Shak's Blog » microsoft http://www.shakeeltariq.com Technology bites Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:17:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Windows 7 set to break sales records http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/28/windows-7-set-to-break-sales-records/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/28/windows-7-set-to-break-sales-records/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:50:25 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=304 windows7Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7, is on course to break sales records following its launch today.The online retailer Amazon said that it was the “biggest grossing pre-order product of all time”, having overtaken the likes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Nintendo’s Wii.Speaking at the launch of Windows 7 yesterday, Jeremy Fennell, Category Director at DSGi, which owns Dixons, Currys and PC World, said: “We have sold more copies of Windows 7 in three weeks on pre-order than Vista sold in its first year.”At midnight, queues could be seen outside stores as computers users got ready to upgrade their PCs to the new system as soon as possible.

via Times Online.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/28/windows-7-set-to-break-sales-records/feed/ 0 Android grabs attention at Sprint conference http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/28/android-grabs-attention-at-sprint-conference/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/28/android-grabs-attention-at-sprint-conference/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:18:49 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=306 For many of the 1,000-plus developers at the Sprint Open Developers Conference on Tuesday, there was but one word on their lips: Android.

While talk in the past has focused on Windows Mobile or Palm, the biggest topic of conversation at the ninth annual conference in Santa Clara was Google’s 1-year-old smart phone operating system, which has become the darling of the mobile development world.

Frenzied programmers tired of the iPhone as well as companies looking for the next big thing are increasingly turning their attention to the new kid on the block and throwing significant resources behind the fledgling platform.

“Now that Android has many more handsets and carriers, it really looks like it will grow big,” said Jaime Gonzales, tech director for Buongiorno, a mobile content company. “I think Android will pass the iPhone in users and developers and eventually in the number of applications.”

Gonzales is just one of many developers who are captivated by Android’s upside. The free and open source operating system premiered a year ago on just one phone model, the G1, but in recent months has gained support from three of the top four U.S. carriers and is being built into phones from Motorola, Samsung, HTC, LG and many others.

Flurry, a mobile analytics company, reported this week that Android app development has jumped 94 percent in September and October.

“Flurry market data shows that Android continues to gain interest from application developers, and that iPhone is no longer the only game in town,” said Simon Khalaf, Flurry president and chief executive officer. “Developers who used to develop only for iPhone are now adding Android applications to their lineup in record numbers.”

Rishi Mallik, senior manager of business development at video streaming service Qik, said Android is just one of many platforms it supported over the last year. But in the last several months, Qik has made Android its primary focus for research and development.

“We had an idea that Android was going to be big but after playing with the platform and seeing the trends in the market, it really crystallized the fact that our hunch was correct,” Mallik said.

It’s not just the momentum that is opening eyes. Developers also see a viable alternative to Apple’s mighty iPhone and its App Store, which now boasts more than 85,000 apps. In some cases, Apple’s success in attracting developers has prompted some programmers to look for the next big opportunity, away from the crowded App Store. The Android Marketplace, by contrast, boasts 10,000 apps.

“With the iPhone, it’s harder and harder to get notoriety for developers,” said Justin Schwab, a partner with Synova Ventures, which develops mobile apps for companies. “A lot of our clients were watching the market to see if it was worth investing in another platform, and now they feel they can monetize on Android.”

For carriers, Android presents an opportunity to do battle with Apple’s iPhone, which runs exclusively on AT&T’s network.

Steve Elfman, president of network operations and wholesale for Sprint, said it’s not just about iPhone envy. He said the Android ecosystem is growing with so much broad support that it has the potential to become a new standard for the industry.

“In the old PC days, Apple came out with a vertically integrated computer that was great but was a niche product, while Windows became the operating system for all manufacturers to build on,” he said. “I think Android has the opportunity to be the Windows of 2010 and beyond.”

via Android grabs attention at Sprint conference.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/28/android-grabs-attention-at-sprint-conference/feed/ 0 Big in Japan: Burger King Sells Windows 7 Whopper – Buying Home Computer | Business Solution | Networking Home Computers – FOXNews.com http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/24/big-in-japan-burger-king-sells-windows-7-whopper-buying-home-computer-business-solution-networking-home-computers-foxnews-com/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/24/big-in-japan-burger-king-sells-windows-7-whopper-buying-home-computer-business-solution-networking-home-computers-foxnews-com/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:52:33 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/?p=300 Windows 7 Whopper

Things always seem over the top in Japan, from the cartoons to camcorders and cell phones. It’s almost no surprise that Microsoft has partnered with Burger King to sell a gigantic hamburger there.

