself by hiding back the Photo Painting frame, U.S flag when player want to go undetected when security or agent arrives.

A level is ended once you throw the flash drives out the window where the date is collected from the computers, i.e., leaking the data to outside world and mark a grand escape when we go to exit door.

The game is created by a group of Dutch developer who claimed that they ware able to finalize the game in just three days. Aside from the Snowden PRISM game.

You could try it out online here .

The Lamborghini Ankonian could make a perfect Batmobile

2013-03-25T20:42:00.000+05:30

The Lamborghini Ankonian. It's just fabulous. It's black. It's sharp which named after a bull famous for its black color, which look comes after the Feruccio Lamborghini tradition. This is a proposal for the first Lamborghini hybrid and scheduled for 2016.

Lamborghini Ankonia has got a narrow body and complex aesthetics mixed with a combination of soft and angular surface which looks better, which is new for the modern Lamborghini.this car could make a perfect Batmobile for the next Batman movie.

the black Lamborghini Ankonian concept has been created by a German student named Slavche Tanevschi - a very talented one,

“This is one of the two proposals I did for my first project at school (super Lambo as a first project, can you imagine!? scream...), The marvelous design was done in 2008 and it was chosen by the Chef designer of Lamborghini in the top 3 designs, and I got sponsored to do the model. The model was done in clay modeling over the newer CAD modeling method and took me much time and much effort. The hard model was finished in July 2009,” said Tanevski.

The Lamborghini Ankonian creates some of the most incredible vehicles on the planet.The quintessential Batmobile, this Lambo is completely black out all the way down to the rims.The lights are placed in areas one wouldn’t normally expect, contributing to the extreme appearance of the car, regardless if the car is viewed from the front or back.

Designer: Slavche Tanevski

Samsung CHROMEBOOK serves everything

2012-10-19T18:12:00.001+05:30

The most admirable search engine "GOOGLE" launches the new "SAMSUNG CHROMEBOOK" .

I am quite sure that you have heard of the term Chrome book before – it is one of those computing machines that Google has commissioned to make sure that affordable and yet effective computing is made available to the masses.

The thing is, the Chrome book did not really take off in that big a way, as consumers do not mind forking out additional dough to make sure that they have access to superior computing power.

Well, there is a new Chromebook in town today as announced by Google, and this incredible piece of computing device retails for a mere $249. Tipping the scales at a mere 2.5 pounds while measuring just 0.8” thin, the new Chromebook is definitely one of the lightest laptops on the market today.

Well, for starters, you have over half a dozen hours of battery life which should be more than adequate for the standard user, not to mention being able to access up to 100GB of free storage space on Google Drive, allowing you to access your data anywhere, anytime, as long as there is a decent Internet connection.

Last but not least, if you tend to revolve your working life around Google’s suite of products such as Gmail, Drive, Search, Maps, YouTube, Play or Google+ Hangouts, you will find that the new Samsung Chromebook serves everything up in a seamless manner.

Star Wars R2-D2 Really Smart Safe

2012-10-18T21:05:00.002+05:30

Star Wars R2D2 Smart Safe

If you have valuables, then R2 is the droid for the job. He also lights up and makes sounds. He’s exactly the droid you are looking for.

"An extremely well put-together little droid."

You can say that the most accomplished astromech droid ever in terms of its lifespan would be R2D2, having made an appearance in just about all of the Star Wars shows, The "Star Wars R2D2 Smart Safe" works great as it is able to integrate itself seamlessly with your smartphone, be it of the Android or iOS persuasion. The Star Wars R2D2 Smart Safe relies on sensor based technology.This officially licensed product is powered by a trio of AAA batteries, so make sure you always have spares around the house!

Microsoft Surface Desire Tablet

2012-10-13T19:09:00.004+05:30

Microsoft Surface is an upcoming series of tablets designed and marketed by Microsoft. It was announced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at a Los Angeles event on June 18, 2012, at Milk Studios.

The Surface will be available in two versions, "Surface" and "Surface Pro". The "Surface" model will run the Windows RT operating system and use an ARM CPU. The "Surface Pro" model will run the Windows 8 Pro operating system and use an Intel CPU.The display is a 10.6 inches (27 cm), 16:9 widescreen HD Display (Surface), or Full HD Display (Surface Pro).

The perceived success or failure of what was shown is obviously subjective, and comes down to whether or not you believe in what Microsoft is showing. Moreover, can Microsoft's strategy with the Surface -- and all Windows 8 tablets, for that matter -- succeed in not just being a No. 2 to the iPad, but in being a true iPad rival?

