How to Prepare for Microsoft Office Specialist Certification

Technology has changed the face of the corporate world. The most ordinary of office jobs are now performed using computers, making it imperative for professionals from the highest rung of the corporate ladder to the lowest to have basic to advanced IT skills.
Being computer illiterate can be a huge handicap in the job market. When the competition for jobs is already intense, leaving gaps in your resume on account of your inability to efficiently use the computer can cost you dear!
Not just professionals, but even college and school students are required to complete a fair amount of their coursework using computers. They need to havea more than working knowledge of computer applications to complete tasks that range from typing out project reports to preparing class presentations.
And what about home makers and stay at home parents who are in charge of monthly budgets, bill payments, tax calculations, and helping the kids with their homework? Can they survive without knowing how to work a computer?
It's quite clear that computer skills are not just necessary career skills, but important life skills that people use for performing a multitude of tasks.
And what are the trademark computer skills that nobody, but nobody can do without? If you don't know the answer, it's the proficiency to use the different applications that are part of the Microsoft Office suite. For the uninitiated, the MS Office suite comprises the following applications:

• MS Word: A robust word processing program for writing papers, filing reports, etc.
• MS Excel: A spreadsheet program used for organizing, formatting and calculating data.
• MS PowerPoint: A program that allows users to create visually rich slideshows and presentations.
• MS Access: A relational database management system.
• MS Outlook: An email client that allows you to view, organize, and respond to emails.

Chances are that for most office, school or home-related tasks, you need to have basic to advanced level skills in using some or all of these programs and one of the surest ways of demonstrating your expertise in these applications is through Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification.
According to the Microsoft website, there are studies to indicate that MOS certified professionals have increased competency and productivity. They also enjoy greater credibility among their superiors, peers and clients. If you're interested in earning an MOS certification, here are a few ways to prepare for it:
Microsoft Office Training Courses: Depending on your need, you can take individual courses such as Microsoft Word training or Microsoft Excel Training or you can take a bundle course that includes training in all the important MS applications.
A lot of these Microsoft Office Training courses are available online and can be completed at your own convenience. By the time you're through with your training program, you will have the skills and the confidence to earn the MOS credential.
Free Online Tutorials:The Internet is a rich source of free preparatory material for the MOS certification tests.Not only can you find tutorials for different MS applications, but you may also be able to access practice tests to gauge the extent of your knowledge. That's what they call trial by fire, or something close to it!
Microsoft's Official Website: It may be a good idea to check the official website of Microsoft for preparatory material and/or practice tests for the different levels of MOS certification exams. They may put such resources up from time to time.
Self-study: Lots of people choose this method to prepare for the MOS certification instead of spending money on Microsoft Office training courses. There is nothing wrong with this method. In fact, some of the features of MS applications are quite intuitive and can be learned by trial and error.
However, it may not be as simple to teach yourself how to run Macros on Excel; use multimedia in PowerPoint presentations; or some of the other advanced features of these applications. So, your knowledge and preparation may not be complete from the point of view of taking the MOS certification test.

Nancy is a 35-year old stay at home mom of two. She worked as a medical assistant for five years before taking a break to be with her children. Her experience as a medical assistant gave her valuable insights in to the medical transcription industry, which she likes to share with others through her writing. Medical transcription training often finds mention in her writings. Being an SAHM, Nancy is a huge exponent of online vocational training programs that provide women like her the power to be their own boss.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6725464








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Mozilla re-releases Firefox 9, backs out fix causing crashes

A day after it shipped Firefox 9, Mozilla quickly released an update after backing out a bug fix that was causing some Mac, Linux and Windows browsers to crash.

