Image via CrunchBase

It’s official: After months of speculation, Microsoft has set an official release date for Windows 8, its first update to the Windows operating system in almost three years.

After teasing that Windows 8 would be available toward the end of October, Windows President Steven Sinofsky officially announced that the next-generation of Windows will be released on October 26. That’s when you’ll be able to download it to your PC or purchase a new computer with Windows 8, according to a post on the official Windows Team Blog.

Microsoft had previously announced that an upgrade from Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 will cost $40 for a digital-only download.

For Microsoft, October 26th is set to be a big day: Windows 8 is one of the most ambitious overhauls of Windows in years, perhaps ever. It features two separate interfaces: the traditional desktop version, with a start bar and icons, as well as a radical new touch-friendly “Metro” interface with the large, fluid live tiles of the Windows Phone operating system. Many key apps, including Internet Explorer, have been redesigned to run in Metro, while others, such as the recently unveiled Microsoft Office suite, will function as desktop apps.

It is unclear how the general public will react to this radical design change; early reviews have been mixed, which is not a good sign for a Windows user base that has been typically resistant to change. (It took until October 2011 for Windows 7, released in 2009, to surpass Windows XP, released in 2001, as the most used Windows OS). With Windows 8, Microsoft is certainly hoping to avoid another Vista-like revolt.

In the days before Halloween 2012, Microsoft will begin to learn whether it has a fan favorite or a dud in its new operating system. Too, the Microsoft Surface tablet should also be out around October 26th, as Microsoft execs had promised that its first foray into hardware would be out concurrently with the new operating system; we’ll also start seeing how well that tablet can sell, up against Apple’s market-leading iPad (and perhaps a new iPad Mini).

October 26th, in other words, is one of the biggest days in Microsoft history. Mark your calendars.

Source:- http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Image via CrunchBase

New versions of Microsoft’s word processing, spreadsheet and email programs will sport touch-based controls and emphasize Internet storage to reflect an industry-wide shift away from the company’s strengths in desktop and laptop computers.

The new offerings appear designed to help Microsoft retain an important source of revenue as more people access documents from mobile devices. The new Office suite also reflects the fact that people tend to work from multiple computers – perhaps a desktop in the office, a laptop at home and a tablet computer on a train and a smartphone at the doctor’s office.

Like an upcoming redesign of Microsoft’s Windows operating system, the new Office will respond to touch as well as commands delivered on a computer keyboard or mouse.

The addition of touch-based controls will enable Office to extend its franchise into the rapidly growing tablet computer market. Apple dominates that market with the iPad, though Microsoft has plans to compete with its own tablet, called Surface.

The programs will store documents online through Microsoft’s SkyDrive service by default, meaning users will have to change settings to store documents on their own computer. The programs will also remember settings, including where you last left off in a document, as you move locations.

The Internet-based services approach is one Google has been promoting with its own suite of similar programs, threatening Microsoft’s dominance.

“This is the most ambitious release of Office that we have ever done,” CEO Steve Ballmer said Monday in unveiling the new Office in San Francisco.

A preview version of the new Office suite is being made available online at . Microsoft Corp. isn’t saying when it will go on sale or what the price will be. Those details will come in the fall. http://office.com/preview

Microsoft will continue selling the package as standalone software that can be installed on computers, but the company expects the bulk of users will opt for an Internet-based version, which comes with automatic updates for a recurring subscription fee.

Other features in the new Office include:

_ Inkling, which lets you use a stylus to write on a device’s screen. Handwritten notes are converted automatically to text.

_ Integration with Yammer, a social network for businesses, and with Skype, a video chat service. Microsoft agreed last month to buy Yammer for $1.2 billion, while Microsoft spent $8.5 billion to buy Skype last year.

_ Bing Maps will be part of the new Outlook email program. If there’s an address in an email, just tap on it to get directions.

_ A “reading” mode on Word will make it easier to read word-processing documents on a tablet or e-reader. That mode will make the document look more like a book page. You can also embed video into Word documents, or share a document directly on Facebook.

