Google, the world’s largest search engine and one of the biggest internet brands, is understood to be eyeing opportunities in the third generation of mobile telephony, or 3G, in India.
Sources in the telecom industry say Google is looking at broadband wireless access, or BWA, in the country and may participate in the auction with an Indian partner. BWA is also known as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, or WiMAX.
As an alternative, Google could be just a technology partner to a telecom service provider. Foreign companies can buy up to 74 per cent equity in such a venture.
A spokesperson for Google in India, when contacted, said the company would not comment on speculation.
The Department of Telecommunications, or DoT, is offering spectrum both for 3G services as well as BWA and hopes to auction spectrum by the middle of January next year. It finalised the information memorandum last week.
Google is not new to mobile telephony. It shook the world two years ago by announcing that it would bid for the US government’s auction of radio frequencies that could be used to deliver the next generation of internet and mobile phone services.
The company’s plan was to provide a nationwide wireless broadband service that would take on digital subscriber line services and cable internet access. However, it lost out in the auction as incumbent telecom behemoths like AT&T and Verizon stole a march.
Analysts say there are many reasons for Google to look at 3G. "With the wave of consumers adopting BWA as the likely scenario in India, it is expected to bring about a shift in the focus of advertisement revenue from fixed line internet to mobile internet. Search-led advertisement is the biggest of all in the online business, and Google is the natural stakeholder in the Indian BWA space," says Alok Shende, principal analyst, Ascentius Consulting.
Others cite other reasons. "Google wants to create a global space in wireless internet, since mobile subscribers outnumber internet users. In India, 3G subscribers will outdo WiMAX users. Given these estimates, it makes sense for Google to bid for 3G spectrum," says a telecom analyst who did not wish to be named.
Google has also submitted a proposal to regulators in the US for clearance to use unused channels, which the company calls Wi-Fi 2.0 and on which it is possible to offer wireless broadband services at very high speeds.
The BWA spectrum to be put up for auction by DoT will be in the frequency of 2.3 GHz, with a base price of Rs 1,750 crore for a pan-India licence. The government will auction two blocks in BWA spectrum and reserve one for state-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd in Mumbai and Delhi and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd elsewhere.
Spectrum in the 2.5 GHz for BWA will also be auctioned after the outstanding issues of interference with the mobile system of department of space are resolved.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
WEB ADDRESSES TO SPEAK ALL LANGUAGES
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, has set the ball rolling for web addresses in scripts other than Latin. This will allow uniform resource locators (URLs), as web addresses are called in virtual parlance, in languages other than English, including Hindi, Tamil or Bhojpuri.
About half of the world’s 1.6 billion internet users use languages based on scripts other than Latin and may cheer the move. India, which has 50 million internet users, speaks hundreds of languages.
Icann, the non-profit group that oversees domain names, is meeting representatives from all over the world this week in Seoul to decide on this change, which will be one of the biggest in the 40 years of internet. If it is cleared, Icann will begin accepting applications for non-Latin domain names and the first entries into the system are expected in the middle of next year.
Icann is also to decide whether it can give users freedom on global top-level domain (GLTD) names.
"If this happens, it will definitely increase the number of internet users. Why should users type in English if they could time in Tamil or Hindi," says Kiruba Shankar, founder chief executive officer of Business Blogging.
At present, web addresses are limited to 21 suffixes, such as, .com (80 per cent), .net and .info, and country-specific ones like .in for India. With this change, companies and individuals can have unlimited choices such as .indian, .delhi, .paris, .gabbarsingh or .whateveryouwant.
Corporate houses like the Tatas, Birlas or Reliance could apply for .tata, .birla or .reliance and could, in turn, give each employee a .tata, .birla or .reliance email identity.
Like all good things, these will come at a price: Rs 40 lakh to Rs 2 crore.
Jasjit Sawhney, managing director and chief executive officer of Net4India, an internet service provider which offers domain registration services, says the move to open up web addresses is good "but will take time to trickle down in India because of technicalities". Currently, names on the internet can be typed in local scripts. For instance, you can type dukaan (shop) in Devnagari, the script for Hindi, but not .com.
Icann is in talks with information technology departments of countries to get the exact meaning of .com in local languages, say, Hindi or Tamil. "What do you call .com in Hindi? One has to decide on such issues," says Sawhney.
Naresh Ajwani, president-government affairs, Sify Technologies, who is attending the Icann meeting in Seoul, points out that the Department of Information Technology in India already has fonts for 22 local languages. "This, and the fact that GLTDs may be opened up to more domains, will witness a sea change in the way the internet is structured," says Ajwani.
About half of the world’s 1.6 billion internet users use languages based on scripts other than Latin and may cheer the move. India, which has 50 million internet users, speaks hundreds of languages.
Icann, the non-profit group that oversees domain names, is meeting representatives from all over the world this week in Seoul to decide on this change, which will be one of the biggest in the 40 years of internet. If it is cleared, Icann will begin accepting applications for non-Latin domain names and the first entries into the system are expected in the middle of next year.
Icann is also to decide whether it can give users freedom on global top-level domain (GLTD) names.
"If this happens, it will definitely increase the number of internet users. Why should users type in English if they could time in Tamil or Hindi," says Kiruba Shankar, founder chief executive officer of Business Blogging.
At present, web addresses are limited to 21 suffixes, such as, .com (80 per cent), .net and .info, and country-specific ones like .in for India. With this change, companies and individuals can have unlimited choices such as .indian, .delhi, .paris, .gabbarsingh or .whateveryouwant.
Corporate houses like the Tatas, Birlas or Reliance could apply for .tata, .birla or .reliance and could, in turn, give each employee a .tata, .birla or .reliance email identity.
Like all good things, these will come at a price: Rs 40 lakh to Rs 2 crore.
Jasjit Sawhney, managing director and chief executive officer of Net4India, an internet service provider which offers domain registration services, says the move to open up web addresses is good "but will take time to trickle down in India because of technicalities". Currently, names on the internet can be typed in local scripts. For instance, you can type dukaan (shop) in Devnagari, the script for Hindi, but not .com.
Icann is in talks with information technology departments of countries to get the exact meaning of .com in local languages, say, Hindi or Tamil. "What do you call .com in Hindi? One has to decide on such issues," says Sawhney.
Naresh Ajwani, president-government affairs, Sify Technologies, who is attending the Icann meeting in Seoul, points out that the Department of Information Technology in India already has fonts for 22 local languages. "This, and the fact that GLTDs may be opened up to more domains, will witness a sea change in the way the internet is structured," says Ajwani.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
NEW 'WINDOWS' OPEN UP TO COMPUTER USERS
Mumbai: With its advanced features, Microsoft’s Windows 7 comes off better than Vista and the last generation Windows XP
If you have been holding off buying a new computer, then Windows 7, the latest operating system (OS) from Microsoft, will give you a good excuse to buy one. Windows 7, or Win 7, is largely believed to be better than Microsoft's previous OS Windows Vista and way more advanced than the last generation Windows XP. But is it really all that?
First impressions
While it is easy to get infatuated with a new design and swanky features, the viability of an OS is only determined when you begin using it eight hours a day. We used a preview copy of Win 7 for over 12 hours and we have to admit that we do prefer it over Vista because it's more stable and did not crash out even once.
We installed Win 7 on a desktop with 1 GHz processor and 4GB of RAM. The OS took a little over 30 minutes to install on the PC that had Vista Home Basic edition (time to install could vary depending on hardware profile and existing OS on your PC). Decisively, Win 7 loads faster than Vista, which takes hours to install.
Win 7's minimum hardware requirements are roughly similar to those of Vista Home Basics -- both require a 1 GHz processor and 15-16GB of hard-drive space, although Win 7 demands a minimum of 1GB memory, while Vista Home Basics needs 512MB memory.
Let's be honest here. Win 7 is both a sigh of relief and breath of fresh air, after Vista. Built with a renewed focus on performance and ease-of-use, Win 7 is poised to succeed where Vista couldn't.
Why is it better than Windows Vista?
Haunted by sluggish performance issues, from playing games to complicated disk access programmes to poor networking features, Vista was undoubtedly Microsoft's biggest failure. Win 7, by contrast, will run fine on most of the existing netbooks as well as older PCs.
