2013年9月26日星期四

Valve will let the public test Steam machines

  GAMES DEVELOPER Valve isn't set on the idea of a Steambox as a hardware console, and is hoping that its fans will help it refine its plans.
  The firm announced its SteamOS this week and hinted at hardware. That was stage one of a three tiered announcement.
  Valve delivered tier two last night and it covered the firm's hardware plans. It will send out 300 prototype devices to applying home gamers and will expect them to provide feedback on how well the prototypes work to enable their living room gaming experience.
  Meanwhile, several hardware companies will be taking the SteamOS and making their own equipment with it.
  "Entertainment is not a one size fits all world. We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS," it said.
  "While these products are still in development, we need your help. As always, we believe the best way to ensure that the right products are getting made is to let people try them out and then make changes as we go. We have designed a high-performance prototype that's optimized for gaming, for the living room, and for Steam. Of course, it's also completely upgradable and open."
  If you want in on this you should apply before 25 October. On that day the list of applicants will be locked and Valve will not consider any more applications.
  It wants a detailed feedback system and is encouraging bug reports, forum posts and Haikus on its hardware.
  A countdown shows the firm's third announcement scheduled for Friday.

Bundled with bug fixes and the like is definitely an interface

  A good deal was going on at Microsoft's Maker Faire tent: massive robots have been hurling themselves at 1 a further, puppets had been crashing automobiles and gamers were creating complete worlds. It was a different innovation that took center stage, nevertheless. That wild and crazy leap forward ?a none besides Windows eight.1.
  On a provided day, the basic addition in the quantity windows 7 home premium product key 1 behind a decimal point wouldn't trump giant robots. But that may be not this day, for this unique update to Microsoft's OS basically brings us something great: 3D printing.
  Bundled with bug fixes and the like is definitely an interface that makes connecting and employing your 3D printer as straightforward as plugging it in. After your 3D printer is connected for your Windows Computer, the OS detects the device as if it were something as old-hat as a traditional laserjet 2D printer. The suitable drivers are downloaded and you're very good to go. So toss out these computer software CDs and complex setup instructions and join Microsoft within the future.
  An already-available dev kit has an ever-widening array of 3D printing companies adding their names towards the list of compatible devices. Even the indie 3D printing community has been significantly less than shy in its support for the application. So whether you've gotten your hands on a Makerbot Replicator two or are eyeing the newest 3D printer to hit Kickstarter, probabilities are your rig is supported ?a and that goes for those of you with desktop milling machines also.
  With Windows 8.1, Microsoft is planting their flag firmly in support of 3D printing. Inside the pretty close to future, 3D printing will be a basic correct of Pc owners, not one thing reserved for early adapters. And Microsoft is not stopping there.
  Also on show at Maker Faire was one particular from the tricks Microsoft still has up its sleeve: a program that turns your Kinect sensor into a hugely sensitive 3D scanner at the click of a button. Merely wave your Kinect about the object you'd like to scan and you are going to be presented with a full-color, 3D printable onscreen version of it. Welcome towards the 3D printing revolution, every person.

2013年9月10日星期二

Apple's iRadio coming to an iDevice near you mid-September

  Apple is officially in the streaming music business - something the tech giant has been slow to venture into.
  Apple's upcoming streaming music service iRadio will be released, along with the iOS 7 update, on Sept. 18. Apple made the announcement during Tuesday's anticipated unveiling of their new products, including iPhone 5S and 5C.
  With a large number of iTunes subscribers, the service will directly challenge major services like Pandora and Spotify.
  However, Apple has built-in distribution because iRadio will automatically show up as an app on any Apple device with iOS 7, giving Apple users direct access. Secondly, if you already have iTunes, iRadio will take the music and albums you have downloaded and create personalized stations.
  The service will also be connected to the iTunes store, giving users the option to directly buy any streaming song they happen to like.
  Users can create stations from both artists and songs, and according to images released by Apple, iRadio will have options to play only the top hits on a particular station, a random mix or to help discover new artists.
  And we can't forget Siri. According to Apple, you can ask Siri questions like "Who plays that song?" and "Play more like this" and Siri will cater to your requests.
  Similar to Pandora's model, iRadio will be free, however, users will have to pay for a service called iTunes Match to bypass advertisements.