Mozilla issued Firefox 9.0.1 Wednesday, making one user wondering if it was bogus because it appeared hard on the heels of version 9.
"Seeing links for [Firefox 9.0.1], why is it being released? Or is it a hoax?" asked a user identified as "hclarkjr" on a Mozilla support forum.
Other support discussion threads also included messages from users asking why Mozilla updated Firefox.
Although Mozilla did not specify in 9.0.1's release notes why it needed to re-release the browser, developers said that the update was prompted by crash reports, primarily from Mac users, although the Linux and Windows versions were also affected.
"We built Firefox 9.0.1 with bug 708572 backed out," said Alex Keybl, an engineering project manager on Mozilla's release team, on Bugzilla yesterday, "We've pushed Firefox 9.0.1 for all platforms. Although we think Windows is mostly unaffected, we still decided to move forward with Windows->9.0.1."
Bugzilla is Mozilla's change- and bug-tracking database.
To fix the problem -- which caused crashes when users ran certain add-on toolbars, including one distributed by the Dallas Cowboys NFL team -- Mozilla's developers removed a patch that had been applied earlier.
Wednesday's rush update was the second by Mozilla in the last 30 days: On Nov. 21, the company shipped Firefox 8.0.1 to deal with a high number of crashes on Mac OS X. The crashes were traced to an Apple update of Java earlier that month.
Users who upgraded to Firefox 9 in the time between its release and 9.0.1's can update to the latter by choosing "About Firefox" from the Firefox menu (Mac) or "About Firefox" from the Help menu under the Firefox button (Windows), then approving the new version's installation after it downloads.

   

Mozilla rushed out a follow-up to Firefox 9, backing out a patch that was causing some machines to crash.

Kinect for Xbox 360 vs. Playstation Move

The more time I spent with Playstation Move and Kinect for Xbox 360, the more I'm convinced that they're both hitting the market about six months too early.
Not that there's anything wrong with the hardware. Kinect, a special camera that tracks motion, worked fine -- if not a tad laggy -- in the games I played on the show floor. Same goes for the Move, which behaves a lot like a Wii remote, but also with a camera that traces the positioning of the controller in 3D space, and of course the benefit of better graphics. But before the show, I , and neither the Move nor Kinect have it -- yet.
I played two of Microsoft's Kinect games developed in-house -- a suite of mini-games called Kinect Sports and yet another suite of mini-games called Kinect Adventures -- plus Dance Central, essentially a full-body Dance Dance Revolution by Harmonix, makers of Rock Band. The Microsoft games felt like tech demos. While it was definitely neat to grab a virtual bowling ball out of thin air and see it move in my hands on the screen, it's still Wii Sports all over again, and the hurdle-jumping game I played was eerily similar to the Nintendo Power Pad from the late 1980s. Dance Central had more substance, but if the novelty of music games can wear off, the same will be said for aerobic dancing games.
My time with the Move consisted of one in-house game called The Fight: Lights Out, plus Capcom's Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition and EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, existing games that will gain Move support through software updates. If you've played Resident Evil 4 on the Wii or Tiger Woods golf with Wii MotionPlus, you've basically experienced their counterparts on the Playstation Move. The Fight: Lights Out was more unique, accurately tracking my arms as I held a controller in each hand, though I was advised to take slow, deliberate swings rather than lightning-quick jabs. Sudden movements were suppressed to keep the on-screen avatar from flailing, it seemed. The freedom to improvise moves -- I once hit my opponent with a double-armed haymaker -- was a nice touch. Still, there wasn't an overall structure to the game, just round after round of mindless slugging.
Obviously, Microsoft has more distinctive technology with the controller-free Kinect, making it all the more frustrating that Microsoft's own games felt more derivative than the third-party Dance Central. Worse still , the most awe-inspiring Kinect game introduced this week, Child of Eden, wasn't playable, and has no release date announced.
Sony, meanwhile, has promised that the Move will give enthusiast gamers a reason to throw down their joypads and love motion control, but there was little evidence to back that claim on the show floor. The company impressed me last year with a technical demo of sword-and-shield fighting, but the only incarnation of this idea was housed inside -- you guessed it -- a collection of mini-games called Sports Champions.
Another six months in the lab might not improve either product on a technical level (or it might), and I can only imagine the flak Microsoft and Sony would get from investors for letting the Wii dominate motion control for yet another holiday, but more time would at least give game developers the chance to play around and create great things for launch day. Instead of starting strong, both Move and Kinect will limp to the gate.

RIM's BBM service targeted for name infringement

Research In Motion could once again face a legal fracas over the name of one of its software products.
Broadcast measurement firm BBM Canada has taken offense with RIM's use of the "BBM" shorthand moniker for its BlackBerry Messenger service, Reuters reports. That's RIM's software that lets BlackBerry users communicate with one another, and comes pre-installed on many of the company's devices.
BBM Canada, which formerly went by the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement until a name shortening in the 1960s, sent a cease and desist letter to RIM for using the BBM naming on the software last year. In an interview with Reuters, BBM Canada's chief executive, Jim MacLeod, told the outlet that RIM's ignored that letter, as well as requests to meet with RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie to discuss the matter.
MacLeod also said that the company would be willing to sell its rights to the name versus taking the matter to court.
In a statement provided to CNET, RIM said that the two services may share the name, but are totally different, and thus "eligible to co-exist under Canadian trademark law," and that the company is seeking to dismiss BBM Canada's legal complaint. That full statement is below:

