Google Improves Search on BlackBerry Devices

Owners of BlackBerry smartphones now have the possibility to enjoy a better Google search experience on their devices courtesy of a series of updates the Mountain View-based Internet company performed to the service.

The improved Google experience is available now for all BlackBerry 6.0 WebKit-enabled devices in the form of faster and easier search and a series of enhancements brought to the homepage and search result pages.

The new improvements should prove great additions especially for those who use touch-enabled Blackberry devices, Google announced.

The list of changes that Google made to its search page for BlackBery devices includes:

- Enter searches faster: Save time by using autocomplete and search history queries that appear beneath the search box as you type.

- Web search: Find what you're searching for fast. Comprehensive results pages let you see relevant websites, images, videos, news, real-time results and more. Simply click on the arrow button ‘>>’ to the left of the top search box for more refinement options.

- Image search: Swipe through image results quickly and easily on touch enabled devices. Start by selecting ‘Images’ at the top of www.google.com, then enter a search. From there, click on any image to view a larger size.

- Local search: Find restaurants, shops and other popular business categories with a single tap. Start by selecting ‘Places’ at the top of www.google.com, then click on an icon from the Places homepage.

All these improvements are available now for almost all BlackBerry handsets from Research In Motion that run under the BlackBerry OS 6.0 or newer, and which sport WebKit browsers. The BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry Bold 9780 are among the supported devices.

Google also announced that the new Google search for BlackBerry is available for users in 70 countries and that it can be accessed in 20 languages.

Those who would like to get a taste of the new features should simply point the mobile browsers on their devices to www.google.com. They can also bookmark Google Search on their phone's homescreen, for one click access.

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Google+ for Android Gets Support for Multiple Gmail Accounts

On Wednesday, Internet giant Google made available a new application in the Android Market, bringing the newly launched Google+ service to mobile phones, and it seems that the mobile client has already got its first update.


The new Google+ 1.0.2 comes with support for multiple Gmail accounts, and, the same as the initial flavor of the software, is available for download for all handsets running under Android 2.1 or newer versions of the operating system.

The release notes for the new app includes:

- Spiffy new profile icon on the menu screen
- Handle multiple Gmail accounts on first sign in
- Minor UI polish.

One thing that should be noted here is that the Google+ (Google Plus) service is still under development, and that it was not made available for everyone as of yet. People can join the service only by invite.

The mobile application will taste further enhancements as well, offering users the possibility to enjoy a better Google+ experience while on the go.

“Google+ for mobile makes sharing the right things with the right people a lot simpler. Huddle lets you send super-fast messages to the people you care about most,” Google explains.

“With your permission, Instant Upload automatically puts the photos and videos you take into a private album in the cloud, so you can share them anytime, from anywhere. And no matter where you are, the stream lets you stay in the loop about what your friends are sharing and where they’re checking in.”

For those out of the loop, we should note that Google+ was released as a new social sharing service, enabling users to easily share things only with specific people by organizing their contacts in circles.

The service also keeps them up to date with what is happening in certain circles, while also offering automatic updates features, and Huddle, a super-fast group messaging.

The new version of Google+ (Google Plus) application is available for download via the Android Market here.

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See Through Windows

See Through Windows does exactly what its name suggests: allows you to render an application window transparent and view the items behind it without shifting focus to them. From this point of view it is similar to the thumbnail preview in Windows 7 which lets you view the content of a minimized window without activating it.

Windows 7 users are accustomed to this sort of preview, but those lingering on XP and Vista do not enjoy this benefit. See Through Windows comes to patch things up by offering the chance to check out what’s going on behind the active window.

The freebie is open-source (code is up for grabs on CodePlex) and requires .NET Framework 2.0 to install and function on your computer. It is not portable, but getting it on the system is an easy task that does not require too much time to complete.

At the end of the installation process See Through Windows automatically places its shortcut in the startup folder of Windows, so that it launches as soon as the operating system is ready. This way you do not have to manually start it and you can benefit from its services at all times.

The only application window at your disposal is the configuration panel, which does not sport complicated settings. This is the place where you get to define the key combination that triggers the opacity level that fits your needs for the active window.

