Shak's Blog » computers http://www.shakeeltariq.com Technology bites Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:17:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 IT labs in 3,000 middle schools next fiscal http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2010/05/18/it-labs-in-3000-middle-schools-next-fiscal/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2010/05/18/it-labs-in-3000-middle-schools-next-fiscal/#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 01:44:17 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=408 After setting up computer labs in almost all high schools of the province, the Punjab government is set to establish similar computer labs in 3,000 of its 8,000 middle schools in the first phase in next fiscal year.The News has learnt that the provincial government is going to earmark Rs3 billion in the upcoming budget to set up computer labs on the pattern of high schools. The remaining 5,000 schools would then be provided the computer labs in next two years, enabling the Punjab government comply with the Federal governmentís directive to ensure computer education in all schools, from middle level upwards.“We have added 3.4 million new internet users in one go by establishing computer labs in high schools,” said Punjab Information Technology Board CEO Judat Ayaz, who oversaw the high school computer lab project. He said if funds were made available next year, there would be no problem in equipping middle schools with similar labs. The provision of computer labs to 3,000 middle schools would bring the province another 2.4 million young internet users, he added.He said branded global manufacturers had provided software and hardware with three-year guarantee of performance, repair and maintenance. The PTCL had provided broad band high speed internet connections in most of the labs, guaranteeing uninterrupted services for next three years. Even the enterprise supplying 4,285 air conditioners had guaranteed repair and maintenance for three years, he added. He said the government had made the availability of computer labs of global quality on very cheap rates. Originally, he said, the high school computer labs project was estimated to cost Rs6 billion as they were going for 15 branded desktop computers. However, afterwards, it was found that only three desktop computers would be needed if the latest N-Computing device was used. The decision saved the government Rs1.5 billion from the original estimates, he added. This turned out to be a green projects as monitors used as virtual desktops consume only 10 watt of electricity against CBU of desktop computer that used 100 watt. He said the step would help save a lot of energy every year.Judat said the labs of 500 high schools would be upgraded in accordance with the new project. ‘At least 400 high schools could not get computer labs because they did not have access to electricity. This year, they too would get labs as arrangements had been made to electrify the schools through solar panels,’ he added.

via IT labs in 3,000 middle schools next fiscal.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2010/05/18/it-labs-in-3000-middle-schools-next-fiscal/feed/ 0 Google Releases Chrome OS Code http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/20/google-releases-chrome-os-code/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/20/google-releases-chrome-os-code/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:32:17 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=371
google chromium
google chromium

Google on Thursday released the code for its upcoming Chrome OS, and plans to have a netbook running the operating system available for sale before the 2010 holiday season.Chrome OS has now been open-sourced as part of the Chromium OS project and is open and free to the development community. It includes the current code base, user interface experiments, and some initial designs for ongoing development.When Chrome OS makes it to the market by the end of next year, all activity will be stored in the cloud, Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at Google, said during a technical preview at the company's Mountain View headquarters. Therefore, if you lose your Chrome OS-based netbook and buy another one, all of your information will be recovered as soon as you log into the new machine.Pichai did not reveal pricing information, but said that it would “be in the range of what people expect today” for a netbook.Google does, however, plan to introduce a slightly larger than usual netbook to accommodate more comfortable typing and viewing, and it is, therefore, “hard to predict” what type of prices to expect a year from now. Google has not specified a price target that it wishes its partners to hit, he said.Google will initially focus on netbooks, but plans to eventually expand that to laptops and desktops. That will not happen in the 2010 timeframe, however, Pichai said.Specific hardware partners will be unveiled in mid-2010. “The goal is to run it as a very open project and we'll be working with a full variety of partners,” Pichai said.He said that Chrome OS currently works on an x86 processor, but there is “work underway” for it to function on ARM as well.”We don't want to go into all the technical details, but we'll make sure that you can run native-based apps on x86 and ARM,” said Matt Papakipos, engineering director on Chrome OS.A Google Chrome OS device is “primarily intended for connectivity” through Wi-Fi as a “fundamentally different model of computing,” Pichai said.That said, there will be instances where users can cache programs locally and use them offline, like listening to music or reading books. As part of HTML 5 capabilities Google is also looking at offline capabilities, with access to local storage.Wi-Fi efforts are primarily focused on 802.11n, Papakipos said.Pichai was not concerned that the OS is too tightly integrated with the browser, which has earned Microsoft some antitrust scrutiny.”We dont have 95 percent market share in the OS market,” he said. “What we are doing is open source. If a competitor wants to bring a competing product to market under a different name, they can.”Google has not had conversations with regulators, he said.Co-founder Sergey Brin said Google does not think about Microsoft. “We think about how we save end users,” he said. “We take data and try to make sure how we make sense of it.”There will be no charge for the Google OS itself, Brin said. If a partner wants to call it a Google machine, then they can, but there will also be a business negotiation that follows to pay Google a fee.

