Microsoft Ties a Ribbon on Windows 8 Explorer

Microsoft will apparently use the Ribbon graphic user interface first seen with Microsoft Office applications on Explorer, the OS' file management utility. The decision's drawing some mixed reactions. Microsoft said it went with the Ribbon after intense study of user behavior, though some users think the Ribbon is either confusing or takes up too much screen space.

Speculation about what features Windows 8 will include is sizzling as Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) continues to remain tight-lipped about details of the new operating system.

However, Redmond has talked to some extent about the upcoming OS' handling of Explorer, the Windows file management system.

Posts on the Windows 8 blog indicate Explorer will have the ribbon GUI Microsoft Office users know -- and, in some cases, hate. It will also let users mount VHD and ISO drives, possibly doing away with the need for optical storage media.

Company spokesperson Emma Mahoney directed TechNewsWorld to the blog in response to a request for comment.

Boldly Going Where Everyone's Gone Before :
Microsoft says it has three main goals for Windows 8 Explorer: Optimize it for file management, create a streamlined command experience, and restore the most relevant and requested features from Windows XP that will fit.

Research through telemetry -- where Windows users agreed to let Microsoft harvest data about their usage patterns of the operating system without tying it to them -- formed the basis of the decisions Microsoft made about Windows 8 Explorer's features.

Telemetry showed that more than 70 percent of usage is for core file management, and that the top 10 commands constitute almost 82 percent of usage, for example.

It also showed that almost 55 percent of commands are invoked with a right-click and another 32 percent using keyboard shortcuts, while only about 11 percent are invoked with the Command bar. Further only two of the top 10 commands invoked in Explorer are available in the Command bar.

After evaluating several approaches, Microsoft decided to use the Office-style ribbon as the user interface for commands. Among other benefits, this offers familiarity to users of Office, Microsoft Paint and Windows Live Essentials, so there's little to learn.

The ribbon will have Home, Share and View tabs; a File menu; and various contextual tabs.

Existing add-ons will work in the right-click menus in Windows 8 but they won't be able to plug into the ribbon UI, Microsoft said.

You can see a demo of Windows 8 here.

 

Ribbons Aren't for Everyone :
At least one analyst is none too excited about having the ribbon as a UI in Windows 8.

"In Explorer, where you're looking at files or documents, you'll give up space to see your commands," groused Michael Cherry, senior analyst at Directions on Microsoft. "Ribbons take up a lot of real estate on the screen, and seeing all the commands isn't as important to me as seeing all the files and documents."

Another possible problem with the ribbon is that it may not be suited to touchscreens, which will increasingly penetrate the PC and laptop market.

DisplaySearch predicts that touchscreen module revenues will hit US$14 billion by 2016, undergoing strong growth in all-in-one PCs, mini-notebook and slate PCs, education and training, and information and self-check-in kiosks.

For example, touch functionality in mini-notebooks and slate PCs will grow from 1 million units in 2010 to 50 million in 2016, DisplaySearch forecasts.

"I'm not convinced ribbons will work with touch and gestures," Cherry told TechNewsWorld.

No More Optical Drives????
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has done away with the optical drive with the MacBook Air, and it looks as if Microsoft may be anticipating the death of the disc drive with Windows 8. Redmond's adding native Explorer support for ISO and VHD files in Windows 8.

This means users won't necessarily require a physical CD-ROM or DVD drive. However, that doesn't necessarily mean Windows 8 PCs will not have optical drives.

"Microsoft doesn't build the PCs, so it's up to the OEMs to decide whether or not they want to build them without optical drives," Directions on Microsoft's Cherry pointed out.

"I don't think optical drives are as necessary as people think they are," Cherry added.

However, if Microsoft does away with the need for optical drives, then users' music and image files have to be transferred over a network, and this means Explorer must enable rapid file transfer, Cherry said.

"The biggest thing about Explorer that frustrates me right now is that, somewhere in the Vista timeframe, file copies became very, very slow," Cherry stated. "Rather than making things pretty [with a ribbon] I'd prefer they made them extremely fast."