You can choose between Shift, Alt, Control and Windows keys as modifiers and combine them with other keys on the keyboard (letters and F keys). These act as a global shortcut that toggles the transparency of the active window on and off, so you’d better make sure there is no overlapping with other shortcuts; single keys are also supported.

You have 16 levels to set the translucency of the active task screen. On the downside, there is no scale to guide by. So both transparency and opacity can go as high as 100%; unless you go for a prank, we recommend the see through level be set at a reasonable degree.

Another reason for fair transparency is that this would allow you to work in the active window as well as monitor what’s behind it.

Additional options present in the program allow you to handle the active window by minimizing and maximizing it using keyboard shortcuts Win+Up/Down arrows. Moreover, for the systems fit with multiple monitors, you can use Win+Left/Right arrows to move the application screens to a different monitor. This is pretty useless in Windows 7 if you have Snap feature enabled (to disable it head to “Ease of Access Center” and tap into “Make mouse easier to use” section). Nonetheless, those still working on XP and Vista will definitely appreciate them.

During our testing we noticed that the application affects each window individually, thus allowing you to turn on the transparency for more than one window. These will remain translucent as long as you do not hit the assigned hotkey to make them opaque again, or as long as See Through Windows is running.

See Through Windows is quite the program if you wish to check on the progress shown in a window behind the active one without minimizing anything. Windows 7 users can also appeal to thumbnail preview, but this may not work properly with all software and there are cases when real-time information is not offered to the user.

On the other hand, using this freebie lets you view the progress of a task with absolutely no problem. The same key combination is used to make the active screen transparent and peek behind it as well as for dropping the opacity.

Another advantage See Through Windows brings to the table is that it allows you to continue working in the active window if it is transparent. As long as the translucency level allows, you can see to your work undisturbed and just take a gander now and then at what is happening in the background.

System resources claimed by the app are not excessive. During our tests it required about 5MB of RAM and the CPU level kept at a constant 0% at all times.

The Good

You get to use the same key combination for activating the transparency on a window as well as for turning it off.

It offers its services at all times because it places a shortcut in the Startup folder so it can start with Windows.

Translucency level is adjustable and can be imposed on multiple windows at once. The app allows you to continue working in the transparent active window so you can see what happens in the background.

The Bad

The application does not emit any alerts if the shortcut you assign is already in use by a different program.

The shortcuts for minimizing and maximizing the windows work on Windows 7 only if Snap feature is disabled.

It would be nice if the program would have some extra functions available, such as activating transparency when dragging the window or those of a window manager.

The Truth
http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news2/See-Through-Windows-Review-2.png
See Through Windows is a simple program with a simple job. It has its flaws (having it fully functional in Windows 7 requires crippling the operating system of a feature many users appreciate), but it is also at an early stage of development.

Overall it can turn out to be a helpful companion if you’re constantly working with multiple windows and need to check the progress they display without switching from the current task.

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Xbox 720 Talk Would Unnecessarily Shift Focus Away from Xbox 360 and Kinect

Why would Microsoft shoot itself in the foot by shifting the focus on Xbox vNext when Xbox 360 and Kinect are selling at tremendous rates, as Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft put it when the company announced third-quarter results last month?

Recent speculation reveals that not only has Xbox 720 in a very early development form been made available to game developers, but that additional news of the console will be presented at E3 in June 2011, according to Develop.

Although it appears that Microsoft will not in fact unveil Xbox 720 to the world next month, fact is that talk about the next-generation Xbox would only serve to unnecessarily shift consumer focus away from Xbox 360 and Kinect.

This is not something that the software giant can afford, especially since the excellent financial results of the Entertainment & Devices Division contributed to compensate the drop in revenue for Windows.

“Entertainment & Devices Division grew 60% year-over-year, fueled by Kinect for Xbox 360, the fastest-selling consumer electronics device in history, continued strong Xbox 360 console sales and growth of Xbox Live,” the software giant noted a little over a week ago.

In the third fiscal quarter of 2011 Microsoft managed to ship no less than 2.3 million Kinect NUI (natural user interface) sensors.

This means that Kinect has now passed the 10 million sold units milestone, since the peripheral was initially introduced last year.