Win 7 delivers a completely revamped user interface and some brand-new features designed to make organising and sharing your files easier. Simply put, the user gets much more than new wallpaper and a different colour taskbar.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
Is it really more secure and easier than Windows XP?
In one word -- yes, Win 7 is way more secure than Windows XP and a step ahead of Vista too. Even though it is eight years old, Windows XP still remains the world's most widely used operating system and almost completely dominates the netbook market.
But Windows XP users have a lot more to gain by going to Win 7. Vista had introduced some great features, such as fast searches of the entire hard drive, which, of course, are present in Win 7 too. Such features will be quite an attraction for users who haven't yet used them on their Windows XP machines.
All technical tirades aside, Win 7 is the back-to-basics operating system. Moving beyond the eye-candy features, Windows XP users can customise how the user account control functions, or how tray icons work to suit their needs. This was never there in Windows XP.
What type of PCs and laptopscan run Windows 7?
The basic requirements of a PC to run Win 7 are a 1 GHz processor, minimum 1GB of RAM and 16GB hard drive space. In simple words, any hardware that worked with Vista will work for Win 7 too.
Since Microsoft is targeting future generation of casual users who use computers for mainly emails, office documents, Internet and video among other things, Win 7 could be an ideal choice for future PCs.
HP India has started retailing Win 7-preloaded PCs at between Rs 27,990 and Rs 90,000, while Acer PCs with Win 7 OS will be priced at between Rs 15,000 and Rs 35,000. Acer notebooks with the new OS will be priced at Rs 21,000-70,000.
Should you get ready to pay for the upgrade?
That's a million-dollar question, if you are a Windows XP user. Is it worth Rs 5,800, that a Windows XP users will pay to get the new features in Win 7? Probably yes, as a superior OS also means a more secure and functional PC. But this is not necessarily a must-have upgrade for all the existing Windows XP users.
Although those users who will be upgrading from Vista will find it easier (and cheaper) to adopt Win 7, those who are migrating from Windows XP might need to completely wipe their hard drives and re-install their applications.
What you pay and what you get
* Windows 7 Starter (via OEM only): Up to three concurrent applications, ability to join a Home Group, improved taskbar and JumpLists.
* Windows 7 Home Basic: For Rs 5,899, users get unlimited applications, live thumbnail previews that enhance visual experience and advanced networking support.
* Windows 7 Home Premium: For Rs 6,799, you get Aero Glass and advanced windows navigation, improved media format support, enhanced Windows Media Centre and media streaming, and also multi-touch and improved handwriting recognition.
* Windows 7 Professional: For Rs 11,199, users can join a managed network with the Domain Join feature, protect data with advanced network backup and encrypting file system and print to the right printer at home or facilitate intuitive printing with Location Aware Printing option.
* Windows 7 Ultimate (worldwide): For Rs 11,799, it is meant for advanced users who want to protect data using the BitLocker feature on internal and external drives, deploy DirectAccess for seamless connectivity over corporate networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2.
What's new about Windows 7
# In Win 7, when you hover over a taskbar icon, you get actual previews that are placed side by side. In simple words, it offers the ability to snap a window to half your screen size simply by dragging it to the left or right of the screen
# Has a cool new feature with which users can drag windows to each side of the screen and they automatically size themselves so that each takes up half the screen
# User Account Control in Win 7 gives users easy control options without complicating the process like Windows Vista
# Win 7 replaces the taskbar context menu with a useful list of frequently used documents and tasks, and even allows you to pin documents or shortcuts to the menu
# Windows Explorer gets a facelift in Win 7. Some minor changes like while browsing between various tabs, you will now see a sliding windows effect, a nice visual effect
# Once you have installed the OS, the first thing you will notice is the faster shutdown and boot. Even the time taken by the machine to enter and come out of the sleep mode is less than Vista and XP
# For those who love to open an array of windows while working, the new Aero Peek feature in Win 7 lets you preview individual windows from the grouped taskbar applications, and even close documents from the thumbnails themselves. Aero Peek becomes a handy tool for users who like to multi-task
If you have been holding off buying a new computer, then Windows 7, the latest operating system (OS) from Microsoft, will give you a good excuse to buy one. Windows 7, or Win 7, is largely believed to be better than Microsoft's previous OS Windows Vista and way more advanced than the last generation Windows XP. But is it really all that?
First impressions
While it is easy to get infatuated with a new design and swanky features, the viability of an OS is only determined when you begin using it eight hours a day. We used a preview copy of Win 7 for over 12 hours and we have to admit that we do prefer it over Vista because it's more stable and did not crash out even once.
We installed Win 7 on a desktop with 1 GHz processor and 4GB of RAM. The OS took a little over 30 minutes to install on the PC that had Vista Home Basic edition (time to install could vary depending on hardware profile and existing OS on your PC). Decisively, Win 7 loads faster than Vista, which takes hours to install.
Win 7's minimum hardware requirements are roughly similar to those of Vista Home Basics -- both require a 1 GHz processor and 15-16GB of hard-drive space, although Win 7 demands a minimum of 1GB memory, while Vista Home Basics needs 512MB memory.
Let's be honest here. Win 7 is both a sigh of relief and breath of fresh air, after Vista. Built with a renewed focus on performance and ease-of-use, Win 7 is poised to succeed where Vista couldn't.
Why is it better than Windows Vista?
Haunted by sluggish performance issues, from playing games to complicated disk access programmes to poor networking features, Vista was undoubtedly Microsoft's biggest failure. Win 7, by contrast, will run fine on most of the existing netbooks as well as older PCs.
Win 7 delivers a completely revamped user interface and some brand-new features designed to make organising and sharing your files easier. Simply put, the user gets much more than new wallpaper and a different colour taskbar.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
Is it really more secure and easier than Windows XP?
In one word -- yes, Win 7 is way more secure than Windows XP and a step ahead of Vista too. Even though it is eight years old, Windows XP still remains the world's most widely used operating system and almost completely dominates the netbook market.
But Windows XP users have a lot more to gain by going to Win 7. Vista had introduced some great features, such as fast searches of the entire hard drive, which, of course, are present in Win 7 too. Such features will be quite an attraction for users who haven't yet used them on their Windows XP machines.
All technical tirades aside, Win 7 is the back-to-basics operating system. Moving beyond the eye-candy features, Windows XP users can customise how the user account control functions, or how tray icons work to suit their needs. This was never there in Windows XP.
What type of PCs and laptopscan run Windows 7?
The basic requirements of a PC to run Win 7 are a 1 GHz processor, minimum 1GB of RAM and 16GB hard drive space. In simple words, any hardware that worked with Vista will work for Win 7 too.
Since Microsoft is targeting future generation of casual users who use computers for mainly emails, office documents, Internet and video among other things, Win 7 could be an ideal choice for future PCs.
HP India has started retailing Win 7-preloaded PCs at between Rs 27,990 and Rs 90,000, while Acer PCs with Win 7 OS will be priced at between Rs 15,000 and Rs 35,000. Acer notebooks with the new OS will be priced at Rs 21,000-70,000.
Should you get ready to pay for the upgrade?
That's a million-dollar question, if you are a Windows XP user. Is it worth Rs 5,800, that a Windows XP users will pay to get the new features in Win 7? Probably yes, as a superior OS also means a more secure and functional PC. But this is not necessarily a must-have upgrade for all the existing Windows XP users.
Although those users who will be upgrading from Vista will find it easier (and cheaper) to adopt Win 7, those who are migrating from Windows XP might need to completely wipe their hard drives and re-install their applications.
What you pay and what you get
* Windows 7 Starter (via OEM only): Up to three concurrent applications, ability to join a Home Group, improved taskbar and JumpLists.
* Windows 7 Home Basic: For Rs 5,899, users get unlimited applications, live thumbnail previews that enhance visual experience and advanced networking support.
* Windows 7 Home Premium: For Rs 6,799, you get Aero Glass and advanced windows navigation, improved media format support, enhanced Windows Media Centre and media streaming, and also multi-touch and improved handwriting recognition.
