Mozilla Lures Devs to Firefox OS With Shiny New Toys

The Mozilla Foundation on Tuesday announced that smartphones running its Firefox OS will be available to developers in February.

The preview phones are being produced in collaboration withGeeksphone andTelefonica.

The idea is to entice devs to create apps for the Firefox OS.

"These devices have not been designed for consumers," Mozilla spokesperson Diane Zuniga told LinuxInsider. They run pre-release development versions of Firefox OS.

"Today's announcement does not represent a commercial launch for Firefox OS," Zuniga emphasized. That is expected to take place later this year.

Google Plans Mysterious Wireless Network Project

Google has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a new or modified radio station for an experimental radio service other than broadcast. The initial base station will be deployed on Google's campus in Mountain View, Calif.

It appears the company intends to build a dense, hyperspeed wireless network.

Application Details

The system will consist of five to 10 base stations mounted on ceilings or walls 6-8 meters above the ground. Three of the base stations will use dual-slant, two-way multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) directional antennae with a maximum gain of 17 dBi. The antennae will be mounted on walls and directed towards the interior of buildings.

The Eternal Sunshine of the Classic Linux Desktop

Ever since it became clear that GNOME 2 would have an ongoing future in the desktop Linux world after all, flowers have been blooming unseasonably early throughout the Linux blogosphere.

It all started with the appearance of MATE and Cinnamon; then it was SolusOS. Since then,Fuduntu made its official debut, as did " Consort," SolusOS's brand-new GNOME Classic fork.

Not to mention, of course, news of GNOME's own "Classic Mode."

The daffodils are thriving, and the message is clear: Classic Linux desktops are here to stay. Now, what do Linux bloggers have to say about it?

'It's Called Diversity'

"The more desktop environments the better, I say," Google+ bloggerLinux Rants told Linux Girl down at the blogosphere's Punchy Penguin Saloon. "Even if these new DEs are terrible, I love that they're being made.

"It's called 'diversity,'" Linux Rants went on, "and without it we get stagnation. When we get that, we might as well be running Windows."

In short, "we need to be constantly looking for ways to improve our environment," he opined. "Some ways will be dead ends -- that's just the way things are -- but even ideas that fail teach us in the long run. Personally, I like some of the new DEs and I like that we're moving into new territory, but I'm all for exploring more traditional models too. In the end, we all get better for it."

Explore the top 10 tips on UC solutions from 2012

The holidays can be a busy time as you look for those perfect gifts, take the kids to see Santa or prepare yourself before seeing your nosey extended family. With this is mind, we understand if you haven't had time to keep up with all the expert advice on SearchUnifiedCommunications.com. Before you look to the future of unified communications (UC), we wanted to give you another chance to take a good, hard look at this year's top 10 tips. With topics like free UC, business collaboration technology, UC as a Service and telecom solutions, it's certainly been a busy year, so why not take some time to get yourself up to speed?

No. 10: Putting the 'U' in 'UC'
Vendors each have their own definition of UC, so what is it exactly? This tip explains what sets UC apart from other communications and offers a detailed description of various unique UC components.

No. 9: Which voice telecom solution should you choose for your organization's size?
There is no one-size-fits-all voice telecom solution. The size of your organization determines the practical telecommunication product for you. Which of them work best for each business segment? VoIP expert Matt Brunk gets to the bottom of this question in this tip.

No. 8: Free collaboration tools spur better enterprise UC applicationsA major goal of UC is to create a single platform for worker communication and collaboration, and one must acknowledge the fact that existing applications already have made huge progress toward this goal. Free applications such as Microsoft/Skype and Google Apps seem to be just as capable and functioning as commercial enterprise collaboration tools and UC apps. With that said, these free collaboration tools are prompting commercial vendors to improve security and integration -- sparking the question: Is free UC good enough, or should you splurge for commercial UC products?

'Curious' Hack Jailbreaks Windows RT

A security researcher's hack that allows the use of Windows desktop applications on Surface tablets is a good thing, he argued, and Microsoft should consider making it a feature of the device. "Windows RT needs the Win32 ecosystem to strengthen its position as a productivity tool," said C.L. Roker, who found the flaw. "There are enough 'consumption' tablets already."

A security researcher has hacked Windows RT to allow it to run desktop applications by bypassing the OS's security systems. The jailbreaking isn't dangerous to users' systems, he insists.