Microsoft's choice was revealed Monday within a weblog post

  Microsoft mentioned Monday that it would give early access to the release version of Windows 8 nowadays, by way of its MSDN and TechNet solutions, reversing a previously-held stance that had angered developers.
  Microsoft's choice was revealed Monday within a weblog post, with each other together with the disclosure that the Windows eight.1 bits would be accompanied by tools developed to spur app development. The current Windows eight.1 Enterprise RTM build will likely be accessible by means of MSDN and TechNet for businesses "later this month". Microsoft will make the Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Pro, and Window Server 2012 R2 builds obtainable, Microsoft said.
  The Visual Studio 2013 Release Candidate can also be live, Microsoft said, and can be downloaded from this web-site.
  "We heard from you that our selection to not initially release Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2 RTM bits was a large challenge for our developer partners as they?ˉre readying new Windows eight.1 apps and for IT experts that are preparing for Windows eight.1 deployments," Microsoft chief evangelist Steve Guggenheimer wrote. "We?ˉve listened, we value your partnership, and we're adjusting depending on your feedback. As we refine our delivery schedules for any much more rapid release cadence, we are working around the most effective method to help early releases towards the several audiences within our ecosystem.
  Microsoft had previously revealed that Windows 8.1 would roll out to shoppers on the morning of Oct. 17, having a retail launch a day later. Late in August, Microsoft began shipping the final version of Windows eight.1 to OEM buyers. However the release was accompanied by howls of outrage by developers who would have been forced to wait for the October launch date, the identical as customers.
  In quick, that would have meant practically no time for developers to ensure that their applications ran appropriately beneath Windows 8.1. Historically, developers have had weeks or months to execute their testing, a practice Microsoft's release schedule would have broken. ?°Most of us actually would like to help Windows eight.1, a good deal of us desire to get apps prepared for the amazing eight.1 functions, but we can?ˉt correctly do that unless we get the RTM bits before the public gets the Windows 8.1 update," a single developer wrote in comments attached towards the original Microsoft announcement.
  But Microsoft undoubtedly sat back, examined the somewhat modest quantity of Windows apps (about 115,000, based on MetroStore Scanner) and decided that they needed just about every one particular.
  For those who've subscribed towards the TechNet service, the Windows 8.1 bits are going to be one of its final hurrahs. In July, Microsoft mentioned that it would phase out the $199 service, and replace it having a new TechNet Evaluation Center providing totally free evaluation software program for restricted periods of 90 to 180 days. Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscriptions for software developers start out at $699 per year.
  If you are not a TechNet or MSDN subscriber, you'll be able to nevertheless attempt out Windows 8.1, through PCWorld's guide to installing the Windows 8.1 preview, ahead of October rolls around. Microsoft can also be releasing new Windows Server 2012 R2, System Center 2012 R2, and the most recent update to Windows Intune.

  http://www.windows7retailpack.com/microsoft-windows-7-professional-3264-bit-full-retail-pack-p-3527.html

2013年9月1日星期日

NASA spots giant black hole rejecting food

  You might think of black holes as voracious eaters that suck up everything in sight. But astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have found that the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy is actually quite sloppy when it comes to its culinary habits.
  New images of Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A* (pronounced "Sagittarius A-star"), which is approximately 26,000 light-years from Earth, reveal that the black hole manages to suck up less than 1 percent of the gas within its reach. Instead, most of it is tossed back out into space before it's ever devoured.
  "Contrary to what some people think, black holes do not actually devour everything that's pulled towards them," Feng Yuan of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory in China wrote in a study about the findings. "Sgr A* is apparently finding much of its food hard to swallow."
  This answers a mystery that has been confounding astronomers for some time -- why some black holes appear to be surprisingly dim. Black holes form when massive stars die and the gravity is so strong that not even light can escape. The gravitational force of black holes can be measured by X-ray emissions, which indicate how much heat is generated.
  "There's been a debate for the last 20 years or so about what actually is happening to the matter around the black hole," said research leader Q. Daniel Wang of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. "Whether the black hole is accreting the matter, or actually whether the matter can be ejected. This is the first direct evidence for outlflow in the accretion process."
  The findings are the result of one of Chandra's longest observation campaigns ever. The spacecraft collected five weeks' worth of data on Sgr A* last year, during which time, researchers captured detailed X-ray images of super-heated gas swirling around the black hole.