The Windows 7 Whopper consist of seven stacked beef patties that measure over 5 inches in height, and the whole thing costs an appropriate ¥777 (or $8.55). It’s available for seven days only, completing the run of sevens.

Microsoft is hoping for a fresh start with Windows 7, after a poor reception for the Vista, the previous version of the software that runs most of the world’s personal computers.

via Big in Japan: Burger King Sells Windows 7 Whopper – FOXNews.com.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/24/big-in-japan-burger-king-sells-windows-7-whopper-buying-home-computer-business-solution-networking-home-computers-foxnews-com/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 Microsoft Posts Sidekick Recovery Tool http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-posts-sidekick-recovery-tool/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-posts-sidekick-recovery-tool/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:45:00 +0000 Shakeel Tariq

Sidekick users who have been angry at T-Mobile and Microsoft’s Danger for losing their personal data have received a little solace: Microsoft is now offering a recovery tool on T-Mobile’s Web site to help owners of the mobile device retrieve their lost contacts.

This tool will restore contacts only, but Microsoft said in a statement that it is working on retrieving photos, notes, and other data as well.

The Sidekick data-loss saga started the first weekend of this month, when Danger had a massive server outage, and Sidekick users–whose data was in the cloud–lost all of their personal information. T-Mobile USA and Microsoft have slowly become more optimistic about data recovery since thenh, but the PR damage is already done.

Afflicted users can launch the contacts recovery tool by visiting the My T-Mobile Web site.

Via PC Magazine

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-posts-sidekick-recovery-tool/feed/ 0 Microsoft Prepping Minor Windows Mobile 6.51 Upgrade http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-prepping-minor-windows-mobile-6-51-upgrade/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-prepping-minor-windows-mobile-6-51-upgrade/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:00:00 +0000 Shakeel Tariq

While Windows Mobile 6.5 platform isn’t apparently turning out to be a success on several handsets, Microsoft Corp. has decided to come up with a more user-friendly stopgap version of the operating system, version 6.5.1, before it upgrades the platform to the next-generation Windows Mobile 7.

Microsoft has only recently released Windows Mobile 6.5 – on October 6th – but the software maker has reportedly been working on an update which will incorporate features that were left out.

The new stopgap iteration will bring in a host of improvements, such as the inclusion of a rewritten, touch-friendly contact application, according to the reports from the tech blog DownloadSquad.

In addition, the company is also bringing several user interface (UI) tweaks, like check boxes, re-designed buttons, and radio buttons in a bid to significantly enhance the visual appeal to the overall looks of the operating system.

The release date of the updated version hasn’t been declared yet, though some unofficial copies of the build for some specific handsets are already been available in the wild.

Read rest of the article at ITProPortal.com

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/22/microsoft-prepping-minor-windows-mobile-6-51-upgrade/feed/ 0 Thousands of Hotmail passwords leaked online http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/06/thousands-of-hotmail-passwords-leaked-online/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/06/thousands-of-hotmail-passwords-leaked-online/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:00:19 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/06/thousands-of-hotmail-passwords-leaked-online/ Thousands of Hotmail passwords leaked online
Neowin has received information regarding a possible Windows Live Hotmail “hack” or phishing scheme where password details of thousands of Hotmail accounts have been posted online.

An anonymous user posted details of the accounts on October 1 at pastebin.com, a site commonly used by developers to share code snippets. The details have since been removed but Neowin has seen part of the list posted and can confirm the accounts are genuine and most appear to be based in Europe. The list details over 10,000 accounts starting from A through to B, suggesting there could be additional lists. Currently it appears only accounts used to access Microsoft’s Windows Live Hotmail have been posted, this includes @hotmail.com, @msn.com and @live.com accounts.

Neowin has reported this immediately to Microsoft’s Security Response Center and to Microsoft’s PR teams in the UK and US and we are currently awaiting feedback on the situation. As this is a breaking story please check back frequently as the story will be updated as soon as more information becomes available.

If you are a Windows Live Hotmail user Neowin recommends that you change your password and security question immediately.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/06/thousands-of-hotmail-passwords-leaked-online/feed/ 0 Windows 7 Leaked To eBay http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/05/windows-7-leaked-to-ebay/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/05/windows-7-leaked-to-ebay/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:46:58 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/05/windows-7-leaked-to-ebay/ Windows 7 Leaked To eBay — InformationWeek
PC users don’t have to wait until Windows 7 is officially launched later this month to get their hands on Microsoft’s new operating system—it’s already for sale on eBay, and at cut rate prices.

A copy of Windows 7 Ultimate was selling for $167.50 on Sunday, while a copy of the Professional version was going for $132.50. Numerous other eBay sellers are hawking other editions, at varying prices.

Officially, the full version of Windows 7 Professional is $299, with upgrades going for $199. Windows 7 Ultimate is priced at $319, with the upgrade version at $219. The full version of Windows 7 Home Premium is priced at $199, with an upgrade from Vista or XP costing $119.

Some sellers are pitching retail boxed versions of the software while others, the majority, are offering registration keys that allow users to activate a previously downloaded copy of Windows 7. Microsoft has already released Windows 7 to businesses, so it’s possible the sellers obtained access to the software keys through their jobs or other professional contacts.

It’s buyer beware, however. The software may lack Microsoft’s official Certificate Of Authenticity and other piracy protection measures. So it’s questionable whether purchasers will receive support for the product, or whether it will even run at all.

Under some circumstances, reselling software violates Microsoft’s licensing terms and may also be illegal. The software maker has sued numerous eBay members in the past, accusing them of distributing pirated or counterfeited versions of its products.

Windows 7 officially goes on sale Oct. 22nd, with Microsoft planning a series of events and launch parties around the country.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/05/windows-7-leaked-to-ebay/feed/ 0 Rolling Review of Windows 7 Deployment Tool http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/04/rolling-review-of-windows-7-deployment-tool/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/04/rolling-review-of-windows-7-deployment-tool/#comments Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:08:00 +0000 Shakeel Tariq Rolling Review of Windows 7 Deployment Tool | TopNews United States
Microsoft is set to launch Windows 7 on October 22 that shares much of Vista’s core code base and some improved features. The new operating system will have many features similar to Windows Vista.

The up-gradation of Windows XP to Windows 7 is not made as easy as users need to perform a clean install of the OS. Some key issues are there which must be kept in mind while performing the up-gradation task.

Users needs to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor first, moreover, it is urgent for XP users. Motherboard needs to be upgrades and for firmware’s upgrades facility should be availed from manufacture’s website, if it is available there.

Windows 7 does not support XP drivers and the problem must be dealt with. All information can be availed from the compatibility center from where necessary downloads can be availed. XP mode can be downloaded free of cost as it does not come with Windows 7.

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]]> http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/10/04/rolling-review-of-windows-7-deployment-tool/feed/ 0 Microsoft launches free security http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/09/29/microsoft-launches-free-security/ http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/09/29/microsoft-launches-free-security/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:24:50 +0000 Shakeel Tariq http://www.shakeeltariq.com/2009/09/29/microsoft-launches-free-security/ BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft launches free security
Microsoft has released its free computer security package to the public.

From 29 September, Windows users will be able to download the software from Microsoft’s Security Essentials website.

The free software gives basic protection against viruses, trojans, rootkits, and spyware.

The Essentials software is Microsoft’s second try at making an own-brand security package.

Prior to release a beta version of Security Essentials software, codenamed Morro, has been available to users in the US, China, Brazil, and Israel.

Microsoft said the software would be available to anyone who wanted to use it and downloading it would not involve registering with the software firm or having a limit on the amount of time it could be used for.

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