Source :- http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Image via CrunchBase

You might not have realized it — what with all the excitement over “Magic Mike” and all — but we are rapidly approaching an exciting season: prime buying time for new Windows computers!

The latest, super-fast Intel chips are now shipping in new machines; Samsung, Vizio, Asus, and Sony have all outed well-reviewed new models. Windows 8, the transformative new operating system for Windows computers, will be released to the world in a few months – which either means an easy, $15 upgrade for your current machine, or that you should buy now if you think you’re going to hate Windows 8 and don’t want it pre-loaded on your shiny new PC).

So, what free programs should you download first for your Windows machine? Or, if you’ve already got a PC, what apps should you already be running daily? We think we’ve got 10 of the most essential, indispensable, must-have free programs for Windows. Dive in below, and tell us what we missed in the comments section.

• Soluto :

If your PC takes forever and a day to start up and get going, then Soluto is for you. Soluto runs during startup and identifies the programs that are taking the longest to open; it then gives you the option to prevent those programs from opening when you boot your computer in the future.

If you’re unsure whether you need to be running a program on startup, Soluto also shows you, in a handy pie chart, what percentage of other Soluto users choose to disable that program from starting. Crowd-sourced computer wisdom!

That’s my favorite use of Soluto, but there are several more on the Soluto.com dashboard. You can view your hard drive usage, change your default browser and homepage, manage applications on other computers, if family members need computer help (Hi, Mom!); and check for Windows and anti-virus updates.

In short, Soluto is a Swiss army knife you’ll want in your pack. You can download it for free here.

• Microsoft Security Essentials :

Even if you practice safe surfing, you’re going to want an anti-virus program. Microsoft Security Essentials is a free, ever-updating application, from Microsoft (duh), that keeps you protected against the latest viruses and bugs. Like Kathy Lee needs Regis, your Windows PC needs Microsoft Security Essentials. Download it.

(One other popular option, that is a bit more customizable, is AVG Anti-Virus, which you can find here. You should be fine with good ol’ Microsoft Security Essentials, however.)

• Ccleaner :

• Dropbox (Or, Google Drive, Or Microsoft SkyDrive) :

Don’t lose your photos and documents if your laptop suddenly crashes for some reason! A service like Dropbox — which can automatically upload your new photos, documents, and other essential files to the cloud for later access — can save you from a lot of hassle when you inevitably spill vodka all over your keyboard and destroy your computer. Store those essentials in an online cloud locker like Dropbox, Google Drive or SkyDrive. (PLUG: We have a mini-guide to determine which cloud-based storage service is right for you here).You can download Dropbox (here) and set it up so that it automatically backs up certain folders (like Documents, Photos, My Music, whatever) whenever you add a new file. Don’t use your PC without it (and don’t drink straight vodka above the keyboard, either).

• Prey :

Say your laptop gets stolen by some scumbag laptop thief. What can you do to get it back? What if you could you track it on a map, or lock it down remotely, or turn on the webcam to spy on the criminal?Enter Prey, an awesome program that allows you to do all that and more. You just download Prey and register your device for free on the Prey website. If the laptop ever goes missing, you can notify Prey online and use the Prey control panel to geo-locate it, set off an alarm to hear if it’s nearby, and lock down the device to prevent anyone else from using it.

Scumbag laptop thieves are out there. Be ready for them with Prey.
Get started here.

• Ninite :

This isn’t a “program,” per se, but it is an incredibly useful utility for mass-downloading a bunch of the applications on this list (and more essentials). Simply scan through the Ninite frontpage and check off the free programs you want to download to your computer, and Ninite will download them all at once.

No need to visit dozens of websites: It’s all right here, baby.

For $10, you can also get “Ninite Updater,” which scans your computer for apps and plug-ins that have updates available. A super useful utility, but obviously not free. At 10 bucks, there are worse ways to spend an Alexander Hamilton.

Check out Ninite here.

