Upgrading to Windows 7 the Easy Way

Windows 7 launches to the general public on October 22nd. Are you planning on upgrading your computer? Especially if you're running Vista, Windows 7 offers a compelling combination of faster boot times, improved responsiveness (since there are fewer processes running at any given time), and several fun and practical user interface enhancements. But what about your stuff?
You've installed a bunch of applications and utilities, you've ripped gigabytes of music, and you've probably collected, cataloged, and Photoshopped to perfection a few thousand photographs. If you upgrade, do you risk losing all of that? It's a common fear, to be sure. Fortunately, Microsoft includes a handy tool that eases your migration to a new Windows installation. Called Windows Easy Transfer, the wizard gathers up the various photos, videos, songs, and other documents (not to mention the program settings from all of your applications) and stores them in one ginormous, semi-convenient file. Once you've installed the new OS or set up your new computer, you can run the wizard again and import all of those files. Microsoft Windows 7 is designed to upgrade from older iterations of the operating system, but if you're at all like me, you've been installing and uninstalling apps and utilities, rolling back your system installation after crashes, hacking software packages and DLLs, or even adding and changing registry entries. Sure, you can upgrade your current computer to the new operating system, but it might pay to create a fresh installation and due away with the gunk of years of computing.
If you're interested in a clean slate, use Windows Easy Transfer to port everything to an external drive. Over the weekend, I did just that, using the tool to export all my stuff before wiping my main system clean and installing Windows 7 Ultimate. Here's what I did.
When you first launch the wizard, you'll walk through some simple screens that close any open programs before asking whether you're at the new PC or the old PC. It then prompts you to choose a location to store your files in temporarily. Because the Transfer wizard created a fairly sizeable 122 GB file for me, I stored on a network attached storage (NAS) device, and you'll probably do well to have something similar, though a simple USB drive will do. I'm a huge music fan, not to mention a bit of a digital photography buff, which explains the size of my file. For a rough estimate, add up your music, photo, and video storage folder sizes.
My network is gigabit Ethernet, which is noticeably faster than standard, 100-Mbps Ethernet. Still, backing everything up took over 2 hours. Once I was done, I was free to boot from the Windows 7 disk, use the partitioning tools to erase all the partitions on my PC, and install a clean copy of the new operating system. Windows 7 installation is remarkably quick, especially relative to XP and Vista installs, which really do takes as much as an hour. Next I set up separate user accounts for myself and for my wife off the bat.
My PC has two drives, a smaller, faster one for the operating system and a bigger, slower disk for storing files. Knowing that the majority of files I had were music and photos, I re-mapped the My Music and My Photos folders for both accounts to folders I created on the larger, second drive in my PC. To do this, simply right-click one of those folders and select Properties. Click the Location tab and either Move… the folder or select Find Target...
When I ran the wizard again from the new operating system and pointed it to the saved file, Windows seamlessly moved all my files and settings back into place, copying my music and photos into the new locations on the larger drive. Phew! Because my old setup didn't have separate accounts, Windows gave me the option to remap the files to a different account, which may prove a useful option for some. Easy Transfer copied the folders and files, desktop picture, and settings for miscellaneous apps perfectly to my new installation.
he downside to this technique, of course, is the need to then reinstall all of the programs I use on a daily basis, things like Firefox, Trillian, Microsoft Office, the Google Toolbar, Picasa, and so on. Because I had created a directory on my NAS with all of these programs ahead of time, I was free to install them at my leisure. Sure, this all might seem like a somewhat more involved process than simply clicking the upgrade button. But sometimes, a clean slate is worth jumping through a few hoops.

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Windows 7: Making SSDs Work Better