One other complaint Cherry has about Explorer is its estimates on how long copying a file takes.

"Their estimates on how long a copy will take are worthless," Cherry remarked. "I'd prefer they give me an accurate estimate of how long it'll take to copy files so I know how long it will be before I can start working with data." 

New Facebook Privacy Tweaks Have a Googley Aftertaste













Facebook has given its users a new set of privacy controls, allowing them greater powers to select who sees what and approve tagged posts. The new features appear somewhat similar to those found in Google+, the social network that could prove to become a major Facebook rival. Facebook's changes have received a nod of approval from some privacy advocates.

In a nod to users who have complained about Facebook's privacy settings for years, the social network announced new, simplified settings Tuesday that allow users to exercise greater control over what information is shared across the network.
Going forward, users can choose a feature called "Profile Tag Review," which would allow them to approve a photo or post in which they're tagged before it hits their profile, or they could simply remove the tag.
The upgrades also make it easier to share tagged photos or posts with specific individuals or groups, much like the Circles feature in rival network Google+.
Those controls, and other privacy settings such as the option to see how a particular individual views your profile, will now appear in a drop-down menu next to the photos and posts for easier access to the security features.
Although users now have the option to refuse a tag, they may have to do so more often -- Facebook also announced that users can now tag anyone, even non-friends, in photos or posts. Early critics worried that option could be used in unintended ways, such as by advertisers or spammers looking for a new way to recruit customers, but Facebook doesn't think that's a concern.
"Something to note is that whenever you're tagged by a non-friend, it will always go into your Pending Posts section of your profile [regardless of whether you've turned on the Profile Tag Review or not]" Meredith Chin, product communications spokesperson at Facebook, told TechNewsWorld.
Facebook also expanded the location-based technology aspect of the site. Now, users will have the option to tag themselves from anywhere, not just a mobile device.
The changes will begin gradually rolling out on Thursday, and once it hits one's profile, the user can be guided through a tour to get a better feel for the updates.


Privacy Report Card:

Due to the number of complaints and public relations headaches Facebook's privacy policies have caused it in the past, the company worked with technology privacy advocates to make sure the new settings would receive a warm welcome, and so far they seem to have made a positive impression.
"On the big picture we think these changes look very good. Facebook has been working to develop these for a while and made a real effort to make sure these are intuitive changes for users, that users understand how they work and don't accidentally overshare," Erica Newland, policy analyst at the Center for Democracy & Technology told TechNewsWorld.
One initial concern was the new ability to tag non-friends in photos. Facebook touted the feature as helpful when tagging a photo of a group of co-workers, for example, or acquaintances who may not necessarily be Facebook friends, though there was concern it would become just another way for spammers to work their way into the ecosystem. Since those photos or posts must be approved, though, the user is given a measure of control.
"I think there is some sense to allowing people to tag non-friends. It's Facebook's decision on how to optimize that experience for users, but it's important they're giving users the option to exercise control. That's something users have asked for a while and it's absolutely a step in the right direction," said Newland.
It's a direction many social networks are taking. Since the lines between what is appropriate to share online blur between generations, professions and lifestyles, networks are leaving it up to users to decide just how much of their info they want out there.
"We're happy Facebook is creating a forced choice. That's a very good model for privacy controls, rather than assuming you know what the user wants," said Newland.

Pressure From Plus???

Facebook's new controls are entering the scene around the same time as Google+, the search engine's attempt at a competitor to challenge Mark Zuckerberg's far-and-away leader in social networking.
After its debut in July, Google+ saw an unprecedented, almost immediate surge of users, and there was speculation it was because of the network's more personalized, controlled sense of privacy and security. In Google+, contacts are divided more naturally into groups, or what the site calls "Circles." Users choose from the onset who is a friend, family member, or co-worker, for instance, and with each post or photo must decide with which Circle they'll share.
The concept is similar to Facebook's changes, but the social network leader says it wasn't modeled after anything in particular.
"We've been working on these changes for the last several months. We're excited to be introducing a lot of changes that people have been requesting," Chin told TechNewsWorld.
The bigger question is not if this was a competitive response, but if all networks treat user information with the concern it deserves as online sharing becomes an inevitable part of the social scene.
"I can't speculate on how the two may have been connected, but what is really clear is that social networks see that privacy is a value for users. In order to attract and retain users, they have to offer controls. It's kind of a maturing of the social networking ecosystem," said Newland