"It cannot at this point be exploited without the user actually wanting it, so it's not dangerous," researcher C.L. Roker told TechNewsWorld.The flaw that permitted Roker to sidestep security protections on Microsoft's Surface tablet and run Windows desktop applications on it is a vulnerability, he added.

Following Roker's posting of his discovery of the RT flaw on Sunday, Microsoft confirmed the defect in the operating system and discounted its threat to RT users.

Top 10 gadget reviews of 2012

Inspect-a-Gadget has been busy reviewing and commenting on a wide range of gadgets over the past 12 months and it has definitely been another big year in the world of technology.

Apple has yet again been launching new versions of its phones and tablets to an array of hype and hysteria, but let’s not forget about the other new arrivals of 2012. 

We’ve seen innovation in the form of tablets, phones and software from the likes of Google, Nokia, Samsung and Microsoft, as well as many other big players.

Spring and autumn made up for a summer that was dominated by athletes instead of geeks. We had the Consumer Electronics Show and MWC early on, as well as a multitude of mobile and tablet launches later in the year, as well as a whole new speed of mobile internet in the UK with 4G. The year has sped past in a haze of gadgetry.

Oh, it’s a hard job reviewing and commenting on the latest tech, but someone’s got to do it - here's the round-up of gadget posts in 2012, which have continued to keep you informed on the latest gadgets and hi-tech toys for business.

1 Hands on: The BlackBerry Bold 9790. Just how "Bold" are RIM being with this new handset?

BlackBerry have not had the best 18 months, beginning with falling sales, competition from Android and maligned as the communication of choice for rioting youths in London in the summer of 2011. But the company stormed into 2012 with a new handset – the BlackBerry Bold 9790. The slimmer and lighter handset failed to make an impression on Inspect-a-Gadget though and BlackBerry seemed to be losing in the smartphone battle throughout the year. Will the launch of BlackBerry 10 in January 2013 be the resurrection of the company? We will soon find out.

How to Get Started With Google Analytics

This is where analytics come into play. Analytics let you track corporate websites, blogs, sales pages, catalogs and much more for metrics such as how visitors use your website, how they arrive, what keywords they use and what subjects interest them. The challenge is to use this information to attract prospects, keep them coming back, ensure that they stay on your site for long periods of time and, ultimately, make them customers.

How to Install Google Analytics

The first step to getting started is to sign up for a Google Analytics account.

The Google Analytics signup page.

Since I've already created an account (originally for Gmail), I was taken to a page to verify my settings and ask for backup information in case I lose access to my account.

The Google Analytics account verification page.

After that, the page below comes up. This gives you basic information about setting up Google Analytics on your website(s), along with a Sign Up button on the far right.

Here you'll find basic information about setting up a Google Analytics account.

Once you sign up, you go to this page to enter information about your site for tracking. Note that you can set this up for a website or an app.

Here's where you enter the information about the website or sites you want Google Analytics to track.

When you're satisfied with your entries, click on the blue Get Tracking ID button at the bottom of the page. This generates a popup with the Google Analytics Terms of Service Agreement.

Whip Your Files Into Shape in Windows 8

There are three big changes in Windows 8, the latest version of Microsoft's operating system. All three affect how you organize your computer.

First, Microsoft replaces its Start menu search box with a new, always accessible Search charm.

Second, the Windows Explorer file browser gains ribbon functions like previewing and archiving.

Third, Microsoft actively promotes the integration of SkyDrive, its cloud-based file storage product.

About the Reorg

The old search box that used to reside in earlier incarnations of the Windows Start menu is gone, replaced with a more graphical, icon-driven Search charm. Charms are the Start bar-like icons that appear to slide in from the right of the screen.

Windows Explorer, the file browser, now includes an in-depth ribbon containing file management functions like preview, pinning important or active files to the top, and archiving.

SkyDrive allows you to access files from multiple devices by storing the files remotely.

Here's how to get your Windows 8 file organization up to speed.

Step 1

Explore the Search charm by swiping or placing your mouse in the bottom right corner of the screen and clicking on the Search icon. You'll see a search text box appear along with icons for apps, accessories and system tools.

Click on the File Explorer app icon to launch File Explorer. Browse libraries and files by clicking on them, as you would in earlier version of Windows.

Using 2 Monitors in a Windows 8 Environment

With screen real estate, as with the dirt version, more is generally better.