With Xbox 360 console sales increasing by 79%, the overall revenue of the Entertainment & Devices Division also went up to $1.935 billion, compared to just $1.21 billion the year before.

With the $2 billion mark in sight for the Entertainment & Devices Division, it would be a risky move for Microsoft to introduce Xbox 720 details at this point in time, since the move is bound to impact current Xbox 360 sales.

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Apple Partner Foxconn Asks Workers to Sign Will-Not-Kill-Myself Agreement

Foxconn employees are being asked to sign agreements according to which they will not commit suicide or, in case they do hurt themselves, they will not tarnish the company’s image over it.

To some, it may sound alarming to hear that the chain of factories responsible with assembling Apple’s iDevices is demanding workers to put in writing that they will not kill themselves.

But those who take interest in such matters should well be aware of at least a dozen such suicides in the past year, over what the Centre for Research on Multinational Companies and Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (Sacom) calls "appalling" working conditions.

Foxconn has stressed on multiple occasions that workers are being treated well, and that suicides were not above the country’s usual rate.

The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers that handle the assembling process of various Apple products, including iPads, iPhones, and iPods.

In a British tabloid report, Sacom is quoted as saying that it uncovered inhumane working conditions that included excessive overtime and public humiliation.

However, the Sacom study looked at factory conditions across China, not just Foxconn.

Sacom, at one point, actually touts Foxconn as being the only employer to pledge to meet government limits on overtime.

As for the actual documents required by Foxconn to be signed, a rough translation of a relevant paragraph is being offered as evidence.

"In the event of non-accidental injuries (including suicide, self mutilation, etc.), I agree that the company has acted properly in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, and will not sue the company, bring excessive demands, take drastic actions that would damage the company's reputation or cause trouble that would hurt normal operations."

As TUAW points out, there is some debate as to whether the translated wording is 100% accurate.

Originally published by the Shangaiist, the leaked document apparently says "will not make demands outside of law and regulation" where author Elaine Chow translates as "will not sue the company," some seem to agree.

Foxconn has also been in the news recently for having three of its staffers arrested over leaked technical details pertaining to Apple’s iPad.

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Win BlackBerry, iPhone 4,Samsung Galaxy S,Nokia N97,

Xpango uses a unique Credit system to reward his customers with Free Mobile Phones, Gaming Consoles, MP3 Players & HDTVs !
Each Gadget is received for Free in exchange for Credits which can be received from Xpango.
When you register with Xpango and select your Free Gift, you will receive a 'Referral ID' which is used to gain Credits.
Credits can easily be gained by either (or a combination of) participating in Xpango Offers, Referring Friends, or by purchasing a Clix Package .
Credit requirements for Gifts vary depending on the retail price of the Mobile Phone/Gaming Console/MP3 Player/HDTV. More expensive Gifts require more Credits than less expensive Gifts.
The diagram below details how the system works:

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Confirmed: Apple Looking for Highly-Experienced Antenna Engineer

Numerous reports point out to a job posting recently added to Apple’s Job Opportunities web site where there is demand for an “Antenna Engineer” who will define and implement antenna system architecture to optimize the radiation performance for Apple’s wireless portable gadgets, including the iPhone and iPad.
The Job title “Antenna Engineer - iPad/iPhone” has been spotted by tech-site Engadget, which suggests this is quite the coincidence, given the bad PR
Apple has been getting for the reception issues of its iPhone 4. While Apple is yet to confirm whether this is a design flaw on the hardware side, or whether the problem can be addressed more...

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Windows 8 Development Has Started

Microsoft has already kick started the development process which will ultimately end up producing the successor of Windows 7, claims a third-party source. Russian website Wzor notes that the Redmond company has apparently set on a course to building Windows 8, and even provided the Build strings for a few assembles of the next iteration of Windows available exclusively in Redmond. Wzor is a source with a proven track record of delivering accurate information of the software giant’s moves, that otherwise would be kept under the tightly sealed translucent lid of Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division.. .

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Pirated Vista Black Edition ISO Infected with Malware

Warns Microsoft
The fact that attackers were using infected pre-release copies of Windows 7 to spread their malware to unsuspecting users is simply an example of the most recent releases of the Windows client being turned into vessels for malicious code. Fact is that pre-release versions of Office 2010 were also infested with malware, under a similar malicious code distribution model. However, this practice is not new to Windows 7 and Office 2010. Microsoft has warned that one of the most notorious pirated editions of Windows Vista is also infected with malware and that it will compromise the systems of users looking to grab a free copy of Windows 7’s predecessor from torrent trackers or warez websites.