WikiLeaks Stews in Its Own Juice

The tables were turned on WikiLeaks when a massive amount of highly sensitive and confidential diplomatic cables it was sitting on became exposed online. "WikiLeaks is the perfect example of thieves stealing from thieves," said Prem Iyer, head of the information security practice for Iron Bow Technologies. "All the info that they stole from others, they decided to store online -- and the password was leaked."



Another global security mess is in the making, on the heels of the publication of thousands of sensitive security documents obtained by WikiLeaks. However, in this particular instance, WikiLeaks insists it didn't mean to do it.
Last week, WikiLeaks reportedly made some 134,000 diplomatic cables available. Unlike earlier disclosures, though, these cables were published with the names and identities of confidential and sensitive sources fully intact.
WikiLeaks blamed UK publication The Guardian for the dump, explaining that the encrypted file containing the cables had been online, but secure -- that is, until a journalist released the password in a password-decryption book published by the paper.
Knowledge of the leak has been spreading online for months, according to WikiLeaks, but only recently has it reached critical mass.
"For the past month, WikiLeaks has been in the unenviable position of not being able to comment on what has happened, since to do so would be to draw attention to the decryption passwords in The Guardian book," reads a WikiLeaks editorial.
With the connection publicly made, WikiLeaks says it can speak about the matter now. The site has begun pre-litigation action against The Guardian and an individual in Germany it accuses of distributing the passwords for personal gain.
The Guardian has rejected WikiLeaks' claims that it is responsible, and it has called on the site not to release the remaining cables.
The E-Commerce Times received no replies from WikiLeaks, The Guardian or the U.S. State Department to its requests for comments.

Lessons Learned :
This episode would be downright amusing if the stakes weren't so high. Potentially, lives could be at risk. WikiLeaks carved out a place for itself in the global political arena by leaking sensitive information that supposedly was secure, and now it has been tripped up in similar fashion.
"WikiLeaks is the perfect example of thieves stealing from thieves," Prem Iyer, head of the information security practice for Iron Bow Technologies, told TechNewsWorld. "All the info that they stole from others, they decided to store online -- and the password was leaked."
Despite the unique circumstances of the leak, the players and the ramifications, there are several themes common to more mundane leaks. Observing and learning from them could help a company avoid its own corporate disaster.
"WikiLeaks learned that securing sensitive data online can be more difficult than it realized, between ever-growing sophistication of hackers and human errors," Iyer said.


Dangers of the Cloud :

Any company or government agency that is looking to store data online must realize that cloud solutions are at risk of attack.
"You cannot assume that the proper security controls are in place," warned Iyer.
"Organizations who are considering cloud solutions must understand the security mechanisms that the cloud provider has in place," he advised, "and then determine if public cloud is still an option or if a private cloud solution would be a more secure alternative."


Overprivileged and Accident-Prone :

Another oft-cited reason for inadvertent disclosures is the generous granting of administrative privileges to people who don't need them, Brian Anderson, chief marketing officer of BeyondTrust told TechNewsWorld.
"You might have a secretary who has admin privileges and she accidentally copies a sensitive file and emails it to an entire client list. That has happened," he said.
The point is that companies need to protect their systems not only from people intent on stealing information -- for greed or other reasons -- but also from people who are sloppy with their security practices, explained Anderson.
"Set systems so they grant the least privilege access -- only what a particular individual needs and nothing more," he advised.


