A new face for Microsoft (25 years later)

When you think Microsoft what comes to mind is the four coloured flag. For most of us that has been the symbol of microsoft since we have heard of it (it was there since 1987).

Well, now after 25 years , Microsoft has a new logo, and its the 5th time it has changed since the beginning.

The new logo "takes its inspiration from our product design principles while drawing upon the heritage of our brand values, fonts and colors", as stated in the official logo announcement blog (See it here.)

Check out this video which was part of the new Microsoft logo announcement.

And as for a piece of history, these are the logos Microsoft had till date.

1975-1979

 1980-1981

 


  
1982-1986

 



 1987-2012

 



Now 




What do you guys think about this new logo?

Time to take a LEAP...

Recent years has seen change in the way we interact with computer systems. We have seen a huge increase in use of touch screens, we have seen the awesome Kinect, and many more.

Now the people at Leap Motion have come up with a new way of interacting with your cumputer using their device LEAP.

What they claim it to be is a device that will replace the coomonplace keyboard and mouse. What it is, is a motion sensing device, which can map our hand movements into different commands.
With the ablility to distinguish each finger and their movements down to 1/100th of a millimeter, they say their device is 200 times more accurate than any other such device in the market.

Easy to setup, easy to use, this device uses your hand movement in the air recongising 3D motions and converting them to different day to day option like pinch-to-zoom, scrolling, etc and more complex operations like 3D modelling, drawings, etc.

When one such device, the size of a iPod gives you about 8 cubic feet of workspace, you will be able to link multile LEAP devices to create a much more wider workbench. Think of creating your own Iron Man style workspace.

The device is currently compatible with Windows 7/8 or Mac OSX devices. Linux compatibility is in the cards but tose of you Linux junkies will have to wait a bit more to get your hands waving above one.
The device will cost you $69.99 and is available for pre-order now.

Hit up the link here to visit their site to get more details. If you want to pre-order one, click here.

Well i dont see myself throwing away my keyboard and mouse for this device yet, but i think this may be a move in the right direction. Lets wait for more.

A Galaxy S3 for the commons....

Well, the phone pictured above shoould be familiar to most of you readers by now. Yes, the Galaxy S3.
Now what if I tell you that you could have it for just about Rs. 10,000 ($187) ?

Seems too good to be true? Well it isn't.
When you spend this less than the standard cost of around Rs 36,000 ($650), there tends to be a catch.
And here it is the fact that this phone is not from Samsung!

So dear readers, what you see here is the HDC Galaxy S3...
This is the heights of KIRF (Keeping It Real Fake) that you have in front of your eyes.

So when you pay the $187, what you get is a phone that looks and feels like the Samsung Galaxy S3 (minus the Samsung brand name). They have even managed to include a TouchWiz like UI into this.

Even though its not the Samsung Galaxy S3, what you get is still a pretty decent phone with good features.
A 4.7 inch screen, Gingerbread, 5 MP primary camera, dual sim capability and so on.

Here is a hands on  video of the phone.

Click here to check out the full configuration, and buy one if interested. There seemed to be a free international shipping option (without tracking number), but even if you need a tracking number its just about $4.

This is what i found when I tried.

Well then, go ahead and get yoursleves a Galaxy S3, or save some money and buy the original one from Samsung.

Tap your phone to pay : NFC bill payment coming

For people who doubted the usability of NFC (Near Field Communication) , here is your proof. For people who trusted in it, the day you see it in action is near.

A leading US based payment solution provider Verifone has come up with Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals, which are capable of reading NFC chips, from devices like your smart-phone.

The CEO of Verifone, Douglas Bergeron says that retailers have to take initiative in popularizing this new mode of payment. They should recognize the increase in customer base and be ready to bear the initial costs for setting it up.

Bergeron specified in his press conference some rules which the retailers would have to follow to make this a success.

Rule #1: "Deployment and management of complex NFC technologies will require significant ongoing services from the retailer's payment systems provider. Until retailers are assured of receiving real value from mobile commerce, service providers who stand to gain from either carrier fees, advertising revenue or transaction charges must be willing to bear the costs of this highly disruptive paradigm shift."

Rule #2: "Mobile commerce must add value to the consumer. Tapping a phone is a gimmick, no different from tapping a card or fob. In addition to providing the ability to pay for stuff by phone, service providers and retailers need to provide real additional value –- such as coupons, loyalty rewards and discounts -- for consumers to leave their wallets at home.