Windows 7 is bringing a lot of changes, including more support for newer hardware—particularly for solid state drives (SSDs), both in terms of new commands and in the way the system itself works. A typical user won't see anything different, but over time, we should get better performance with systems with SSDs.
Thus far, SSDs have mainly been used in three situations: First, relatively small amounts of Flash storage were used in the earliest netbooks, providing 4GB, 8GB, or to 16GB of storage. This made sense, since PC makers can buy Flash memory in small increments, and they could include 8GB of Flash memory for less money than a hard disk. The problem is that as users decided they wanted to do more on such machines—notably, run Windows—they needed larger storage, so most of the market has now moved on to inexpensive hard drives.
More important, I've seen lots of thin-and-light notebooks using SSDs, from the MacBook Air to the Thinkpad X300 to most of the newer thin-and-light machines that have been introduced lately. Current drives in this space typically use what is called MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash and special controllers. They tend to be particularly fast in read speeds compared with hard drives, so that's great for things like boot up, but slower for writes, which is why so many use special controllers and cache.
(In addition, and in some ways most important today, SSDs have been used in server situations where read performance is most important. In this case, enterprises have primarily used drives based on what is known as SLC flash as a front end to databases. A number of companies have focused on making SSDs or just putting Flash memory on boards. But such systems use server operating systems, not client ones.)
If you have used a laptop with an SSD drive and Windows Vista, chances are you noticed that it booted very quickly but that it wrote relatively slowly. And you've also probably noticed that it gets noticeably slower over time. That's because of the way the drive works.
Because an SSD doesn't require a disk head to get to a particular point on a platter (as on a hard drive), it offers particularly fast reads of random information. In addition, many SSDs can read sequential data at a good rate. However, random writes are a different story. Your typical hard drive has a small amount of RAM as a cache, so writing to the drive appears to take a very short amount of time. (It takes longer to physically write the data to the drive, but you probably won't notice the difference, except in a power failure.) And of course, writing a lot of data (more than fills the cache) will slow down a hard drive.
When you use a hard drive and you delete a file (or indeed, any data), what really happens is that the block on the drive gets marked as unused, but the data doesn't actually get overwritten (which is why programs like Undelete often work). This makes no difference in performance, because the system will just write new data over the old data when it has to.
On an SSD, the big difference is that you can't just write over data in a cell; you have to erase it first. And you can't erase just one cell at a time, you have to erase a block of cells, and that takes time. That's one reason why SSDs seem so much faster when they are brand new—there's no data to be erased.
In addition, individual cells in a Flash drive are much more prone to errors than bits on hard drives are, and over time, the cells can wear out. If an OS were to write data to the same cells over and over again, those cells would wear out first. That's why all SSDs have sophisticated controllers to move the data around and level the wear across the drive. But some are better than others.
In general, they should all be good enough so that a typical SSD should not wear out in normal use. But the controllers that do a better job and can better track what data is needed and what is not should be able to do more efficient erases, and thus wear better, giving better performance over a longer period.
To help with this, Windows 7 introduces a Trim command, which effectively tells the controller when data is no longer needed so that it can better manage when to erase different blocks of cells. But note this works only with the NTFS file system and with drives are connected over the ATA protocol. In other words, it works for typical internal drives but not for most external ones. Also note that you probably won't see this in most of the early machines coming with Windows 7 and SSDs, because most of the drive makers don't have TRIM support yet. But they are all working on it.
In addition, Windows 7 now is much more aware of SSDs and will disable a number of features that were designed to improve hard disk performance but that tend to either slow down or wear SSDs, including prefetching boot or application data. Microsoft has posted more detail on its Engineering Windows blog.
With better support for SSDs, I expect we'll see many more Windows 7 systems with just those kinds of drives, particularly as the price declines. After all, they offer the promise of improved performance, quicker startup times, somewhat better battery life, and theoretically, more reliability. (I say "theoretically" because although SSDs do better in protecting the data from things like drops, because there is no head to touch the media, the fact that cells wear out over time means we probably won't know long-term reliability for years.)
My guess is that typical desktops and larger notebooks will stay with hard drives for a long time, as they offer larger capacities at much lower prices, and should continue to do so for years to come. But for lightweight systems where battery life is important, SSDs should become more commonplace.

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Windows 7 and GPU Computing: Speeding Up Video and More