Like earlier incarnations of the OS, Windows 8 has external monitor functionality that lets you spread out. However, there are Windows 8-specific features -- like the snapping of apps that lets you use apps side-by-side to do two tasks at once; and communications like Skype video calls -- that especially benefit from having more screens.

You may find it convenient to have an email box always open on one desk-based monitor, with another displaying apps. That way you're not repeatedly minimizing proper work to see who's pinging -- just glance over.

I use a dedicated Dell Inspiron Mini laptop with a 10.1-inch screen for television services like Slingbox and Hulu. Piping directly into a television's HDMI port, the laptop acts as a remote control.

Following is a guide to using multiple monitors in Windows 8.

Step 1

Identify the available ports on the PC and monitor or TV. Look for HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) ports, and use them if available.

HDMI technology carries audio and video in the same cable, and it is smart enough to know when the cable is connected and when it isn't. Most recent laptops, monitors and televisions feature HDMI.

Older alternatives are VGA and DVI technologies. You can buy a DVI to HDMI adapter. Desktop PCs sometimes have a combination of serial ports -- DVI and HDMI -- as do some monitors and TVs. In that case, just match the cables.

Tip: Avoid docking stations that use USB. There can be graphics-rendering issues, because you're adding a layer of complexity that can limit the ability of the video card and monitor to work responsively together. You can get them to work, but it can be a lot of trouble.

OPEN ANY FILE, FOLDER OR SOFTWARE BY USING RUN COMMAND

Hay Friends,

Hope you all are very fine. I am going to introduce you with a very well known tricks of opening  any file, folder or software. Think again, if we want to open any file, folder or software we have to go on “Start Menuà all programmesà then selected file or folder”. Otherwise we create a shortcut icon of each software on the desktop to launch it quickly. It makes the PC little slow and makes the desktop odd. I hope my tricks will reduce your time and boringness. Lets have a look, how can we open any file, folder or software by using Run Command.

Log in to Facebook from Mozzilla Firefox without any “Adds On”

Hi all Facebook Friends,

There is a good news for you all. Specially for those, who have two or more Facebook ID and want to log in them together. Yes, its possible to log in two accouts at the same time from one PC and one browser (Mozzilla Firefox). If you want to do this, you have to do the followings.

At first, select ‘Run’ option of windows. Type there ‘firefox-no-remote-P>Create profile, a new window of wizard will open. You have to create a new profile from there. You have to give a definite name and have to check ‘Don’t ask at startup’.

Bytesize: Top 10 tech moments of 2012

It’s been a big year for tech, with a lot of stories making headlines in the national newspapers. We’ve seen it all, including big name acquisitions, mammoth lawsuits and a fair amount of controversy. Here are 10 of the biggest moments 2012 had to offer.

January - March
Wikipedia blackout

A tough day for students across the land, Wikipedia closed its doors for 24 hours as part of protests against SOPA and PIPA, proposed US anti-piracy laws which included government powers to censor the web. Joined in protest by sites including Google, Flickr and Reddit, their efforts paid off and the legislation was never passed.

Kim Dotcom arrested
In a dramatic police raid on his New Zealand mansion, Megaupload founder, Kim Dotcom, was arrested for crimes related to online piracy, including racketeering and conspiring to commit copyright infringement. Megaupload was subsequently disabled by the US Department of Justice, and a hearing is scheduled to begin in March 2013.

Microsoft Surface: A versatile tile - but is it really worth £500?

Specifications

Processsor: 1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU.
Storage: 32GB (£399 for just the tablet and £479.00 with cover) and 64GB (£559.00 with cover), plus up to an extra 64GB on an SD and another 64GB on a micro SD card and the option of extra storage on a USB.
What else: It comes with 2GB of RAM, Wi-Fi and a device detector so it can sync with your phone and other devices such as tablets and game consoles. It has Bluetooth 4.0. The anti-glare, 10.6 inch, 366x768 pixel “ClearType” touchscreen offers clear, sharp images. It has cameras on both back and front of the tablet.
What is it?
It's Microsoft's answer to the iPad or Nexus 10 tablet, but less sleek and more robust. It's a double whammy of crazy new tech. Not only is it a tablet/laptop hybrid, it's a showcase for Windows 8, Microsoft's radical new operating system.
Does it work?
It's versatile; like a tablet but with a kickstand and clip-on keyboard, so it can be used like a laptop. It also lets you switch between the new Windows 8 modern user interface and the traditional Windows 7 style desktop depending on your preferred style of working.