* Windows 7 Professional: For Rs 11,199, users can join a managed network with the Domain Join feature, protect data with advanced network backup and encrypting file system and print to the right printer at home or facilitate intuitive printing with Location Aware Printing option.
* Windows 7 Ultimate (worldwide): For Rs 11,799, it is meant for advanced users who want to protect data using the BitLocker feature on internal and external drives, deploy DirectAccess for seamless connectivity over corporate networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2.
What's new about Windows 7
# In Win 7, when you hover over a taskbar icon, you get actual previews that are placed side by side. In simple words, it offers the ability to snap a window to half your screen size simply by dragging it to the left or right of the screen
# Has a cool new feature with which users can drag windows to each side of the screen and they automatically size themselves so that each takes up half the screen
# User Account Control in Win 7 gives users easy control options without complicating the process like Windows Vista
# Win 7 replaces the taskbar context menu with a useful list of frequently used documents and tasks, and even allows you to pin documents or shortcuts to the menu
# Windows Explorer gets a facelift in Win 7. Some minor changes like while browsing between various tabs, you will now see a sliding windows effect, a nice visual effect
# Once you have installed the OS, the first thing you will notice is the faster shutdown and boot. Even the time taken by the machine to enter and come out of the sleep mode is less than Vista and XP
# For those who love to open an array of windows while working, the new Aero Peek feature in Win 7 lets you preview individual windows from the grouped taskbar applications, and even close documents from the thumbnails themselves. Aero Peek becomes a handy tool for users who like to multi-task
Friday, October 23, 2009
WHY '7' COULD BE MICROSOFT'S LUCKY NUMBER
Microsoft Thursday launched the next version of Windows, dubbed Windows 7. The problem is: a majority of current Windows users still use XP, which is getting to be nine years old now.
After the launch of Windows Vista, people had no option but to buy PCs pre-loaded with Vista. Some paid extra to "downgrade" to Windows XP.
The main issues with Vista? Widespread reports of sluggishness, frequent hangs and crashes, and incompatibility with certain software and hardware. Vista was basically a troublesome experience.
Somewhere down the line, Microsoft had lost touch with consumers. And it has worked hard to correct the shortcomings.
Windows 7 was available for thousands of Beta testers worldwide since January, and Microsoft listened to what they had to say. Many bugs have been ironed out -- this time before the official release of the product.
According to PC vendors, market acceptance of Windows 7 is much higher than it was for Vista. This is good news for the new PC market and Microsoft. To quote most reviewers of the pre-release versions: "Windows 7 is what Vista should have been".
And Windows 7 is a "make-or-break" situation for Microsoft, especially after the Vista debacle. But Wired magazine summed it up aptly: "Although Windows 7 will be familiar to XP users, fundamentally it's different enough to make you change the way you think of Microsoft."
Here's why I think Windows 7 will encourage thousands of PC users to spend their money to upgrade.
* Speed - It's faster on the same hardware
* Compatibility - It has lower hardware requirements and works well on older machines and netbooks
* New features - Windows 7 is prettier than Vista and comes with new features like aero peek, aero snap, aero shake (to handle multiple open applications and windows better), easier home networking
* Longer battery life - Users will get better battery life with notebook PCs since Windows 7 makes more efficient use of system resources.
* Hardware advantages - It will boost performance with newer multi-core CPUs
* Increased security - The new Windows Action Center integrates security and maintenance into one package
* New Media - Native support for Blu-Ray, ISO image burning and new media formats and codecs to fully take advantage of the digital age.
Will businesses upgrade?
This is a particularly tricky question. It takes time to deploy an operating system on a large scale and decision makers may be hesitant of shaking up a current system on XP that "works" and has nothing wrong with it.
Even so, it makes sense to consider that:
* After almost nine years, XP is beginning to show its age; it cannot last forever
* Rather than upgrade hardware, companies can spend the same amount to upgrade to Windows 7; of course, this probably only applies to PCs less than 3-4 years old. Beyond that, it doesn't really make sense to stretch the hardware
* Windows 7 offers much improved security
* There will be inevitable compatibility issues with XP as it gets even older, plus discontinued support from Microsoft
But Microsoft also faces major challenges with Windows 7:
* Windows 7 does not offer a very smooth transition from XP -- there is no upgrade option, only a fresh install; the data however remains
* There could be possible employee training and network management issues for corporates
* The economic slowdown will hamper upgrade
* Vista still casts a shadow on business users of Windows and turnaround will take time
* Chinese pirates have already hijacked the launch of Windows 7 and copies with authentic-looking packaging sell for as little as $3 in China
* Prices for the full versions are likely to be high, which is a problem
I think businesses will not immediately switch to Windows 7. In the long run, yes. Right now, there aren't many tangible benefits (or at least none that have been properly communicated).
But it's a whole different story for consumers. After having used Windows 7 for over six months now, I can tell you Microsoft has something big here. They've finally got their act together!
Pictures of the people here at the given link:
http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3299981
After the launch of Windows Vista, people had no option but to buy PCs pre-loaded with Vista. Some paid extra to "downgrade" to Windows XP.
The main issues with Vista? Widespread reports of sluggishness, frequent hangs and crashes, and incompatibility with certain software and hardware. Vista was basically a troublesome experience.
Somewhere down the line, Microsoft had lost touch with consumers. And it has worked hard to correct the shortcomings.
Windows 7 was available for thousands of Beta testers worldwide since January, and Microsoft listened to what they had to say. Many bugs have been ironed out -- this time before the official release of the product.
According to PC vendors, market acceptance of Windows 7 is much higher than it was for Vista. This is good news for the new PC market and Microsoft. To quote most reviewers of the pre-release versions: "Windows 7 is what Vista should have been".
And Windows 7 is a "make-or-break" situation for Microsoft, especially after the Vista debacle. But Wired magazine summed it up aptly: "Although Windows 7 will be familiar to XP users, fundamentally it's different enough to make you change the way you think of Microsoft."
Here's why I think Windows 7 will encourage thousands of PC users to spend their money to upgrade.
* Speed - It's faster on the same hardware
* Compatibility - It has lower hardware requirements and works well on older machines and netbooks
* New features - Windows 7 is prettier than Vista and comes with new features like aero peek, aero snap, aero shake (to handle multiple open applications and windows better), easier home networking
* Longer battery life - Users will get better battery life with notebook PCs since Windows 7 makes more efficient use of system resources.
* Hardware advantages - It will boost performance with newer multi-core CPUs
* Increased security - The new Windows Action Center integrates security and maintenance into one package
* New Media - Native support for Blu-Ray, ISO image burning and new media formats and codecs to fully take advantage of the digital age.
Will businesses upgrade?
This is a particularly tricky question. It takes time to deploy an operating system on a large scale and decision makers may be hesitant of shaking up a current system on XP that "works" and has nothing wrong with it.
Even so, it makes sense to consider that:
* After almost nine years, XP is beginning to show its age; it cannot last forever
* Rather than upgrade hardware, companies can spend the same amount to upgrade to Windows 7; of course, this probably only applies to PCs less than 3-4 years old. Beyond that, it doesn't really make sense to stretch the hardware
* Windows 7 offers much improved security
* There will be inevitable compatibility issues with XP as it gets even older, plus discontinued support from Microsoft
But Microsoft also faces major challenges with Windows 7:
* Windows 7 does not offer a very smooth transition from XP -- there is no upgrade option, only a fresh install; the data however remains
* There could be possible employee training and network management issues for corporates
* The economic slowdown will hamper upgrade
* Vista still casts a shadow on business users of Windows and turnaround will take time
* Chinese pirates have already hijacked the launch of Windows 7 and copies with authentic-looking packaging sell for as little as $3 in China
* Prices for the full versions are likely to be high, which is a problem
I think businesses will not immediately switch to Windows 7. In the long run, yes. Right now, there aren't many tangible benefits (or at least none that have been properly communicated).
But it's a whole different story for consumers. After having used Windows 7 for over six months now, I can tell you Microsoft has something big here. They've finally got their act together!