One of the most interesting changes just starting to happen in PC architecture is that software can now do some computing using the graphics processor, in addition to the using the traditional CPU. This offers the potential for certain applications to run noticeably faster. Windows 7 may not be driving this change, but it is providing the platform that most of the vendors looking at GPU computing seem to be focusing on.
I've written a lot about GPU computing in the past, but here's the basic background: Today's graphics processors contain dozens or perhaps hundreds, depending on the chip, of small "cores" designed for manipulating small chunks of data in parallel.
Nvidia, as the largest company that focuses on graphics processing, has been the most visible company promoting the concept of using the GPU for computing. It has created CUDA architecture, essentially a framework for developers to use to enable their programs for parallel processing on Nvidia's current and upcoming graphics cards, as well as on Tesla, special-purpose cards with high-end GPUs designed for using CUDA code in high-performance computing applications.
Some of the initial consumer applications include Badaboom video conversion software; Cyberlink's PowerDirector; Arcsoft's Total Media Theatre, for improving video playback; and MotionDSP's vReveal, for improving the quality of video. More recently it has found its way into most of the big suites for encoding and transcoding video, including those from Cyberlink, Nero, and most recently, Roxio.
As you can tell, most of these are video applications, and in general I've seen quite good improvements in the time it takes to transcode video from one format to another, and to prepare it for a mobile device. I hope to publish some more tests on this in a few weeks.
Most of these programs supported Nvidia first, but many now support a similar technology from AMD for its ATI graphics boards known as Stream; and AMD has been particularly vocal about using these techniques also on its chipsets with integrated graphics. Intel recently announced a Media Software development kit designed for its integrated graphics, and a few companies, notably Cyberlink, have shown support for using that chip as well.
But I have heard a number of software developers say that they don't like the idea of writing versions of their software that are specific to particular graphics boards. So most of the companies involved in the space got together and created the OpenCL specification as part of the Khronos Group, a consortium of more than 100 companies initially known for its OpenGL standard, which is used in all sorts of graphics applications. Apple added OpenCL support in its newest version of MacOS, Snow Leopard.
On Windows 7, Microsoft has added its own APIs designed to use the GPU for computing. Called DirectCompute, they are part of its broader DirectX 11 graphics standard. I would expect a number of gaming companies, who already primarily write to DirectX, to support this going forward, though it may take a while—not many DirectX 11–capable cards are out yet. ATI is just starting to ship; and Nvidia seems a few months away. (Gaming companies use DirectX for graphics; this would mean also using it for some of the calculations they currently use the CPU for.)
Both Nvidia and ATI are committed to supporting DirectX 11 on their newest boards; and both now have early OpenCL drivers out as well. In particular, I expect both of their Windows 7 drivers will support OpenCL. Again, I've heard from a number of application software vendors that they expect to use OpenCL for much of their consumer software going forward, though some say they will keep doing ATI- and Nvidia-specific versions because of their relationships with those vendors.
The expectation would be that using OpenCL (or DirectCompute, for that matter) would not result in performance that is quite as fast as writing for CUDA or ATI Stream directly, but that it might be easier to write. It would certainly be easier to make OpenCL work on a variety of platforms. On the other hand, people who write high-performance computing applications may well continue to write directly for architectures such as CUDA, because they need all the performance they can get.
It certainly means that in the software world, writing certain kinds of applications to use the GPU (as well as to better use multiple CPU cores) is becoming much more commonplace. Whether OpenCL, DirectCompute, or a GPU-specific development kit, GPU computing will be part of computing going forward.

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AMD sales better than expected, CPU demand rises

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said Thursday it lost money in the third quarter, but its stronger-than-expected sales are adding to evidence that consumer spending is fueling a turnaround in the personal computer market.
AMD sells about 20 percent of the world's computer microprocessors, which are the brains inside PCs. The chipmaker was hurt by weak consumer and business spending on computers in the first half of the year, but it says shipments rose in the quarter.
Earlier this week, AMD's larger competitor, Intel Corp., predicted 2009 will end with growth in PC sales, and researchers said PC sales picked up in the third quarter. Businesses aren't expected to replace old computers until sometime next year.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based AMD says revenue fell 22 percent, but analysts were expecting a steeper decline.
Shares fell 10 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $6.09 in extended trading after the release of results. Earlier, it closed down 6 cents, or 1 percent, at $6.19 in regular trading.