Difference ipod-microsoft surface:

Apple's iPads run iOS while MacBooks run OS X, and the two approach each other without meeting or sharing apps. The disadvantage is that an iPad can't be a true Mac replacement. Windows 8 tablets are full-fledged computers capable of running both tablet apps and full computer applications. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft is ahead of the game or muddying the waters. Meanwhile, the Surface RT only runs apps, like the iPad.

its release date is in mid of January 2013

Microsoft has not confirmed a price for the Surface tablet, but rumors have circulated that the device will cost about $199. If the purported price of the Surface tablet is correct, it will be the cheapest full-sized tablet to be released this fall

the iPods support the keyboards via Bluetooth..they can't be directly connected..

where the surface comes with that facility.the surface can be used as tablet and laptop as well..hope Microsoft surface is going to come up more with their own hardware like surface

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Sony’s Xperia Mini Pro

2012-08-15T20:14:00.002+05:30

Xperia Mini Pro is the perfect phone for those who desire a small yet feature-rich phone. The Xperia Mini Pro is the successor to the Xperia X10 Mini Pro phone, which also features a slide-out keyboard.It has a customized UI with launcher similar to the one in Xperia Arc.

It certainly does manage to impress the ones who look for eye candy. The animations and transitions are beautifully done.The phone has a 5 mp camera which is capable of recording videos at 720p resolution.It comes with 1GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU and Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon.The music player is simple and easy to use with basic features. It has an equalizer and Sony Ericsson’s so called Infinity button.The QWERTY keypad is the major feature of this phone.

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Samsung is launching the 32GB variant of it's flagship smartphone for the year, Samsung Galaxy SIII at a Price of Rs.41,500!!

2012-08-03T18:25:00.002+05:30

On September 6, Samsung announced four new colors for its flagship Galaxy S3 phone:

Amber Brown, Titanium Grey, Sapphire Black, and Garnet Red. Up until now, AT&T has retained the exclusive for the red shade, but Samsung is opening up the color, along with the three other earthier tones, to certain markets across the globe.
Samsung and its carrier partners haven't announced availability yet for the new hues, and not every region will get each shade. Until then, read my full review of the Samsung Galaxy S3 for all the details.

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Google has started a Revolution - Googlisation ??

2012-07-29T17:21:00.002+05:30

Google the one of the best search engine in world proved its excellence in the internet world more over Google is getting into the broadband business. The company plans to deploy its own “experimental” fiber-optic network to at least 50,000 homes, perhaps as many as 500,000. The fiber-optic network will deliver speeds of 1 gigabit-per-second, which is more than 20 times faster than residential fiber optic services offered today in the U.S.

The Google has started ruling the internet world with the new features upgrade of internet may bring a tremendous change in the internet world.

Google originally stated that they would announce the winner or winners by the end of 2010; however, in mid-December, Google pushed back the announcement date of the selected Google Fiber community (or communities) to "early 2011" due to an increase in the time necessary to review all of the over 1,100 applications.

A different kind of Internet.

Google Fiber starts with a connection speed 100 times faster than today's average broadband. Instant downloads.
Crystal clear HD. And endless possibilities. It's not just TV. And it's not just Internet. It's Google Fiber.

At 1000 Mb per second, Google Fiber is 100 times faster than today’s average Internet, allowing you to get what you want instantaneously. You no longer have to wait on things buffering; everything will be ready to go when you are. So whether you are video chatting, uploading family videos, or playing your favorite online games, all you need to do is click and you’re there.

Google Fiber is a project to build an experimental broadband internet network infrastructure using fiber-optic communication in Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, following a selection process.Over 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipient of the technology.

On April Fools' Day 2012, Google Fiber announced that their product is an edible Google Fiber bar instead of fiber-optic internet broadband. It is stated that the Google Fiber bar delivers "what the body needs to sustain activity, energy and productivity."

On July 26, 2012, Google announced that it would roll out a companion fiber optic television service in the Kansas City area that September called Google Fiber TV, which will be offered as a conventional pay television service and will also stream live program content on iPad and Android tablet computers. Neighborhoods that initially receive both the TV and internet services are to be selected through demand from Kansas City area residents. The initial channel lineup for the service does not currently include cable television networks owned by Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company, AMC Networks, and News Corporation, which may eventually be added pending carriage agreements with those companies.

Source: Google fiber

LinkedIn and Twitter Breakup

2012-07-26T12:53:00.004+05:30

So much for efficiency with LinkedIn and Twitter!

Since 2009, LinkedIn and Twitter have shared the conversation on both platforms. Last week, Twitter announced that tweets will no longer be able to be viewed within LinkedIn. This is good news and bad news. the good news is that some people post the same types of data on LinkedIn and Twitter so you will see a decrease in volume in LinkedIn activity. The bad news is that you now must look in two places for your LinkedIn and Twitter posts

Now, you can post on LinkedIn and if you check the box at the bottom of the ‘Share and update’ box, you can still push that same post into Twitter. However, if you Tweet on Twitter, the post will NOT show up on LinkedIn.