Pictures of the people here at the given link:
http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3299981
Thursday, October 22, 2009
WINDOWS 7: MICROSOFT UNVEILS 'LIFE WITHOUT WALLS' IN INDIA
Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. today announced the availability of Windows 7 for its customers in India. In line with Microsoft’s commitment to releasing a new OS at periodic schedules, keeping in mind evolving technologies, lifestyles and business needs, Windows 7 is designed to be more reliable and responsive, delivering a simplified PC experience for consumers.
Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for customers to do the things they want on a PC through a streamlined user interface and several new features that make everyday tasks faster. This launch marks a significant milestone for Microsoft and is a result of extensive feedback from millions of customers and partners around the world.
Announcing the Windows 7 launch, Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman - Microsoft India said, "Proactive engagement and feedback thereof with partners and consumers was fundamental to the development of Windows 7. It has helped deliver what is the highest quality OS in the history of Windows. It enhances the user experience by its sheer simplicity and caters to their connected lives across work and play. We are delighted by the initial reviews from partners and the technology community. Over 90% of testers from around the world have rated it as "good" or "extremely good" and consider Windows 7 to be responsive, simple to use and stable."
Over 600 new feature ideas for Windows 7 were tested through global quantitative research early in the engineering process, helping Microsoft determine the features that best address consumers' top needs. Further, Windows 7 saw the largest beta testing program in the history of the industry, with 8 million testers worldwide.
The result is an easy to connect, easy to browse and simple to use operating system, requiring less waiting, less clicks, less hassle connecting to devices, less power consumption and less complexity for the consumers. With features such as Aero Shake, Peek, Snap, Jump Lists and a redesigned Windows Taskbar, Windows 7 is designed to become the control center for all the media and make it easy to do more with photos, music, movies and videos. Innovative new features like HomeGroup, Play To, Windows Live Movie Maker and Remote Media Streaming in Windows 7 will help consumers discover easy and exciting new ways to have fun and get new things done with the PC.
Also, engineered to meet the demands of businesses of all sizes, Windows 7 promises significant improvement in productivity levels. Its enhanced security and control capability delivers reduced risk and effectively streamlines PC manageability to drive reduced costs. Businesses in India are benefiting from these features, and more than 1000 enterprises are currently deploying Windows 7. These include Infosys, Maruti Udyog Limited, Bangalore International Airport Limited, L&T ECC, Wipro Limited, Big Cinemas, Manipal University, Biocon, Malayala Manorama, Greenply Industries, MindTree, GMR Infrastructure Limited and NIIT, among others.
Windows 7 is available in six editions, targeted at specific user groups and addressing all segments of the market. The two primary editions are: Windows 7 Home Premium for home consumers and Windows 7 Professional for small and medium sized businesses. Also available in the line-up are Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic (in Emerging Markets only), Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate. The FPP pricing for Windows 7 has reduced in the range of 25-35 percent over Windows Vista, for most SKUs.
Windows 7 is available at more than 45,000 retailers around the world and in India, all 16 OEMs will bring in more than 100 different Windows 7 PCs within 30 days from today.
Globally, more than 17,000 software and hardware companies are building solutions on Windows 7 and over 50,000 developers are enrolled in the Windows Ecosystem Readiness Program. Together, these partners are developing hardware, software and services capable of reaching more than a billion PCs around the world.
Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it easier for customers to do the things they want on a PC through a streamlined user interface and several new features that make everyday tasks faster. This launch marks a significant milestone for Microsoft and is a result of extensive feedback from millions of customers and partners around the world.
Announcing the Windows 7 launch, Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman - Microsoft India said, "Proactive engagement and feedback thereof with partners and consumers was fundamental to the development of Windows 7. It has helped deliver what is the highest quality OS in the history of Windows. It enhances the user experience by its sheer simplicity and caters to their connected lives across work and play. We are delighted by the initial reviews from partners and the technology community. Over 90% of testers from around the world have rated it as "good" or "extremely good" and consider Windows 7 to be responsive, simple to use and stable."
Over 600 new feature ideas for Windows 7 were tested through global quantitative research early in the engineering process, helping Microsoft determine the features that best address consumers' top needs. Further, Windows 7 saw the largest beta testing program in the history of the industry, with 8 million testers worldwide.
The result is an easy to connect, easy to browse and simple to use operating system, requiring less waiting, less clicks, less hassle connecting to devices, less power consumption and less complexity for the consumers. With features such as Aero Shake, Peek, Snap, Jump Lists and a redesigned Windows Taskbar, Windows 7 is designed to become the control center for all the media and make it easy to do more with photos, music, movies and videos. Innovative new features like HomeGroup, Play To, Windows Live Movie Maker and Remote Media Streaming in Windows 7 will help consumers discover easy and exciting new ways to have fun and get new things done with the PC.
Also, engineered to meet the demands of businesses of all sizes, Windows 7 promises significant improvement in productivity levels. Its enhanced security and control capability delivers reduced risk and effectively streamlines PC manageability to drive reduced costs. Businesses in India are benefiting from these features, and more than 1000 enterprises are currently deploying Windows 7. These include Infosys, Maruti Udyog Limited, Bangalore International Airport Limited, L&T ECC, Wipro Limited, Big Cinemas, Manipal University, Biocon, Malayala Manorama, Greenply Industries, MindTree, GMR Infrastructure Limited and NIIT, among others.
Windows 7 is available in six editions, targeted at specific user groups and addressing all segments of the market. The two primary editions are: Windows 7 Home Premium for home consumers and Windows 7 Professional for small and medium sized businesses. Also available in the line-up are Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic (in Emerging Markets only), Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate. The FPP pricing for Windows 7 has reduced in the range of 25-35 percent over Windows Vista, for most SKUs.
Windows 7 is available at more than 45,000 retailers around the world and in India, all 16 OEMs will bring in more than 100 different Windows 7 PCs within 30 days from today.
Globally, more than 17,000 software and hardware companies are building solutions on Windows 7 and over 50,000 developers are enrolled in the Windows Ecosystem Readiness Program. Together, these partners are developing hardware, software and services capable of reaching more than a billion PCs around the world.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
MICROSOFT TO LAUNCH WINDOWS 7 TODAY
New Delhi: Even as the software giant introduces its latest operating system, there are other options too. Software giant Microsoft will formally launch its much touted operating system (OS) — Windows 7 — in India today. The company is on a good wicket in the country, say analysts, with a nearly 90 per cent market share comprising XP (primarily) and Vista users. This leaves only a small window for other OSes like Apple’s Snow Leopard or open source Linux OS variants. However, if you are not planning to switch over to Windows 7 in a hurry, you may want to consider these options.
Snow Leopard
Comparisons are odious since competing OSes, like Snow Leopard from Apple are meant for separate sets of users. Apple's OS is better defined as a performance update with some feature tweaks, while Win 7 is a new operating system from Microsoft.
Windows 7 will work on your existing PC hardware if you are using an at least 1 GHz CPU (processor) and 1 GB of RAM (memory), but a faster processor and more RAM will definitely improve the performance. By contrast, Snow Leopard will only work on Intel-based Mac systems. That means that not only will Snow Leopard not work on the hardware vastly used, but it won't even work on much of the hardware used by current Mac OS X users.
The most noticeable feature of Snow Leopard that enterprise users can look out for is that Apple has built a native support for Microsoft's Exchange Server into its OS, a feat that no version of Windows has accomplished. This will enable Macs to work seamlessly in businesses run on Windows without requiring additional third party software licensing or relying on Microsoft's Mac clients. Apple also has no intention to change the OS to something new in the future, so Mac users can breathe easy on their financial investments.
The Snow Leopard single user license will be available for a maximum retail price of Rs 1,800 and the Snow Leopard Family Pack, a single household, five-user license, will be available for a maximum retail price of Rs 2,900. Win 7 (single user license) is expected to start at little over Rs 5,000.
Ubuntu (a Linux variant)
For all those who are not Windows enthusiasts, there's another choice of OS that will cost half of your PC. Since Ubuntu 9.10 is still in the early stages of development and is an open source product, a lot of changes can happen as features may still be added or removed by developers.