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IBM sees better profit despite tech sales slump

IBM Corp. is a rare example of a company that has kept boosting profit and jacking up its guidance even as the recession has sapped its sales. The ability comes from IBM's transformation from a hardware company on the brink of collapse in the 1990s to a one-stop technology shop that rivals are trying to emulate.
IBM now focuses on outsourcing and other services that save clients money are more profitable than selling hardware. A flurry of recent acquisitions from Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc., Xerox Corp. and Oracle Corp. have thrust those companies deeper into IBM's turf.
IBM's latest results, reported Thursday, show why its business model might be attractive to rivals.
Revenue dropped 7 percent in the July-September quarter, but profit jumped 14 percent and IBM raised its 2009 forecast for the second time.
IBM expects at least $9.85 per share in profit in 2009, ahead of analysts' average forecast of $9.78 per share, according to Thomson Reuters. IBM had raised its guidance before, in July, to at least $9.70 per share.
Still, shares fell 3.7 percent in extended trading after closing the regular session at $127.98, down 37 cents. Some investors were apparently disappointed the increase wasn't bigger.
"A lot of us thought you might get even better than this," said Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams. "But these results are solid."
IBM's net income in the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $3.2 billion, or $2.40 per share, versus $2.8 billion, or $2.04 per share, a year ago. Analysts expected $2.38 per share.
Sales were $23.6 billion, slightly better than the $23.4 billion expected by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Revenue would have been down 5 percent instead of 7 percent if it were not for currency fluctuations.
The value of services contracts that IBM signed in the quarter was $11.8 billion, a decline of 7 percent from the same period in 2008.
While IBM makes most of its money from services and software, hardware still makes up nearly a fifth of its revenue. Mark Loughridge, IBM's chief financial officer, said in an interview that market share gains in servers at the expense of the world's No. 4 server maker, Sun Microsystems Inc., were a significant help in the quarter. IBM has exploited uncertainty about Oracle Corp.'s proposed $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun to steal away customers.
IBM's numbers show that corporations are still reluctant to spend on some kinds of technology. Accenture, an IBM rival in consulting, and Intel Corp., which makes most of the world's computer microprocessors, have recently said a recovery might not happen until next year.

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Nokia Shuffles Management After Reporting Quarterly Loss

After posting a loss yesterday, Nokia has announced some changes in its senior management. Rick Simonson, currently Nokia Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed to head of the Mobile Phones entity within the Devices unit from next month. He will also head strategic sourcing for the whole of the Devices unit.

Rick Simonson joined Nokia in 2001 and has been CFO since 2004. He will continue to be a member of the Group Executive Board.

Mobile Phones is one of two new entities within the Devices unit that came into operation on October 1, 2009, the other being Smartphones. Mobile Phones leads the portfolio, product and lifecycle management of all Series 30 and Series 40 devices, which account for more than half of Devices & Services net sales and therefore represent a significant part of Nokia's business.

Timo Ihamuotila, currently global head of sales, will transfer to the role of CFO as of November 1, 2009. Timo Ihamuotila first joined Nokia in 1993 and has held the position of Nokia Corporate Treasurer as well as several other senior positions in, for example, portfolio management of devices and most recently global sales of devices and services. Timo Ihamuotila will also continue to be a member of the Group Executive Board.

Says Nokia CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo: "After six successful years as CFO, it is great to have Rick move to such an important operational role. Rick Simonson's deep knowledge of the business and its financials will be valuable for the significant part Mobile Phones plays in Nokia's business. In addition to his background in finance, Timo Ihamuotila's expertise from leading a diverse range of business areas will be a tremendous asset in his position as CFO."

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Adobe Releases Photoshop Mobile for iPhone

Adobe today introduced Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone application, delivering Adobe industry-leading digital-imaging technology to users on the go. Photoshop.com Mobile provides consumers a convenient way to edit photos, apply effects and share images instantly with friends – all with the flick of a finger. Seamless integration with users’ free Photoshop.com accounts enables photo sharing and data back-up, saving them valuable space on their iPhones. The application is available free of charge at Apple’s App Store.

“As the digital imaging leader, Adobe is excited to bring Photoshop.com Mobile to iPhone users,” said Doug Mack, vice president and general manager of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe. “Now, with access to powerful editing and sharing tools, iPhone users are armed with the resources to document all of life’s unexpected moments, make them look their best and then re-live those memories with friends and family.”

Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone provides a fun, seamless experience to view photos with full-screen previews and edit images with gesture-based editing. Consumers can transform their photos with essential edits like crop, rotate and flip. Users can correct and play with color by adjusting the saturation and tint, enhancing the exposure and vibrancy and converting images to black and white.
Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone also offers eye-catching special effects. The Sketch tool helps photos look like drawings, and Soft Focus can give photos a subtle blur for artistic effect. With just one click, users can also apply dramatic changes to the look and feel of their photos with effects such as Warm Vintage, Vignette and Pop. Edits or changes can be undone or redone so users can experiment without the worry of losing the original photo.

