Having recently written about the hype surrounding Windows 8, it is only fair to report that the hype, this time, seems to have been justified. Half a million previews of Windows 8 are said to have been downloaded since the software became available a week or so ago.
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer stated that it showed the strong developer interest in Windows 8, the re-imagining of Windows for the brave new world of fondleslabs. Built to re-conceive Windows for a world of phones, tablets and cloud computing, and to beat Cupertino’s iPad at its own game, it has had a warm reaction so far. (The Register)
Not such good news for RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry. They seem to lurch from one problem to another, as they report a 47 per cent drop in profit this year. Adjusted net income for the quarter was $497 million, down from $797 million this time last year. Revenue fell 15 per cent compared to last quarter, to $4.2 billion, and it was down 10 per cent from this time last year.
Remaining bullish, Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said: “We successfully launched a range of BlackBerry 7 smartphones around the world during the latter part of the second quarter and we are seeing strong sell-through and customer interest for these new products”.
On the subject of smartphones (and hype), speculation continues around the iPhone 5 with the latest speculation being that new phone will not only be wider than the iPhone 4, but also feature an elongated Home button.
Potential good news for all smartphone users though is that researchers at the University of Michigan have figured out a way to drastically increase your cellphone’s battery life, at least while using WiFi.
By using what they’re calling E-MiLi, or Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening, professor Kang Shin (right) and student Xinyu Zhang have developed a proof of concept that could extend battery life up to 54-percent with the WiFi radio on. Even when idle, a wireless radio is actively checking for incoming traffic. E-MiLi scales back the wireless card’s clock to just 1/16th of its normal operating speed, and only kicks back into full gear when it senses incoming data. ( Engadget)
Good news indeed especially as 20 per cent of us now use our smartphone to access Facebook rather than to talk to people, according to the Telegraph
The majority of people aged between 25 and 34 said they preferred contacting to their friends and family online instead of speaking to them directly, according to a survey by TalkTalk, the broadband provider. The research also indicated that the landline phone has been comprehensively overtaken by mobiles. Nearly 40 per cent said they preferred using their mobile phone to communicate, compared to 22 per cent who liked to use their landlines.
Chris runs the expat blog Almerimar Life covering subjects like expat finance, expat insurance and general advice for expats. He blogs about his life in Spain with his wife Sands, five cats, two Harley Davidsons and (far too often) a glass of red wine. A monthly columnist with the Telegraph Expat he is a regular contributor on a number of local and national papers and radio stations.
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