Google's new privacy-oriented social network, Google+, has captured everyone's attention since it launched earlier this week, but people have already begun to discover flaws in the implementation.
One of Google Plus' primary features is called "Circles," groups of people that users can create under their accounts and which are a fundamental part of the social network.
Circles allow users to share some information only with certain categories of users, allowing for a fine-grained experience that is closer to the real life where, for example, not everyone you know is your friend and not everything you share with friends you want your family to see.
However, it wasn't long until bugs that break this chain of trust surface. First, it people discovered that after information is shared with a circle, they have no way of controlling what those users do with it.
Sharing a post without disabling the "resharing" feature for it from the beginning was a done deal. Users couldn't go back and change their mind. However, Google reacted quickly and enabled a menu for already posted items that allows resharing to be disabled.
Another reported privacy bug involved photo tagging. For example, if a user shared a photo with a particular circle and someone in that circle tagged an outside person into that picture, that person could have reshared it with anyone they wished.
This was fixed and resharing is now impossible if the original poster disables it, however, tagging outside persons into the picture in order to give them access to it still works.
This is because sharing and tagging work independently. One possible fix would be to give users the power to disable tagging for photos too, but it remains to be seen how Google will choose to address the problem.
Google+ is still in a closed beta phase and users need an invitation to join. This means that bugs like these will continue to be identified and fixed until the network is opened to everyone. Therefore, if you do join at this stage, be cautions about what kind of information you share.Google+ Google+ Google+
Samsung has just released the highly-anticipated Android 2.3 Gingerbread software update for the Galaxy S in South Africa.
The South Korean handset manufacturer confirmed almost three months ago that it decided to update all Galaxy S units to Android 2.3 Gingerbread beginning mid-April.
Although the Samsung was forced to delay the deployment of the Gingerbread update for unknown reasons, it only took the company about a month to start the roll-out process.
Samsung has just released the highly-anticipated Android 2.3 Gingerbread software update for the Galaxy S in South Africa.
The South Korean handset manufacturer confirmed almost three months ago that it decided to update all Galaxy S units to Android 2.3 Gingerbread beginning mid-April.
Although the Samsung was forced to delay the deployment of the Gingerbread update for unknown reasons, it only took the company about a month to start the roll-out process.
In this regard, UK owners of the Galaxy S were among the first to experience the new features and improvements of the latest iteration of Google's Android mobile platform.
India and Hong Kong were next in line and the rest of the Asian countries soon afterwards, with only a few others remaining to receive the update.
However, while European Galaxy S user will rejoice at the news of the update, North Americans will probably be very disappointed, as their devices will most likely come last on Samsung's schedule list.
Fortunately, this is not the case for South African users of the Galaxy S who can download the Gingerbread update now, via Samsung Kies software.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread promises solid enhancements in comparison with older 2.1 and 2.2 versions of the platform.
The UI also got a makeover with new color schemes and other cosmetic changes.
Application and power management has been improved, as Gingerbread now provides better insight into apps running in the background, and how much memory and CPU time they are using.
Some of the improvements and new features included with the Android 2.3 are listed below:
Faster performance:
- Multimedia content now has a lower CPU consumption rate, while support for more powerful 3D Graphics enables an enhanced mobile gaming experience.
Upgraded usability:
- The user interface has been improved, enabling faster access and control and a more intuitive user experience;
- Users will also benefit from improved copy-and-paste functionality.
In this regard, UK owners of the Galaxy S were among the first to experience the new features and improvements of the latest iteration of Google's Android mobile platform.
India and Hong Kong were next in line and the rest of the Asian countries soon afterwards, with only a few others remaining to receive the update.
However, while European Galaxy S user will rejoice at the news of the update, North Americans will probably be very disappointed, as their devices will most likely come last on Samsung's schedule list.
Fortunately, this is not the case for South African users of the Galaxy S who can download the Gingerbread update now, via Samsung Kies software.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread promises solid enhancements in comparison with older 2.1 and 2.2 versions of the platform.
The UI also got a makeover with new color schemes and other cosmetic changes.
Application and power management has been improved, as Gingerbread now provides better insight into apps running in the background, and how much memory and CPU time they are using.