The Peril of Writable Media :

The motherlode of WikiLeaks' sensitive cables came to it via U.S. Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, who allegedly downloaded the purloined material and handed it over to the site.
The propagation of mobile devices and writable media such as USB devices and read/write CD/DVD drives has led to an increase in productivity across organizations, but has provided an increased threat from malicious insiders, John Sennott, director of marketing for Prism Microsystems, told TechNewsWorld.
Companies need to recognize the potential threat these devices can have for their security and adopt a concept of "trust but verify," he said. "It is important to let the users know they are being monitored, so they are afraid of getting caught if a policy is not followed." 

Windows 8 to arrive with better copy, move, rename and delete functionality

Along with the new interface and the many features it has to offer, Microsoft has recently announced the upcoming Windows 8 OS to possess a number of enhancements for file management covering copy, move, rename and delete functions. Being some of the most used operations within the OS, these improvements are aimed towards providing users a more convenient way of carrying out commands unlike what we’ve seen in the previous versions.

In conjunction to the company’s goals towards the copy experience being ‘One place to manage all copy jobs,’ ‘Clear and concise’ and ‘User in control,’ Microsoft has carried out four major improvements in Windows 8 OS to justify the same. Unlike previously where each copy operation had a separate window, the new system will integrate them all into a single interface. Also, for convenience in managing file transfers, new options like pause, resume and cancel are added along with a detailed view that provides a graphical representation of each operation, transfer speed and an improved calculation of the estimated time required to complete the task.
The new design adopted for the Conflict Resolution dialog box is stated to provide a much better understanding on the critical information for all file collisions. With the window divided into two parts where the source files are displayed on the left and the target location ones on the right, users can easily identify which files they want to replace without overwriting the needed one. Additionally, many unwanted confirmation dialogs that appear on deleting a file Windows 8 OS have been removed like ‘Are you sure you want to move this file to the recycle bin?’ or ‘Are you sure you want to merge these folders?’ for a better experience.
The implementation of these new improvements and enhancements to the upcoming Windows 8 OS clearly depict Microsoft’s intentions of creating a better and more user friendly OS.

Irresistible Reasons Why iPhone 5 Will be the Best-Selling Smartphone

The iPhone 5 is one of the most eagerly awaited devices this year. With rivals like Samsung gaining a foothold in other parts of the world, Apple’s expected launch of iPhone 5 in the U.S. market this September will not be an unchallenged one.

Here, however, are the reasons why iPhone 5 will be the best selling smartphone.

Device Specifications: iPhone 4, previously, enjoyed immense popularity among customers although there were other smartphones in the market which came up with better specifications showing better processor, RAM and battery than iPhone 4. The rumors that are circling the iPhone 5 suggest a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, an 8 MP dual-LED rear camera, a possible 1 GB RAM (Apple is known to upgrade its device’s RAM with every release) and improved battery life.

Sales Strategy: The iPhone, to date, has become the best selling smartphone. No other smartphone in the market has been able to interrupt the sale and popularity of an iPhone. A previous rumor said that Apple has contracted with a manufacturing company to build 15 million iPhone 5 units. There are very few chances that the upcoming iPhone 5 won’t sell exceedingly well. In case of Apple, history always repeats itself.

Apple’s App Store: In case you didn’t know, the term app has become a popular buzzword. In January 2011, app was awarded the honor of being 2010's "Word of the Year" by the American Dialect Society.

As of May 2011, Apple had approved its 500,000th app, 37 percent of all apps were made free with the average price $3.64. At early July 2011, around 200 million iOS users had downloaded over 15 billion apps from its App Store. Apple’s users have grabbed apps by the billions and Android Market has been steadily gaining grounds but is yet to match App Store. However, one significant advantage of Android Market apps is that that the Android OS is open source and the technology is designed to be extended by an active community. Other app stores are far away from App Store and Android Market.

Brand Name: Apple has considerably become a brand which creates trust and an emotional attachment. This attachment then causes the consumers to decide about the product. Lately, Apple has also become the world’s most valuable brand according to a study published by global research agency Millward Brown.