via Google Releases Chrome OS Code – Reviews by PC Magazine.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/20/google-releases-chrome-os-code/feed/ 4 Google Launches New Programming Language: Go http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/14/google-launches-new-programming-language-go/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/14/google-launches-new-programming-language-go/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:53:58 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=365 Google introduces a new programming language, known as Go, that is aimed at being fast, productive and fun for developers to use.Google has introduced a new programming language, known as Go, that is aimed at being fast, productive and fun for developers to use.Google officials described Go as an “experimental language” that attempts to combine the development speed of working in a dynamic language like Python with the performance and safety of a compiled language like C or C++.Moreover, in a blog post by the Google Go team, team members Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, Ken Thompson, Ian Taylor, Russ Cox, Jini Kim and Adam Langley said: “In our experiments with Go to date, typical builds feel instantaneous; even large binaries compile in just a few seconds. And the compiled code runs close to the speed of C. Go is designed to let you move fast.”Meanwhile, an FAQ on the Go language on the language's Website addressed who should use the language. “We hope adventurous users will give it a try and see if they enjoy it,” the FAQ said. “Not every programmer will, but we hope enough will find satisfaction in the approach it offers to justify further development.”

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/14/google-launches-new-programming-language-go/feed/ 6 PC processor shipments break record http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/10/pc-processor-shipments-break-record/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/10/pc-processor-shipments-break-record/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:22:30 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=355 PC processors are the latest tech segment bouncing back from the recession.Third-quarter shipments of computer processors, or CPUs, climbed 23 percent over the second quarter of 2009, doubling typical growth and setting a record for sequential growth, according to an IDC report released Monday.Revenue from processor sales also bounced back to hit $7.4 billion, a 14 percent gain over the second quarter, according to IDC’s “Worldwide PC Processor 3Q09 Vendor Shares” report.IDC viewed the record levels in shipments as a promising sign in economic recovery.”Most meaningful about 3Q09 is that, since PC processor shipments overall just slightly exceeded shipments in 3Q08–which was itself a record quarter at the time–we know that the processor market is recovering,” Shane Rau, IDC’s director of semiconductors for personal computing research, said in a statement.With the popularity of Netbooks, mobile processors such as Intel’s Atom chip drove much of the growth. Shipments of the mobile CPUs jumped 35.7 percent over the second quarter, while desktop processor shipments rose 11.4 percent sequentially. Since mobile processors are cheaper than their desktop counterparts, their growth in revenue trailed the growth in shipments.

via PC processor shipments break record | Business Tech – CNET News.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/10/pc-processor-shipments-break-record/feed/ 0 Steve Jobs Conquers the Decade – Now What? http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/08/steve-jobs-conquers-the-decade-now-what/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/08/steve-jobs-conquers-the-decade-now-what/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:16:06 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=350 Steve JobsApple CEO Steve Jobs has been named the chief executive of the decade by Fortune, and it’s hard to call that a bad pick, considering the turnaround Apple has undergone since Jobs returned to the helm in the mid-’90s. What’s next on the list for a tech leader who’s already changed the way we use computers, how we listen to music, and how we use our cellphones?

Now that Fortune has named Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs CEO of the decade, where will he go from here?

Throughout his career, Jobs has typically led the market, bringing out products that consumers didn’t know they wanted until they saw them — products like the iPhone and iPod touch, for instance.

He will probably continue doing so, but in the future he may delegate more responsibilities.

In declaring Jobs CEO of the decade, Fortune looked at how Jobs rebuilt Apple from a company on the edge of failure to the cash-rich behemoth it is today. Oh, and he also survived two brushes with death and a securities-law scandal.

That was then; the market appears saturated with new products now. Can Jobs come up with more eye-popping, highly profitable new ideas? The products Apple introduced over the past year — new iPod models including the iPod touch, the iPhone 3GS, and new Macs and iMacs — have mainly been refinements of existing products, after all.

