Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 8

 

Microsoft has certainly been keeping us all on our toes as of late, and just a couple of days after its big Surface tablet reveal, the Redmond-based team are back in the headlines – this time appearing at the Windows Phone Summit to spill the goods on Windows Phone 8, due for release sometime in the final quarter of this year. So what's new? Well, quite a lot actually.

The most immediate change apparent in Windows Phone 8 is a re-designed Start Screen, which now more closely resembles the user experience (UI) offered by the desktop and tablet iterations of Windows 8. However, these similarities go more than skin deep and Microsoft states that each device running Windows 8 will share a common Core – essentially enabling developers to write apps for each device easier than before. This unification of the Windows platform on all devices appears to be a primary goal for the company going forward.

In addition to the new UI overhaul, Skype will be more fully baked into Windows Phone 8 in order to offer a better experience to users of the VoIP service recently acquired by Microsoft. Incoming calls from Skype and other VoIP services are said to "feel like any other call" and, from the screenshots we've seen thus far, the implementation of this does indeed look very slick.

Bing Maps has been jettisoned in favor of Nokia Maps and Navigation. The new navigation system will feature turn-by-turn instructions and also boast 3D-Mapping and an option to store maps offline. The general consensus seems to be that Nokia's existing mapping capabilities are very good and so this will hopefully prove to be a smart move by Microsoft.

Aiming to leverage its vast office-based market, Microsoft will ship Windows Phone 8 with several business-friendly features which include device encryption, remote management and an all new Company Hub – allowing you to take the job home with you more fully than ever before. In a good way, of course ...

The Wallet hub will support NFC payments as well as the ability to store credit card information, membership cards and so forth. It looks much like a mash-up of Google's NFC payments and Apple's Passbook, and signals the big push coming from the mobile technology sector for this kind of modern wallet-free technology to become commonplace.

Existing Windows Phone users may feel less cause for celebration, as there will not be an upgrade path available to those using Windows Phone 7. The sting is taken out of this somewhat by a promised software update for users of the older devices, which will bring the mobile operating system much of the sheen of its younger replacement, including the redesigned Start Screen.
We reached out to Microsoft for a comment regarding the lack of upgrade possibility for Windows Phone 7 users and a representative confirmed that it simply wasn't feasible to bring the features to the older hardware, stating:
"Many of the new capabilities in Windows Phone 8 are hardware related; things like multicore support, near-field communication (NFC), even the graphics elements rely on hardware that is simply not present in existing Windows Phone devices. So doing the work to get the full Windows Phone 8 release as an upgrade to existing devices just didn’t make sense. Multicore and NFC support don’t add any value to a phone without the hardware to use them. We decided instead to focus on making Windows Phone 8 the best release for the upcoming generation of hardware AND bring some of the marquee features (like the new Start Screen) to existing devices."
The following technical details leaking in from the Summit further cement this notion:
 

Multi-core processors will now be supported

Larger screen resolutions, up to high definition 720p

Removable Micro-SD cards for the storing of media files

NFC wireless sharing to be implemented

Clearly Microsoft feels that to catch up with the big players in the smartphone scene like Apple and Samsung, some hard sacrifices are going to need to be made. We'll get to decide for ourselves if the company is right later this year.

Smart TV alliance formed in attempt to forestall another format war

Smart TV manufacturers are making a smart move. Instead of offering competing technologies for connected TVs, they're looking to partner and form a universal platform. While manufacturers are currently pushing Smart TV technology as a way to sell more sets, the competing platforms being developed by individual manufacturers leads to consumer confusion and requires developers to customize their apps for different platforms. In order to develop a standard that can create a thriving ecosystem for developers, a number of TV manufacturers have established the SMART TV Alliance and are looking to bring competitors into the fold.

The problem is clear. With TVs becoming more and more connected and integrating more online features such as content delivery services and apps, each consumer electronics manufacturer developing its own Smart TV platform could be the dawn of a new format war. We've seen this several times in connection with the TV. In the late 70s and 1980s it was Betamax versus VHS and more recently we had HD DVD and Blu-Ray facing off. In both cases, the latter won out, but if manufacturers stand off against each other, it's not only the manufacturers but also the consumers that ultimately lose.