What is the reason for this change? According to Michael Sippey a Group Product Manager at Twitter, Twitter is focusing on “providing the core Twitter consumption experience through a consistent set of products and tools.”

Great for Twitter but that makes more work for the rest of us. So, what are your options for more efficient solutions?

Efficient Solutions

For Reading – Use A Thrid Party Platfom

I personally use HootSuite and really like it. You have tabs in HootSuite and each tab can have its own feed which means. HootSuite has several social networks to choose from in addition to Twitter, FaceBook, and LinkedIn. A feed could be from LinkedIn, a LinkedIn Group, Twitter or more. I have one tab for LinkedIn, one tab for Twitter and one for both.

For Posting – Use A Third Party Platform or LinkedIn

Again,I like HootSuite to post with because it can shorten my links, give me reports, post to multiple platforms all at once and lets me schedule posts.

If you don’t use a third party platform to post, do your posts on LinkedIn and checkmark the box to also send the post as a tweet.

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Iphone 5 Nano Sim – What it Means for the Product ?

2012-07-24T23:04:00.000+05:30

Nano Sim card is the next generation sim card which is being designed, patented and standardized by the apple computers.Nano Sim cards come under the 4FF (Fourth form factor) standard. To better understand what its means and the evolution of sim cards we have a comparison of Mini Sim Vs Micro Sim vs Nano sim. What exactly nano sim will benefit the mobile device manufacturers is it will help them reduce the sim card slot dimension which will inturn help them design more slimmer phones which the market is hungry. Its almost confirmed that Iphone 5 will be designded to accomate so as like the Micro sim for Iphone 4S.

Normal Sim (Mini Sim) vs Micro Sim vs Nano Sim

As you may clearly see from the above picture the normal sim or the mini sim we are using covers around 375 mm square of space, where as the micro sim cut it more than half intelligently removing a lot of plastic space, but Apple was very late to communicate this to the market which led may operators cut there normal mini sim to accomodate to the device and poorly plan there micro sim supply. Whereas very latest of the lot the Nano sim which is of 4FF standard is only 108 mm square dimension almost half micro sim. as you may see there is virtually no plastic part and only the chip is left with. One good thing is as you may see from the three pictures the evolution was only by cutting the plastic part wheras leavinmg the chip intact so we can very well assume we will be getting all the sophistication which is there in mini sim in micro and nano sim cards, this confirmed by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) which sets the standards for the sim cards.

Iphone 5 Nano Sim – What it Means for the Product

As we are certain that the Iphone 5 will use the the nano sim card, but what will the benefit nano sim card bring to the Iphone 5, First and foremost it will help save the design space which in turn will help Apple to reduce the size of Iphone 5. Looking from the design its very compatible for the sim locked phone which the Apple and the operators promoters will love on the other hand end users like us who love to unlock may face some kind of pain do it. For unlocked users also it will tempt you to stick with single operator.

Apple’s iPhone will be the first consumer device to adopt the Nano SIM standard, just as the iPhone 4 popularized the Micro SIM card.

What do you think, will the next iPhone will feature Micro SIM or Nano SIM?

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Zuckerberg no longer in world's richest 40 Peosons :

2012-07-23T22:53:00.001+05:30

The month of July 2012 is not a good/beneficial month for Facebook community, The stock of Facebook has fallen 7 percent, The looser is obviously Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The total sum of money loss from this damage may attach with CEO name's in the list of 40 richest billionaire's, Its Doesn't mean that Zuckerberg is not in the list of billionaire's but if this weakness continues, then we have not idea about it's Future,

Zuckerberg don't care too much about all these things because he have seen to much difficulties in his life and have got there solutions as well,There was a time the young man wanted to sell Facebook to make a quick buck.

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Samsung asks iPhone users,"Can your phone do this ?"

2012-07-19T16:00:00.000+05:30

Samsung hits the streets to challenge iPhone users with Galaxy Note

Samsung marketing executive Younghee Lee recently said she wants consumers to be “obsessed with the company and its products.” The ironic thing is that her company Samsung is obsessed with Apple and its iPhone. In a new series of web videos called Street Challenge, Samsung once again goes after iPhone users and asks them if their phone can do things the Galaxy Note can.

Read more ....

Compared to Samsung’s Super Bowl ad, this clip actually does a good job of highlighting the unique features of the Note’s S-Pen and showcases some real examples of what it can do. Check out the video below and let us know what you think.