Since its launch in July 2005, BlackBerry Messenger has become a tremendously popular social networking service. In 2010, RIM started to formally adopt the BBM acronym, which had, at that point, already been organically coined and widely used by BlackBerry Messenger customers as a natural abbreviation of the BlackBerry Messenger name. The services associated with RIM's BBM offering clearly do not overlap with BBM Canada's services and the two marks are therefore eligible to co-exist under Canadian trademark law. The two companies are in different industries and have never been competitors in any area. We believe that BBM Canada is attempting to obtain trademark protection for the BBM acronym that is well beyond the narrow range of the services it provides and well beyond the scope of rights afforded by Canadian trademark law. RIM has therefore asked the Court to dismiss the application and award costs to RIM. Further, for clarity, RIM's application to register BBM as a trademark with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is pending and we are confident that a registration will eventually issue. The inference by BBM Canada that CIPO has refused RIM's BBM trademark application is quite frankly very misleading.

This is the latest in legal battles for RIM, which just dealt with a name change for its BBX mobile software. Earlier this month, RIM announced it would be changing the name of that software to "BlackBerry 10." That decision came following a legal spat with a New Mexico software provider Basis International, which won a temporary restraining order against RIM that left it unable to use the BBX mark at the DevCon conference in Singapore.
RIM introduced its Messenger service for BlackBerry devices in 2005, later launching the feature worldwide in 2008. Over the years the software has been expanded to work from inside applications, and integrate with phone features such as playing music. It's also been an occasional target of controversy, including being responsible for BlackBerry network downtime. A report earlier this week, which RIM has vehemently denied, also claimed that the software was partially the source of delays in rolling out BlackBerry 10.
Updated at 11:57 a.m. PT with comment from RIM

RIM now faces legal challenge on "BBM" trademark

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion, still smarting over having to change the name of its yet-to-come operating system, faces a similar trademark challenge to its popular instant-messaging service BlackBerry Messenger.

The service, which allows BlackBerry users to send each other text and multimedia files and see when they are delivered and read, is widely known and even promoted by RIM via the shorthand BBM.

That has proven an encumbrance to BBM Canada, which measures radio and television audience data and expects its day in a Federal Court against RIM by February.

The company's chief executive, Jim MacLeod, said he wants RIM to stop advertising the BBM moniker but would also consider changing his much smaller company's name, for a price.

"We have to be practical, they operate worldwide, we don't. But we're not prepared to just walk from our name," MacLeod said.

RIM seems equally determined to keep using the BBM name and not to pay MacLeod's company anything.

"We believe that BBM Canada is attempting to obtain trademark protection for the BBM acronym that is well beyond the narrow range of the services it provides and well beyond the scope of rights afforded by Canadian trademark law," it said in an emailed statement.

RIM has launched its BBM Music song-sharing service in recent months, and heavily promoted third-party apps that tie into its instant messaging product, which boasts some 50 million active users.

BBM Canada was established in 1944 as the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement. It changed its name to BBM in the 1960s and to BBM Canada in the early 1990s, MacLeod said. The company, owned by a collection of broadcasters and advertisers, has annual revenue of around $50 million. RIM's sales were more than $5 billion last quarter.

"I'm sure to a really big company this looks like relatively small numbers, but to us it's a big deal," said MacLeod. BBM Canada employs around 650 people, compared with RIM's roughly 17,000.

Earlier this month RIM dumped the "BBX" name for its new operating system after being served with an injunction in a trademark fight with U.S.-based Basis International. RIM has renamed the platform as BlackBerry 10.

Industry Canada denied RIM's 2009 request to register the BBM trademark, saying the name was already in use, but has granted RIM until January 5 to respond.

BBM Canada launched its legal action late last year.

MacLeod said his company contacted RIM in July, soon after RIM launched a large-scale BBM advertising campaign. In response to BBM Canada's cease-and-desist letter RIM said there couldn't possibly be any confusion between the two names - a similar tactic was later used in the BBX spat.

RIM repeated that line of argument in Friday's statement.

"The services associated with RIM's BBM offering clearly do not overlap with BBM Canada's services and the two marks are therefore eligible to co-exist under Canadian trademark law. The two companies are in different industries and have never been competitors in any area."

