Many of us think of the Internet as a global community. But two-thirds of the world’s population does not yet have Internet access. Project Loon is a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space, designed to connect people in rural and remote areas, help fill coverage gaps, and bring people back online after disasters.

The Technology

Project Loon balloons float in the stratosphere, twice as high as airplanes and the weather. They are carried around the Earth by winds and they can be steered by rising or descending to an altitude with winds moving in the desired direction. People connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal bounces from balloon to balloon, then to the global Internet back on Earth.

The Pilot test

Project Loon starts in June 2013 with an experimental pilot in New Zealand. A small group of Project Loon pioneers will test the technology in Christchurch and Canterbury.

Related links
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22905199
http://www.google.com/loon/
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Project-Loon-Balloons-Internet-Google-Balloon-Network,23105.html

Microsoft has confirmed a Start button is returning to the desktop mode’s taskbar of its Windows 8 operating system. 

 

The lack of the facility – which had been in every previous version since Windows 95 – has been one of the most controversial aspects of the software.

 

However, it will not offer all the functionality previously associated with the feature.

 

Instead it will bring users to the recently-introduced “Metro” interface.

 

“We’ve improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start ‘tip’ to be the familiar Windows logo,” the company said in a blog post.

 

“The new tip appears anytime you move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, and is always visible on the taskbar when on the desktop.”

 

On current versions of Windows 8, the start tip would only appear when users hovered their cursor over the lower-left corner of their screen.

 

In the 8.1 update, the area will be more visible.

 

A left-click on the tip will bring up a tile-based Start Screen – formerly known as the Metro interface – designed for touch-screen users.

 

A right-click will display a small menu of other options such as Event Viewer, Device Manager and Disk Management.

 

Another change will allow users to boot their computers directly into desktop mode, meaning they can avoid ever using the Start Screen if they wish.

 

The Windows 7 Start button triggered a menu with apps and other links

Many users had complained that ditching the traditional Start Menu and introducing the Start Screen had made the system less straight-forward to use, meaning businesses which adopted it would need to retrain staff.

 

‘New Coke’

Microsoft had been stung by claims that the expected reintroduction of a Start button would mark a major U-turn.

 

An article in the Financial Times described the move as one of the “most prominent admissions of failure for a new mass-market consumer product since Coca-Cola’s New Coke fiasco nearly 30 years ago” – making reference to the soft drinks company’s decision to ditch a new recipe after overwhelming customer dissatisfaction.

 

Microsoft later issued a statement saying it was “unfortunate” the FT did not represent the “good response to date on Windows 8.”

 

A preview download of Windows 8.1 will be released to the public in June, and a final version before the end of the year. Both will be free of charge to existing users.

 

‘A fudge’

Chris Green, principal technology analyst for the Davies Murphy Group, told the BBC he did not think the change would be enough to silence the critics.

 

“What they’re proposing to do is a bit of a fudge.

 

“It’s the bare minimum to say they’ve addressed people’s complaints while not having to really backtrack on anything.”

 

He said Microsoft faced a challenge in being able to innovative with Windows while also keeping its vast user base comfortable.

 

“When new operating systems come along, same with major applications, everything moves around. People hate it because they have to re-learn from scratch.”

 

Other changes that will appear to users running the update include:

• Added customisation options, with more choice over colours and backgrounds on the Start Screen.
• An improved search function that covers web content as well as apps, files and settings on the PC.
• A new version of the firm’s web browser – Internet Explorer 11 – which Microsoft said would offer improved tools for developers.

In the news recently the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are investing $100,000 in 3D food printers.

Good news, guys. There’ll be pizza on Mars.

We’ve seen 3D printers do a lot already. Between weapons and jaw implants, the future of 3D printing certainly won’t be boring. In fact, NASA is hoping the next step for 3D printing will be food.

NASA has invested over $100,000 in research into 3D printing food. Quartz reports that Systems and Materials Research Corporation in Austin is developing a 3D food printer in the hope that it would sustain astronauts on a manned mission to Mars. SMRC senior mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor is developing the food printer, which would use cartridges of powders and oils to synthesize food one layer at a time. Speaking to QZ, Contractor explained how his company’s solution would work in space.

“Long distance space travel requires 15-plus years of shelf life,” Contractor is quoted as saying. “The way we are working on it is, all the carbs, proteins and macro and micro nutrients are in powder form. We take moisture out, and in that form it will last maybe 30 years.”

First on the menu is pizza, which is already composed of layers of separate ingredients. Contractor will build his pizza printer in the next couple of weeks. When it’s complete, it will print a layer of dough that will be cooked by a hot plate underneath. Next will come tomato base, which is made of a powder, water and oil mixture. Of course, it’s not pizza without cheese or pepperoni but here’s where it get’s a little bit weird. On top of the pizza sauce is a so-called ‘protein layer’ that can be made of meat, milk, or plants. Uh, yum.

Quartz reports that Contractor’s prototype and the machine responsible for winning him the NASA grant was actually a chocolate printer.

Article From http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Nasa-3d-printing-food-pizza-mars,news-17053.html

For all you gaming lover out there!  Mircosoft’s Next Generation is just around the corner.

The next-generation console was shown off alongside a new Kinect sensor and a redesigned gamepad.