Some of the improvements and new features included with the Android 2.3 are listed below:
Faster performance:
- Multimedia content now has a lower CPU consumption rate, while support for more powerful 3D Graphics enables an enhanced mobile gaming experience.
Upgraded usability:
- The user interface has been improved, enabling faster access and control and a more intuitive user experience;
- Users will also benefit from improved copy-and-paste functionality.
Android!!!! Galaxy S II 4GWe already knew that wireless carrier Virgin Mobile was on its way to bring to the market in Canada the new Android-based flagship from Samsung, namely the Galaxy S II, but no specific info on when that might happen emerged until now.
Virgin Mobile announced only a few days ago that it would add the handset to its offering as the Galaxy S II 4G, but specific details on the availability of this device and on its pricing were not made official.
However, a recently leaked screenshot of an internal document from the wireless operator seems to have
changed that.
According to the leak, the Samsung Galaxy S II 4G should be released on shelves at the mobile phone carrier on July 14th.
The company seems to have put in place a specific program to see which of its employees will sell the most Galaxy S II smartphones, something that might actually prove to be an easy task.
The handset comes with appealing looks and with impressive hardware packed inside, which should make it a top seller in no time.
What remains to be seen is the cost that it will come with. According to MobileSyrup, the handset might go for $599.95 off contract, while being set to land at SaskTel for only $79.99 on a three-year contract.
With a dual-core application processor packed inside, clocked in at 1.2GHz, the Samsung Galaxy S II 4G will certainly be worth every penny.
To that, we might add the 4.3-inch touchscreen display on the front, along with a camera to enable video calling, and an 8-megapixel photo snapper on the back with support for HD video recording. The Samsung Galaxy S II runs under Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, and sports great multimedia capabilities, as well as multi-tasking features to run multiple applications at the same time.
It features 16GB of internal memory, HSPA+, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity options, built-in GPS receiver, and a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space
HP's TouchPad has been a long time coming but it looks as though, now that sales have officially started, the product is not that great an accomplishment according to reviewers.
By now, end-users will have found out that the long-awaited HP tablet known as TouchPad has finally come forth.
HP was actually one of, if not the first notebook maker to announce it was making a slate, right around the same time as the first Apple iPad reared its head last year.
After that, it kept changing plans, until it decided to give up on the ones for Windows 7-loaded media slates, once it bought Palm.
After that, the webOS software platform that the latter had was changed, first into something for printers and, now, into a tablet operating system, although some loose ends still have to be tied up.
Either way, with the device now up for order, reviewers, understandably enough, got to put the slate through its paces.
Turns out that the impression left was not that bright, as there was more than one point of friction, according to the likes of PCMag, Engadget, ThisIsMyNext, PCWorld, BGR and CNET.
For one, the fact that the HP TouchPad is built without a camera on the back was seen as a disadvantage by the majority of testers.
Another sore spot was that the front camera isn't able to actually take any pictures, meaning that it can't compensate for the lack of the rear one.
Moving on, the product turned out to be almost twice as thick as the Apple iPad 2, even as the display had the same resolution and size.
Furthermore, though the 1.2 Ghz snapdragon had set expectations, the lag was found to be somewhat too pronounced, though browsing does appear to be quick.
All in all, though the hardware and design were criticized somewhat, webOS made a good impression (and an update should come soon enough, to make things run more smoothly), even despite the fact that there are few apps for it, for the moment.
Download LibreOffice 3.4.1 Now! July 1st, The Document Foundation company announced the first maintenance release of the LibreOfficeb 3.4 open source office suite software for Linux, Windows and Macintosh platforms, bringing several bugfixes.
LibreOffice 3.4.1 is available now (see download links at the end of the article), for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. The new release fixes some important bugs and updates several translations. Overall it is much stable than the previous release and everyone is encourage to update.
"Large enterprises deploying LibreOffice on desktop PCs, are still recommended to deploy LibreOffice 3.3.3, which has been tested over several months by thousands of people worldwide, and are encouraged to call on professional support services. LibreOffice 3.4.2, available at the end of July, will target enterprise deployments." - says Italo Vignoli in the press release.