MacLeod sought a meeting to discuss the issue with RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie several months ago, but said he has received no response.

McLeod pointed out that RIM had even taken legal action of its own against software startup Kik Interactive over its instant messaging service that includes claims of trademark infringement.

"It's a trademark they don't even own, it's ours," MacLeod said.

i Phone 4S

The iPhone 4S is the first dual-band world iPhone, making it a great gift for anyone who travels internationally. Sprint and Verizon say that they will unlock the iPhone 4S' preloaded SIM card on request for customers in good standing. Just remember that the handset uses a Micro-SIM, which may not be easy to find for prepaid international service.

The good: Apple's iPhone 4S has a faster processor and an upgraded camera, all the benefits of iOS 5, and a useful and immensely fun voice assistant. Call quality on the Sprint model is admirable, and the data speeds, while certainly not 4G, get the job done.

The bad: It's about time we get a larger screen.

The bottom line: The iPhone 4S isn't the king of cell phones, but it's part of the royal family nonetheless. Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade.

The 10 best games of 2011

It's that time of the year again: a time to look back at 2011 for its gaming prowess, to pay tribute to those elite pieces of electronic interactive entertainment that reside in a league all by themselves.
Just like last year, 2011 treated us to a few new franchises, but ultimately the sequels once again hogged the spotlight. While 2010 stumbled toward the end of the year, 2011 went out with an absolute bang, seeing nearly a dozen blockbuster titles hit store shelves within just a few weeks.

To see my list, check out the slideshow, or click through.
Top 10:

• 10. Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
• 9. L.A. Noire (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• 8. Shadows of the Damned (Xbox 360, PS3)
• 7. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• 6. Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)
• 5. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)
• 4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
• 3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• 2. Portal 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac)
• 1. Batman: Arkham City (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Don't see your pick for game of the year on my list? Be sure to yell at me in the comments section. But first, make sure you take a look at my list of very worthy honorable mentions:
Honorable mentions:

• Dark Souls (Xbox 360, PS3)
• LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)
• Bastion (XBLA)
• Outland (XBLA)
• Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Catherine (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Minecraft (PC)
• NHL 12 (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Battlefield 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

More:
Best games of 2010
Best games of 2009

Samsung Galaxy S, Tab: No Android 4.0 for you

Owners of Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab won't be getting the latest and greatest version of Android.

In a blog posting on a Korean promotional site run by Samsung, the company noted that the two devices would not receive the update to Android 4.0, the most up to date version of Google's mobile operating system.
The reason for that, as The Verge explains, centers around Samsung's use of additional software features on those phones, including TouchWiz, widgets, video calling and carrier software pack-ins. These suck up hardware resources to the point of giving users a less than desirable Android experience, Samsung says.
Sure to make things a bit complicated is that the Galaxy S is a close sibling of Samsung's recently-released Galaxy Nexus--at least on paper. That phone ships with Android 4.0, known more readily as Ice Cream Sandwich.
Announced in October, Ice Cream Sandwich adds a number of new features to devices on the platform, the main one being the unification of the OS for both tablets and smartphones, as well as the addition of software-based buttons that replace the ones that have been physical buttons. As with other major releases of Android, it carries with it particular hardware requirements, leaving a number of older devices stuck on certain versions indefinitely.

OnLive Android app now supports Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY smartphone

Owners of the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Smartphone can now really use what the phone is designed for on the Onlive Game System.

(Credit: Onlive)

If you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY smartphone, you're more than likely a gamer, and this is something that will interest you this holiday season.
OnLive, the pioneer of cloud-based gaming, announced Thursday that its free OnLive app for Android has been updated to support the slide-out game controls on the phone. This means the phone's owners now can enjoy almost all OnLive games, including the latest AAA console-class titles.
Unlike other Android-based smartphone, the the Xperia PLAY combines the traditional touchscreen control with slide-out dedicated gaming keys, analog touch joysticks and shoulder buttons, making it an ultimate smartphone for gamers. With the app update, OnLive subscribers now can really enjoy the extra game-centric features of the phone's design.
The original free Onlive Android app, released on December 8, was the first cloud gaming app that enables users to play high-performance, console-quality games on a smartphone or tablet. Previously these games were playable only on the highest-end computers or consoles. This was made possible thanks to the fact that OnLive games are streamed over the internet just like music or video and never takes up storage or requires extra processing power from the mobile device.
OnLive games are also cross-platform, allowing gamers to start playing a game on a computer,  then pick it up on a smartphone via the OnLive Game System with all save game data intact. Currently the OnLive free app is only available for the Android-based mobile devices with another version for the iOS being predicted to come up soon.
Together with the update, OnLive also announced Winter Three-for-All sweepstakes that offer gamers a chance to win a Las Vegas Trip and new Universal OnLive Wireless Controller.