The mission of the Smart TV Alliance is to create a platform that will operate across all Smart TVs, which would ultimately result in a greater amount of content for all devices. The Smart TV Alliance was formed under the motto "build once, run everywhere," which means that developers interested in creating apps for Smart TVs can create one app that will run on all compliant Smart TVs.

Founding members of the Alliance are LG Electronics and TP Vision, which represents Philips TV. A handful of Japanese TV manufacturers are also said to be making steps to join.

"Before today, the Smart TV industry was a very difficult market for both TV manufacturers and application developers as TVs from different brands used different platforms and technologies," says Bong-seok Kwon of LG Electronics and president of the Smart TV Alliance. "Smart TV Alliance creates a larger playing field which encourages developers to create more and better TV applications at the same time giving manufactures and consumers the richest source of movies-on-demand, music services, games, social networking and more."

While developers would appreciate a unified ecosystem for developing apps for the Smart TV platform, the Alliance also clears any confusion that consumers might also experience. Each Smart TV manufacturer might still have its own app store, but in the future, there could also be one general Smart TV app store. There won't be an issue of whether a particular app will work on a particular TV.
Manufacturers will also benefit from reduced development costs associated with creating their own platform. "Instead of spending valuable time on porting and testing on different platforms, developers can focus their creativity solely on realizing apps that consumers will enjoy. Now we can really make it interesting and fun for everybody," says Alain Perrot of TP Vision, and a Smart TV Alliance Executive board member.

In an effort to attract new partners to join, the organization has established Smart TV Alliance Consortium. The consortium's primary objective is to help define technical specifications that will enable application developers to create their applications once and run them on multiple TVs regardless of the platform.

An initial goal of the Alliance is to make the first version of its SDK available for free on its website so developers can get started on applications. The SDK is based on open web technologies such as HTML 5, and allows for developed web applications to run on Smart TVs from participating members. The first version, SDK 2.0, is expected to be released at the end of the year, in order for developers to create applications for 2013 model TV sets from participating Alliance members. Registration for the SDK is currently open on the Smart TV Alliance website.

While it remains to be seen if all major manufacturers will get on board, developers and consumers should be crossing their fingers they do.

XP Mod for Android makes phones look and feel like Windows XP

 

The recently-released XP Mod is an Android Launcher, or home screen replacement, that recreates the look and feel of Windows XP. Perhaps its most impressive feature is the functional Windows Explorer clone, which makes finding files stored on your phone a similar experience to browsing files on a PC, making the app more than mere novelty. Currently in beta, XP Mod is missing a few key features that will likely keep it from being a everyday application, but this could change with future updates.

Upon start-up, XP Mod greets you with a familiar log-in screen, the classic Windows XP chimes play, and you are brought to your desktop. In the current beta release, there are only four icons available on your desktop: My Documents, My Computer, Recycle Bin, and Internet Explorer. Each of these opens a specific Android application. You'll also find the Start menu, which functions much as you'd expect albeit with a few limitations. All of your installed apps are available within the "All Programs" tab, however certain items like the Control Panel are not yet functional. Additionally, you cannot add icons to the desktop yet, which really cuts down XP Mod's customization options.

By recreating the experience found on desktop computers, XP Mod has managed solve some of Android's file system woes. Windows Explorer has long been at the heart of Windows operating systems, and it feels right at home on Android (swapping out hard drives for SD cards). Touch control is fully implemented, meaning you can flick and scroll through folders, making accessing specific files on your SD card fast and easy.

XP Mod features desktop style resolutions. On a phone, this means icons will look tiny, making them hard to press accurately. However, on a tablet the experience looks just like a Windows netbook, and using a USB mouse adds to the realism.
XP Mod is free to download. For now its the easiest way to convince friends you've installed Windows XP on your Android handset.

Microsoft announces Surface tablet computer

Microsoft held an intimate gathering for the press this evening in Los Angeles to announce its latest hardware venture, the Surface tablet, an official Microsoft branded product designed from the ground up for Windows 8. Surface features a 10.6" ClearType Full HD display, as well as full sized USB ports and HDMI output. Microsoft also showed off the Type Cover, a screen protector that features a full laptop style keyboard and track pad, expected to launch alongside Surface.

