CWmike - Slashdot User

Chrome Set To Take No. 2 Spot From Firefox-> 0

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CWmike

on Thursday September 29, @11:40AM

CWmike writes "Google's Chrome is on the brink of replacing Firefox as the second-most-popular browser, says the Web statistics firm StatCounter, which shows that Chrome will pass Firefox to take the No. 2 spot behind Microsoft's IE no later than December. As of Wednesday, Chrome's global average user share for September was 23.6%, while Firefox's stood at 26.8%. IE, meanwhile, was at 41.7%. The climb of Chrome during 2011 has been astonishing: It has gained eight percentage point since January 2011, representing a 50% increase. During that same period, Firefox has dropped almost four percentage points, a decline of about 13%, while IE has also fallen four points, a 9% dip. That means Chrome is essentially reaping all the defections from Firefox and IE."
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Google Wallet Launches With $10 Credit-> 0

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CWmike

on Monday September 19, @04:43PM

CWmike writes "Google officially launched its Google Wallet application late Monday for NFC-ready Sprint Nexus S 4G phone users. The application launches initially for Citi MasterCard credit card holders, but Google also said Monday that Visa, Discover and American Express will be able to add their cards to future versions of Google Wallet. The application, first announced in May, was described in a blog post on Monday. Visa said in a separate statement that its has licensed Google to use Visa's PayWave technology, used in 'hundreds of thousands' of terminals worldwide. But Visa didn't describe a timeline for when that function would be enabled. Google said it will allow users to add any bank card to a Google Prepaid Card and they will receive $10 to try the service."
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Metro Apps Sold Exclusively Via 'Windows Store'-> 1

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CWmike

on Monday September 19, @11:51AM

CWmike writes "Pulling a page from Apple's playbook and not Google's, Microsoft indicated last week that Metro apps for Windows 8 will be available only through Microsoft's own app store. But while Microsoft went to pains to say that it would not discuss the business side, a Microsoft primer said that it, like Apple, will take a 30% cut of all sales. Microsoft's 'Windows Store' will be the sole distribution channel for Metro apps, those that run on Windows 8 PCs, and the only ones that will be permitted on ARM-based Windows 8 tablets. Microsoft is restricting Metro apps to ensure the software is secure and appropriate, Microsoft's Ted Dworkin said in a BUILD session last Wednesday."
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Ballmer Hints At 'Metro-ization' Of Office-> 1

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CWmike

on Friday September 16, @12:24PM

CWmike writes "Microsoft's CEO strongly hinted this week that the company will craft a Metro-style version of the next Office suite. 'You ought to expect that we are rethinking and working hard on what it would mean to do Office Metro style,' Ballmer told a Wall Street analyst. Metro, a tile- and touch-based interface borrowed from Windows Phone 7, would be a massive change for Office, one that would dwarf the 'ribbonization' that set off a firestorm of complaints about Office 2007's new look. The criticism died down, and Microsoft later extended the ribbon in Office 2010 and Windows 7. It will ribbonize other components of Windows 8, notably the OS's file manager. One analyst believes Metro Office is a done deal. 'I think they need something in Metro to enable people to work on documents on tablets,' said Rob Helm, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft. 'They need something on ARM.'"
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Windows 8 Snags Early Thumbs-Up From Tweeps Etc-> 0