Speaking of the Super Bowl ad, Samsung has actually been uploading a bunch of awesome videos for the Galaxy Note. The first 60-second clip below would have probably cost about $10 million less to produce than their 90-second ad, and it does a much better job of showing off the product.

So, anyone pick up the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note yet?

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Social not-working ?

2012-07-15T02:39:00.000+05:30

You keep your Facebook profile picture updated, make sure your relationship status is up-to-date and respond to every comment on your wall and message in your inbox. And the social networking giant is constantly devising new apps and designs to reel you in tighter. If you met someone who didn’t 'facebook', you’d probably peg him or her as boring or technophobic. However, some young folks have plugged the spillage of virtual life into real life and stayed away from these networks, without compromising their social life.

The rebels

Nikhil Kini, a 24-year-old computer engineer, has never been on Facebook, despite being a tech freak. “I’ve never even been tempted. There is nothing out there in the online social world that there isn’t in the real one,” he says. Keeping in touch with friends is done simply — he uses Skype and chat applications. “It’s really sad that some people’s idea of staying in touch is ‘liking’ a picture on FB or commenting on it,” he says.

Twenty-four-year-old doctor Sneha Mashru, who, like Kini, never opened a Facebook account, feels that an addiction to online networks leads to constant guilt trips too. “I see my colleagues hunched over their laptops in the little free time we get from our gruelling 36-hour shifts in the hospital and then complain that they wasted it doing nothing on Facebook,” she says. She prefers to meet friends in person or talk to them on the phone than post messages on FB. “If you feel that a relationship is important then it’s worth making an added effort to keep in touch with them,” she opines. Adds Kini, “A lot of people feel guilty about their excessive FB use but are unable to do anything about the addiction.”

Facebook — a bubble?

Clinical psychologist and life coach Aditi Samant feels that social networking sites become a sort of safe haven for some people. “It’s definitely easier for people to make friends online, especially for those who are shy. Also, everyone feels like a mini-celebrity on FB,” she says. “People may experience withdrawal symptoms or anxiety when they’re kept away from such websites.”

Though Facebook is becoming one of the most effective marketing tools for promoting businesses, especially among the youth, some people don’t mind defying the norm.

“It would definitely help me in promoting my business,” says Stephenie Pereira, 24, who owns a bakery in Vakola and happily chose a FB-free world after being on it for the past six years. “But I have just started four months ago and right now, my main concern is surviving in a competitive market. I would rather concentrate on the core of my business — my food — than spend time stressing about the frills.” Stephenie joined Facebook to meet new people, get in touch with long lost friends and build a network but it started getting monotonous for her. “I was bored of doing the same things on Facebook, that’s why I deleted my account.”

Logging out

* Reduce your time on FB gradually; start with cutting 10 minutes every day

* Make plans with friends to meet in person

* Take up a hobby

* Participate in an offline activity like reading or sports

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Is it time to get off Facebook?

2012-07-15T02:29:00.001+05:30

With over 900 active million users, Facebook, the major social networking fad, is one of the most visited sites on internet, today. Started in February 2004, the site was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow students, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris HughesFacebook had a limited membership at the time of its inception, but seeing the popularity it was gaining, the developers opened its membership to everyone across the world, free of cost.

Eight years after its formation, the site has started receiving severe criticism from its users over many issues. This majorly includes issues concerning privacy settings, censorship rules and above all, a fatigue that people want to get over.

There are many campaigns doing the rounds over the internet that has got people talking about this whole issue, the most popular being the ‘Get Off Facebook’ campaign and ‘We are Zucked’.

Today, in this special report, we get you two major concerns of Facebook users — privacy and fatigue — and discuss how it’s hampering the lives of many users. We also get you some opinions from psychologists and ways to delete your account or secure it. Here’s a look.

What are the major privacy issues?
1 Your where abouts:With the introduction of the new map feature on Facebook’s (FB) timeline, it’s very easy for anyone to track down your whereabouts. For eg, if you are touring with your family to an ‘X’ place and access Facebook through your laptop or phone to update a status or upload a picture, your location would automatically flash on the map.

2 Out of control Posts:FB has collaborated with some sites, wherein, when you log on to those sites, there is an automatic update on your wall without a prior notice to you. For eg, anytime a regular Spotify user turns on its app and clicks play, the app beams information on FB and broadcasts it to your friends.

3 RSVP to an event:Whenever you RSVP to an event on Facebook, it automatically gets posted on your friends’ walls as an update of yours, in which it is mentioned that you’re attending the said event. This also happens when you ‘like’ the pages of your favourite brands or artists. You might just become the brand’s promoter and won’t even come to know about it.