After making personalized edits, users can upload photos from their iPhone to their Photoshop.com account to view and retrieve their images at a later time from any Internet-connected computer. In addition, Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone provides the ultimate digital photo wallet, giving users access to their entire Photoshop.com library directly from their iPhone.Photoshop.com offers 2GB of free online photo storage, which equates to over 1,500 photos.

Pricing and Availability
The Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone application is available as a free download from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch. The application is available in the U.S. and Canada only.

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Windows 7 Launch Could Increase Mac Sales

History suggests that the launch of a Windows operating system actually provides a boost to Mac sales.

AppleInsider relays this information from Broadpoint.AmTech's Brian Marshall. In a research note Marshall examined previous launches of the Windows operating system.

"We have concluded that no negative correlation exists on AAPL's hardware sales when Microsoft launches a new OS," Marshall said. "Ironically, we believe new OS launches from MSFT may have acted as a 'delayed accelerant' to AAPL's computing sales. However, we believe AAPL's success (or failure) in the computing market is largely idiosyncratic (or company-specific) in nature and not dependent on others in the industry."

Apple will report its September quarter results on Monday, Oct. 19. Marshall expects strong earnings.

"In our view, Apple is 'THE' undisputed growth name in tech with numerous catalysts on the horizon (e.g. China iPhone ramp, netbook/tablet launch, etc.) and no business model issues," he said. "In addition, AAPL is currently benefiting from a positive mix shift (to higher margin iPhones/iPod touches)." Type rest of the post here

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Nikon Announces the FX-format D3S D-SLR

Today, Nikon announced the FX-format D3S D-SLR, providing professional photographers with a powerful tool that redefines the boundaries of digital SLR versatility, while maintaining the strength of superior image quality and high speed performance inherited from the groundbreaking D3. The D3S enables not only new opportunities in low-light photography, but also provides photographers with added shutter speed and aperture freedom with a base ISO sensitivity range from ISO 200 to a remarkable 12,800. Additionally, expanded ISO equivalent settings up to a staggering 102,400 are available, enabling photographers to create images previously thought impossible.

The Nikon D3S builds upon the success of the Nikon D3—the professional digital SLR that set new standards for D-SLR performance and utilizes a newly designed, Nikon original 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor that also integrates its amazing low-light ability to High Definition (HD) video, creating a uniquely capable multi-media tool to meet the needs of a changing imaging landscape. “When the Nikon D3 was released, it ushered in a new era of professional digital imaging. Today, the D3S will further reinforce Nikon’s leadership role in the photographic industry as a pioneer in performance-driven technologies that will again break once-rigid picture-taking barriers,” said Edward Fasano, general manager for Marketing, SLR Systems Products at Nikon Inc. “The ruggedly constructed D3S was engineered to address the real-world needs of professional photographers and provides them with a tool that, when combined with their skills, delivers stunning images in a broad range of shooting conditions and assignment requirements.”
Creative Vision Beyond the Human Eye
The Nikon D3s, with a base ISO sensitivity from ISO 200 to 12,800 makes it possible to capture previously impossible images—image opportunities which were often ignored because of low light levels. Now, in even more demanding lighting conditions, photographers can select expanded sensitivity settings of ISO equivalent 25,600, ISO equivalent 51,200 and an incredible ISO equivalent sensitivity of 102,400 which reveals detail in extreme low-light environments that challenge even the human eye’s ability to discern subject content. In addition, a setting of ISO equivalent 100 is provided.

This industry-first, groundbreaking ISO sensitivity range will make the D3S the camera of choice for photographers who typically face extreme lighting challenges, such as indoor or nighttime sports, spot news, wedding receptions and ambitious nature photography. This broad ISO sensitivity also affords the ability to shoot at faster, action-stopping shutter speeds. D3S shooters will enjoy a major advantage in any situation where light is limited and the use of supplemental lighting is not an option. For the photojournalist, even the highest ISO setting delivers image quality to satisfy the needs of offset printing.

Big Pixels Equal Greater ISO Capabilities
The amazing low-light ability of the D3S, as well as its astounding image quality can be attributed in large part to the engineering behind the newly designed, Nikon original 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, which measures 36x23.9mm. While the pixel size and count that served the D3 were maintained to deliver the pinnacle of image quality, dynamic range, phenomenal tonal gradation and outstanding color, other aspects were engineered to add versatility through broader low-noise ISO sensitivity. Individual pixels measure a large 8.45 microns, which support enhanced sensitivity to light and other qualities leading to superior image fidelity. The D3S captures light and renders images in a way that no other Nikon camera has yet to achieve, with a higher signal-to-noise ratio and an unmatched dynamic range for both stills and HD video throughout its broadened ISO range.

The Nikon D3S adds the extra benefit of an Image Sensor Cleaning function to reduce instances of image degradation resulting from dust accumulation on the optical low pass filter (OLPF) in front of the image sensor. The OLPF oscillates at four specific frequencies to release particles that would disrupt image quality. Sensor Cleaning can be set by the user to cycle automatically when the camera is powered on, turned off, or on demand.

Share the Vision with D-Movie Creativity
Whether on the frontlines or sidelines, the amazing ISO range of the D3S can also be applied while recording HD video clips to give unprecedented low-light ability for movie clips. The refined D-Movie mode for the FX-format offers smooth 1280x720 video at a cinematic 24fps, with a new algorithm that severely reduces the phenomenon of “rolling shutter” typical to D-SLRs while panning. The motion JPEG codec allows for easy extraction of single frames from a video clip and the ability to save it as a JPEG file, while the 720p HD format eases storage, provides faster wireless transfers, and offers video files that are generally easier to use in the field. Photographers can also trim movie clips on the fly by revising the start and end points, and save the edited clip as a copy while maintaining the original. Additionally, the D3S features a built-in monaural microphone, augmented by a stereo microphone input, which is perfect for hot-shoe microphone mounting or the use of wireless microphones for interviews or spot news.

Photographers and film makers alike will appreciate the full aperture control from a wide f/1.4 to f/16, as the FX-format sensor renders low-noise movie clips with outstanding clarity, aided by the large selection of renowned NIKKOR lenses to produce a dramatic depth of field. High Sensitivity Movie Mode allows the utilization of the entire ISO range to capture otherwise hidden details in challenging lighting conditions, more effectively than cameras with smaller sensors. Now, users can benefit from available natural light for applications such as telling a story in a journalistic style in the field or to create a gritty film noir masterpiece without CGI post production. While recording, users also have the ability to control exposure, and will enjoy the added benefits of improved contrast-detect type AF while in Tripod Live View mode.

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Wi-Fi Alliances Announces New Wi-Fi Direct Specification

Wi-Fi devices will soon be able to connect in a new way that makes it more simple and convenient than ever to do things like print, share and display. The Wi-Fi Alliance is nearing completion of a new specification to enable Wi-Fi devices to connect to one another without joining a traditional home, office, or hotspot network. The Wi-Fi Alliance expects to begin certification for this new specification in mid-2010, and products which achieve the certification will be designated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct.

The specification, previously code-named "Wi-Fi peer-to-peer," can be implemented in any Wi-Fi device, from mobile phones, cameras, printers, and notebook computers, to human interface devices such as keyboards and headphones. Significantly, devices that have been certified to the new specification will also be able to create connections with hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED legacy devices already in use. Devices will be able to make a one-to-one connection, or a group of several devices can connect simultaneously.
"Wi-Fi Direct represents a leap forward for our industry. Wi-Fi users worldwide will benefit from a single-technology solution to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily among devices, even when a Wi-Fi access point isn't available," said Wi-Fi Alliance executive director Edgar Figueroa. "The impact is that Wi-Fi will become even more pervasive and useful for consumers and across the enterprise."

The specification targets both consumer electronics and enterprise applications, provides management features for enterprise environments, and includes WPA2® security. Devices that support the specification will be able to discover one another and advertise available services. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct devices will support typical Wi-Fi ranges and the same data rates as can be achieved with an infrastructure connection, so devices can connect from across a home or office and conduct bandwidth-hungry tasks with ease.

"With Wi-Fi technology already shipping in millions of consumer electronics devices and handsets every year, this is a terrific innovation for the industry," said Victoria Fodale, senior analyst and market intelligence manager at In-Stat. "Empowering devices to move content and share applications without having to join a network brings even more convenience and utility to Wi-Fi-enabled devices."

