Windows Phone 7 Mango update now one step closer to consumers

July 26, 2011 | Devindra Hardawar

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Microsoft announced today that the first major update for Windows Phone 7, codenamed “Mango”, has been released to manufacturing — a major development milestone before it makes it way to consumers.
“This marks the point in the development process where we hand code to our handset and mobile-operator partners to optimize Mango for their specific phone and network configurations,” Microsoft’s Terry Myerson wrote on the Windows Phone Blog this morning. “Here on the Windows Phone team, we now turn to preparing for the update process.”
Generally, RTM code is what ends up in finished products — barring any major issues. It’s also good to hear that Microsoft is now thinking about the actual update process. The company’s first attempt at releasing a Windows Phone 7 update earlier this year was a fiasco that left some devices completely nonfunctional. Microsoft certainly can’t afford to have a repeat of that situation — especially when competitors like iOS and Android offer smoother upgrade experiences.
The Windows Phone 7 Mango update will bring over 500 new features, Microsoft said in May. Most notably, Mango will bring app multitasking, Internet Explorer 9 with better HTML5 support, and add Twitter and LinkedIn as integrated services.
The Mango update is expected to land sometime this fall. Microsoft still hasn’t locked down a specific release date. New Windows Phone devices coming this fall, including those from Nokia, will ship with the update.

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Firefox 8 for Windows x64: Has 64-bit browsing finally come of age?

Over the last couple of weeks, Mozilla has finally stepped up its 64-bit testing process. There are now five slaves dedicated to building Firefox for Windows x64, which means that from Firefox 8 and onwards, you’ll be able to pick up 64-bit builds that are functionally identical to its 32-bit cousins but operating in native 64-bit CPU and memory space.
When I first took 64-bit Firefox for a workout last year, it wasn’t the best of experiences: it crashed, JavaScript performance was abysmal, and it was generally sub-par compared to the stable, 32-bit branch. Today, however, Firefox 8 64-bit is stable and it’s fast; it’s really, really fast. Even more importantly, though, there are now stable 64-bit browser plug-ins for Flash and Java. In other words, there’s very little reason to not use Firefox 8 x64; you can download a copy from the Nightly site (it won’t interfere with your stable install), grab Flash 11 beta for Windows x64 and Java 6 for Windows x64, and start surfing. It’s that simple.
Just how fast is the 64-bit version of Firefox 8? About 10% faster than the 32-bit version — but instead of taking our word for it, take a look at the comparative results from the Peacekeeper suite, the most comprehensive browser benchmark. The following results are from the ExtremeTech test rig which houses an Intel i7 930 with 6GB of RAM and an Nvidia GTX 460.

Microsoft talks Windows Server 8

The era of 7 is over. The era of 8 is upon us. Gone now is Windows 7 as the product in the limelight; it has been upstaged by Windows 8. And now Windows Server 8 is stealing onto the scene, causing ruckus as it goes.
Today at its Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft gave the world a small peek at Windows Server 8. This is what we know:

• Will contain “hundreds of new features.”
• The next version of Hyper-V Hypervisor (Hyper-V Replica) will support 16 virtual processors per machine.
• Hyper-V Replica will support “asynchronous virtual machine replication,” according to ZDNet.
• Data from the replication process can be sent to offsite storage.

That is the feature list as we know it today. There is, obviously, much more to come. Microsoft is set to unveil more of Windows Sever 8 at this year’s BUILD event, which will take place in September, alongside the Windows 8 information that is expected to be revealed.
There have been strong rumors that Microsoft will release a beta build of Windows 8 to developers at the conference. If the company will do the same thing for Windows Server 8 is not known at this point in time. It would not be a surprise if Microsoft did so, as Windows 8 and Windows Server 8 are on the same path to release.
As they should be released in close harmony, it seems logical to assume that their beta releases could be similarly timed. As always, more as it comes.

Angry Birds Coming To Windows Phone 7 On April 6th (Update: Er, Not Quite)

If your Windows Phone 7 handset was one of the unfortunate few that got bricked by Microsoft’s little-update-that-couldn’t, you’re going to want to get that fixed quick. At the very latest, you’re going to want to have things all patched up by April 6th. Why? Because it’s Angry Birds Time! Update: Maybe not. More after the jump.

Rovio’s Peter Vesterbacka confirmed last week at Mobile World Congress that the Birds were comin’ to Windows Phone 7, but he couldn’t get too specific about the launch date. Microsoft went ahead and filled in the gaps, with this post on the Windows Team Blog promising that Angry Birds and 5 other big-name titles (Doodle Jump, Plants Vs Zombies, geoDefense, Sonic The Hedgehog Ep: 1, and Hydro Thunder Go) will be hitting on April 6th.
For those new to Angry Birds, just remember: Take a break every 15-30 minutes to stretch your legs, rehydrate, and rest your eyes. If you start to feel cold when you’re not playing Angry Birds, it’s important to get help.
Update: Interesting — looks like these games won’t be launching on April 6th. Microsoft contacted us to clarify, saying that “no titles will be launching on April 6″ specifically, but that one of these games will be launched each week beginning in Spring.