On the ease of use, we would say that Ubuntu and Win 7 came neck and neck. Ubuntu is more configurable, but an average user won't require this level of flexibility. On the other hand, Win 7 comes with all the familiar looking tools. If you are a person to stay with the default configurations, then Win 7 is better suited than Ubuntu, but if you're ready to do some tweaking then Ubuntu is great.
Remember, Win 7 is an OS that has a few end-user applications like Notepad and Paint but it still cannot be fully functional after installation -- you need to install your productivity tools yourself like mail, word processor, spreadsheets, etc. While Ubuntu installs a lot more than just end-user applications.
Open source players are pushing hard to strengthen Ubuntu on mobile Internet devices (MIDs), netbooks, notebooks, servers and cloud systems, and with no software costs involved in Ubuntu's purchase expect a fee that users pay for services like technical support, the hardware becomes more cost efficient.
Snow Leopard
Comparisons are odious since competing OSes, like Snow Leopard from Apple are meant for separate sets of users. Apple's OS is better defined as a performance update with some feature tweaks, while Win 7 is a new operating system from Microsoft.
Windows 7 will work on your existing PC hardware if you are using an at least 1 GHz CPU (processor) and 1 GB of RAM (memory), but a faster processor and more RAM will definitely improve the performance. By contrast, Snow Leopard will only work on Intel-based Mac systems. That means that not only will Snow Leopard not work on the hardware vastly used, but it won't even work on much of the hardware used by current Mac OS X users.
The most noticeable feature of Snow Leopard that enterprise users can look out for is that Apple has built a native support for Microsoft's Exchange Server into its OS, a feat that no version of Windows has accomplished. This will enable Macs to work seamlessly in businesses run on Windows without requiring additional third party software licensing or relying on Microsoft's Mac clients. Apple also has no intention to change the OS to something new in the future, so Mac users can breathe easy on their financial investments.
The Snow Leopard single user license will be available for a maximum retail price of Rs 1,800 and the Snow Leopard Family Pack, a single household, five-user license, will be available for a maximum retail price of Rs 2,900. Win 7 (single user license) is expected to start at little over Rs 5,000.
Ubuntu (a Linux variant)
For all those who are not Windows enthusiasts, there's another choice of OS that will cost half of your PC. Since Ubuntu 9.10 is still in the early stages of development and is an open source product, a lot of changes can happen as features may still be added or removed by developers.
On the ease of use, we would say that Ubuntu and Win 7 came neck and neck. Ubuntu is more configurable, but an average user won't require this level of flexibility. On the other hand, Win 7 comes with all the familiar looking tools. If you are a person to stay with the default configurations, then Win 7 is better suited than Ubuntu, but if you're ready to do some tweaking then Ubuntu is great.
Remember, Win 7 is an OS that has a few end-user applications like Notepad and Paint but it still cannot be fully functional after installation -- you need to install your productivity tools yourself like mail, word processor, spreadsheets, etc. While Ubuntu installs a lot more than just end-user applications.
Open source players are pushing hard to strengthen Ubuntu on mobile Internet devices (MIDs), netbooks, notebooks, servers and cloud systems, and with no software costs involved in Ubuntu's purchase expect a fee that users pay for services like technical support, the hardware becomes more cost efficient.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
MICROSOFT OPENS WINDOWS 7 TO RECHARGE PC GROWTH
Pricing almost the same as Vista; cheaper for some editions
New Delhi: Call it serendipity or a well-calculated move. Whatever the case, software giant Microsoft appears to have got the timing right for the launch of its much-hyped operating system (OS) Windows 7 on October 22. And while commercial and enterprise users gave the thumbs down to the "memory guzzler" (anathema for PC users) Windows Vista, analysts say Windows 7 will find many takers globally and in India too.
The timing, say analysts, coincides with the world's appetite for personal computers (PCs) picking up again after the global slowdown.
"Windows 7 will benefit from two drivers in the enterprise market. One is the long-awaited IT replacement cycle ticking in and the second is the related uptake in IT investments. For the consumer markets, too, Windows 7 will become the de facto standard for new purchases," says Alok Shende, principal analyst, Ascentius Consulting.
Research firm IDC, too, says such growth ahead of the launch of Windows 7 bodes well for it. It predicts that around 177 million copies of the operating system will be in place by the end of 2010, and estimates that products and services surrounding Windows 7 will generate $320 billion.
"Undoubtedly, there was a lot of hype over Windows 7. And there was hardly any enthusiasm over Windows Vista since the emphasis of the OS was on snazzy graphics that gobbled memory. With Windows 7, Microsoft appears to have got its priorities right.
Windows 7 is a kind of Vista OS which has been optimised to the core," says Sumanta Mukherjee, lead PC analyst, IDC India.
Microsoft will release its India pricing on October 22. "It will be more or less the same as Vista, and cheaper in some editions," according to a Microsoft spokesperson. While the Microsoft Vista Home basic costs around Rs 3,500, the Home Premium version is priced at Rs 4,800. Microsoft Vista Business costs around Rs 6,400 while Microsoft Vista Ultimate is priced at Rs 9,500. The prices may vary by city and partner.
Consumers may start lapping up Windows 7 initially since PC manufacturers in India had been offering an option to freely upgrade from Vista. The Microsoft OS (XP, Vista included) is estimated to have an around 70 per cent market share in India.
The rest comprises the disk operating system or DOS (which is latter upgraded to another OS -- mostly a pirated Microsoft OS or a Linux one), Apple OS (the latest being Snow Leopard) and Linux variants (from Red Hat and Novell).
However, "enterprises may take at least six months before they adopt Windows 7 since they like to wait for the first service pack," explains Mukherjee.
Windows 7 is being likened to "an evolution of Vista" by some analysts. It has the same system requirements. For instance, notes Mukherjee, even Netbooks (scaled-down notebooks) will be able to use Windows 7. Imagine doing that with Vista.
What is working in Microsoft's favour, note analysts, is that the software giant has been speaking to PC manufacturers and third-party vendors for the past few months. Globally, PC manufacturers like Hewlett Packard and Dell are hoping for a big boost in sales of new machines with Windows 7 in the run-up to Christmas and research analysts say the launch will have an immediate impact on PC unit growth.
Microsoft, despite claims to the contrary, has not had much success with Vista which was launched in 2006. Analysts estimate that just one fifth of the world's 1.2 billion computers use Vista. About four fifths use Windows XP (launched in 2001), introduced eight years ago, or even older Windows operating systems. XP is eight years old, but still runs on 70 per cent of all the Windows PCs across the globe. Microsoft will end active support for XP by 2014, and extended support by 2017.
Moreover, around 58 per cent of corporate customers were either dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied with Vista, according to Credit Suisse. With Windows 7, which has been available in pre-release versions for several months, only 21 per cent are dissatisfied and none extremely dissatisfied.
But there are costs associated with the upgrades and migration to Windows 7. Gartner estimates that migration costs could be between $1,035 to $1,930 for a user to move from Windows XP to Windows 7, and $339 to $510 from Windows Vista. Large corporations can expect to spend millions of pounds upgrading.
Last, but not the least, Microsoft is being threatened by "cloud computing" (vast data centres that host numerous software eapplications remotely which will eliminate the need to buy upgrades in a box or maintain hard drives at home or in office) initiatives from Google and Apple. Search giant Google has already announced that it will soon launch a free PC operating system, Chrome OS. However, says Mukherjee, "in India, it will be some time before cloud computing initiatives pick up".
New Delhi: Call it serendipity or a well-calculated move. Whatever the case, software giant Microsoft appears to have got the timing right for the launch of its much-hyped operating system (OS) Windows 7 on October 22. And while commercial and enterprise users gave the thumbs down to the "memory guzzler" (anathema for PC users) Windows Vista, analysts say Windows 7 will find many takers globally and in India too.
The timing, say analysts, coincides with the world's appetite for personal computers (PCs) picking up again after the global slowdown.
"Windows 7 will benefit from two drivers in the enterprise market. One is the long-awaited IT replacement cycle ticking in and the second is the related uptake in IT investments. For the consumer markets, too, Windows 7 will become the de facto standard for new purchases," says Alok Shende, principal analyst, Ascentius Consulting.
Research firm IDC, too, says such growth ahead of the launch of Windows 7 bodes well for it. It predicts that around 177 million copies of the operating system will be in place by the end of 2010, and estimates that products and services surrounding Windows 7 will generate $320 billion.
"Undoubtedly, there was a lot of hype over Windows 7. And there was hardly any enthusiasm over Windows Vista since the emphasis of the OS was on snazzy graphics that gobbled memory. With Windows 7, Microsoft appears to have got its priorities right.
Windows 7 is a kind of Vista OS which has been optimised to the core," says Sumanta Mukherjee, lead PC analyst, IDC India.
Microsoft will release its India pricing on October 22. "It will be more or less the same as Vista, and cheaper in some editions," according to a Microsoft spokesperson. While the Microsoft Vista Home basic costs around Rs 3,500, the Home Premium version is priced at Rs 4,800. Microsoft Vista Business costs around Rs 6,400 while Microsoft Vista Ultimate is priced at Rs 9,500. The prices may vary by city and partner.
Consumers may start lapping up Windows 7 initially since PC manufacturers in India had been offering an option to freely upgrade from Vista. The Microsoft OS (XP, Vista included) is estimated to have an around 70 per cent market share in India.
The rest comprises the disk operating system or DOS (which is latter upgraded to another OS -- mostly a pirated Microsoft OS or a Linux one), Apple OS (the latest being Snow Leopard) and Linux variants (from Red Hat and Novell).
However, "enterprises may take at least six months before they adopt Windows 7 since they like to wait for the first service pack," explains Mukherjee.
Windows 7 is being likened to "an evolution of Vista" by some analysts. It has the same system requirements. For instance, notes Mukherjee, even Netbooks (scaled-down notebooks) will be able to use Windows 7. Imagine doing that with Vista.
What is working in Microsoft's favour, note analysts, is that the software giant has been speaking to PC manufacturers and third-party vendors for the past few months. Globally, PC manufacturers like Hewlett Packard and Dell are hoping for a big boost in sales of new machines with Windows 7 in the run-up to Christmas and research analysts say the launch will have an immediate impact on PC unit growth.
Microsoft, despite claims to the contrary, has not had much success with Vista which was launched in 2006. Analysts estimate that just one fifth of the world's 1.2 billion computers use Vista. About four fifths use Windows XP (launched in 2001), introduced eight years ago, or even older Windows operating systems. XP is eight years old, but still runs on 70 per cent of all the Windows PCs across the globe. Microsoft will end active support for XP by 2014, and extended support by 2017.
Moreover, around 58 per cent of corporate customers were either dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied with Vista, according to Credit Suisse. With Windows 7, which has been available in pre-release versions for several months, only 21 per cent are dissatisfied and none extremely dissatisfied.
But there are costs associated with the upgrades and migration to Windows 7. Gartner estimates that migration costs could be between $1,035 to $1,930 for a user to move from Windows XP to Windows 7, and $339 to $510 from Windows Vista. Large corporations can expect to spend millions of pounds upgrading.
Last, but not the least, Microsoft is being threatened by "cloud computing" (vast data centres that host numerous software eapplications remotely which will eliminate the need to buy upgrades in a box or maintain hard drives at home or in office) initiatives from Google and Apple. Search giant Google has already announced that it will soon launch a free PC operating system, Chrome OS. However, says Mukherjee, "in India, it will be some time before cloud computing initiatives pick up".
Thursday, October 15, 2009
MICROSOFT PATCHES 34 SECURITY HOLES,MANY CRITICAL
Microsoft Corp. issued a record number of security patches for its software Tuesday as part of its regular monthly update.
The software maker plugged 34 holes and designated most of them "critical," Microsoft's most severe rating. Among them are fixes for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and even Windows 7, which doesn't go on sale to consumers until Oct. 22 but has been in use by early testers and software developers.
The patches target a wide array of Microsoft software, including the Internet Explorer Web browser, Media Player, Outlook and the Silverlight technology underlying multimedia Web sites.
Security researchers at McAfee Inc., which makes antivirus software, noted that many of the holes addressed Tuesday are dangerous because they expose regular PC users to harmful programming code when they visit rigged Web sites or play media files that have been tampered with.
Consumers can get the updates by turning on the "Automatic Updates" feature in Windows or by visiting www.microsoft.com/security.
Previously, the most security flaws Microsoft had addressed in a single update was 31, which happened in June.
The software maker plugged 34 holes and designated most of them "critical," Microsoft's most severe rating. Among them are fixes for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and even Windows 7, which doesn't go on sale to consumers until Oct. 22 but has been in use by early testers and software developers.
The patches target a wide array of Microsoft software, including the Internet Explorer Web browser, Media Player, Outlook and the Silverlight technology underlying multimedia Web sites.
Security researchers at McAfee Inc., which makes antivirus software, noted that many of the holes addressed Tuesday are dangerous because they expose regular PC users to harmful programming code when they visit rigged Web sites or play media files that have been tampered with.
Consumers can get the updates by turning on the "Automatic Updates" feature in Windows or by visiting www.microsoft.com/security.
Previously, the most security flaws Microsoft had addressed in a single update was 31, which happened in June.
WINDOWS 7 RELEASE MAY TEST APPLE'S WINNING STREAK
San Francisco: Apple Inc's Mac computers have steadily gained market share over the years, a winning streak that may be tested by next week's launch of Microsoft Corp's new Windows 7 operating system.
Few expect the new software to dent Apple's standing in the market in the long run, given the company's premium position and the fact that its dedicated user base largely ignores events in the Windows universe.
However, some analysts warn that Windows 7 - which is garnering strong early reviews - may initially slow Apple's advancement and apply more pressure on Mac prices, particularly in the United States.
Microsoft's Vista operating system, released in early 2007, was plagued by problems and bad press. For Apple, this meant an opportunity that the company seized upon.
But if the new Microsoft offering works as expected, Apple may not be able to count on Windows' clumsiness as a sales driver.
For its part, Apple expressed little concern about the new Windows. "New Mac users continually tell us that they are tired of all the headaches with Windows, and they want the ease of use, stability and security of a Mac," spokesman Bill Evans said.
"At the end of the day Windows 7 is still just Windows." And some analysts argue that Windows 7 hype might end up helping Mac by enticing customers into stores and lifting overall computer sales amid the marketing hoopla.
"The Apple story is pretty idiosyncratic, company-specific, not really dependent on other parties," said Broadpoint Amtech analyst Brian Marshall, citing research showing that Microsoft's launches over the years have acted as catalysts for Mac sales.
Although its iPhone gets more press, Apple still derives the largest chunk of its sales from computers. Macs generated about 40 per cent of the company's revenue in the June quarter.
Marshall thinks Apple can double its share of the computer market over the next five to 10 years. Enderle Group principal analyst Rob Enderle agreed that the Windows 7 launch could end up boosting Mac sales.
"It could very well be a tide that lifts all boats," he said. "Windows 7, with a lot of marketing dollars, is going to drive a lot of people into stores. The extra traffic could actually help Apple."
But Enderle cautioned: "Windows 7 is good. It doesn't have the problems Vista did, so gaining share gets a lot tougher."
A profitable slice
Although Apple is not among the top five PC makers globally, it ranks No. 4 in the United States, according to research group Gartner, with a market share of 8.7 per cent.
Three years ago, Apple's US share was 4.6 per cent. Apple sold 2.6 million Mac computers during the June quarter, up 4 per cent from a year earlier. Windows 7 comes on the heels of the release of Apple's newest operating system, Snow Leopard, in August. Early sales of the $29 upgrade have been strong, analysts said.
Although Microsoft's software drives more than 90 per cent of the world's PCs, Apple has managed to carve out a highly profitable slice of the market.
It charges a premium price for Macs, which attract loyal consumers willing to spend. In June, on a dollar basis, Apple accounted for an eye-popping 91 per cent of PCs that cost more than $1,000 and were sold at retail in the United States, according to research group NPD.
High prices help Apple enjoy margins on Macs that analysts estimate at roughly twice the average for PC makers.
Prices on Windows-based PCs have been declining for years, a trend that seems to be accelerating with the new crop equipped with Windows 7.
Vendors such as Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba are rolling out thin and light, full-featured Windows notebook computers in the $500 range. By contrast, the cheapest Apple MacBook starts at $999.
NPD analyst Stephen Baker said a bigger near-term threat to Apple was tumbling prices on Windows PCs and the still-sour economy. He said the Microsoft-Mac rivalry was not the whole story.
"We always want to pit Windows and Apple against each other, and I'm not sure it's that simple," he said. "People are getting both, and they see a value to both."
Roughly 12 per cent of all US computer-owning households own Apple, NPD said, up from 9 per cent in 2008. Of that 12 per cent, close to 85 per cent also own a Windows PC.
Few expect the new software to dent Apple's standing in the market in the long run, given the company's premium position and the fact that its dedicated user base largely ignores events in the Windows universe.
However, some analysts warn that Windows 7 - which is garnering strong early reviews - may initially slow Apple's advancement and apply more pressure on Mac prices, particularly in the United States.
Microsoft's Vista operating system, released in early 2007, was plagued by problems and bad press. For Apple, this meant an opportunity that the company seized upon.
But if the new Microsoft offering works as expected, Apple may not be able to count on Windows' clumsiness as a sales driver.
For its part, Apple expressed little concern about the new Windows. "New Mac users continually tell us that they are tired of all the headaches with Windows, and they want the ease of use, stability and security of a Mac," spokesman Bill Evans said.
"At the end of the day Windows 7 is still just Windows." And some analysts argue that Windows 7 hype might end up helping Mac by enticing customers into stores and lifting overall computer sales amid the marketing hoopla.
"The Apple story is pretty idiosyncratic, company-specific, not really dependent on other parties," said Broadpoint Amtech analyst Brian Marshall, citing research showing that Microsoft's launches over the years have acted as catalysts for Mac sales.
Although its iPhone gets more press, Apple still derives the largest chunk of its sales from computers. Macs generated about 40 per cent of the company's revenue in the June quarter.
Marshall thinks Apple can double its share of the computer market over the next five to 10 years. Enderle Group principal analyst Rob Enderle agreed that the Windows 7 launch could end up boosting Mac sales.
"It could very well be a tide that lifts all boats," he said. "Windows 7, with a lot of marketing dollars, is going to drive a lot of people into stores. The extra traffic could actually help Apple."
But Enderle cautioned: "Windows 7 is good. It doesn't have the problems Vista did, so gaining share gets a lot tougher."
A profitable slice
Although Apple is not among the top five PC makers globally, it ranks No. 4 in the United States, according to research group Gartner, with a market share of 8.7 per cent.
Three years ago, Apple's US share was 4.6 per cent. Apple sold 2.6 million Mac computers during the June quarter, up 4 per cent from a year earlier. Windows 7 comes on the heels of the release of Apple's newest operating system, Snow Leopard, in August. Early sales of the $29 upgrade have been strong, analysts said.
Although Microsoft's software drives more than 90 per cent of the world's PCs, Apple has managed to carve out a highly profitable slice of the market.
It charges a premium price for Macs, which attract loyal consumers willing to spend. In June, on a dollar basis, Apple accounted for an eye-popping 91 per cent of PCs that cost more than $1,000 and were sold at retail in the United States, according to research group NPD.
High prices help Apple enjoy margins on Macs that analysts estimate at roughly twice the average for PC makers.
Prices on Windows-based PCs have been declining for years, a trend that seems to be accelerating with the new crop equipped with Windows 7.
Vendors such as Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba are rolling out thin and light, full-featured Windows notebook computers in the $500 range. By contrast, the cheapest Apple MacBook starts at $999.
NPD analyst Stephen Baker said a bigger near-term threat to Apple was tumbling prices on Windows PCs and the still-sour economy. He said the Microsoft-Mac rivalry was not the whole story.
"We always want to pit Windows and Apple against each other, and I'm not sure it's that simple," he said. "People are getting both, and they see a value to both."
Roughly 12 per cent of all US computer-owning households own Apple, NPD said, up from 9 per cent in 2008. Of that 12 per cent, close to 85 per cent also own a Windows PC.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
MICROSOFT CEO's COMPENSATION DOWN 6 PERCENT IN '09
The value of the compensation package granted to Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer fell about 6 percent in fiscal 2009, a year in which weak computer sales cut into the software maker's profits.
Ballmer received a pay package valued at $1.28 million for the year that ended in June, according to an Associated Press calculation of figures disclosed in a regulatory filing Tuesday.
Ballmer's salary, which is set at the beginning of the year, increased by 4 percent to $665,833. The CEO's bonus was cut by 14 percent to $600,000 from $700,000 in 2008, according to the company's annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the filing, the company's compensation committee evaluates Ballmer's performance in the fiscal year, looks at what other Microsoft executives will be paid and "exercises its judgment" in recommending his bonus. Ballmer could have received up to 200 percent of his base salary, or about $1.3 million.
The balance of Ballmer's pay came in the form of $7,350 in company matches to his retirement savings account and $3,444 in imputed income from life insurance, disability insurance and athletic club membership, or payments in place of an athletic club membership.
Ballmer did not receive stock or stock options in 2009. He currently holds 4.6 percent of Microsoft's shares. Bill Gates, Microsoft's founder and current board chairman, owns 8 percent of the company's stock.
Microsoft's fiscal year ended on a down note in June as the economic crisis continued to hammer technology sales. The Redmond, Washington-based company's revenue fell 3 percent from 2008, the first such decline since Microsoft went public in 1986. Earnings sank to $14.6 billion from $17.7 billion in 2008.
Microsoft's biggest businesses, Windows and Office, are tied to the health of the PC industry. Since the economic meltdown, consumers and businesses have both cut back on buying computers. The last three months of 2008 marked the PC industry's worst holiday season in six years. For 2009, market research firms IDC and Gartner have both predicted a year-over-year decline in PC shipments, which would be the first such drop since 2001.
The company said that as a whole, executive officers' incentive compensation was 29 percent lower than in 2008. The company said it would not give Ballmer or other executive officers merit-based salary increases in fiscal 2010.
Microsoft reported Ballmer's higher salary, but not his bonus cut, in a draft filing with the SEC on Sept. 19.
The company had also previously announced that shareholders will have a chance to vote on a "say-on-pay" measure proposed by the board at its annual meeting on Nov. 19. The proposal would give shareholders a chance to weigh in, in a nonbinding fashion, every three years on executive compensation.
The board is also proposing changes to company bylaws that would give groups of shareholders representing 25 percent or more of outstanding shares the right to call special shareholder meetings — a right Microsoft said in the SEC filing is "increasingly considered an important aspect of good corporate governance."
Shareholders also will have the opportunity to vote on two proposals from their peers. One, from the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund, asks Microsoft to adopt principles for health care that include support for universal, continuous, affordable coverage for individuals and families.
The second, from a shareholder in Ohio, suggests Microsoft list recipients of company charitable gifts over $5,000 on the company's Web site.
Microsoft's board is recommending votes against both proposals.
Ballmer received a pay package valued at $1.28 million for the year that ended in June, according to an Associated Press calculation of figures disclosed in a regulatory filing Tuesday.
Ballmer's salary, which is set at the beginning of the year, increased by 4 percent to $665,833. The CEO's bonus was cut by 14 percent to $600,000 from $700,000 in 2008, according to the company's annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the filing, the company's compensation committee evaluates Ballmer's performance in the fiscal year, looks at what other Microsoft executives will be paid and "exercises its judgment" in recommending his bonus. Ballmer could have received up to 200 percent of his base salary, or about $1.3 million.
The balance of Ballmer's pay came in the form of $7,350 in company matches to his retirement savings account and $3,444 in imputed income from life insurance, disability insurance and athletic club membership, or payments in place of an athletic club membership.
Ballmer did not receive stock or stock options in 2009. He currently holds 4.6 percent of Microsoft's shares. Bill Gates, Microsoft's founder and current board chairman, owns 8 percent of the company's stock.
Microsoft's fiscal year ended on a down note in June as the economic crisis continued to hammer technology sales. The Redmond, Washington-based company's revenue fell 3 percent from 2008, the first such decline since Microsoft went public in 1986. Earnings sank to $14.6 billion from $17.7 billion in 2008.