4 The mad AD world:According to a new policy, Facebook now captures information about you anytime you are on a website that has a Facebook ‘like’ button. Whether or not you click those features, Facebook still knows you are there and stores that information for up to 90 days. That information is then used to target you with ads.

5 Barter system:Another addition to the FB trouble is the news application — Washington Post Social Reader. If you are interested in reading an article read by a friend, then you have to allow the application to access your personal information. So, remember the ‘allow/skip’ step. You might casually click on the link, but FB watches as you keep reading.

6 Account settings:The account and privacy settings on FB are too complicated and tedious. It involves a lot of research and digging up information online, and one gets confused in the process. People end up sharing their important and private news/feeds/pictures with an audience wider than just their friends.

7 The gaming zone:For every game that you play on Facebook for fun and leisure, you are allowing that application to access your name, gender, list of friends and all kinds of other information available on your profile. And if you give the game certain permissions, it can peer deeper into your data and even see information that your friends share with you.

8 Picture this:A FB page called, Hot Indian School and College Going Girls, was quite a rage on the net. It was compiled by downloading the pictures of some Indian girls through Facebook. So, it is clear that Facebook does not have a clear policy on picture privacy. Anybody and everybody can see and download your pictures, which is very risky.

How to secure your account

1. Enable login notifications: This lets you know when your account has been accessed.

2.Use a dedicated email address for Facebook: If you use an email account for Facebook that you also use for banking or other sensitive information, then you might be at risk if your FB account is ever hacked. So, make a separate email account for Facebook.

3.Control third party apps: Remove any questionable third party apps. Always take care when choosing which apps to install. Install apps from only trusted, well-known developers. You can also turn off all platform apps.

4.Look before you post: Use the built-in sharing controls in Facebook for status updates and other posts to limit access to the intended audience.

5.Log out of Facebook: Facebook has been known to track user activity on other websites, so log out when you are not using it.

6.Create a secure password: Don’t use the same password for Facebook that you use to access other accounts.

7.Don’t open suspicious links: Your wall or your inbox might have messages containing certain links without any further details. Don’t try to open these links and delete them as soon as you can.

Quit facebook dayQuit Facebook Day was an online event that was marked on May 31, 2010. On this day, Facebook users stated that they would quit the social network as a protest against the recent privacy concerns. It was estimated that 2% of Facebook users coming from the United States would delete their accounts. However, only 33,000 users quit the site.

But the movement saw a good response and there was also a site, www.quitfacebookday.com, which was formed for it. People were asked to sign up on the website and join in for a mass removal from the site. People also put up their reasons for quitting Facebook on the site.

The site quoted, “For us, it comes down to two things: fair choices and best intentions. In our view, Facebook doesn’t do a good job in either department. Facebook gives you choices about how to manage your data, but they aren’t fair choices. While the onus is on the individual to manage these choices, Facebook makes it difficult for the average user to understand or manage this. We also don’t think Facebook has much respect for you or your data,especially in the context of the future.”

It added, “For a lot of people, quitting Facebook revolves around privacy. This is a legitimate concern, but we also think the privacy issue is just the symptom of a larger set of issues. The cumulative effects of what Facebook does now will not play out well in the future, and we care deeply about the future of the web as an open, safe and human place.”

How to permanently delete your account1. Permanent account deletion on Facebook means that your account cannot be reactivated. Also, none of the content or information you have added can be retrieved. So, make sure that you are fully prepared while doing this.

2. To delete your profile, visit the account deletion page of Facebook and click ‘Submit’. Then follow some simple steps, such as entering your password and email.

3.Once you have submitted your details, do not log on to Facebook for 14 days. In case you change your mind, just log in within 14 days and your account will be reactivated.

4.Meanwhile, you can write a mail to facebook at privacy@facebook.com and report about your account deletion request. You could also cc it to support@facebook.com and info@facebook.com, just to be double sure.

5.Wait for an email response from Facebook confirming the deletion of your account. This would take a few days.

6.Attempt to log in to your account once you get an email from Facebook. If you’re unable to log in and don’t get a message asking you to reactivate your account, your Facebook account has been permanently deleted.

Expert comments

Samir Parikh, PsychiatristSocial networking is a boon in terms of the opportunities it presents for people to stay connected with each other. However, when this activity takes the form of an addiction, such that one ignores everyday routine activities, it tends to be detrimental and harmful to health and well-being.

Arti Singh Raghuvanshi, clinical psychologistPeople are spending so much time on Facebook that they are now living in a virtual world and distancing themselves from the real world. People who use a lot of these networking sites often complain of chronic fatigue, depression, mood swings and insomnia.

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Fatigue

What’s troubling the users worldwide?