• OpenOffice :

Didn’t get the Microsoft Office software suite with Windows? No worries!

OpenOffice is a free suite of productivity software with applications that can replace Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access. OpenOffice allows you to view documents created with Word and PowerPoint and Excel and whatnot while also allowing you to create those documents, too. It’s everything you would want from Microsoft Office, for free.

Save some cash while getting productive with your bad self. Pick up OpenOffice here.

• 7-Zip :

Simple one: 7-Zip lets you unzip compressed folders and zip up uncompressed folders. Other popular, lightweight, free archive utilities include WinRar and PeaZip, though you probably don’t need three archive utilities on your computer. I use 7-Zip and it suits me fine.

You can download 7-Zip here.

• Google Music :

I can hear you scoff — downloads of Google Musichave been slower than a turtle wearing flip-flops – but the free music locker service from Google is actually pretty handy. You just download a Google Music uploader, and the tool finds all of your downloaded music and uploads it into the cloud so that you can access and stream it from any device — smartphone, tablet, or computer — for free.

The upload process takes a while — weeks, even — but I’ve found that it’s worth it. Free access to my 14,000-song music library, on any smartphone, tablet, PC, or Mac, has been worth a simple fortnight of waiting for my music to finish uploading. Next time you’re at work and have a song stuck in your head that you can’t find on Spotify or YouTube, you’ll know why.

You can get started with Google Music here.

• VLC Media Player :

With the advent of the cloud, the VLC Player is less essential than it once was (did you know that once, when you wanted to watch a funny cat video online, you actually had to download a funny cat video file?). VLC Media Player is still useful as a lightweight, fast-opening media hub for all your music, TV shows, movies, DVDs, and more.

Set it as your default media player and never deal with iTunes or Windows Media Player again.Downloads of the VLC Media Player are right here.

Source :- http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Microsoft, the software giant better known for enterprise productivity software and Excel spreadsheets, is forging into territory more commonly reserved for bootstrapping Silicon Valley startups: social media.

Microsoft’s two-month old So.cl, a hybrid social network and search engine, marks the company’s latest attempt to get cozy with consumers and move beyond the boardroom, an effort that has ensnared Microsoft in multiple battles with tech behemoths such as Apple and Google.

Microsoft is careful to cast So.cl as a research experiment, not a full-on assault against the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

Instead, the service offers a playground for the company to test new features and concepts that could ultimately help shape its search engine, Bing, which has made ongoing efforts to differentiate itself from Google. Already, Bing has attempted to one-up Google by cutting deals with Facebook and Twitter to integrate some social elements into its search results, and So.cl could very well offer a glimpse at new avenues Bing may choose to pursue.

Launched by Microsoft’s FUSE Labs, a research group of about 30 people, So.cl grew out of an attempt to imagine what search would look like if it had been preceded by social media, not the other way around, notes FUSE Labs’ general manager Lili Cheng.

“Search is something you typically do alone. You might find content in search you want to share with other people, but it’s hard to share the stuff you’re looking at within search,” said Cheng. “We said let’s open up the box and experiment to see how we could merge together these concepts of search and social networking.”

“We started to think about … what search might be like if everything you did on search was together with other people,” Cheng added.

• The So.cl Feed

• Sharing On So.cl

• The Landing Page For So.cl’s Video Parties

• Inside A So.cl Video Party

• Another View: The So.cl Feed

Source :- http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Related articles

• Microsoft Mixes Social Networking with Search (c24.co.uk)

Search engine Yahoo has released its results for the top 10 search terms of 2011.

Image via CrunchBase

This year, the most popular search were dominated by the usual news stories, celebrities and natural disasters, but there was also one big surprise. A gadget (see slideshow) topped Yahoo’s list of the top ten most-searched terms, a rare occurrence, according to Yahoo.

“In the 11 years that Yahoo! has compiled its annual list of top searches, PlayStation 2 (2001 and 2002) is the only other device to have captured the top slot,” Yahoo wrote in a post accompanying the list. “This year, [a gadget again] led the queries, bypassing a reality TV divorcee and America’s most wanted terrorist.”