Apple’s brand value jumped 84 per cent to $153.3 billion, driven largely by the company’s success with the iPad and iPhone 4, the study found. According to Millward Brown, brands’ values were determined by a mix of factors, which included future earnings (discounted to their present-day values) and in-depth consumer surveys. Apple’s revenues are bigger than Nokia, Samsung or Sony’s mobility business.

Operating System: Lately, iOS 5.0 and its features were announced on June 6 at the WWDC 2011 keynote address. The new operating system comes with iCloud service and the Notification Center, as well as improvements to native apps such as Camera. Moreover, the new operating system has more than 200 new features. In fact, the operating system of Apple is a mobile operating system that was already years ahead of anything else before Android could even make its move.

Many users were upset with iOS notification feature but that will change as iOS 5 will arrive with cutting-edge notifications, messaging and cable-free connectivity. It is, however, noticeable that Apple has borrowed few features from Android most notably like Cloud Synchronization, Notification Center, Over-the-air updates, Photo sharing and Twitter.

Other features include iMessage, system wide twitter integration, quick camera access, photo editing tools, advanced reminder system.

Carriers: The iPhone 5 is expected to feature international support as the consumers will be able to use the device on a GSM network around the world which will benefit world travellers. The iPhone was selling well even before it reached the carriers like Verizon and AT&T.

With the launch of the Verizon iPhone earlier this year, it seems more like than ever that Apple will support the carrier’s 4G network. As Verizon has the prospective to reach more than 100 million people with 4G network, most reports suggest Apple will capitalize on that and bring 4G connectivity to the next Verizon iPhone.

Design: When it comes to the iPhone, Apple has always updated the design of their smartphone each year. Designers Michal Bonikowski and Antoine Brieux have played it safe with the design of the new iPhone. iPhone 4 and Apple’s original iPad looks very similar in terms of design.

The iPad 2 which was launched this year with aluminum back-panel with white frame was thinner and lighter when compared to original iPad, and hence the probability of iPhone 5 sporting an aluminium back-panel along with thinness is a certain prospect.

Samsung Has Aces Up One's Sleeve in Fight Against Apple

After Hewlett-Packard decided to cease production of webOS devices, including the TouchPad, eyes were on Samsung Electronics.  Samsung is the largest seller of devices that run on the Android platform and is Apple Inc.'s biggest supplier-turned-rival. 
But recent events have given logic to Samsung's possible acquisition of HP's webOS platform or mobile devices business: the Android is involved in legal issues with Oracle and Apple, and Motorola now has a distinct advantage over its Android peers as it is about to be sold to Android's developer, Google, Inc., for $12.5 billion.
At this year's IFA, the world's largest consumer electronics and home appliances show, Samsung CEO Choi Gee Sung said Samsung would never acquire webOS.  Korea-based Samsung already has the Bada mobile OS, which is popular in China and other parts of Asia, and it's relying on Google's assurances that it remains committed to Android partners.  Motorola also has a deep portfolio of patents that can be used for Google's counterstrike against Apple and others.
At the IFA, Samsung was due for an embarrassment, at least in the tablet arena, after Apple obtained an injunction against the display and sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Berlin, which is hosting the IFA extravaganza.
But Samsung has laid cards on its sleeve: it unveiled at the IFA three new tabs that aim to trample Apple's devices.  Samsung has the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, and the Galaxy S WiFi.
Owning a Galaxy Note is cheaper than buying an iPad and iPhone altogether.  The Galaxy Note has a 5.3-inch screen (bigger than the 3.5-inch screen of the iPhone 4), and is powered by 1.4GHz dual core processor (faster than the iPad2's processor), 1GB of RAM, runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).  For a bigger screen, but more portable than an iPad 2, there's the Galaxy Tab 7.7 -- it's thin (only 7.89mm), light (at 335 grams) and features the same Super AMOLED Plus screen technology used in the Galaxy S 2.  For those looking for the iPod touch-like devices, Samsung is offering the Galaxy S WiFi 3.6.
The three new devices plus the September release in the U.S. for the Galaxy S II (it's fastest selling Samsung smartphone ever) will be a major threat to Apple's dominance in the mobile devices market.  Apple has not yet released the highly anticipated iPhone 5 due to production problems and will only launch the iPad 3 next year.