Microsoft has announced two Surface models so far, one for Windows RT, the other for Windows 8 Pro.

Specifications

Windows RT

• ARM Chipset
• Weight: 676 g (23.8 oz)
• Thickness: 9.3 mm (0.36 in)
• Battery: 31.5 Wh
• Connections: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2X Wifi Antennae
• Included in purchase: Office Home & Student, Touch Cover, Type Cover
• Case details: VaporMg case and stand
• Memory: 32 GB, 64 GB

Windows 8 Pro

• Intel 22 nm Ivy Bridge chipset
• Weight: 903 g (31.8 oz)
• Thickness: 13.5 mm (0.53 in)
• Battery: 42 Wh
• Connections: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Micro DisplayPort, 2X Wifi Antennae
• Included in purchase: Pen with Palm Block, Touch Cover, Type Cover
• Case details: VaporMg case and stand
• Memory: 64 GB, 128 GB

Microsoft has yet to include pricing or a launch window but here's a brief video showing off its new unit.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon previewed

Laptop computers have come a long since the heady days of the early 80’s when carting around a “portable computer” could significantly increase your risk of developing a hernia. Thankfully, laptops these days are much thinner and lighter, making portable computing a much less physically strenuous activity. A perfect case in point is Lenovo’s upcoming ThinkPad X1 Carbon, a 14-inch Ultrabook that tips the scales at less than three pounds (1.3 kg).

Just like the 13.3-inch ThinkPad X1 released last year, the 14-inch ThinkPad X1 Carbon that was previewed at Lenovo’s Accelerate Channel Partner Conference in Las Vegas this week boasts a carbon fiber rollcage that provides strength and durability while minimizing weight. Lenovo claims the unit will be the lightest Ultrabook in the industry, outdoing any 14-inch models on offer from Samsung, HP or Toshiba.

Lenovo isn’t set to release the X1 Carbon for a few months yet, so is yet to provide more detailed specs of the unit. However it has revealed it will sport Intel vPro technology, so we’d assume Intel’s 3rd-Gen Core processors will be on board. The only other details provided are the option of embedded 3G connectivity and the inclusion of Lenovo’s RapidCharge that can charge the unit’s battery to 80 percent of capacity in 35 minutes.
For more detailed specs and pricing info, we’ll have to wait until closer to the August 2012 release date.

Poultry scientists working on "chicken translator"

 

Any experienced chicken farmer will tell you, the relative contentment of the birds can be gauged by the sounds they’re making. While this has generally been accepted as anecdotal folk wisdom, a team of scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia are now trying to scientifically verify it. They’re hoping that their research could lead to better living conditions for the animals, lower costs to farmers, and higher productivity.

The scientists have been conducting a series of experiments, in a commercial-scale chicken barn. They started by recording a baseline of the regular background bird noise. Next, they made recordings while introducing elements of mild stress – these consisted of things such as raising the temperature or ammonia levels for a few hours. By using computers to analyze qualities such as the speed, volume, and pitch of the subsequently-recorded vocalizations, they were able to identify the specific changes that resulted when different stressors were introduced.

One challenge that they faced involved being able to hear the chickens over the sound of the industrial fans used to circulate the air in the barn. Through the application of signal-processing algorithms, however, they were for the most part able to overcome this problem.

Although the research is far from over, the team members hope that their findings could ultimately be applied to an automated system, in which custom software would continuously analyze a real-time audio feed from a barn. If that software detected a change in vocalizations that indicated a particular problem, it would notify the barn’s control system, which would rectify the situation – if the sounds indicated that the chickens were too hot, for instance, the control system would automatically lower the temperature.

While automated systems do already exist, they don’t respond to feedback from the birds themselves.
If successful, the Georgia system could result in more contented chickens, which would subsequently grow larger, faster, and with less need for medication. The required microphones could also provide a cheaper alternative to more expensive, less robust traditional sensors.
More information is available in the video below.

W1PPS combines all your peripheral cords and plugs in one device

If you use a MacBook Pro as your regular desktop computer, but also frequently take it out and about, you may find yourself getting annoyed at having to repeatedly disconnect and then reconnect all of its peripheral devices. Additionally, because the laptop’s input/output ports are located along its side, all those sideways-protruding cables can end up adding to the clutter on your desk. That’s why Wisconsin-based tech company Veritas Forge is developing W1PPS (pronounced “whips”) – it contains all of your plugs and cords in one MacBook Pro-matched device.

W1PPS’ upper hub, which is the part that plugs into the side of the computer, incorporates built-in plugs for Ethernet, FireWire, an external monitor, USB (that gets split four ways), mic/line in, and headphones/line out. Because the spacing of these plugs matches the spacing of the ports on the MacBook, the whole hub can be plugged in at once.
The upper hub also features readily-accessible USB and media card ports, along with a front-facing headphone jack.

All of the necessary cords are combined into one rear-mounted fat cable, that runs to the bottom hub – this could be located on the floor, or somewhere else where space and clutter aren’t such big issues. That hub contains the ports that correspond to all of the plugs on the upper hub, and is what all of the peripherals are left permanently plugged into. The cable’s rubber sheath also has a molded slot along one side, which the computer’s MagSafe power cord can be pushed into.

A functioning W1PPS prototype has already been created, and the three partners who make up Veritas Forge are now raising funds on Kickstarter, to take the product to commercial production. A pledge of US$98 will get you one, when and if they’re ready to go.

Mamiya launches Leaf Credo 40, 60 and 80 megapixel medium format camera backs

Medium format camera manufacturer Mamiya-Leaf has announced three new high resolution camera backs named the Leaf Credo. All of the new backs sport a specially designed DALSA CCD sensor, a touchscreen LCD display with Live View functionality for both tethered and untethered photography, and a dual-core microprocessor that's said to offer the fastest available image viewing, focusing and editing.

The monstrous 80 megapixel full-frame model with 53.7 x 40.4 mm CCD sensor has the same pixel count as the 2010 Aptus II 12R, but the new Credo doesn't come with the nifty Leaf Verto image rotation. It does get the same dynamic range of 12.5 f-stops and an improved ISO 35 - 800 sensitivity, though. This flavor offers a 0.7 frames per second capture speed and an exposure time from 1/10,000 of a second right up to two minutes. It's priced at a cool US$38,995.

A new size for Mamiya-Leaf, the 60 megapixel model features a 53.0 x 40.4 mm CCD sensor, ISO 50 - 800 sensitivity, a one frame per second capture speed at 3:4 aspect ratio, and the same dynamic range as the flagship model. This camera back has a $32,495 price tag.

Also with the same dynamic range as the other two Credo varieties, the 40 megapixel camera back features a 43.9 x 32.9 mm CCD sensor, and ISO 50 - 800 sensitivity. It has the fastest capture speed of the bunch at 1.2 frames per second and is markedly cheaper at $19,495.

Each camera back features a wonderfully detailed 3.2-inch, 1.15 million dot LCD touchscreen display with touch sensitivity that reaches beyond the visible display area to enable navigation and clicking outside of the image area. Users can verify focus and tonal accuracy using touch and it boasts a 170-degree viewing angle. It's said to be useable in all lighting conditions and benefits from an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface with four touch-buttons and enhanced navigation. There's enough room to preview up to 12 images at any one time with up to 400 percent zoom available, too.

The 3.85 x 3.14 x 2.42-inch (98 x 80 x 61.5 mm), 19.8 ounce (562g) camera backs also feature lossless 16-bit file compression for quicker file handling without loss of image quality, a built-in bi-directional (roll and pitch) spirit level, and are powered by a 2900 mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery. In addition to support for UDMA 6 CompactFlash media, the Credo models also come with FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and 3.0 connectivity.

They're compatible with the Mamiya 645DF camera, which boasts shutter speeds up to 1/4000 of a second and sync speeds of up to 1/1600 of a second with Schneider-Kreuznach-designed Leaf shutter lenses. Other supported legacy medium and large format cameras include the Hasselblad V and H and Contax medium format cameras, thanks to the four available mount options.