Addiction1 According to reports, once you are addicted to this social networking site, there is a constant urge to log on whenever you are relatively free to check out what
status/pictures/posts your friends have updated. You also refresh your page to get the latest feeds. This is a clear indication that you are addicted to FB and have to stop here.

2 Virtual over real:People expect you to know everything about them through Facebook, as the social networking site creates a crossover from the real world to a virtual environment. For eg, friends expect you to check out their wedding announcement on Facebook or their promotions. This kind of problem is making many users deactivate their account.

3 Effects on Youngsters:Stalking people, hacking into accounts and getting too much involved with unknown people are some of the broadly recognised negative effects of FB on youngsters. It also increases the chances of online conflict. FB is populated with immature individuals who update bizarre statuses, upload awkward images and carry out absurd actions.
'
4 Divorce:Facebook has been criticised for making people envious and unhappy due to the constant exposure to positive yet unrepresentative highlights of their peers. It can effect marriages, with the users becoming worried about their spouse’s contacts and relations with other people online, leading to marital breakdown and divorce.

5 Depression: According to many international reports conducted abroad, people who are active users of social media are more likely to suffer from depression and low self-esteem. The cases are higher in girls, as they are more likely to dislike their body type and weight, leading to a lot of depression.

6 Lower facebook growth:According to a recent report published in The Wall Street Journal, Facebook’s user growth rate is at its lowest level since 2008. There are reports of users defriending the site like never before. While there are new members from countries that are relatively late in adopting Facebook, big ones like the US, UK and Canada are opting out.

7 Rolling stone movemeNt:Similar to the wave that saw almost everybody joining Facebook soon after its inception, now, there is a ‘rolling stone’ movement where a large number of people are quitting FB. Seeing their friends and colleagues leave the social networking site, people are now doing the same, also realising its adverse effects on their personal and professional life.

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Apple Products are banned… ??

2012-07-14T13:48:00.001+05:30

Wing the declaration by the company to withdraw an array of 39 of its products from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Green Hardware Certification. The city, which is very well known for its environmental concerns, may prohibit government agencies and municipal officials from buying new Apple computers.

San Francisco’s chief information officer Jon Walton told the BBC that the city has a long tradition of following the policy of purchasing the EPEAT-certified IT devices. Apple may have dropped following the EPEAT standards anticipating its new hardware designs that would not satisfy the criteria laid for the registry to EPEAT. EPEAT CEO Robert Frisbee said that Apple itself has confirmed their designs to be no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements.

The EPEAT list identifies, certifies and rewards those companies and products that possess certain environment-friendly traits, one among which is the ability to be recycled. Many of Apple’s devices are hostile to recycling, such as MacBook Pro with retina display which is almost impossible to disassemble.

Meanwhile, according to Apple’s spokesperson, the company takes a comprehensive approach to measuring the environmental impact the products have and all the products meet the energy efficiency standards put up by the U. S. government.

But the government official says that Apple comes in front in other environmental issues also that are not considers by EPEAT, such as the emission of toxic materials.

In the year 2010, San Francisco has spent over $ 45, 000 on Apple products. Though the figure is negligible when compared to the total $ 65 billion purchase Apple has every year, the ban can cast a significant mark on the sales, especially if the other municipalities and institutions follow the trend. Since EPEAT has close ties with the U. S. government more and more official bodies would be forced to stop the purchase of Apple devices.

Apple’s decision would also resonate further as a number of environment-conscious schools and corporations have decided to purchase only EPEAT-friendly electronic devices.

What is EPEAT? Read on

The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a comprehensive environmental rating that helps the consumers to identify eco-friendly computers and other electronic devices. The EPEAT, backed by the U. S. government, was conceived and developed through collaboration of stakeholders from the business, advocacy and academic fields.

EPEAT certification is given to electronic devices according to certain criteria, which comprises of two sections: required criteria and optional criteria. In order to get registered into the EPEAT list, the products should meet all the required criteria and some of the optional criteria and the products are rated Bronze, Silver and Gold according to how many optional criteria they fulfill.

EPEAT makes it easy for the environment- conscious customers to buy eco-friendly products. It is also a chance for the manufacturing companies to showcase their greener and cleaner products.

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Microsoft Surface Shames Partners in Best Possible Way

2012-07-14T01:02:00.002+05:30

You could be mistaken for believing that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was channeling the spirit of Steve Jobs during the launch event of Microsoft's new Surface tablets. Tell me if you think this sounds familiar:

"We believe that any intersection between human and machine can be made better when hardware and software are considered together."