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CWmike

on Thursday September 15, @04:12PM

CWmike writes "Microsoft's long-awaited deeper look at Windows 8 on Tuesday has piqued consumer interest, says a firm that scores online news and social media trends. Interest in Windows 8 exploded Sept. 12, the day Microsoft demoed it, said NetBase Solutions, which tracks online coverage and social media comments about brands and products for a wide range of industries. The percentage of positive mentions about Windows 8 quickly climbed starting Tuesday, said NetBase, ending at above 60% by the close of Wednesday. Negative comments made up about 20% of the total. Not surprisingly, the mentions and comments garnered by Windows 8 crystalized around the usual Microsoft versus Apple argument. 'Windows 8 will be the death of the iPad!' crowed one of the Twitter messages NetBase highlighted. Negative commenters climbed on OS soapboxes as well. 'Remember, the people who think Windows 8 just killed the iPad are the same who thought Windows ME was the best OS ever,' said a tweet, referring to the abused Windows Millennium of 2000. 'Dislikes for the Windows 8 tablet focus around how it does not support Adobe Flash and how it's not that easy to use ... but there are many more positives than there are negatives,' noted NetBase."
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Intel's Thunderbolt With Fiber Optics Years Away-> 0

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CWmike

on Thursday September 15, @01:56PM

CWmike writes "Intel's Thunderbolt high-speed interconnect technology could be years away from getting optical technology, an Intel executive said this week at IDF. Originally introduced in February on Macs, Thunderbolt was pitched as being optical technology but currently uses copper wires. Dadi Perlmutter of Intel's Architecture Group said copper wires are working much better than expected, and that fiber was expensive. 'It's going to be way out,' Perlmutter said. 'At the end of the day it's all about how much speed people need versus how much they would be willing to pay.'"
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IT Ratchets Up Social-Media Involvement-> 0

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CWmike

on Thursday September 15, @01:08PM

CWmike writes "IT is increasingly getting a seat at the table, reports Michael Fitzgerald. Paul Gillin, founder of Paul Gillin Communications, acknowledges that marketing is the dominant use of social media tools, but the lack of Twitter activity by a group of CIOs at a 2010 conference 'didn't make sense to me,' Gillin says. 'When a new technology comes into use, it is IT's responsibility to understand it.' Ed Marx, CIO at Texas Health Resources, said, 'It's unfortunate that CIOs who really should be out there leading and experimenting and innovating are not. Were they healthcare CIOs? We're always five to 10 years behind.' Should we be afraid?"
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Site Builder Review: Drupal vs Joomla vs WordPress-> 0

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CWmike

on Wednesday September 14, @01:47PM

CWmike writes "Building a website has never been easier. Gone — mostly — are the days of having to hand-code HTML and PHP scripts in order to get a slick, fully functional site, thanks to the capabilities of content management systems (CMSs) that do most or all of the heavy lifting for site creators. There are boatloads of CMSs for serious site creators, but the most common are three open-source tools: Joomla, Drupal and WordPress. Actually, to call them 'tools' is an understatement — these are full-fledged platforms, with tens of thousands of add-on tools created by very active developer communities. So which CMS is right for you? Brian Proffitt's in-depth review can help you answer that."
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Windows 8 Will Run From USB Thumb Drive-> 1

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CWmike

on Wednesday September 14, @12:18PM

CWmike writes "Windows 8 will include a new feature that lets IT administrators provide workers with a portable Windows environment on a USB thumb drive. Called 'Windows To Go,' the feature seems aimed at enterprises that want to equip employees with 'complete managed Windows images' that they can use to turn a PC into a doppelganger of a secured in-house machine. It's not known whether individuals will be able to use Windows To Go for the same purpose. It's also unclear whether Windows to Go comes with a price tag: One report, based on a briefing with reporters at BUILD on Monday, said that the feature will cost about $50 per seat. Microsoft declined to provide more information about the feature, other then to refer to its a two-and-a-half-hour demonstration of some of the operating system's key components and changes that left many questions about Windows 8 unanswered, analysts said."
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Jobs Bill Funds Safety Network With Spectrum Sale-> 0

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CWmike

on Tuesday September 13, @05:17PM

CWmike writes "President Barack Obama's American Jobs Act would allow the FCC to conduct so-called incentive auctions to raise $6.5 billion to fund a nationwide voice and data network for police, fire departments and other emergency responders. Lawmakers and other groups have called for a nationwide public safety network since emergency responders had trouble communicating with each other during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks on the U.S."
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