Microsoft's biggest businesses, Windows and Office, are tied to the health of the PC industry. Since the economic meltdown, consumers and businesses have both cut back on buying computers. The last three months of 2008 marked the PC industry's worst holiday season in six years. For 2009, market research firms IDC and Gartner have both predicted a year-over-year decline in PC shipments, which would be the first such drop since 2001.
The company said that as a whole, executive officers' incentive compensation was 29 percent lower than in 2008. The company said it would not give Ballmer or other executive officers merit-based salary increases in fiscal 2010.
Microsoft reported Ballmer's higher salary, but not his bonus cut, in a draft filing with the SEC on Sept. 19.
The company had also previously announced that shareholders will have a chance to vote on a "say-on-pay" measure proposed by the board at its annual meeting on Nov. 19. The proposal would give shareholders a chance to weigh in, in a nonbinding fashion, every three years on executive compensation.
The board is also proposing changes to company bylaws that would give groups of shareholders representing 25 percent or more of outstanding shares the right to call special shareholder meetings — a right Microsoft said in the SEC filing is "increasingly considered an important aspect of good corporate governance."
Shareholders also will have the opportunity to vote on two proposals from their peers. One, from the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund, asks Microsoft to adopt principles for health care that include support for universal, continuous, affordable coverage for individuals and families.
The second, from a shareholder in Ohio, suggests Microsoft list recipients of company charitable gifts over $5,000 on the company's Web site.
Microsoft's board is recommending votes against both proposals.
HOTMAIL PASSWORDS EXPOSED: MICROSOFT
Seattle: Microsoft Corp said on Monday that passwords belonging to some users of its Hotmail email service were exposed on an Internet site, but had since been taken down.
The company did not say how many users were affected, but some reports suggested that passwords to more than 10,000 accounts were exposed.
"We are aware that some Windows Live Hotmail customers' credentials were acquired illegally by a phishing scheme and exposed on a website," a Microsoft spokesman said.
Phishing is a scam whereby fraudsters get hold of personal information by sending out emails under the guise of a bank, IT department or some other trustworthy source. Microsoft said the passwords had been removed from the offending website, which it did not identify, and said it had blocked access to all affected accounts and was helping users to reclaim their Hotmail accounts.
The software company said the exposure of the passwords was not a breach of any Microsoft servers.
The company did not say how many users were affected, but some reports suggested that passwords to more than 10,000 accounts were exposed.
"We are aware that some Windows Live Hotmail customers' credentials were acquired illegally by a phishing scheme and exposed on a website," a Microsoft spokesman said.
Phishing is a scam whereby fraudsters get hold of personal information by sending out emails under the guise of a bank, IT department or some other trustworthy source. Microsoft said the passwords had been removed from the offending website, which it did not identify, and said it had blocked access to all affected accounts and was helping users to reclaim their Hotmail accounts.
The software company said the exposure of the passwords was not a breach of any Microsoft servers.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
IBM EMAIL SERVICE CHALLENGES INTERNET GIANT GOOGLE
San Francisco:IBM on Monday will begin offering businesses a basic "cloud computing" email service at a price that undercuts a plusher offering by Internet giant Google.
IBM unabashedly pitched its new LotusLive iNotes as an alternative to email service Google has been promoting as part of a campaign to win businesses over to using applications hosted as services on the Internet.
"Email and other collaboration services are the right entry point for many companies to realize the promise of cloud computing," said IBM Lotus Software general manager Bob Picciano.
"But, only if clients feel confident they're getting business-grade service from a trusted leader in enterprise services."
Software provided online as a service instead of being purchased and installed on home or office computers has been a growing trend accelerated by tough economic times because it is cheaper to "rent" than to buy software.
IBM unabashedly pitched its new LotusLive iNotes as an alternative to email service Google has been promoting as part of a campaign to win businesses over to using applications hosted as services on the Internet.
"Email and other collaboration services are the right entry point for many companies to realize the promise of cloud computing," said IBM Lotus Software general manager Bob Picciano.
"But, only if clients feel confident they're getting business-grade service from a trusted leader in enterprise services."
Software provided online as a service instead of being purchased and installed on home or office computers has been a growing trend accelerated by tough economic times because it is cheaper to "rent" than to buy software.
MAKE YOUR E- MAILS WORK FOR YOU
Here's the foremost rule of e-mailing: grab attention with the subject line. Subjects such as 'Urgent , 'Follow-up' or 'Looking for a response' become hazy, generic and ambiguous markers. In order for e-mails to command attention, its subject line should contain the key message (eg.: "Sales meeting re-scheduled to 2 p.m. Thursday ), which will also allow your reader to retrieve your message effortlessly.
What's government's role in making the Web secure?
Brevity is not just the soul of wit it's also the essence of an e-mail. Communications expert Deborah Dumaine suggests taking up one topic per e-mail. "Treat each e-mail as a coherent information packet to ask a question, communicate your opinion, report news and so on, she says. With this approach, readers can respond to your message more easily and your message can be forwarded without any drag-alongs.
Also, focus on who your audience is. A survey of 2,300 Intel employees revealed that people judge nearly one-third of the messages they receive to be unnecessary. Employees surveyed received an average of 350 messages a week and executives up to 300 a day. Besides, when writing to your peers and friends, you can be as informal as you want.
When writing for business, adapt your tone and language to the reader. Morgan Stanley's Asia economist Andy Xie's e-mail harangue cost him his job a couple of years ago when an e-mail that he wrote containing disparaging comments about Singapore was leaked to the press.
This brings us to another peril of new age communication: Nothing in your official e-mail is confidential. Former Australian Test batsman Justin Langer learnt a harsh lesson in how quickly an e-mail aimed for a private audience can become public. During The Ashes in August this year, in a private e-mail meant only for coach Tim Nielsen, Langer called English cricketers 'lazy' and 'shallow'. While this leaked e-mail didn't have a major fallout, you are unlikely to be as fortunate at your workplace.
Steps to a Smart E-Mail:
Put precise words in the subject line.
Put all the important information on the first screen.
Use bullet points, short sentences and paragraphs.
When forwarding a message, revise the original subject line, if needed.
Avoid 'Reply All'. Send e-mails only to people who need to receive them.
Avoid sending private messages via official e-mail.
Delete mass mailings; don't forward them.
If you keep sending messages back and forth without reaching a resolution, plan a meeting
What's government's role in making the Web secure?
Brevity is not just the soul of wit it's also the essence of an e-mail. Communications expert Deborah Dumaine suggests taking up one topic per e-mail. "Treat each e-mail as a coherent information packet to ask a question, communicate your opinion, report news and so on, she says. With this approach, readers can respond to your message more easily and your message can be forwarded without any drag-alongs.
Also, focus on who your audience is. A survey of 2,300 Intel employees revealed that people judge nearly one-third of the messages they receive to be unnecessary. Employees surveyed received an average of 350 messages a week and executives up to 300 a day. Besides, when writing to your peers and friends, you can be as informal as you want.
When writing for business, adapt your tone and language to the reader. Morgan Stanley's Asia economist Andy Xie's e-mail harangue cost him his job a couple of years ago when an e-mail that he wrote containing disparaging comments about Singapore was leaked to the press.
This brings us to another peril of new age communication: Nothing in your official e-mail is confidential. Former Australian Test batsman Justin Langer learnt a harsh lesson in how quickly an e-mail aimed for a private audience can become public. During The Ashes in August this year, in a private e-mail meant only for coach Tim Nielsen, Langer called English cricketers 'lazy' and 'shallow'. While this leaked e-mail didn't have a major fallout, you are unlikely to be as fortunate at your workplace.
Steps to a Smart E-Mail:
Put precise words in the subject line.
Put all the important information on the first screen.
Use bullet points, short sentences and paragraphs.
When forwarding a message, revise the original subject line, if needed.
Avoid 'Reply All'. Send e-mails only to people who need to receive them.
Avoid sending private messages via official e-mail.
Delete mass mailings; don't forward them.
If you keep sending messages back and forth without reaching a resolution, plan a meeting
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