It's a page ripped right out of the Apple playbook, and I don't blame Microsoft for taking matters into its own hands. In fact, Microsoft's self-made tablets look like the best thing to happen to the PC industry in a long time. Nevermind the fact that Microsoft is competing with its own partners. The company just helped them by putting them on notice.

Leading up to the launch of Windows 8, I've seen a lot of laptop-tablet hybrid designs that attempt to marry the two classes of products. Some are Ultrabooks with touch capability while others are slates that detach from a dock. But the Surface is the first hybrid that feels like a fully integrated and holistic solution. The premium magnesium design screams “high-quality,” while the sturdy kickstand that folds out from the device is ideal for entertainment and typing.

Which brings us to the Touch Cover. It's an ingenious accessory that attaches to the device magnetically but does Apple's Smart Cover one better by building in a ultrathin, pressure-sensitive keyboard and touchpad. Add in Office 15 and you have the Microsoft equivalent of the iPad Pro.

The Surface will come in two flavors, one powered by an Nvidia ARM processor running Windows RT and another with an Intel CPU running Windows 8 Pro. The former product looks like it has more potential for success because it’s lighter (1.5 versus 2 pounds) and will be cheaper. The Surface for Windows 8 Pro looks more like an enterprise play, with the distinct advantage of supporting Microsoft’s huge library of desktop apps.

Nevertheless, both Surface tablets seem to cater more to mobile professionals than everyday consumers. After all, lots of iPad owners seem content typing on a touch screen. But to me, that’s a smart move. I’ve yet to use the iPad for work on a regular basis because it simply doesn’t do enough for me as a productivity machine. There’s a real opening here for Microsoft.

The Surface launch event left a lot of questions unanswered. We don’t know the exact resolutions of the screens, just a vague ClearType HD for the ARM tablet and Full HD for the Intel one. And we don’t know the rated battery life of either product. Most important, Microsoft hasn’t yet provided details on pricing, although the company does say the Surface for Windows RT will be priced competitively with other ARM-based Windows 8 (we’re guessing $500 to $600) slates and that the Surface for Windows 8 Pro will have a similar cost to an Ultrabook (probably about $1,000).

Microsoft shouldn’t be the least bit skittish about going head to head with its Windows 8 licensees. It should be proud of the Surface’s sexy industrial design and for forcefully rebutting Apple CEO Tim Cook's claim that putting PCs and tablets together is like mashing together refrigerators and toasters. If Microsoft’s partners are wise, they’ll turn that jealousy into inspiration — or just get out of the way.

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Microsoft terminates Windows Gadgets with extreme prejudice

2012-07-14T00:55:00.004+05:30

Hey, Windows users! Microsoft has some bad, or possibly good, news.

It's recommending that all users disable the Windows Sidebar and Gadgets — immediately.

"Disabling the Windows Sidebar and Gadgets can help protect customers from vulnerabilities that involve the execution of arbitrary code by the Windows Sidebar when running insecure Gadgets," states a security advisory released Tuesday (July 10) by Microsoft.

"In addition, Gadgets installed from untrusted sources can harm your computer and can access your computer's files, show you objectionable content, or change their behavior at any time."

Fidget, widget, gadget

Gadgets are those little mini-applications, resembling animated icons, that hang around the desktop to tell you the time, weather, news headlines and so on. (Other software makers, including Apple and Yahoo!, call them "widgets.")

'Gadgets installed from untrusted sources can harm your computer.'
- Microsoft security advisory

Gadgets, and the Windows Sidebar they live in, first appeared in 2007 as a default setting in Vista. Many users hated them, complained that they took up too many computer resources and turned them off immediately.

Windows 7 has Gadgets built in as well, but they're turned off by default. Instead of being in a sidebar pinned to the right edge of the screen, Gadgets are in a floating window that can be placed anywhere on the desktop.

If you're running Windows 7 and really want to see them, right-click on your desktop and select "Gadgets."

But Microsoft now wishes you really wouldn't. Its security advisory points to a download page that contains a tool users can run to disable Gadgets and, in Vista, the Sidebar.

The page where Microsoft used to host additional Gadgets for download now states, "The Windows website no longer hosts the gadget gallery."

Pre-emptive execution

Graham Cluley of the British security firm Sophos thinks Microsoft's sudden decision to kill a five-year-old piece of software has to do with a presentation, entitled " We Have You by the Gadgets," scheduled for the Black Hat security conference later this month in Las Vegas.

"We will be talking about the Windows Gadget platform and what the nastiness that can be done with it," state the presenters in less-than-perfect English on the Black Hat website. "We will be talking about our research into creating malicious gadgets, misappropriating legitimate gadgets and the sorts of flaws we have found in published gadgets."

Presumably, the presenters will demonstrate how easy it is to create Trojan-horse malware in the form of gadgets.

