WinMatrix Latest Posts

Adobe still working on Flash for Windows 8

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:58:41 +0000

Adobe released a roadmap for the future of Flash Player. Adobe is still developing Flash Player, along with Adobe AIR but the company is now scaling back development efforts as new web standards like HTML5 is taking Flash's place. Adobe will now focus its efforts on two key areas where Flash has a significant presence: video and gaming. The effort is aimed at making the technology viable "for the next decade", the company says.

The roadmap also addresses the issue of supporting Flash on Windows 8. The roadmap document states:

"Adobe is currently working closely with Microsoft to finalize details around supported configurations for Flash Player and Adobe AIR on Windows 8. This document will be updated once this has been finalized and release schedules are available."

Read the Adobe roadmap, via infoq.

Windows Metro UI Desktop Concept

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:25:58 +0000

Sputnik8 on Verge made detailed, comprehensive, and incredible-looking mockup of the Windows desktop with Metro UI which looks cleaner than Microsoft's own efforts. The screens include variations of explorer, ie (with a quick redesign of windows.com and bing), media center/player, and skype.

Explorer

Internet Explorer

Media Center (Window Mode)

Skype

Avast! 7 Free Antivirus Released (Final Version)

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:39:51 +0000

AVAST has released final version of its avast! 7 free antivirus with some interesting new features.

The first you will notice is the ability to install the programs in Compatibility Mode, which aims to ensure that you can run them alongside other security tools.

Another addition is the move to streaming, cloud-based updates. Program will no longer wait for a few hours for downloading virus definitions in one large block; instead your database will receive smaller updates all the time, just as and when they appear.

And a new Remote Assistance tool allows you to get remote support from any knowledgeable avast!-using friend who�s willing to help you, which could be handy if you find you can�t solve a particularly tricky PC problem on your own.

Avast! 7′s file reputation system uses data on how many people have a file and how new it is to make more intelligent decisions when scanning. Below is the full list of new features:

New Features:

Reputation scanning via FileRep (cloud-based)
Streaming updates
Sandbox & Autosandbox improvements
Remote assistance
Browser protection improvements (including antiphishing)
New installer
Export/Import settings
UI facelift
Screensaver facelift
Runs on Win8 Developer Preview
Many other security and stability related fixes

Download avast! Free

SOmeone help me plz..KIS-2012 is giving me headache

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:56:18 +0000

I had a program called IDM (INTERNET DOWNLOAD MANAGER). KIS-2012 (KESPERKY INTERNET SECURITY 2012) made it sluggish. now when this program needs to be loaded takes ages. i have contacted with kespersky lab and they gave me a some changes which doesn't help.
now today i have come along with another problem. my "Need for speed-the run" constantly freezing. i believe KIS-2012 is doing this. i kept it disable sometimes and played the game for 5mnts without any problem. does anyone know any solution, how can i make this culprit not to interfere at all with some of my programs or applications.

Visual Studio 11 will have two color-schemes!

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:46:17 +0000

Microsoft has provided two color schemes in Visual Studio 11. You can choose between a light shell and editor combination or a dark shell and editor combination from within Visual Studio Tools Options. You can still customize your editor settings in the same way that you are used to from previous versions of Visual Studio and load any profile changes you may have previously made.

In two new posts on the official Visual Studio blog site, Microsoft's Monty Hammontree goes over a number of the new changes and features for the software development program. The UI has also simplified the artwork of the program's icons for Visual Studio 11. Hammontree writes:

Quote

While we understand that opinions on this new style of iconography may vary, an icon recognition study conducted with 76 participants, 40 existing and 36 new VS users, showed no negative effect in icon recognition rates for either group due to the glyph style transition.

The first blog post also goes over Quick Launch, which is designed to help developers search through the program's list of commands faster.
The second blog post talks about even more new features such as Hubs, created to help developers work on projects with a single window.

Visual Studio 11 beta will be released on February 29th, the same day Microsoft will launch Windows 8 "Consumer Preview".

Dell launches Alienware X51 'console-like' gaming PC

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:43:37 +0000

Alienware X51 is a gaming PC which looks like a game console, is slightly bigger than an Xbox 360 and is designed to work upright or laid on its side. The starting price is $699.