Samsung has been the manufacturer of integral parts of Apple devices, including the A5 processor for the iPad 2 and the iPhone 5.  But due to the ongoing hostilities, Samsung is said to be cutting ties with Apple, and now Apple is scrambling to look for a new manufacturer for the A6 multi-core processors, which will power the iPad 3 and the sixth edition of the iPhone.
Notwithstanding Samsung's ammunition, Apple could still distance itself against its rivals when and if it launches the "iPhone 5" and the device meets high expectations. 
And in the tablet market, Apple will likely continue to dominate with the $499 iPad.  HP is liquidating the TouchPad at $99 and other rivals are cutting prices: Research in Motion is cutting prices of the PlayBook by $50 (to $449 for the 16GB variant) and Lenovo is launching the IdeaPad tablet at only $199.  This does not bode well for Samsung: while Apple has been able to record high margins with the iPad, its rivals would have to settle with low margins (or at a loss, in HP's case) just to sell their tablets.
As its LCD/LED panels unit sales has seen softening this year, Samsung needs the margins and the cash from its mobile devices unit in order to fund its defense against the barrage of lawsuits filed by Apple all over the world.  Apple on the other hand has enough cash with $76.2 billion in cash and marketable securities as June 25 and has no outstanding debt.
But it doesn't mean that Samsung is backing down, and that Apple has been victorious in its suits.  While Apple has obtained temporary bans of Samsung devices in Australia and some parts of Europe, Samsung has managed to put up an adequate defense.  In the Netherlands, for example, a court dismissed Apple's claims that Samsung devices were infringing on Apple's designs.  The Dutch court only found that Samsung infringed on a software-related issue (the way the Galaxy S phones is scrolled), but this can be easily addressed with a software update.  The Dutch court's decision denying Apple's "look and feel" claims could set precedent for similar rulings in the European Union and other countries.
"Apple's strategy amounts to little more than an attempt to smother its most prominent rival and the largest manufacturer of Android smartphones and to intimidate mobile phone carriers under an avalanche of meritless, rapidly evolving legal threats, rather than fairly competing in the marketplace," Samsung said in a court filing in U.S. district court.
Samsung has a deeper patent portfolio than Apple.  Sooner rather than later this Korean electronics giant will strike back against Apple.

Was Apple's Lost Smartphone Not iPhone 5?

The recently lost iPhone 5 still remains missing, though the investigators have found the house from which the lost device was emanating signals.

The San Francisco Police Department has admitted to accompanying Apple investigators to the man’s home.

Surprisingly, SFPD told the SF Weekly that the police did not get inside the man’s home along with the Apple investigators.
Calderon, the owner of the house said in an interview that none of the investors acknowledged being Apple’s employees, and one of them offered him $300 and said if he returned the phone, no charges would be pressed against him.
He confirmed only two of the six people who came by, entered his house and they did not identify themselves as police officials.

It is hard to believe that the police officials who accompanied the Apple employees did not get inside the man’s house for investigation.

The iPhone 5 story is unverifiable and consistently changing.
It is not even verified if the lost device was an iPhone 5 prototype or Apple was trying to retrieve some kind of arbitrary test unit which isn’t set to become a consumer product.
Last year, before the release of iPhone 4, an Apple employee lost the prototype of iPhone 4 at a bar. Gadget site, Gizmodo bought the prototype from the person who found the phone, and released pictures and specs of the iPhone 4 before the company's official announcement. Gizmodo received legal threats for putting up pictures and releasing specs.
It is also surprising that the trusted Apple employees who are given the iPhone prototypes for testing, lose it at a bar and get away with the carelessness without being fired by the company.
The company’s loss of the iPhone prototypes twice before their release raises a lot of questions, the answers to which will not be clear until Apple comes up to comment on the alleged phone loss.