There’s still plenty of opportunity for someone of Jobs’ caliber, argued Carl Howe, director of anywhere research at the Yankee Group. “Apple’s future opportunities are defined by areas where technology and design have traditionally been separate, but that consumers want combined,” he told MacNewsWorld.

These areas of potential include home entertainment systems and vehicle telematics, Howe said. Telematics is the integrated use of telecommunications and information — sending, receiving and storing information on telecommunication devices. It is used in GPS systems, for instance.

Apple could make significant inroads into the home entertainment and vehicle telematics markets, Howe contended. “We keep hearing rumors that Apple will enter the TV market, but don’t dismiss the auto opportunity — it begs for a branded integrated solution rather than an open, anything-goes one,” he said. “It’s another one of those global multi-billion dollar profit pools that Apple seems well-positioned to tap into.”

Read More @ Technology News: Business: Steve Jobs Conquers the Decade – Now What?.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/11/08/steve-jobs-conquers-the-decade-now-what/feed/ 0 Internet addresses set for change http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/30/internet-addresses-set-for-change/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/30/internet-addresses-set-for-change/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:48:06 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=343 The internet regulator has approved plans to allow non-Latin-script web addresses, in a move that is set to transform the online world.

The board of Icann voted at its annual meeting in Seoul to allow domain names in Arabic, Chinese and other characters in what is being described as the biggest change to the way the internet works since it was created 40 years ago.

More than half of the 1.6 billion people who use the internet speak languages with non-Latin scripts.

via BBC NEWS | Business | Internet addresses set for change.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/30/internet-addresses-set-for-change/feed/ 0 Internet Turns 40 Today: First Message Crashed System http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/30/internet-turns-40-today-first-message-crashed-system/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/30/internet-turns-40-today-first-message-crashed-system/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:09:55 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=333

Everyone surfing for last-minute Halloween costumes and pictures of black Lolcats today—what you might call the 40th anniversary of the Internet—can give thanks to the simple network message that started it all: “lo.”

On October 29, 1969, that message became the first ever to travel between two computers connected via the ARPANET, the computer network that would become the Internet.

The truncated transmission traveled about 400 miles (643 kilometers) between the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Stanford Research Institute.(Watch video about the birth of the Internet.)

The electronic dispatch was supposed to be the word “login,” but only the first two letters were successfully sent before the system crashed.

Still, that humble greeting marked the start of a phenomenon that has become such an important part of modern life that many experts argue access to it should be a right rather than a privilege.

In fact, earlier this month Finland became the first country in the world to declare broadband Internet access a legal right for all of its 5.2 million citizens.

“I don’t think it’s quite on the level of food and water yet, but it’s pretty close,” said Jeffrey Cole, director of the Annenberg School for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California.

Packet Technology

Created by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency, the original ARPANET was a network of just four computer terminals installed at universities and research institutions in California and Utah.

With its truncated missive 40 years ago today, ARPANET became the world’s first operational packet-switching network.

“Packet-switching was the original transmission mechanism [for our network] in 1969 and is still the underlying technology of the Internet today,” said Leonard Kleinrock, a UCLA computer engineer who was involved in ARPANET’s creation.

In a packet-switched connection, a message from one computer is broken down into chunks, or packets, of data and sent through multiple routes to another computer.

via Internet Turns 40 Today: First Message Crashed System.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/30/internet-turns-40-today-first-message-crashed-system/feed/ 0 Microsoft launches Windows 7 in India http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-launches-windows-7-in-india/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-launches-windows-7-in-india/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:29:18 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-launches-windows-7-in-india/

Microsoft India has announced the availability of Windows 7 for its customers in India.

In line with the company’s commitment to releasing a new OS at periodic schedules, Windows 7 is designed to be more reliable and responsive, delivering a simplified PC experience for consumers.

Announcing the Windows 7 launch, Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman, Microsoft India reportedly said, “Proactive engagement and feedback thereof with partners and consumers was fundamental to the development of Windows 7. It has helped deliver what is the highest quality OS in the history of Windows. It enhances the user experience by its sheer simplicity and caters to their connected lives across work and play. We are delighted by the initial reviews from partners and the technology community.
Over 90% of testers from around the world have rated it as “good” or “extremely good” and consider Windows 7 to be responsive, simple to use and stable.”

Over 600 new feature ideas for Windows 7 were tested through global quantitative research early in the engineering process, helping Microsoft determine the features that best address consumers’ top needs. Further, Windows 7 saw the largest beta testing program in the history of the industry, with 8 million testers worldwide.

With features such as Aero, Shake, Peek, Snap, Jump Lists and a redesigned Windows Taskbar, Windows 7 is designed to become the control center for all the media and make it easy to do more with photos, music, movies and videos. New features like HomeGroup, Play To, Windows Live Movie Maker and Remote Media Streaming in Windows 7 will help consumers discover easy and exciting new ways to have fun and get new things done with the PC.

Windows 7 is available in six editions. The two primary editions are: Windows 7 Home Premium for home consumers and Windows 7 Professional for small and medium sized businesses. Also available in the line-up are Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic (in Emerging Markets only), Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate. The FPP pricing for Windows 7 has reduced in the range of 25-35 percent over Windows Vista, for most SKUs.

Windows 7 is available at more than 45,000 retailers around the world and in India, all 16 OEMs will bring in more than 100 different Windows 7 PCs within 30 days from today.

Globally, more than 17,000 software and hardware companies are building solutions on Windows 7 and over 50,000 developers are enrolled in the Windows Ecosystem Readiness Program. Together, these partners are developing hardware, software and services capable of reaching more than a billion PCs around the world.

Via Infotech

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-launches-windows-7-in-india/feed/ 0 Apple, Win7 products unveiled http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/apple-win7-products-unveiled/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/apple-win7-products-unveiled/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:45:00 +0000 Shakeel Tariq

Apple Inc. has made significant upgrades to its venerable iMac computers and several other products.
The announcement of the new wares came Tuesday, which is perhaps not coincidental. On Thursday, Microsoft Corp. is set to unveil its Windows 7 operating system, and concurrently reveal several new computers created with the system in mind.
Via LATimes

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/apple-win7-products-unveiled/feed/ 2 Samsung, HTC Offer First Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/06/samsung-htc-offer-first-windows-mobile-6-5-phones/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/06/samsung-htc-offer-first-windows-mobile-6-5-phones/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:07:03 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/06/samsung-htc-offer-first-windows-mobile-6-5-phones/ Samsung, HTC Offer First Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones – Business Center – PC World
HTC and Samsung are at the head of the line of U.S. handset vendors offering Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, the first smartphones based on Microsoft’s new OS that are meant to finally give Microsoft-powered phones features that are on par with those available in Apple’s iPhone.

At an event in New York Tuesday Microsoft also launched its Windows Marketplace for Mobile with 246 applications now available in the mobile apps online store, a small number in comparison to the tens of thousands of applications available on Apple’s App Store for the iPhone.

Windows Mobile 6.5 is the first OS to allow people to download apps for the devices, and Microsoft said that more than 753 software developers worldwide are continuing to build out the catalog.

Microsoft showcased the new phones at an “open house” event in New York that also highlighted other products Microsoft will have on sale for the Christmas holiday shopping season, the ZuneHD and XBox 360 among them. The company also quietly rebranded its new mobile devices “Windows phones,” appearing to distance them from the “Windows Mobile” moniker.

Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach said Microsoft’s aim with all of its new entertainment and mobile devices is to provide innovation to change the way people live their lives. “The technology we are working on today is about changing lifestyles and changing industries,” he said at the event.

Bach said that while in the past, Microsoft’s Windows phones were more suitable for business users, with features geared toward that demographic, the new Windows phones are more consumer-oriented. “We’re adding to that integration with your lifestyle,” he said.

While Microsoft has been touting Windows Mobile 6.5 as an innovative technology that also will help the company compete better with Apple in the smartphone market, analysts have reacted coolly. Some have suggested Microsoft altogether abandon the OS, which has been losing market share and is more than two years behind Apple in terms of features.

For example, the new Windows phones My Phone feature — which allows Windows Mobile users to synchronize information between their phone and the Web — is akin to the MobileMe service from Apple launched last year for iPhone.

In North America, customers can now purchase Windows Mobile 6.5 on the HTC Pure from AT&T and the HTC Imagio from Verizon Wireless. The Samsung Intrepid from Sprint will be available on Oct. 11, and the HTC Tilt 2 from AT&T will be available in the coming weeks.

In Europe, HTC and Samsung also will offer phones, alongside handset providers MDA, Toshiba, LG and TMN.

Bach said that Microsoft plans to ship 30 Windows phones in 20 countries by the end of the year, featuring a range of form factors that will provide choice to customers.

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