The bottom range X51 can power Battlefield 3 in 1080p at an average of 32 frames-per-second, with high resolution textures, 4x aniostropic filtering and medium anti-aliasing turned on. The top-end X51 can power Battlefield 3 running the same settings at an average of 54 frames-per-second.

Specifications:

You can chose form Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor
Either a 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 545 or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 555
RAM varies from 4GB, 6GB or 8GB DDR3
1TB 7200 RPM hard-drive
24x dual-layer DVD-RW
Internal 7.1 audio
Integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless LAN.
Ports and connections: HDMI 1.4 out; RJ-45 GB Ethernet; 4x USB 2.0; 2x USB 3.0; surround sound speaker-out ports and TOSLINK and Coax digital outs

Alienware X51 product page

HP Windows 8 Tablets on Intel and Qualcomm CPU this year!

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:15:16 +0000

HP is working on at least three different Windows 8 tablets, powered by chips from Intel and Qualcomm, which will be shipped by the end of the year.

The two Intel models are said to utilize the chipmaker's 32nm Atom Clover Trail platform, and will come in two distinct form factors. The first is reportedly a laptop / tablet hybrid � a device type that some of HP's competitors believe in � while the second is a more traditional tablet aimed at business customers. The third product is said to be powered by a Qualcomm processor, though no additional details are given.

CNET

uTorrent Native Android Client in Development

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:51:35 +0000

uTorrent developers are working on a full-fledged version of uTorrent for Android. This isn't just the uTorrent Remote app that lets you control your file sharing on your computer � like some apps already out there, this would be a complete experience that would see users seeding and leeching from their Android devices. There's no ETA yet.

Source

How to use AirPlay

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:46:52 +0000

How to use AirPlay

AirPlay is an Apple feature that many iOS users don�t know a lot about. For starters, it requires anApple TV set-top-box, a gadget that isn�t nearly as popular as other Apple products. Additionally, the best parts of AirPlay only showed up late last year with the release of iOS 5. It�s relatively new territory, and thus often confuses people. The good news is that it�s not difficult to use and it�s an excellent way to get more out of your iDevices.

AirPlay has its origins in an old Apple feature called AirTunes. In the days of AirTunes (2004-2010), the only thing that you could stream was music from a computer running iTunes. That changed at the Fall iPod event in 2010 (which could very well end up being the last iPod event), when Steve Jobs rebranded the feature as AirPlay. With the name change came new functionality, including the ability to stream photos and videos from iOS devices.

So what�s this AirPlay thing all about? More importantly, how do you set it up?

How to use AirPlay

For basic AirPlay media streaming, things couldn�t be easier. You need to have an iOS device (like an iPad), an Apple TV set-top-box, and a WiFi connection. When all of that is setup, an AirPlay icon will show up in any of the following apps: Videos, Music (called iPod on pre-iOS 5 iPhones), Photos, or YouTube.

Once you select that icon, you�ll see a menu that lets you select your recipient device. If you have an Airport Express device, you can stream audio to it, otherwise select your Apple TV. After selecting, anything you play will be streamed to your TV.

How to use AirPlay Mirroring

Streaming some Ray Charles or a YouTube cat video is fine, but the real fun starts when you introduce AirPlay mirroring. It lets you mirror, in real-time, your iOS device�s display onto your TV�s display.

The big caveat here is that you will need one of Apple�s newest iOS devices (like the iPhone 4S or iPad 2) and the latest (2nd generation) Apple TV. If you have all of that, simply activate AirPlay mirroring by double-tapping your iOS device�s home button, and swiping the multitasking switcher over to the right (where the music controls are). There you�ll find the AirPlay icon � just tap it and select your Apple TV. At that point, anything that you do on your iPad will be displayed right on your TV.

It�s an exciting, but limited technology today. Expect to see more from it, and similar streaming technologies, in the future!

Microsoft signing off on Windows 8 Consumer Preview tomorrow

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:40:07 +0000

Microsoft is on the verge of signing off the final version of its Windows 8 Consumer Preview. That is the word from a number of sources who tell us that the company has stopped compiling beta builds of Windows 8. The final build will be signed off officially on Friday and is expected to be numbered 8250.