Rival search engine Bing, which is owned by Microsoft, recently released its own year-end recap of the most-searched gadgets. Interestingly, the gadget that lords over Yahoo’s list appears in fourth place on Bing’s list.

As part of the company’s 2011 year in review, Yahoo has also put together a compilation video of the year’s most inspiring moments, a list of the 10 worst trends of the past 12 months, and much more. Visit Yahoo to see all these year-end goodies.

• iPhone

• Casey Anthony

• Kim Kardashian

• Katy Perry

• Jennifer Lopez

• Lindsay Lohan

• American Idol

• Jennifer Aniston

• Japan Earthquake

• Osama Bin Laden

Related articles

• iPhone more searched than Kardashian on Yahoo in 2011 (news.cnet.com)

According to a press release from employee branding company Universum, young professionals in the U.S. would rather work at tech companies than investment banks, government agencies or healthcare organizations.

In Universum’s study, over half of the ten most popular places to work were tech-related, while every investment bank on the list had become less desirable since the previous year’s rankings, reports The Wall Street Journal. Bank of America Merrill Lynch saw the most dramatic decline, dropping 29 spots to number 77.

The data comes from a survey of 6,700 workers under 40 who have been employed for 1-8 years, according to a statement Universum provided The Huffington Post. Participants were asked to choose one to five top workplaces from a list of 200 companies.

• Google - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was Google: 19.67%

• Apple - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was Apple: 12.74%

• Facebook - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was Facebook: 8.90%

• U.S. Department of State - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was U.S. Department of State: 7.89%

• The Walt Disney Company - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was The Walt Disney Company: 7.67%

• Amazon - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was Amazon: 6.63%

• FBI - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was the FBI: 6.59%

• Microsoft - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was Microsoft: 5.76%

• Sony - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was Sony: 5.14%

• Central Intelligence Agency - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was the Central Intelligence Agency: 5.04%

• Nike - Percent of respondents whose ideal workplace was Nike: 5.01%

Related articles

• The 15 Tech Companies Young People Are Dying To Work For (businessinsider.com)
• Survey: Young Workers Want Jobs at Facebook, Apple and Google (online.wsj.com)

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Every year, Fortune publishes its list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, which features the top U.S. companies to work for based on things like benefits, perks, diversity, and pay. Now Fortune’s data partner for that list, Great Place to Work, is launching its own list of the best global companies to work for based on many of the same metrics.

Read on to find out the top 10 companies in its inaugural list, “The World’s Best Multinational Workplaces,” along with some highlights about what makes them so great.

Who qualifies? Companies must have appeared on at least five national Great Place to Work lists, have at least 5,000 employees worldwide, and at least 40% of their global workforce must work outside of the company’s home country.

• Microsoft -

              Headquarters: Redmond, WA, USA
              2010 Revenue ($ millions): 69,900
              Rank: 1

              What makes it so great?

After Microsoft employees voiced their desire to contribute more to their communities, the software company gifted its workers with 40 paid hours a year to dedicate to volunteer activities — ranging from working in a soup kitchen once a week to spending a week building an orphanage. Bill Gates’ brainchild also supports employees who are new parents: In Norway, where maternity and paternity leaves are quite generous at the federal level, Microsoft hosts a “Junior Lunch” every quarter, allowing new parents on leave to come to the office for a lunch with their children, keeping the working parents in touch with their colleagues and up-to-date with office happenings.

“Microsoft is a place where you can be yourself,” says an employee. “It’s expected that you have an opinion, and there are multiple opportunities to really make a contribution to the company and to society. Unless you work here, it is hard to believe the passion that people display.”

• SAS -

              Headquarters: Cary, NC, USA
              2010 Revenue ($ millions): 2,430
              Rank: 2

              What makes it so great?

SAS, a business analytics and business intelligence software company, doesn’t outsource its North Carolina headquarters maintenance staff, preferring that its crews of gardeners, food service employees, and health care staff are SAS employees. Many SAS-ers also take pride in the company’s Curriculum Pathways program. Free of charge for all educators in the U.S., the interactive program provides standards-based resources in English, science, mathematics, social studies, and Spanish for over 50,000 American teachers. With initiatives like this, the company stays true to its mission — to enhance people’s ability to use information and create knowledge — and sets a great example for its staff. “It is, by far, the best place I have worked in more than 15 years of working within the industry,” raves an employee.

• NetApp -

              Headquarters: Sunnyvale, CA, USA
              2010 Revenue ($ millions): 5,123
              Rank: 3

              What makes it so great?

The ‘Catch Somebody Doing Something Right’ initiative, started by Vice Chairman Tom Mendoza 17 years ago and informally kept alive since, rewards NetApp employees of all levels for deeds that positively reflect the computer storage and data management company’s culture. Mendoza makes 30 calls, 5 minutes each, a week and personally thanks staffers for their impressive behavior. “NetApp makes you feel that you are part of a bigger picture. Every effort you make to do [your] job really means something to the organization as a whole,” says an employee.

After NetApp was forced to reduce its global workforce by 5% in 2009, the company’s execs went on a global tour, stopping by their offices in 13 different countries to raise company morale. The initiative worked: The next 12 months brought record numbers, including a 60% increase in the company’s stock price.

• Google -

              Headquarters: Mountain View, CA, USA
              2010 Revenue ($ millions): 29,321
              Rank: 4

              What makes it so great?

Though Google has grown tremendously since its startup days — the company hired 31.9% more employees this year than last — the behemoth Internet company still operates like one in many ways, says an employee. “The amount of direct exposure we get to leadership and the fact that the well-being of employees is held in such high regard [are both] incredible.”

With initiatives like 20% time (engineers are encouraged to spend 20% of their time brainstorming and developing new Google-related content, even if it never materializes), Googlers retain the innovative spirit that often gets lost as small companies grow into larger ones.

The company also provides mentoring programs for its workers: In Google to Googler (g2g) classes, employees train each other on technology, business, and personal interests and in gWhiz, any Google employee globally can register to answer questions or provide mentorship on an area of expertise.

• FedEx Express -

             Headquarters: Memphis, TN, USA
             2010 Revenue ($ millions): 24,600
             Rank: 5

             What makes it so great?

Next time a FedEx courier smiles as he/she hands you a package (if you live in the Middle East or Europe), be sure to go online and fill out a customer service form — you could help that employee win the Courier of the Year competition. Couriers are rated by customers based on politeness, presentation, and helpfulness. In 2010, The company received 7,659 nominations — and the winners’ faces beam on posters in FedEx Express offices across the region.

The delivery service provider also has an online recruitment tool, Career Hub, which allows employees to track new job opportunities within the company and plan their careers.

• Cisco -

              Headquarters: San Jose, CA, USA
              2010 Revenue ($ millions): 40,040
              Rank: 6

              What makes it so great?

Every other month, Cisco CEO John Chambers invites employees whose birthdays fall within the designated two-month period to an informal Q&A with the head honcho himself. Those not located in its sunny San Jose headquarters can join the chat via Cisco TelePresence locations and TV broadcasts.

The company also offers job sharing, onsite childcare and, in France, pre-first day training. Through an interactive website, new employees learn all about Cisco’s mission and its culture, allowing for a smooth transition on the first day. This type of training is representative of the management chops the company boasts.

• Marriott -

              Headquarters: Bethesda, MD, USA
              2010 Revenue ($ millions): 11,691
              Rank: 7

              What makes it so great?

The “In the Beginning” introductory course, required at all Marriott hotels in Mexico, involves three days of interactive sessions that expose new hires to the Marriott culture. (A graduation ceremony and a one-night stay in the hotel are some of the spoils included in completing the course.)

The hotel company also begins every shift — in every department worldwide — with a “stand-up” meeting, where leaders highlight the goings-on in the company, acknowledge excellent associate behavior and birthdays, and discuss the company’s numbers. “There are so many associates that have been with the company for so long. [You gain] a wonderful second family, with friendships that last for years,” says an employee.

• McDonald’s -

              Headquarters: Oakbrook, IL, USA
              2010 Revenue ($ millions): 24,100
              Rank: 8

              What makes it so great?

The fast-food giant cares about its employees’ talents in the kitchen — and on the stage. McDonald’s Peru encourages workers to participate in the “Voice of McDonald’s” program, which is basically an American Idol with a Golden Arches twist. The top 16 singers (each gets a plus one) receive an all-expenses paid trip to the McDonald’s Global Convention in Orlando, Florida, to compete against one another for the winning title — and a prize of $25,000 and a possible recording contract.

Fun aside, the company ensures that all employees receive fair treatment. In the UK, McDonald’s has partnered with Job Centre Plus to provide jobs for long-term unemployed applicants and with Remboy, which helps disabled and disadvantaged unemployed citizens. “This company cares about people — developing them, training them and giving them the tools to do their job confidently and effectively. There’s a great training system, and also a clear focus of where we are and where we are going,” an employee says.

• Kimberly-Clark -

             Headquarters: Irving, TX, USA
             2010 Revenue ($ millions): 19,700
             Rank: 9

             What makes it so great?

There’s no better place to have a conversation than over a cup of coffee — and the management teams at Kimberly-Clark offices in Central America get that. At the “KC Café,” employees can chat with administrative and operational employees about worries, cares, and career advice. A different leader hosts the initiative once every two months, hoping to break down the walls between boss and employee.

The same offices host an annual Mother’s Day celebration, rewarding its mom-employees with a catered breakfast and, in 2010, a “spa” with food, drinks, and gifts. The company also offers onsite child-care and job sharing, making parenting a bit easier for KC workers. According to an employee, this healthy and happy environment is also common in the offices: “People are transparent; problems are solved in the moment, which prevents comments in the hallways — and resentment.”

• SC Johnson -

             Headquarters: Racine, WI, USA
             2010 Revenue ($ millions): 8,800
             Rank: 10

             What makes it so great?

Ever wonder if you made the wrong decision with your career, but you’re too afraid to take a risk and dip your toes in some other options? If you work at SC Johnson Canada, that’s not a problem. They actually let you try out jobs in different areas of the company for three to six months through their Internal Internship Program. Once your internship is complete, you’re free to return to your original position and, if a position opens up that requires similar skills acquired during the internship, you are free to apply.

The “Family Company” also implemented a rule in their Italian bureau that stays true to the work/life balance they promote: Directors and managers cannot call meetings before 9:30 in the morning and cannot hold a meeting after 5:00 in the afternoon, so employees can drop-off/pick-up their kids from school.

Source :- http://finance.yahoo.com

Related articles

• Microsoft the ‘Best Multinational Employer’ (news.dice.com)
• The World’s 25 Best Multinational Workplaces (money.usnews.com)

Image via CrunchBase

Microsoft and Mozilla have teamed up to create a new browsing option: A version of the popular Firefox browser will be available for download with Bing as the integrated search engine.

Mozilla announced the partnership in a blog post, describing the new browser as “a customized version of Firefox that sets Bing as the default search engine in the search box and AwesomeBar and makes Bing.com the default home page.”

The Bing team, in a blog post, said they are “excited to make it even easier for members of the Mozilla Firefox community to use Bing.” Members of the Mozilla Firefox community who do wish to use Bing can download it here, at firefoxwithbing.com

This isn’t the first collaboration between Microsoft and Mozilla. In October 2010 Firefox 4 launched with new search bar options for users who preferred to search the web using an engine other than Google; Microsoft’s Bing, a little over a year old at that point, was one of those options, along with Yahoo’s search, Amazon product search, Wikipedia and eBay.

Though Bing-loving Firefox users had been able to download a Bing Add-On for Firefox to make the Microsoft product their default search engine, or reconfigure the default search engine via Firefox’s configuration settings, this new, separate browser makes it much, much easier to use Bing as the default search on Firefox.

Bing was introduced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in July 2009, and ever since it has done nothing but lose $5.5 billion for the company, with some reports showing Bing now losing one billion dollars per quarter. Though Bing is the default search engine on BlackBerry phones, Windows Phones and on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (still the most used browser in the world by a huge margin even as its market share falls to competitors like Firefox and Google Chrome), it has still yet to make a dent in the search engine market; it sits at about 4 percent global usage, trailing behind Google, Yahoo and China’s Baidu.

Source :- http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Related articles

• Offering a Customized Firefox Experience for Bing Users (mozilla.com)
• That’s just wrong: Mozilla releases Firefox with Bing (slashgear.com)

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Popular Mechanics’ seventh annual Breakthrough Awards recognize the top people and products that have “dramatically advanced the fields of technology, medicine, space exploration, automotive design, and environmental engineering.” This year’s breakthrough innovations range from smog devouring roof tiles to a device that lets you set up an instant small business anywhere. Popular Mechanics is also honoring 11 innovators whose work “will transform the world in years to come.”

“From off-the-shelf blood vessels to a cell phone tower the size of a Rubik’s Cube, our Breakthrough Award winnersnot only capture the imagination, but hold the potential to improve and save lives,” says Popular Mechanics editor-in-chief James B. Meigs, in a press release.

The winners are chosen by Popular Mechanics editors who enlist the help of top experts and past Breakthrough winners to find the coolest inventions of the year. The products are then tested to make sure that they really do what they say they do. Jennifer Bogo, Science editor at Popular Mechanics, told The Huffington Post that when it finally comes down to picking the top 10, there isn’t even much contention among the editors since, “the best products quickly rise to the top.”

Check out Popular Mechanics’ picks for the 10 most transformative products of 2011 in the slideshow below. Click here for a full list of the Breakthrough Award winners, as well as descriptions of their accomplishments, or click here to see the 10 innovators honored by Popular Mechanics.

• BoralPure Smog-Eating Tile - According to Popular Mechanics, the BoralPure roof tile‘s titanium dioxide coating neutralizes nitrogen oxide particles in smog. The result? A harmless precipitate that washes away in the rain.
  
  
• Microsoft Kinect for Windows SDK - According to Jennifer Bogo, the science editor at Popular Mechanics, the Kinect SDK was a particularly satisfying honoree. In 2009, they gave an innovator award to Project Natal, for their work on the Kinect interface. This year, the editors at Popular Mechanics were so impressed that Microsoft has kept this motion capture gaming system open to third party innovation through the Software Development Kit, that they decided to make the Kinect SDK a Breakthrough Product. “What we really like is that they aren’t trying to keep people from doing their own thing with it,” says Bogo. 
• Square Reader, Square & Card Case Apps - The Square Reader is one of Bogo’s personal favorites this year. This smartphone or iPadattachment allows users to set up a small business literally anywhere. With it you can process credit card transactions, email receipts, and even get touchscreen signatures, no matter where in the world you are. Meaning, now you can instantly charge your roommates for that toilet paper you bought, again. 
• Parrot ASTEROID - The Parrot ASTEROID receiver doesn’t exactly transform your late model Corolla into the Batmobile, but it does allow you to make hands-free calls, connect your smartphone or iPod, and use navigation apps and internet radio inside your ancient jalopy. 
• Rockstar Games‘ L.A. Noire - Each animated character in this noir detective game was played by a real actor, whose every grimace was captured in painstaking detail using cinema-grade MotionScan technology. According to Popular Mechanics, “When suspects lie, it’s revealed in the lines of their faces.” A level of realism that could turn even non-gamers into diehard fans.
  