Sony releases impressive list of Vita U.S. launch titles

Just a few days after releasing the PlayStation Vita in Japan, Sony is now focused on the U.S. debut of the system, disclosing the entire launch and launch window lineup.
According to a post on Sony's PlayStation.Blog, games will range in price from $9.99 to $49.99, and all be available on the PlayStation Store as well. An impressive 25 games will launch side-by-side with the system on February 22, 2012. Gamers can get started shopping a week earlier on February 15 when Sony first-party games and accessories will go on sale, including the complete First Edition Bundle.
While I still think the Vita should come with a small-capacity Vita memory card, give Sony a lot of credit for putting together such an impressive and diverse collection of software for launch. There's something for everyone on this list and also what I think are at least three must-buy titles. It's a night-and-day comparison to what Nintendo offered earlier in the year with the 3DS.
I'm also happy to see that Sony is going to debut the all-but-necessary proprietary format Vita memory card at a lower-than-expected price, starting at $20 for 4GB. Sony also announced that inside each Vita box will be six AR play cards (sound familiar?) and a voucher for more AR mini-games from the PlayStation Network.
Read on for the entire launch and launch-window list and accessory dates and prices.
First-party titles (Available 2/15/2012):

• Escape Plan (PSN Only)
• Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
• Hustle Kings (PSN Only)
• Little Deviants
• ModNation Racers: Road Trip
• Super StarDust Delta (PSN only)
• Uncharted: Golden Abyss
• Wipeout 2048

Third-party launch titles (Available 2/22/2012):

• Army Corps of Hell (Square Enix, Inc.)
• Asphalt Injection (Ubisoft, Inc.)
• Ben10 Galactic Racing (D3 Publisher of America)
• Blazblue: Continuum Shift Extend (Aksys Games Localization, Inc.)
• Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Ubisoft, Inc.)
• Dynasty Warriors Next (Tecmo Koei America Corporation)
• F1 2011 (Codemasters)
• EA Sports FIFA Soccer (Electronic Arts, Inc.)
• Lumines Electronic Symphony (Ubisoft, Inc.)
• Michael Jackson The Experience (Ubisoft, Inc.)
• Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only, Sony Online Entertainment LLC)
• Rayman Origins (Ubisoft, Inc.)
• Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
• Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only, Drinkbox Studios)
• Touch My Katamari (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
• Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (Capcom Entertainment, Inc.)
• Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition (Sega of America)

Third-party launch window* titles:

• Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. Inc.)
• Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (NIS America, Inc.)
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (Tecmo Koei America Corporation)
• Ridge Racer (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
• Silent Hill Book of Memories (Konami Digital Ent. America, Inc.)
• Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted (505 Games)

Accessories:

• 4GB memory card (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
• 8GB memory card (February 15, 2012, $29.99)
• 16GB memory card (February 15, 2012, $59.99
• 32GB memory card (February 15, 2012, $99.99)
• Starter kit with memory card (February 15, 2012, $39.99)
• In-ear headset (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
• Carrying case (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
• Travel pouch (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
• Protective film (two-pack) (February 15, 2012, $9.99)
• Card case (February 15, 2012, $5.99)
• Cradle (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
• Portable charger (Spring 2012, $49.99)
• AC adapter (February 15, 2012, $14.99)
• Car adapter (Spring 2012, $14.99)
• USB cable (February 15, 2012, $14.99)

New Apple Store Coming to Palo Alto; Steve Jobs to Receive Grammy

Every week, Apple makes news with technology developments, business deals and, more often than not, controversies.

That’s where our weekly "Core Bytes" column on Apple comes in. We’ll relay the past week’s news highlights from our favorite backyard tech giant.

Controversies
A German court stated it is unlikely to ban Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1N from being distributed in the European Union, as Apple requested of them. The Galaxy, the Duesseldorf regional court argued, noticeably differs in design from Apple patent-protected iPad, with features such as “a contrasting frame and loudspeaker openings.”