The US firm described the voice and gesture-controlled machine as an “all-in-one” system offering games, live TV, movies and music.

 

The firm’s Entertainment and Devices Division accounted for $9.6bn (£6.3bn) worth of sales in Microsoft’s last financial year.

 

That only represented about 13% of its total revenue for the period – but one analyst said the importance of this launch should not be underestimated.

 

“Microsoft is very strong in business software and the enterprise cloud business, but its consumer businesses are facing tremendous challenges: PCs are declining rapidly and Windows Phone handsets have only a fraction of the market shares of rivals,” said Jia Wu from consultants Strategy Analytics.

 

Microsoft has added the ability to watch live TV with channel selection controlled by voice

“Xbox represents Microsoft’s core strategy in the consumer entertainment market, especially after it sold its Media room video distribution business to Ericsson earlier this year.

 

“This is also the unique asset which Microsoft has that can differentiate itself from Apple, Google and several of the other large tech companies.”

 

Microsoft’s decision to show off its new hardware in the opening minutes of its presentation sharply contrasted with Sony’s PlayStation 4 press conference in February when the Japanese company decided not to reveal the look of its machine – a move that was mocked by some commentators.

 

Despite earlier speculation, Microsoft’s machine does not require an always-on internet connection and will run second-hand games – the firm told the BBC it would provide more details about this “in the coming weeks”.

Article Source from  news.bbc.co.uk

New PC Installation? Viruses & Malware?

Email Problems? Slow Computer?

Learn More About PC PAL

Lorely also wanted to find out more about how PC PAL began and the progress achieved, as well as learning more about the challenges faced by small businesses. After viewing the offices and meeting the team, Lorely spent over an hour talking with founders Jat and Julia Mann about how the government could make life a little easier for small businesses like PC PAL. Topics included reducing the burden of VAT, harnessing support from local Councils and support organisations, as well as how poor broadband speeds can impact upon businesses.

In 2012, Lorely was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Lorely saw sense in many of the suggestions raised and stated she would feed this back to her colleagues in parliament and the various government departments and promised to keep us updated on progress.

In the meantime, Lorely was going to speak with Andy Street, UK Managing Director of John Lewis and Chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, about how LEP can help boost broadband speeds for businesses in the Birmingham and Solihull area.

Lorely also invited Jat to take part in the launch of an exclusive new club for business directors and owners – The Solihull Directors’ Business Club, which is launching in mid April 2013.

Now in its sixth year, the PCR Awards celebrate the successes of the entire UK computer retail industry – from big name retailers such as PC World, John Lewis and Amazon, blue chip hardware and software providers such as Apple, Microsoft and Samsung through to smaller independent traders.

PC PAL was chosen from a line-up of 5 other national players in the Service and Support category, by a panel of some 100+ leading and influential computing/technology executives. The awards, held at the prestigious Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington and attended by nearly 400 people, were hosted by comedian and actor Terry Alderton.

Judging criteria included product knowledge, customer satisfaction, success rate and marketing activity. PC PAL had been nominated 3 times previously in this category before scooping the prize this time.

Since being established by husband and wife team Jat and Julia Mann 7 years ago PC PAL has gone from strength to strength and, after launching a franchise opportunity in 2008 has now grown to become the largest computer repair franchise in the country, covering 58 areas across the UK and Ireland.

“I’m so proud that PC PAL has been recognised by this award,” said Managing Director Jat Mann. “The foundation of the company, which was the inspiration behind it, has always been about providing exceptional customer service which underpins the ethos of our entire network. All our franchisees are trained and qualified to the highest standards as well as taking the greatest pleasure from helping customers with their computer problems. It’s what we do and we love it!”

“We would like to thank not only our hardworking team of engineers for their dedication but also our loyal base of many thousands of customers across the UK and Ireland who have supported us over the years by continuing to come back to us time and time again, as well as referring us to family and friends. We will continually strive to provide them the best possible service offered in our industry.”

With the Xbox 720 from Microsoft and PS4 from Sony on the horizon the decision on which console to buy this year may just get more complicated as there are rumours that there may be a new entrant to the market.

Valve, the makers of growing PC gaming platform ‘Steam’, is getting ready to enter the console market.

Valve’s Steam platform – which promotes titles by other developers as well as its own – has over 50 million registered accounts with software for the Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

Mr Newell would not be drawn on whether Half Life 3 was a planned launch title for the Steam Box

Its upcoming Steam Box hardware is designed to make it easy to access the service via living room televisions posing a challenge to Nintendo’s Wii U, the upcoming Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s next Xbox.

From news.bbc.co.uk

A report from Toms Hardware, which is a popular technology site, gives us more of an insight:

“Despite the fact that the last iPhone was introduced in September 2012 (and the one before that in October of 2011), it seems Apple might be announcing the newest iteration of its smartphone a bit earlier in this time around.”
From tomshardware.com

As for the phone itself, Toms Hardware mentioned the following :

“The iPhone 5 features Apple’s own custom built A6 chipset with a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and PowerVR SGX 543MP3. The camera is a 8MP (3264×2448) affair with autofocus and LED flash.”
From tomshardware.com

Of course this is bad news for anyone who has recently brought the iPhone 5 but should not come as a surprise. Apple has always been one for pushing the technology industry further and faster than it competitors and no doubt there will be a huge demand for their next product!