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Yahoo! sells stake in Alibaba.com

A view of Yahoo! corporate headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The US internet giant Yahoo! is seeking to sell up to 150 million dollars worth of shares in Alibaba.com, Dow Joes Newswires reported Monday.
US Internet company Yahoo! announced on Monday that it has sold its one percent stake in Hong Kong-listed e-commerce company Alibaba.com.

"Yahoo! Inc has sold all of its approximate one percent direct stake in Alibaba.com," Yahoo! said in a statement.

The Sunnyvale, California-based company did not reveal the exact number of shares being sold or the sale price.

But the Dow Jones Newswire valued the transaction at around 150 million dollars.

It said Yahoo! sold 57.48 million shares for 19.80-20.30 Hong Kong dollars (2.54-2.60 dollars) each, representing a discount of 4.0 to 6.4 percent on Alibaba.com's closing price of 21.15 Hong Kong dollars on Monday.

Yahoo! invested some 100 million dollars in Alibaba.com in connection with the company?s initial public offering in November 2007.

Yahoo! said it will continue to maintain a 40 percent interest in Alibaba Group, which owns about 70 percent of Alibaba.com, giving Yahoo! a 28 percent indirect interest in Alibaba.com.

Yahoo! said it had sold its direct stake in Alibaba.com because the value of its investment had "increased substantially" since the IPO.

The company added that it "believes that its investment in Alibaba Group is an important long-term way to participate in the China market."

John Spelich, Hong Kong-based vice president for international corporate affairs at Alibaba Group, said they welcomed the share sale.

"We are pleased to learn of the Yahoo! decision because having broader ownership of Alibaba.com with increased liquidity and support among institutional investors is what Alibaba.com hoped to achieve," he said in a statement sent to AFP.

© 2009 by soft2web

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Swiss watchdog threatens to sue Google over Street View

A woman walks past a Google logo at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2007. Switzerland's data protection watchdog on Monday threatened to sue Google over its "Street View" facility, saying that measures taken by the American Internet giant to address privacy concerns were inadequate.
Switzerland's data protection watchdog on Monday threatened to sue Google over its "Street View" facility, saying that measures taken by the American Internet giant to address privacy concerns were inadequate.

"If it rejects the recommendation or fails to respect it, the Federal data protection and information commissioner can bring the affair to the Federal Administrative Tribunal for a decision," commissioner Hanspeter Thuer said in a statement.

The Street View facility allows users to take a ground level panoramic view of some locations on Google Maps, based on still photographs taken by specially-equipped vehicles.

But for the Swiss data protection commissioner, "many images are problematic and insufficiently anonymous."

On August 18, Switzerland had asked Google to withdraw the service.

A week later, Google said it would work with the authorities to improve the service.

However, the commissioner said Monday that "despite the complementary measures proposed by Google, the protection of the private sphere is not completely guaranteed."

"This concerns notably images taken in private streets, as well as images of gardens which, while invisible to passers-by, are captured by the cameras mounted on the vehicles used by Google," he added.

He also stressed that "a complete anonymity of faces and vehicle registration plates is necessary to guarantee the respect of the private sphere."

Peter Fleischer, Google's privacy counsel, said that the Internet giant was "very disappointed" by the commissioner's move.

"We will vigorously defend our product before the tribunal," he said, adding that Google is "absolutely convinced that Swiss View is legal in Switzerland."

© 2009 by soft2web

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Other tidbits

• Apple is now offering 30,000 ready-made ringtones for $1.29 a pop. These come from all four major labels, and differ from the current system, which allows you to make your own ringtone from any song you've purchased from the store for a fee of 99 cents. The new system cuts out the need to even buy the song.

• Apple has sold 30 million iPhones since the launch of the device.

• More than 20 million iPod Touches have been sold.

• More than 100 million iPod Nanos have been sold.

• Users have downloaded 1.8 billion apps from a catalog of more than 75,000.