Microsoft will unveil its Windows 8 Consumer Preview work during a special event at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona next Wednesday. We are told that the company will release the preview to the public at the beginning of the event, which kicks off at 3PM CET (9AM ET). Build 8250 includes a number of preinstalled games and applications, as well as the new Windows 8 logo. Microsoft has also removed the traditional Start button orb in build 8250, replacing it with the new logo on the charms bar. We will be reporting live from Microsoft's MWC event, so stay tuned for the full details on Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

from The Verge

RapidShare Slows Down Free Download Speed

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:59:19 +0000

RapidShare's free service users have been experiencing dramatic speed drops down to around 30/kbs during the past week. Torrentfreak contacted RapidShare, and this was their fascinating response:

"On January 19th Megaupload was shut down by the FBI. Shortly thereafter, several other file hosters curbed their services or entirely stopped their operations. RapidShare has been faced with a severe increase in free user traffic and unfortunately also in the amount of abuse of our service ever since, suggesting that quite a few copyright infringers have chosen RapidShare as their new hoster of choice for their illegal activities,� the company explained.

We have thus decided to take a painful yet effective step: to reduce the download speed for free users. We are confident that this will make RapidShare very unpopular amongst pirates and thus drive the abusive traffic away."

RapidShare says that there is a direct link between free users of file-hosting services and copyright infringement. Those who like to pirate prefer not to pay, the company believes, not least because they want to avoid connecting their personal payment details to a copyright-infringing cyberlocker account. Interesting!

[Question] Windows 7 Taskbar colors.

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:37:34 +0000

Hi, i've been wondering a little bit and i have been wondering about where does the Windows 7 taskbar get all the colors from, from all the programs running? When you hover your mouse over like Windows Media Player it gets orange, IE for light blue etc. Thirdparty programs gets their own colors too and get the color of how the thirdparty program's interface look like, or something. But where does it take the color from, exactly?

Maybe a wierd question and/or maybe a good one ^^

Google developing augmented reality Android HUD glasses

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:24:20 +0000

Google is clearly trying to push its Android operating system in new directions. Only yesterday we reported about a lapdock mode found in Android 5.0 Jelly Bean. It allows you to replace everything but the large display in your laptop case with a smartphone. Now we�ve heard about another new direction for Android: augemented reality glasses.

According to insiders at Google, glasses that run Android are being developed that allow the wearer to see a Head-Up Display. The glasses have their very own 3G/4G connection, meaning they can potentially replace a smartphone. Navigation is also novel and requires head movements such as tilting to perform actions. There�s sure to be voice control too.

If that doesn�t sound futuristic enough, Google is also embedding a camera and GPS into the glasses. By combining the two it will be possible to enhance what the wearer is seeing. Your reality will be augmented to point which direction you need to travel in to reach a given destination, or which shops have deals on you may be interested in.

The project is currently in progress at Google X Labs, a secret laboratory in California tasked with focusing on potential future technologies. The Android glasses are therefore just an experiment at the moment, but if it works well enough there�s nothing to stop Google releasing them.

As the glasses integrate many of the features of a smartphone, it is expected they would cost somewhere in the range of $250-$650. There�s even a suggestion we could see them launched before the end of 2012.

My one concern? Having what is effectively a smartphone so close to your head and connected via a 3G/4G connection for extended periods of time. Such glasses are sure to bring up questions relating to health risks.

Source

'Microsoft Your Account' launched!

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:25:34 +0000

"Microsoft Your Account" is company's Billing Account Management portal, and allows Hotmail, Office, Zune, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone users to track their subscriptions and transactions in one single billing portal.

Microsoft is using the "Microsoft Account" branding in Windows 8 instead of Windows Live ID, and Microsoft's latest billing portal appears to confirm that the company is working towards some type of consolidation and single point of billing and logon.

Microsoft Your Account, via Rafael Rivera

Photon Browser - True FLASH on iOS

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:11:00 +0000

Photon Browser - A Web Browser to Enable Flash on your iOS Device. You get an onscreen mouse and more. It's bad a$$! Get it from the App Store

�"Photon browser is a powerful and versatile Safari alternative that excels in its Flash support..." - USAToday

Screenshot from my iPhone 4

Here's a video I made to show what it can do: