8 Things About Windows 8

Looking ahead past Windows 7. Techradar reported that Microsoft has started working on Windows 8.



With Windows 7 now out of the door, it's about time to hype up another Windows successor. So here goes 8 things you need to know about Windows 8, another one from techradar.

1. Windows 8 release date is late 2011 or early 2012

That's 2-3 years after Windows 7; leaving aside the aberration of Vista, that's the typical time between Windows releases and it matches up with the 2012 dates mentioned on leaked Windows Server timelines.

While Windows President Steven Sinofsky says he doesn't want to "underpromise and over-deliver" for Windows, it's likely that Microsoft will announce the later date and ship on the earlier one.

2. Everything we know comes from job ads and profiles - so we don't know much

It's impossible to say what will and won't be in Windows 8 at this stage because no-one knows; not even the Windows team.

The broad scenarios for Windows have been decided and all features will have to fit into one of those scenarios but the feature list isn't set. The final list of features will be locked down late in 2010, which is when we'll see the first public beta – and the first official details.

Remember that internally Microsoft uses 'Windows 8' to cover the server and desktop operating systems and many of the features gleaned from job adverts are server features like Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) storage technology and the File Server role.

If the rumoured 128-bit support is true, then it's 128-bit registers for processing data in Itanium servers.

3. Hibernate and resume will have a new engine

According to the profile of an intern on the Windows team, there's going to be a new Hibernate/Resume Integration API using what he calls "the new TLZ file compression engine". That could mean even faster hibernation and resume times – if it makes it into the final code.

4. Windows 8 will have new networking and security features

Another intern reports working on "new networking features"; that tells us about as much as the profile of the Software Security Engineer who's working on "Windows 8 security".

Changes in network security, authentication and encryption detailed in a Software Design Engineer's profile are again probably related to Windows Server. Another online resume mentions a possible "follow-on" to the PatchGuard system that stops viruses changing system files that was delayed from Windows 7.

5. Seadragon? Maybe

The team behind SeaDragon and the Deep Zoom feature in Silverlight is recruiting a Lead Developer but the ad only says they "want to take it" to Windows 8 (as well as Windows Mobile 7, XNA for Xbox and WPF for Vista and Windows 7).

6. Windows 8 will have better multimonitor support

Steven Sinofsky has already said there wasn't time to do more work on the user interface with multiple monitors but that it's on the list for Windows 8, not least because "we all use it at Microsoft". Expect scenarios for handling three or more screens, in various arrangements.

7. Windows 8 might run on ARM

Or at least the Windows kernel might run on the ARM and Qualcomm Snapdragon chips found inside smartphones, possibly using a hypervisor. That might not mean the full version of Windows 8 but it would enable a future mobile version of Windows that could run on much lower spec systems than current PCs.

8. Steven Sinofsky is in charge of it

This is both good – he was responsible for getting Windows 7 out on time and working well – and potentially very bad. Sinofsky's expertise is execution rather than vision and for Windows 8 that could mean a pedestrian set of improvements rather than anything potentially game changing.

Windows 7 is more than Vista done right, but it is an excellent execution of the Vista architecture changes. With Windows 7 to compete against, Windows 8 will need to be a lot more exciting than that.

Cheaper Nintendo Wii at $199 in September 27?

Last week, we got a peek at an alleged Walmart ad that indicated an official price drop for the Wii. Then, it appears that retailer Toys R Us may have heard the same thing. And now, folks at Nintendojo were apparently on a retailer conference call where Nintendo "confirmed" the new $199 Wii price, which will supposedly go into effect Sunday next week September 27. If they really say that it's officially confirmed, then we have to take Nintendojo's word for it -- not that we have any reason not to, but for now we'll have to just wait until the "unconfirmed confirmation" gets officially confirmed by Nintendo themselves or at least until we really see from the retailer's shelf -- before we go into an all-out celebration mode.

Sony S and E Series Walkman Players Start Playing Tunes Next Month

We've been spotting Sony's S Series Walkman around since July, and Sony finally feels it's about time to make it official, also Coming along is the slightly lower-rent E Series. Specs on the S Series are are promising, including a 2.4-inch QVGA LCD, FM tuning and recording, along with support for a variety of formats including MP3, protected WMA, AAC, H.264, and WMV. It offers battery life of 42 hour hours when playing music through headphones and 6.5 hours of video, but when you're playing it out boom box style through the integrated speakers that drops the playing time to 17 hours and five hours respectively.



Colorful options of black, pink, violet, and red will be available, with an 8GB model going for $110 and 16GB for $130. If that's a bit too steep for you there's the 2-inch E Series, sporting a slightly smaller chassis, slightly lower battery life (30 hours music and 4 hours video), and a slightly lower price of $80 for 8GB and $100 for 16. Both Sony S and E series are shipping sometime next month.

BrainPort Device Offers Blind a Chance to See With Their Tongue

This could be the coolest gadget ever for disabled people especially the blind. BrainPort is a device that was first introduced in 2006 and would allow users to regain some vision by means of a camera and electrical impulses sent to their tongue.



The BrainPort works by decoding signals that are sent from a camera that’s mounted on your head and transforming them into electrical impulses to your tongue. These impulses are then experienced as spatial awareness and even an ability to read text.

The device is currently pending FDA approval, but if all goes well, the BrainPort should be available early next year. However, pricing doesn't come cheap and is expected to fall in the $10,000 range.

Source: Scientific American

Leaked Apple Tablet Videos: Fake or Not?

The new Apple Tablet videos circulating have stirred much argument and debate today. A lot of opinions are leaning towards the probability that these well done and neatly-executed videos are fake.

But fake or not these video clips demonstrate various applications being run concurrently on the same device, together with boot-up and what’s said to be the development platform. It’s like having multiple iPhones on the same giant touch screen. There are also various arguments that suggest how Apple might manage the transition to a larger-screen device: simply inflating the iPod touch.

But regardless of whatever this is or isn’t, let's admit, we all want this.