Windows XP Market Drops Below 50% Worldwide

0 years in tech time is equivalent to about 100 years in real time, in that the technology that was relevant a decade ago is usually as useful today as a Model T Ford. Yet somehow the venerable Windows XP operating system, which was introduced a tech-century ago in 2001, has held on.

True, XP enjoyed a brief stay of execution thanks to the netbook craze, but even Microsoft has been trying to kill it off for a long time. Still, until fairly recently, most of the world’s computers ran Windows XP.

Now, according to NetMarketShare, Windows XP claims 49.69% of the market, dipping below the 50% mark for the first time in a long time. It also has Windows 7 at 27.92% and Windows Vista at 9.27%.

StatCounter paints a slightly different picture, with Windows XP at 43.89%, Windows 7 at 36.06%, and Windows Vista at 11.56%. Regardless, it’s a drop for Windows XP that’s been coming hard and fast; looking at StatCounter’s numbers, in July 2010, Windows XP held 56.31% market share globally.

StatCounter's stats on operating system market share, July 2010-July 2011

However, most of the decline of Windows XP, and Windows Visa for that matter, has been compensated for by the rapid adoption of Windows 7; thus, Microsoft’s overall OS market share has changed little. From July 2010 to July 2011, Microsoft’s OSes lost 1.11%, which really isn’t too much considering the difference is between 92.62% and 91.51% market share (according to StatCounter). Mac OS X (6.23%), Linux (0.76%), and “other” round out the totals.

Of note: According to StatCounter, in North America, Windows XP has but 28.48% of the market, down from 41.39% from a year ago. (Windows 7 claims 37.12%, up from 19.45% over the same time period.)

lenovo doesnt give up on windows tablets announces ideapad p1

Amid Lenovo's unveiling of several Android tablets, a Windows alternative still remains. The IdeaPad P1, also announced today, adopts a similar appearance to the Android IdeaPad K1 tablet, but with a Windows 7 operating system and PC-oriented specs and features. It's like an iPad that runs Windows.

Lenovo IdeaPad P1 (photos)

The 10.1-inch 1,280x800-pixel multitouch display also works with an optional stylus. A 0.3-megapixel Webcam handles video calls, but the IdeaPad P1 conspicuously lacks a rear camera. The rear panel comes in either Clementine orange or Silver gray, resembling the back of a Netbook.
The IdeaPad P1 comes with either 32GB or 64GB of SSD storage and up to 2GB of RAM. OS options cover the gamut from Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Professional. Connection options are sparse: a single USB 2.0 port, a microSD card reader, a SIM card slot for optional 3G, and a docking port. The P1 also has 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
As far as processor speed, it's a bit unclear; the 1.79-pound tablet has a 1.5GHz Intel processor (exact type thus far unspecified), along with integrated Intel HD graphics, which have proven decent thus far for basic gaming. A two-cell battery offers up to 6 hours of battery life, according to Lenovo.
Who, exactly, would want a Windows tablet instead of an Android tablet or iPad? We're not trying to be critical, but one of the biggest hurdles facing Windows tablets has been Windows 7 itself and its tablet-targeted applications, or lack thereof. Windows 7 supports touch, but it always feels glommed on in smaller touch-screen tablet environments. Windows 8 might begin to solve these issues, but for now, it seems that companies like Lenovo haven't given up hope. Lenovo App Manager, installed on the IdeaPad P1, aims to offer better app discovery and app switching. We haven't seen it in action yet, but Windows tablets have a lot of work to do as far as offering a user interface and experience that's anywhere close to what's already available on the iPad and other Android/WebOS alternatives.
The IdeaPad P1 has no price yet, and will be available sometime in the "fourth quarter 2011." We remain intrigued, but skeptical.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20080773-1/lenovo-doesnt-give-up-on-windows-tablets-announces-ideapad-p1/#ixzz1XroIolxC

Augmented reality windows being developed for Toyota

As a child sitting in the back of the family car, did you ever use your finger to doodle in the condensation on the inside of the windows? Well, a group of engineers and designers from Toyota Motor Europe's Kansei1 Design Division and the consultancy arm of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID) have taken car-window-doodling into the 21st Century. They've created a prototype system that could turn the side windows of Toyotas into touchscreen augmented reality devices, allowing passengers to interface with the passing scenery.
Called "Window to the World," the technology was developed with five main concepts in mind. The first of these, called "Drawing in Motion," would allow passengers to draw on the window with their fingers. As the vehicle moved, however, their drawing would stay "attached" to the real world objects it was drawn around - if a child drew a tree beside a pond, for instance, that tree would stay lined up with the pond, until it scrolled off the window.
In a manner similar to that with which smartphone users zoom in on photos with their fingers, Toyota passengers could use their fingers to zoom in on objects seen through the window. By using a distance function, they could also obtain on-window read-outs of how far away different objects and landmarks were from the car.
A similar function would let them see and hear the words for selected objects, in the language of the area through which they were being driven. Finally, the "Virtual Constellations" function would work with the car's roof windows, pointing out and displaying information on the constellations visible through the glass.
Although neither Kansei1 nor CIID have provided any information on how the system actually functions (such as how the window knows which angle it's being viewed from), two working prototypes have reportedly been built, and were on display last month at the "Our Future Mobility Now" exhibition in Brussels.
A simulation of how the system would work in an actual car can be seen below.