New Products
Apple is constructing a new store just down the street from its original one in Palo Alto. The $3.5 million construction will borrow designs from its other stores, and occupy two stories over 15,000 square feet. The city issued a building permit for the store, and construction is to begin “any day now.”

In the future, Apple computers could last weeks without needing a recharge. That is if Apple utilizes two patents it published this week, describing a ”portable and cost-effective fuel cell system for a portable computing device”.

Business Deals and Developments
While there’s been debate over whether Steve Jobs should have received Time’s Person of the Year, one award is clear: Jobs will posthumously be receiving a Grammy award in February. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences is granting their Trustees award to Jobs, the only industrialist to receive one this year, because he “revolutionalized the way music is distributed and purchased.”

Apple was the 13th most visited website in the U.S. in November, according to a news analyst by comScore. It drew 79.2 million visitors during the month, rivaling 12th place New York Times, which had 79.6 million users that month. Apple, Amazon and eBay were the only retailers to make it to the top 15.

This holiday season, “Santa sells.” Especially when he’s featured in an Apple iPhone 4S advertisement. According to Ace Metrix, a TV ad analyst firm, Siri was 2011’s most effective holiday advertisement.

Apple’s iTunes Match service, which makes your iTunes library available through a cloud, is now available in 17 countries. Now you will have no problems pulling up your favorites songs in locales such as Australia, Germany, Mexico and the U.K.

Microsoft Windows 8 app store, Windows 8 beta due in February

(This story is running in the print edition of The Seattle Times Dec. 7, 2011. - Janet I. Tu)

Microsoft unveiled a major part of its effort to compete in mobile computing, releasing details Tuesday of its planned Windows 8 app store at an event in San Francisco.
The store is to launch with the expected late February release of a test version of Windows 8, Microsoft's next major operating system.
For developers, individual registration fees for an app are $49, and $99 for companies.
One major feature of the store is the revenue-sharing model Microsoft plans to use to get app developers to build on Microsoft's platform.
Under the model, Microsoft would take 30 percent of the revenue an app makes -- the same amount Apple gets in its highly successful App Store.
But there's a twist in Microsoft's model. After an app tallies $25,000 in total sales, Microsoft's share will drop to 20 percent.
Though the store won't launch until February, developers are being encouraged to submit apps to a contest https://buildwindowscontest.com and be one of eight winning apps picked to be first featured when the Windows store opens.
The store is a move toward a complete ecosystem for the Windows platform, much as Apple provides for its mobile devices and, more recently, for its Macs running on the OSX operating system.
Google also is a leading rival with the store for its Android platform.
Microsoft already has an app store for its Windows Phone, but not one for third-party Windows OS apps. The only way now to purchase such apps is through the developer or a third-party provider.
These days, though, the app-store model "is becoming something users expect," said Rob Sanfilippo of independent analysis firm Directions on Microsoft, based in Kirkland.
"I think it is a big part of the Windows 8 launch and it will be an important feature within that operating system that could differentiate it and could help it compete against tablet offerings today," Sanfilippo said.
The potential for the Windows 8 app store is huge, given the number of developers writing apps for Windows and the number of Windows consumers worldwide, he said.
Among other features Microsoft discussed Tuesday:

• The store catalog will be indexed by search engines, meaning it will appear in search results.
• Use of the store can be tailored for businesses, allowing them to list their own apps and control access to them.
• Developers will be able to offer trials of an app, which could then be converted to paid status.
• Third parties would be allowed to handle app transactions.

Apple unveils iPhone 4S

Apple Inc. has unveiled a new, faster version of the iPhone 4 that takes voice commands.
The iPhone 4S will contain a dual-core A5 chip, the same one that powers the iPad 2, which will make it seven times faster than the original iPhone 4, the company announced Tuesday at an event at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.
A key new feature touted by Apple executives is an "intelligent assistant" called "Siri" that uses voice recognition to answer questions and pull up an appropriate app.

Smartphones Compare iPhone 4S to 9 other models sold in Canada How does Apple's upgrade stack up against competitors?

Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iPhone Software at Apple, gave a demonstration. "Do I need a raincoat today?" brought up the response, "It sure looks like rain today" along with a weather forecast. "Give me directions to Hoover Tower" brought up a map.
Siri could also be used to check for schedule conflicts, schedule appointments, and set an alarm.
However, the feature was not listed among the Canadian specs for the phone — only those on the U.S. site.
The iPhone 4S is capable of download speeds of up to 14.4 megabits per second or double the speed of an iPhone 4 and will be able to operate on both GSM and CDMA networks. It also has an upgraded camera and promises a longer battery life.
Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, detailed upgrades to the camera on the iPhone 4S compared to the iPhone 4. Paul Sakuma/Associated PressIt also has the ability to wirelessly transmit what is on its screen to Apple TV using a feature called AirPlay, which was first demonstrated on the iPad 2.
The new phone will be available in both black and white on Oct. 14 in the U.S., Apple said.
It did not indicate whether the phone would also be available in Canada on that date.

Lack of iPhone 5 disappoints

Technology watchers had hoped that Tuesday's announcement would include the launch of the iPhone 5, a new iPhone advanced enough to be considered a new generation of the device. But in the end, the iPhone 4S was the only new phone unveiled.
Technology consultant Richard Morochove said he thinks many people will be "a little bit underwhelmed" by the iPhone 4S.
"It is a better phone, there's no doubt about that," he said. "but I think people were expecting something a little bit more."
He added that the phone is almost identical in appearance to the iPhone 4: "The highlights are really hidden under the hood."

iPhone 4S ANALYSIS: Apple's upgrade 'underwhelming' New smartphone doesn't live up to anticipation swirling ahead of announcement

But CBC technology columnist Dan Misener said Apple hinted the announcement wouldn't be a huge one by choosing a smaller venue, and has made incremental announcements like this before. For example, in 2009, the company released an updated version of iPhone 3G called the 3GS.
The iPhone 4S comes with new mobile software, iOS 5, that includes such features as the ability to sync content wirelessly, without having to plug the device to a Mac or Windows machine. IOS 5 will also be available on Oct. 12 for existing devices — the iPhone 4 and 3GS, both iPad models and later versions of the iPod Touch.
Apple said Oct. 12 will also mark the launch of its new iCloud service, which will store content such as music, documents, apps and photos on Apple's servers and let people access them wirelessly on numerous devices.

Steve Jobs misses event

New CEO Tim Cook presided over Tuesday's announcements. Previously, this type of Apple event would have been hosted by Steve Jobs, who resigned as CEO in August after months of health problems. Cook wore a navy blue button-down shirt and jeans. He opened the event by calling his nearly 14-year tenure at Apple "the privilege of a lifetime." Those in the audience clapped as he entered, but the reaction seemed more muted than what Jobs had recently received, the Associated Press reported.
Cook said the latest iPhone, which came out in June 2010, sold more quickly than previous models, but the iPhone still has just five percent of the worldwide handset market.
Apple spent nearly the first hour of its event touting the popularity of its products and unveiling a new line of iPods, including a Nano model with a multi-touch display that promises to be easier to navigate. Apple made no mention of its Classic model, which many people had speculated the company might discontinue.
The event took place in Apple's Town Hall room, where the first iPod was launched a decade ago. Cook said Apple has sold more than 300 million iPods worldwide so far, including 45 million in the 12 months through June.
The iPhone came six years later and has gained millions of fans, thanks to its slick looks, high-resolution screen and intuitive software. There were 39 million iPhones sold in the first six months of this year.
Apple's stock fell $11.76, or 3.1 per cent, to $362.84 in afternoon trading Tuesday.

Mozilla Firefox 9 for Android Focuses on Tablets

Mozilla had some nice treats for us lately. After the latest version of the browser was released for desktop, now the company announced Firefox 9 to be available in Android Market. The Android version of Firefox is mainly designed for tablets, as the release notes read, with user interface optimized for tablets’ displays. “Firefox for Android introduces a completely redesigned experience that is optimized for tablets and makes mobile browsing more intuitive.”
Firefox 9 for Android comes with a set of new features to improve users’ experience. The Awesome Screen for instance makes the best of Firefox Sync to make the access to browsing history easier, also opening tabs, bookmarking are more convenient, while saved passwords lead to faster browsing without the need to type in many login information.
Next to the Awesome Screen users will find a new designed Action Bar menu, and from this it easier to access Firefox Preferences, Add-ons, downloads and more. On the Action Bar are also back, forward and bookmark buttons to make the navigation more convenient allowing the users to hop around the Internet with just a tap of a button. Speaking of one tap of a button, this is exactly how new bookmarks of the favorite websites and Web apps can be added to the users desktop.
And the good news don’t stop here, as the company also announces HTML 5 improvements. “Developers will enjoy new HTML5 tools in Firefox that make it easier to create fun and interactive mobile Web experiences for phones and tablets. The HTML5 Input Tag for Camera Access enables developers to make websites and Web apps more powerful and interactive.”