• Apple has 100 million registered iTunes users.

• Users have submitted more than 27 million music libraries to contribute to the Genius feature, totaling 54 billion songs.

• iPhone developer Tapulous demonstrated an upcoming title called Riddim Ribbon that lets players race on their own music tracks. Looks quite similar to PC title Audiosurf.

• EA demonstrated Madden 10 which uses virtual, onscreen controls.

• Gameloft has had 20 million game downloads. The company demonstrated a new first-person shooter game called Nova that's reminiscent of Halo.

Correction: This post initially included some incorrect pricing information. The OS 3.1 update only costs money for those who had not yet upgraded to 3.0 or higher. Also, the iPod Shuffle price cut refers to the 2GB model.

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iPhone/iPod OS 3.1

Apple announced the release Wednesday of OS 3.1, which will be a free update to both iPhone and iPod Touch owners.

With 3.1, users on both platforms can now get Genius recommendations for applications they've purchased. These show up in the App Store app, as well as in iTunes, and function in a similar fashion to Genius for music. It takes your purchase information and sends it to Apple, which will analyze it for similar purchases, and offer up recommendations. This may end up being a more precise system since there are fewer apps than music tracks.

3.1 also adds a new security feature for iPhone owners--the capability to lock down the device over the air using MobileMe. Previously, if your phone was lost or stolen, this feature would only be enabled if the user had set it that way.

iTunes 9

Apple introduced a new version of iTunes, which offers iPhone and iPod Touch users a way to better organize applications they have added to the device. Users can now drag and drop apps to multiple home screens at once, instead of doing so on the device itself.

iPhone and iPod Touch users can now rearrange apps on their home screen right in iTunes, instead of on the device itself.

(Credit: Apple)

Another new feature in iTunes 9 that users in households are sure to enjoy is something called Home Sharing. This lets you automatically sync purchases across multiple computers within a household. This means they don't have to be redownloaded, or transferred from portable devices, which can save time if you're in a hurry.

The Genius feature and DJ feature have been mashed together to create something called Genius Mixes. The software can create multiple stations of music without the user having to pick a song for it to start from.

The software also has a new purchase-centric feature called iTunes LP, that adds a handful of digital pack-ins to purchased albums such as liner notes, photos, videos, lyrics, and links to online resources. This confirmed rumors Apple had been cooking up such a feature going back earlier this year.

In the same vein of iTunes LP, there's iTunes Extras--basically repackaged bonus features from movies and TV shows. This aims to add a little more value to rented and purchased video content, and steer customers toward Apple's store instead of some of the competition.

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Google set to wage OS war with Microsoft

Google Inc.'s entry into the operating system business poses the strongest long-term threat in years to the dominance of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows software, according to analysts.

Google last week announced that it would launch its long-anticipated operating system, based on the open-source Linux kernel and built around its Chrome browser, sometime in the second half of 2010. The new Web-centric operating system will be dubbed Google Chrome OS.

Though analysts agreed that the Windows hegemony is safe in the short term, Google has the financial muscle, engineering might and industry clout to survive a long-term battle with an industry powerhouse like Microsoft.

"Google doesn't need an operating system to support its revenue stream," said Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group Inc. "They have lots and lots of revenue from their advertising bread and butter. That means they have [the] staying power that's critically important in this market."

Michael Silver, an analyst at Gartner Inc., said that Microsoft is unlikely to ignore the threat to Windows. "Microsoft, after all, is one of the more paranoid companies around," he said.

He added that Microsoft is unlikely to be adversely affected by Chrome OS in the short term.

Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment on the Google announcement.

Analysts did note that Google must stick to the long, complex grind of developing an operating system if it wants to be successful in that business.

Rebecca Wettemann, an analyst at Nucleus Research, said that in recent months, Google has shut down or stopped supporting several products, including Google Video, Google Notebook, the Jaiku microblogging service and the Dodgeball mobile social network.

"They pick something up, get excited about it and work on it until they find another shiny new object they want to play with," Wettemann said. "My feeling is that Google needs to stop announcing things and instead execute on completing them."

Nonetheless, the Chrome OS plan has attracted the support of several top PC vendors, including Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo Group, Acer and Asustek Computer.

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