Highlights of LibreOffice 3.4:
· ability to work with and import SVG files;
· import filter for Lotus Word Pro documents;
· import filter for Microsoft Works documents;
· easily format title pages and numbering in LibreOffice Writer;
· enhanced Navigator Tool in LibreOffice Writer;
· better ergonomics for cell and sheet management in LibreOffice Calc;
· PDF import support;
· slide-show presenter console;
· better report builder;
· comes bundled with lots of great extensions.
Because the needs of enterprises and conservative users differ, The Document Foundation decided to provide two stable versions of the LibreOffice software. Therefore, LibreOffice 3.3.x will be a well tested release, available for enterprise users, and LibreOffice 3.4.x will be a version recommended to be deployed in home work environments.
Download LibreOffice 3.4.1 sources and Ubuntu, Debian, RedHat, Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva binary packages
Download LibreOffice 3.4.1 executable for Windows
Download LibreOffice 3.4.1 packages for Macintosh.
Citing the usual industry sources with connections to Apple’s production partners, trade publication DigiTimes reports that Taiwan-based companies included in the supply chain for iPhone 5 and iPad 3 have begun to prepare production materials.
Both devices are expected to make their debut this September, the report notes, with end users being able to buy them in October.
A large number of Apple partners are mentioned in the report, including Foxconn Electronics (who will assemble the goods); Simplo Technologies and Dynapack International Technology (battery manufacturing); TPK Holding and Wintek (touch panel modules); Catcher (chassis); and Largan Precision (cameras).
The tech-site goes to note that Simply is responsible for over half of Apple's total battery demand (65%). Dynapack is handling the remainder (35%).
Contrary to recent analyst reports saying that September would see the launch of two iPhones (including one rumored iPhone 4S), the Taiwanese sources specifically noted that Apple only plans to launch one new iPhone model.
This device is referred to as the ‘iPhone 5’.
Interestingly, the same sources also said that an iPad 3 has just recently been added to the production schedule.
Even so, both the iPhone 5 and the third-generation iPad are to undergo mass production this August, but only in small volumes.
Production volume will reportedly start picking up in September, and shipping is estimated for October.
It is unclear whether these sources are referring only to the iPhone 5 when they estimate shipping timeframes.
Apple launching a third-generation iPad this year (instead of 2012), is highly questionable.
The iPhone, on the other hand, is overdue for a refresh, if Apple wants to keep its annual refresh cycles alive.
Still, the sources talking to DigiTimes specifically noted that Apple has made up its mind about supplying the iPad 3 this year, with shipments of the entire iPad series of products (including the iPad 2) expected to go beyond the 15 million mark for the company’s fiscal quarter.
Apple’s entire iPad supply volume for fiscal 2011 reportedly stands a good chance to reach 40 million units shipped, if not more.
Windows 8 is very important to Microsoft, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer stressed during a Q&A at the Rotary Club of Seattle on June 29th, 2011.
Microsoft’s CEO declined to comment on the size and scale of the investment that are going into developing the next major iteration of Windows. And most probably, the Redmond company will never detail the resources necessary for building Windows 8.
But just consider that Windows continues to be the heart of the software giant, when attempting to guess the massive size and the scope of the investment.
“How important is it? We basically increasingly only are working on things which are actually very important. I would say the day and age of sort of idle, kind of smaller things is a little bit behind us. There were sort of more small probes; we're putting bigger, more energy behind fewer things than we have historically,” Ballmer said.
“I can't say that about Windows in general. Windows is -- you know, if you cut me open and saw what was inside, Windows, it's just sort of Windows, Windows, Windows. Our company was born on the back of Windows. Windows underpins a huge percentage of all of our success, all of our profitability, all of the important things that we do. So, how important is it? Very would be a very fair answer,” he added.
As far as I’m concerned, there are a few reasons why Windows 8 should be considered crucial, and not just very important to Microsoft.
With Windows 8, the Redmond company finally has the chance to do natural user interface (NUI) + graphical user interface (GUI) right. According to the sneak peeks at the platform so far, the software giant seems to be on the right track.
Windows 8 is also Microsoft’s best bet to conquer markets on which Windows has been mildly or little successful, or not at all. This is the OS that will go against Android and iOS on tablets/slates and additional next generation form factors. It needs to be at the top of its game.
Revolutionary. Innovative. Windows 7 was many things, but it was neither of the two just mentioned. Windows 8 is the right catalyst to take Windows to an entirely other level.