It's likely that the problem lies with third-party gadgets, not Microsoft's own, but Cluley found it noteworthy that Microsoft isn't even trying to fix the problem.

"Microsoft hasn't issued a security patch to fix the vulnerability," he wrote on Sophos' Naked Security blog. "They're suggesting you completely nuke your Windows Sidebar and Gadgets."

Gadgets have not yet appeared in the preview versions of Windows 8, due this fall, and likely never will.

Microsoft's secret weapon in mobile gaming: DirectX on Windows Phone 8

2012-06-23T00:33:00.000+05:30

Not many people remember this, but the original Xbox got its name from Microsoft's plans to deliver a "Direct X Box" to the home console market. Feeling the need to counteract the growing influence of consoles at the turn of the century, Microsoft sought to bring DirectX — its proprietary collection of programming interfaces (APIs) used to build games for Windows — to the living room.

While its first attempt was rightly derided as a chopped-down desktop PC dressed up in home entertainment garb, the consequent Xbox 360 has been a runaway success with users, and its slim second iteration has also been a fantastic feat of hardware engineering to boot. And it all started with that seemingly innocuous group of APIs. Now, Direct X is coming to Windows Phone.

Before we all get too far ahead of ourselves, let's recall just how many years it took Microsoft to perfect its home console recipe with the Xbox. Wading into a new market is always difficult, mistakes will inevitably be made along the way, and progress will be slower than interested observers will want it to be. So no, you won't soon be taking your Crysis 2 gaming session on the road with just the Windows Phone handset in your pocket. But the potential is most certainly there.

Whereas the commonalities between the original Xbox and the desktop PC were initially scorned, with Windows Phone 8, being similar to Windows is the point. Obviously not in hardware terms, but Microsoft's message from the Windows Phone Summit is crystal clear: the software underpinnings of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 have a "shared core," which is composed of the same kernel and multiple other coding interfaces that make it easy for developers to port apps between the two. The reason I consider DirectX the most critical one among them should by now be self-evident, but it's easy enough to illustrate by pointing out that DX incompatibility is the main reason why the Mac has long trailed far behind Windows in terms of desktop and laptop gaming.

WITH WINDOWS PHONE 8, BEING SIMILAR TO WINDOWS IS A GOOD THING

Microsoft has already signed up third-party middleware providers like Havok and Autodesk to support WP8, with yesterday's Summit including multiple demos showing off the Havok Physics engine. The most encouraging aspect came at the end, when Head of Product Management Andrew Bowell noted that it took Havok" under three weeks" to port its rather gruesome "full fat" body simulation asset.

Yes, Havok already supports Android, iOS, and plenty of other platforms, but it's just another solid piece in the mobile gaming puzzle that Microsoft is putting together. Adding native development support, giving game makers access to the low-level APIs that they've wanted and been denied on Windows Phone until this new version, is going to drive a lot of interest. Microsoft is still going to face challenges in increasing its smartphone market share, but at least now games like Shadowgun won't be prevented by technical barriers from appearing on its platform.

Beyond giving devs access to mature and familiar tools in DirectX, Microsoft offers another big advantage over Android: a consistent hardware platform. Calling Android fragmented may sound like a tired and ancient complaint, but it remains sadly valid. If Android devices could offer consistent baseline specs to game developers, we wouldn't need things like the Tegra Zone or Play Station Mobile to tell us where to find games with higher-quality graphics. Microsoft may be in the midst of performing another hardware reset with Windows Phone 8 — the lack of backwards compatibility to Windows Phone 7 devices is a bitter pill to swallow — but its continued focus on standardized specs gives game makers a set of goalposts that isn't shifting as rapidly as on Google's platform.

THERE'S A LOT OF WORK STILL TO DO, BUT WINDOWS PHONE'S GAMING POTENTIAL NO LONGER HAS A CEILING

In choosing the snapdragon S4 Plus as the processor and a high-res 1280 x 768 as the max resolution, Microsoft is going for the best currently available technology with its new platform. That's a lesson learned from its initial launch of Windows Phone 7, which ran very smoothly in itself, but was released on a Snapdragon core that was immediately superseded by faster and more efficient parts.

None of the foregoing factors are guarantees for success, as Microsoft's timing and execution with Windows Phone 8's release will still be decisive, but there's great reason to feel encouraged about the future of mobile gaming on Windows Phone 8. Whereas Android has a massive and hungry audience and seemingly no consistent way to sate it, Microsoft looks to have all the pieces in place to deliver compelling new gaming experiences. The former is the opportunity, the latter is the tool with which to exploit it.

Now it's just a matter of convincing game makers to make games — shouldn't be too hard, right?