• Philips AmbientLED Bulb - Although LEDs have long been touted as the earth-friendly answer to incandescent bulbs, up until now they’ve been a rather unpleasant replacement. Philips changed all that with the AmbientLED bulb, which uses remote phosphor technology to transform the normally dim blue light emitted by LEDs into a warm golden glow. That and the fact that it burns for almost three years straight made this bulb a 2011 Breakthrough award-winner.
  

• Celestron SkyProdigy Automatic Telescopes - The truth about most telescopes is that you can’t just point them at the sky and instantly begin looking at the outlines of Neil Armstrong’s footprints on the moon– they generally require hours of practice to learn how to calibrate. That’s precisely what set the SkyProdigy apart from the rest for the people at Popular Mechanics: “With built-in tracking cameras and a digital database of more than 4000 heavenly objects, the SkyProdigy telescopes sight themselves in less than 3 minutes, so even a first-time stargazer can experience the thrill of discovery.”
  

• Solaria Photovoltaic Panels - These solar panels use 50-70 percent less silicon, which means they are about one-third less expensive than a traditional panel of comparable efficiency. But it doesn’t mean they won’t last. According to Popular Mechanics, their proven operating life is more than 25 years.
  

• Motorola ATRIX 4G - Sure the Atrix 4G is a nice smartphone with a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 4G wireless speeds and crystal clear 540 x 960-pixel resolution screen, but what makes it a breakthrough product, according to Popular Mechanics, is the fact that it’s also a computer. Use it on its own or if you want full-screen capabilities, plug it into the super slim 11.5 inch Motorola Lapdock. “Motorola has taken the first step toward a future in which one device serves as the nerve center of many,” say the editors of Popular Mechanics.
  

• Ford Rear Inflatable Seat Belts - For their 2011 Explorer, Ford made the first major improvements to the three-point seatbelt since the safety device was invented in 1959. This innovative restraint combines an airbag with a seatbelt. On impact, a balloon inside the seatbelt fills with compressed gas, breaking through the fabric and providing support for more than five times the body area as a regular belt.

Related articles

• Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards honor innovation (news.cnet.com)
• Rockler Wins Editor’s Choice Award from Popular Mechanics Magazine (prweb.com)
• POPULAR MECHANICS: Is The Light Bulb Ban A Bright Idea? “On January 1, 2012, new laws hit the book… (pajamasmedia.com)

Image via CrunchBase

An Australian technologist has claimed that Facebook can track the web pages you visit, even when you are logged out of the social networking giant.

According to Wollongong-based Nik Cubrilovic, when the user is logged out of Facebook, rather than deleting its tracking cookies, the site merely modifies them, maintaining account information and other unique tokens that can be used to identify its users.

This simply means that any time you visit a web page with a Facebook button or widget, your browser is still sending personally identifiable information back to Facebook.

“Even if you are logged out, Facebook still knows and can track every page you visit,” Cubrilovic wrote in a blog post.

“The only solution is to delete every Facebook cookie in your browser, or to use a separate browser for Facebook interactions,” he added.

Cubrilovic said he tried to contact Facebook to inform it of his discovery but did not get a reply, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

He said there were significant risks to the privacy of users, particularly those using public terminals to access Facebook.

“Facebook are front-and-centre in the new privacy debate just as Microsoft were with security issues a decade ago,” Cubrilovic said.

“The question is what it will take for Facebook to address privacy issues and to give their users the tools required to manage their privacy and to implement clear policies – not pages and pages of confusing legal documentation, and ‘logout’ not really meaning ‘logout’,” he added.

Source :- http://in.finance.yahoo.com

Related articles

• Facebook tracks what you do online, even when you log out of Facebook (paulspoerry.com)
• Facebook tracks what you do online, even when you’re logged out (venturebeat.com)
• Facebook denies cookie tracking allegations (zdnet.com)
• Facebook is watching (theage.com.au)
• Logging Out Of Facebook Is Not Enough (ghacks.net)
• Facebook can track you even after you log out (theinformativereport.com)