The Wi-Fi Alliance plans to publish its peer-to-peer specification upon completion, and will begin certifying devices for the Wi-Fi Direct designation in 2010. Only Wi-Fi Alliance member companies will be able to certify devices to the new specification. Apple is a member of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

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Download Directory Monitor to Track Files Changes in Folders

If you are sharing your desktop usage but don’t want other to have chance to mess up with your confidential files, it would be good to always lock the sensitive folders using My LockBox or Hide Folders. Alternatively, users can choose to track those folders/directories in case there is any change including deletion, modification or addition of new files into them. That is how this useful software utility can come handy with. Named as Directory Monitor, it allows users to monitor local drives and even network drives and log down the changes with simple setup. For the start, users can selectively add a specific directories to be monitored. Besides, there are some simple settings that allow users to customize the respective folder checking, refresh directories and show balloon tips intervals, perform the monitor log backup as well as ignore certain file patterns as preferred. Some other features including the ability to execute an application when a certain event occurs which could be useful for some automated tasks.

One drawback, it requires both .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and Windows Installer 3.1 in order to work correctly. If you think this is useful, just go here to download one for immediate use.

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Launch Internet Explorer in Firefox

Although there are already many free web browsers being introduced to the market such as Firefox, Opera and Safari, but you still can’t stay without Internet Explorer as some of the sites can only be viewed or run with Internet Explorer. If you have decided to use browser like Firefox/Opera/Safari as your main browser, but when come to visiting some of Microsoft related website, or executing Microsoft applications like SQL Reporting Services and SharePoint, you need to do extra step to launch Internet Explorer browser and then switch between them from time to time. Good news to Firefox lovers now with the introduction of this Firefox add-on, named as IE tab which allows you to launch Internet Explorer tab within Firefox browser or in another word, it lets you run Internet Explorer and Firefox concurrently within Firefox browser for more efficient work.
IE tab is an extension that embeds Internet Explorer in Firefox tab. If you would like to open the link by using Internet Explorer browser, just right click on the link, choose “Open Link in Internet Explorer Tab” from the context menu, a new Internet Explorer tab will be launched to open the link. On top of this, you can also switch any opened websites currently viewed with Firefox to be viewed with Internet Explorer and vice versa easily. For instance, right click on the tab which is currently viewed with Internet Explorer, choose “Switch rendering engine”, it will switch the page to be viewed with Firefox. If you have websites that for sure you want them to be viewed with Internet Explorer, IE tab has provided the option to allow you to pre-configure these URLs so that when visiting to these links, they will be viewed by using Internet Explorer automatically.
IE tab is definitely a great and very helpful tool which allows you to visit some of sites that can only be viewed by Internet Explorer without having you to open and switch between Firefox and Internet Explorer browser. It works well for Firefox 3.0 – 3.2a1pre.

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Magic Coating Self Remove Scratches

Scratches are definitely something irritating and bothersome to car lovers. That’s the reason why you sometimes would see some car owners park their beloved car in the farthest, emptiest reaches of the lot, as far away as possible from a casual door ding perpetrated by a careless shopper. If you are one of them and are worried about scratches on your little Mini, elegant Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M or the small but mighty Fiat 500, a group of researchers and scientists from University of Southern Mississippi could ease your worries with a new polyurethane film. What’s so great about this innovative product? If your vintage sport car is coated in this polyurethane film, the scratches on the surface will be gone in an hour if it is parked and exposed to sunlight. According to the researchers, 99.99 percent material used in this new coating is standard polyurethane. This material could be easily found in other products such as hard plastic and soft foams. The remaining 0.01 percent is either a four-molecule oxetane ring or a long rod of chitosan. Chitosan is closely related to chitin, the tough material found in the shells of lobsters and crabs.
When the polyurethane is damaged, a ring of oxetane is also ripped open. Breaking the surface of the polyurethane also allows ultraviolet light to enter the scratch, which breaks apart a rod of chitosan. The broken chitosan rods and oxetane rings then bond with each other across the damaged area, dragging the two sides together to eliminate the scratch. If the polyurethane coating is left in the sun, a scratch heals itself in an hour. Wow! Talk about a wound that self-heals… sounds magical!
This new coating is still in the early research stage. The researchers still need more testing before it can be ready for commercial use. However, what’s great about this new coating is that it can be converted into whatever color and used to protect even electronics devices such as cell phones, iPod, etc in the future. Since the material is extracted from a derivative of chitin, generally it is quite environmentally friendly.