Microsoft to drop CES after 2012 show

Microsoft said it will pull out of the Consumer Electronics Show after 2012. The software giant is the latest company to pull out or avoid the tech confab altogether.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at CES 2011.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw said in a blog post today that the company, which has been a mainstay attraction at the show for years, would no longer make a keynote presentation or host a booth at the show after the one scheduled for January.
"We'll continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won't have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don't align with the show's January timing," Shaw said.
The company has been increasingly using its own events to make major product announcements, an underlying trend that other technology companies have followed. Apple and Google have long avoided CES, even as Google has had a major presence at other conferences such as Mobile World Congress. Motorola Mobility likewise canceled its press conference for the upcoming show.
Microsoft is just the latest to reconsider its presence at CES, which is a large and costly event in which companies risk getting drowned out by the onslaught of announcements that come out. Instead, companies have been looking at smaller, individual events where they don't have to compete with other news.
Many are looking to emulate the model made successful by Apple, in which it is able to generate a huge amount of buzz and attention for an event that it puts on.
The Consumer Electronics Association said it has already received interest from other exhibitors for Microsoft's old booth space.
"Both CEA and Microsoft have agreed that the time has come to end this great run, and so Microsoft will not have a keynote at the 2013 CES," the trade group said in a statement today. "Microsoft is an important member of CEA and we wish them all the best as they evolve their plans for new ways to tell consumer stories."
"As we look at all of the new ways we tell our consumer stories - from product momentum disclosures, to exciting events like our Big Windows Phone, to a range of consumer connection points like Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft.com and our retail stores - it feels like the right time to make this transition," Shaw said.
Microsoft's press conference in January of this year was mostly a recap of existing products, including the Xbox 360 and its then-recently launched Windows Phone platform. The big new piece of news was Windows 8, which itself had been detailed with compatibility for ARM processors at a separate press event ahead of the company's keynote.
The company, however, stayed mum on any new operating system features, saving those details for its Build conference in September. It's also held separate, smaller events to promote its Windows Phone mobile operating system.

3D trees in Google Earth

Google Earth is about to get something of a makeover thanks to more than 80 million 3D trees populating the product.

"Trees are part of the world we live in and if you fly over San Francisco with the trees turned on versus turned off it presents a different sense of what the city looks like," said Google Earth's vice president of product, the aptly-named Mr Birch.
He added that planting more than 80 million trees presented some technical challenges: working out where to put them; ensuring they were of the right type for the area and making them distinct enough to determine one species from another.
To start, six major cities have been populated with more than 60 different species: Athens, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and Tokyo are now home to models of dozens of species from the Japanese Maple and the East African Cordia to the cacao tree and the flowering dogwood.

Google Earth also gets a bit political as Mr Birch explained that they have started to model forest lands and areas of the world under threat such as the Amazon and Kenya and some of the work being done to restore the environment there.
The search giant worked with groups like the Green Belt Movement in Africa, the Amazon Conservation Team in Brazil and Conabio in Mexico.
"We want to tell a broader story of the trees and deforestation and climate change to draw attention to the things happening to our planet," he said.
"This brings home just how special trees are and how they need to be protected," added Raleigh Seamster from Google Earth's outreach team.
"Modelling these areas of deforestation will draw more attention to what is going on there."
Street View also gets woven more tightly into the offer. Yes, that same product that has been slightly tarnished of late with issues of collecting snippets of data it shouldn't have as the cars drove by people's homes to snap photos of neighbourhoods.
"Our goal is to really create this mirror world where people can travel to distant lands and learn about the planet and different areas. One of the problems is that the experience doesn't connect you all the way to the ground," said Mr Birch.
"It does a great job flying over mountains and cityscapes and your old childhood neighbourhood. But we all live on the ground and walk about the street and that is how we experience the Earth and this tighter integration with Street View gives us a great opportunity to complete the connection between the street level and this flying around."
The final change is an effort to make it easier to find out what historical images are available for a given area.

The upgrade was included in the previous release; this version invites users to fly to an area where historical imagery is available and see the date of the oldest images on a status bar at the bottom of the screen from London during the Blitz to Port-au-Prince in Haiti before and after the devastating earthquake of January 2010.