n the other hand it is nevertheless worth noting

  I've been seeing several posts over the previous week that may perhaps be providing some Windows XP customers false hope that they are going to nevertheless have the ability to get patches for the operating system after April eight, 2014.
  I consider it was this statement from a Microsoft spokesperson that might have raised some expectations.
  "After April 8, 2014, Windows XP customers will no longer receive new safety updates, non-security hotfixes, totally free or paid assisted help options, or online technical content updates from Microsoft. Third parties could provide ongoing support, but it?ˉs essential to recognize that help is not going to address fixes and safety patches within the core Windows kernel. If an organization continues to utilize Windows XP and purchases Custom Assistance, they're going to receive essential safety updates as new threats are found, as well as technical help through their Premier contract." (Emphasis mine.)
  It's worth repeating these patches aren't for everyone, or, the truth is, just about any person. To get these custom patches, users will need an active Premier Help agreement, a Microsoft spokesperson reiterated. On leading of that, you might want to obtain Custom Help. The combo is expensive. For many, apart from these in Fortune 500 organizations, who are nonetheless operating Windows XP, it really is probably outdoors the realm of possibility.
  In case you have been asking yourself, this kind of custom assistance choice isn't new. Microsoft also created custom patches for XP SP2 offered to those with Premier Support contracts when SP2 was moved to finish of help (EOS) in 2010.
  But back towards the sorts of customers that are holding onto Windows XP in spite of potential new vulnerabilities which may arise soon after Microsoft stops creating all patches -- like safety patches -- readily available following April 8 , 2014. That are those in the 35-plus % group plus running XP as their desktop OS?
  I asked readers not too long ago to explain why they are not willing and/or able to get off XP. I heard back from many folks by means of e-mail, along with the answers sprinkled through the numerous (sadly, largely off-topic) comments on this post.
  As has been noted many occasions before, several those nonetheless running Windows XP in their organizations are performing so because they've written custom, internal-facing applications that happen to be dependent on IE 6. A few of these shops also are operating custom-built apps that do not use IE, but which they have not had time/money to rebuild to run on newer versions of Windows.
  There are actually other people who say they do not have the cash to get new application and hardware. This includes retirees; some government customers, noting their organizations and agencies haven't got funds to upgrade; and other people who are just going to maintain operating XP machines till they die.
  I heard from one particular user who mentioned his XP Computer will not be connected for the Web, so he feels no ought to upgrade. I heard from a few folks who stated they are counting on their firewall and safety software, coupled with popular sense, to safeguard them once Microsoft stops issuing safety patches. And I heard from more than a handful of users who cited their dislike of Windows eight as a reason to avoid moving off XP -- regardless of the reality customers nonetheless can discover PCs running Windows 7.
  Microsoft has produced it clear to its reseller partners that one particular of their largest priorities in fiscal 2014 must be to obtain XP users to migrate to a far more recent version of Windows. Microsoft not too long ago warned XP users they'd risk being inside a "zero day forever" state immediately after April eight, 2014.
  All this mentioned, there won't be any kind of international meltdown happening on April 9, 2014. PCs running XP will not just cease working or burst into balls of flame. On the other hand, it is nevertheless worth noting, factors will likely get worse for XP users over time, as ZDNet's Larry Seltzer noted. With no extra security patches for XP, a single important layer of defense will likely be weakened. Windows XP users will put more tension on antivirus computer software and firewalls provided that they continue to remain around the OS.
http://www.windows7retailpack.com/microsoft-windows-7-professional-3264-bit-full-retail-pack-p-3527.html

2013年8月13日星期二

Microsoft unveils svelte new Win 8 keyboard and mouse

  Touch may be all the rage at Microsoft, but that doesn't mean the company is abandoning work on its keyboards and mice.
  Like it did last year with the introduction of new Windows 8-customized keyboards and mice, Microsoft is rolling out yet more Windows 8-friendly models.
  I've been typing on one of these keyboards loaned to me by Microsoft for the past few days and can say it's quite comfortable. The keyboard is domed, so it's raised in the middle and slopes downward toward the edges. The "6" key is in an unfamiliar place, which is kind of annoying, as is the backspace key. But users can opt to turn one of the space-bar keys into a backspace button, so that helps a bit.
  The keyboard includes Charms keys (along the top row) that mirror the charms in Windows 8. It also comes with an optional keyboard height adapter that "clicks in" magnetically like the Surface keyboards do. A separate number pad also is available for those who do a lot of number-intensive typing.
  I really like Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse. It's half mouse, half trackball. It's been really comfortable, even though it's quite large. It has a thumb rest and, for those who are using Windows 8, a Windows key on top, which takes users straight to the Windows 8 Start screen.
  A single USB dongle allows users to connect both the mouse and the keyboard to their PCs and devices.
  These new peripherals work with Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows RT, though only "basic functionality" is provided when used with Windows RT.
  The new Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop (the keyboard and mouse combined) will be available in August 2013 for an estimated retail price of US $130. (It should be available from Microsoft online around August 15.) The keyboard will be available separately in September for an estimated retail price of $81. The mouse will be available separately this month for an estimated retail price of $60.
  Correction, 10:45 a.m. PT: This story originally misstated the capabilities of the mouse and keyboard. Neither is Bluetooth-enabled.