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Microsoft New Laptop Cooling Pad Market

I suppose that I could start this article with “whatever Microsoft wants, it gets”. After all, when Microsoft noticed that video game consoles like the Gamecube and original Sony Playstation were growing in popularity, they created the Xbox. When Microsoft realized that Portable Media Players were selling like popcorn, they created the Zune.

It appears that Microsoft’s collective eyeball has now turned to laptop cooling pads, which is a growing market. After all, who wouldn’t want to alleviate the hot sensation of a laptop on your lap all day?

It would appear that Microsoft’s first endeavor into the laptop cooling pad market is minimalist at best. This laptop cooling pad, which really needs a formal name, is 1.16 inches thick, and possesses a singular fan that is powered by USB.

Now, you could say that Microsoft is late in its release of the new market, just like the Xbox and Zune came out years after the initial boom of their competitor’s products. In Microsoft’s case, it is definitely better late than never.

In this case, it will be later. If you want to get in on Microsoft’s new pet project, you will have to wait until July. Be prepared to pay $30, and it is available in white or black.

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IBM Said To Have Interest In Acquiring Indian Rival Satyam

Troubled outsourcer Satyam Computer Services won approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India on Friday to sell 51% of its stock, sparking speculation about how that sale might reshuffle the tech services industry.
IBM IBM is "the front-runner" to become the buyer, according to the Business Standard, an Indian financial Web site. Its report Thursday cited "sources close to the developments" who said IBM has dispatched investment bankers and lawyers from the U.S. and Europe to perform due diligence.
Contacted Friday, IBM spokesman Doug Shelton said the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.
In January, former Satyam CEO Ramalinga Raju admitted to inflating the balance sheet by $1 billion in false assets over several years, putting the company's future in doubt and causing the stock to plunge. Raju was jailed, and a new CEO and board were appointed.
Several Indian firms have expressed an interest in bidding for Satyam SAY, based in Hyderabad, India. They include Larsen & ToubroLST.IN, which holds a 12% stake in Satyam, and Spice Group.
If IBM were to buy Satyam, it would be getting a rival with operations in 28 cities and 15 countries, and $2.2 billion in revenue last year.
Such a deal would make sense for Big Blue, says Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with Global Equities Research. He says Satyam's U.S.-traded stock is undervalued due to uncertainty around the fraud and potential lawsuits. He has a buy rating on the stock, with a price target of 5. Shares have traded below 2 since Raju's bombshell, down from near 10. The stock traded near 30 as recently as May.
a pure fundamental basis, Satyam has lots of marquee customers, a global delivery model and many long-term contracts already on the books," Chowdhry said. "IBM could create instant credibility among Satyam's installed base and it would give IBM a much greater presence in Southeast Asia."
Chowdhry figures Satyam shareholders would accept an offer that values the company at $5 per share, or roughly $1.6 billion. Among companies said to be likely bidders, probably only IBM and Larsen & Toubro could afford that price, says Chowdhry. "I definitely feel the company will be sold," he said.
business of writing custom software applications for customers might not be a big benefit for IBM, since IBM already has a massive presence in India in that sector, says David Grossman, an analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners. But Satyam also has deep expertise in maintaining branded software from vendors such as SAP SAP, Grossman says, where IBM doesn't.
But Grossman is skeptical. "It would all depend on the price, terms and conditions," he said.
In a statement, Satyam said the sale would involve a process by which the buyer would take a subscription worth 31% of the stock, followed by an open offer to purchase another 20% or more of the shares.
Any buyer will need to take "a good look under the covers" at the books to ensure that there are no more accounting problems lurking, says John Madden, an analyst at tech research firm Ovum.
If the accountants and lawyers do sign off, a Satyam acquisition could help fuel IBM's long-term growth after the recession, Madden says.
Satyam cut its ties to its outside auditor, Price Waterhouse in India, last month. Two auditors from that firm were arrested in connection with the case. Price Waterhouse in India says it has created a new advisory board and named a head of quality assurance, a new post.
Satyam's new CEO, A.S. Murty, spoke about the company while in Singapore on Tuesday, on his first overseas trip since being appointed last month. Murty, in a statement posted on the company Web site, said it was "business as usual" for Satyam and the company still has "a promising future."

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