Rule #3: "Mobile commerce must be streamlined with existing POS services and managed well for the retailer. Retailers won't tolerate the need for multiple methods of acceptance to accommodate what will become a wide array of mobile commerce schemes. All ideas, regardless of where or who generates them, must converge at a unified point-of-sale."

Rule #4: "Mobile commerce must go from zero to 90 mph in five seconds. Consumers will not embrace mobile commerce without the confidence that it is being widely accepted. If it only works at a few select retailers, it dies a quick death. Ten percent acceptance is not sustainable."

Rule #5: "Mobile commerce must be integrated with other forms of payment. Mobile commerce won't lead to the quick death of plastic cards and must work with existing payment systems that are certified by all major processors and installed in the vast majority of large and small retailers."

Rule #6: "Mobile commerce must be ironclad secure. Security, both real and perceived, is imperative to the adoption and sustainability of mobile commerce. Even minor setbacks in security could compromise consumer adoption and stop the movement in its tracks.

Now we'll have to wait and watch if this changes the world they way credit cards did.

All the new Android phones (running Gingerbread and above) , and the iPhone 5 is supposed to have NFC. With the market share that these phones have, we can hope this becomes a success.

Check the Verifone page for more details.

Pictures of some NFC enabled POS terminals by Verifone

Samsung Galaxy S II : Rumours settle

Samsung has got themselves a very good name in the mobile phone industry, with the launch of a variety of handsets. That even made then the manufacturer releasing the most number of phones in a short period of time.

The Galaxy S which was launched a year back, was a trend setter. It was rumoured to be an iPhone killer. And it did live up to its name.

Now the second generation Galaxy S is ready. And this time it has been a huge discussion topic, on  whats going to be there at its heart, its processor.

The Galaxy S II was showcased at this years MWC. But then even before that it was a hot topic among gadget fanatics. The Galaxy S II was supposed to run on an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor.

But when it was showcased at the MWC it was running on a 1 GHz  Samsung chip (Exynos) . It did sadden the hearts of NVIDIA lovers (me included).

But lately there has been information that Samsung Galaxy II may also come equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, to fill the supply gap. The Samsung chip even though it had comparable performance, seems did not have the yields for such demand.

So there is a chance that phones purchased from different regions may be running different processors.

Other than the processor, the major features are :

•  4.27-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED Plus display
• 8 megapixel primary camera with 1080p video capture
• 2 megapixel secondary front camera
• Gingerbread with TouchWiz 4.0
• Integrated NFC support 
• A shell measuring just 8.49mm thick (making it likely the thinnest smartphone ever)

More pics of this marvel continues:

 Courtesy: engadget

Behold, the iPad 2 is here!

The much awaited and talked about iPad 2 is finally official.

Yesterday Apple offically introduced the Apple iPad 2, the second generation of tablet computing.

Tablet computing was actually brought to a jump start when Apple launched the iPad, following which we saw an array of tablet computers flowing into the market.

Now Apple is ready to create revolution again, with the iPad 2.

The main change you would see is the design. It has a more sleek and smooth design. Its is 33% thinner than the first generation iPad and also 15% lighter. Still it maintains the same screen dimensions, a 9.7 inch LED backlit LCD screen.

But then, changes are not only skin deep. It is powered by an all new dual-core A5 processor, which is claimed to be twice as faster, with upto 9 times better graphics performance, battery life being unaltered (10 hours)

The iPad 2 comes with two cameras. The rear camera capable of capturing 720p HD videos at 30fps, while the front camera is a mere VGA camera to be used for Facetime, which also records at 30fps.

Another new feature is the Smart Cover. The smart cover is not just another case. It is a magnetic flap, which can interact with the iPad, putting the device to sleep based on whether the case is closed or not.

It also comes with the new iOS 4.3, which is launching alongside the iPad 2.

Technical specifications of the iPad 2 can be seen here.

And when can you lay hands on one. You have to wait till March 11.
And for folks in countries like India, well you would have to wait a little bit longer. But boy is it worth the wait!

More pics and comparison with the original iPad follows :

Image courtesy: engadget

Coming Back Soon

Hi guys,

After a long break (around 7 months), I have decided to bring my blog back up.

Hope that I could do my best to deliver information about the latest developments in gadgets and technology.

I would require all your support to keep this blog going. Ideas are always welcome.

Thank you all