Mamiya says that the Credo range has been optimized for use with Capture One workflow software but the Leaf IIQ (intelligent image quality) RAW format files produced can be used in many third party applications such as Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom, and Iridient Raw Developer.

All of the new Credo camera backs will be available from June 2012.

FDA approves 20 minute take-home HIV test

One of the biggest problems in fighting the spread of AIDS has always been convincing people to have themselves tested regularly. Unfortunately, getting someone to take a trip to a clinic isn't always easy, particularly in areas where there aren't many options for discreet testing. In a development that could leap right over this privacy hurdle, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just unanimously approved an over-the-counter HIV test that enables people to test themselves in their own home and receive results in just 20 minutes.

The company behind the test, Orasure, has been distributing its OraQuick HIV test to doctors and medical facilities since 2004. With the stamp of approval from the FDA though, the same test could be as easy for consumers to obtain and use as a pregnancy test. There have been take-home HIV tests before, but those have involved mailing a blood sample off to a lab and then waiting several days for results.

By approving the test - which uses an easier and faster testing method - the FDA hopes to appeal to a much broader range of potential customers and help people determine whether they are HIV-positive much sooner. With government officials estimating that as much as 240,000 people in the U.S. alone do not realize they are infected, a test like this could be a huge step towards slowing the spread of the disease.

When used by medical professionals, the test has shown to be accurate 99% of the time, but a trial conducted by Orasure found that this accuracy dropped to 93% when used by average consumers. After deliberating with a panel of experts, the FDA decided the benefits of the test far outweighed this drawback. Panelists who spoke with the FDA also stressed the importance of clearly stating on the test's packaging that a negative result does not necessarily mean a person is HIV-free.
Orasure has not revealed how much the OraQuick HIV test will cost once it appears in stores, but the professional version is currently priced at US$17.50.

Dwarf plants could reduce demands for water, fertilizer, nutrients and pesticides

Aside from arable land, most farm crops require significant amounts of water, fertilizer, nutrients and pesticides to grow. While specialized breeding is often used to help produce plants that require less of these inputs, Purdue University researcher Burkhard Schulz has found a way to create tiny versions of plants that suffer no reduction in yield through the addition of a cheap and widely available chemical.

In previous research, Schulz, an assistant professor of plant biochemical and molecular genetics, had found that using the chemical brassinazole to inhibit the steroid function in corn plants resulted in tiny versions that had only female sex characteristics. But at a cost of as much as US$25,000 a gram, the chemical was prohibitively expensive, prompting him to search for a cheaper alternative.

He found a much cheaper option in the form of propiconazole, a fungicide used to treat fungal dollar spot disease on golf courses. Not only does it cost around just 10 cents a gram, but it is also more potent than the much more expensive brassinazole. It is also recognized as a safe chemical for humans with Schulz pointing out that, "they treat golf courses with it. People are around it every day."

Schulz’s previous work adding brassinazole and altering genes to disrupt steroid production produced short, feminized versions of corn plants that developed more kernels where pollen would normally grow. His new findings show that the same results can be achieved using the cheaper and widely available fungicide propiconazole.

"We can change the architecture of a plant the same way that has been done through breeding. We can treat plants with this substance throughout the plant's life and it will never be able to produce steroids," said Schulz. "Any research where you needed to treat large plants for long periods of time would have been impossible. Those tests before would have cost us millions of dollars. Now, they cost us $25. This will open up research in crops that was not possible before."

Aside from the benefits to researchers, Schulz’s approach could also be used to produce shorter plants that not only produce the same amount of grain using less water, fertilizer and nutrients, but are also sturdier against the elements thanks to their reduced height. The technique could also be used to slow grass growth on golf courses, reducing the amount of mowing required and cutting costs.

The findings could also prove significant for seed producers who must usually perform the labor-intensive task of mechanically removing the male portion of the plants so they don’t pollinate themselves.

Schulz and his team are working to determine which genes propiconazole affects and they plans to test if the chemical will also retard steroid production in grain crops other than maize. The team's recent findings were published in the journal PLoS One.

Schulz explains his technique and its benefits in the following video.