Microsoft Confirms Windows Blue, But Probably Will Not Be The Retail Name

It was a couple of days ago that we heard about a leak concerning Microsoft’s next Windows update called Windows Blue. If you were wondering just how real it is, well, it’s very real because Microsoft has confirmed that they are working on the next Windows update. This was confirmed when Microsoft was announcing their next Build conference and according to their blog post, they wrote that Microsoft is “working … on plans to advance our devices and services, a set of plans referred to internally as Blue,” although they did point out that it most probably won’t be called Windows Blue upon release. Not surprising since I did sound like a codename to begin with.

According to a hands-on preview of the Windows Blue build, the folks at The Verge discovered numerous changes and updates, especially to the UI in which they likened to Windows Phone where the tiles are smaller, can be resized and the way they are arranged on your screen. It almost feels like we might be able to expect an eventual unification of sorts. They did note that this is an early build so it might not necessarily reflect the final one, but if you’re curious as to what some of the changes are, check out the video above.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 62z AiO, Facebook Comments Bug Reset Like Counts ,

A Near Perfect Lego Recreation of the Commodore 64

Hot on the heels of his impressive Lego Leica M9-P and gorgeous bricked Macintosh, Chris McVeigh—aka Flickr’s powerpig—is back with a stunning Lego rendition of the Commodore 64. More »

VPNs: What They Do, How They Work, and Why You’re Dumb for Not Using One

For as ubiquitous as connectivity has become and how reliant we’ve grown on it, the Internet is still a digital jungle where hackers easily steal sensitive information from the ill-equipped and where the iron-fisted tactics of totalitarian regimes bent on controlling what their subjects can access are common. So instead of mucking around in public networks, just avoid them. Use a VPN instead. More »

Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 62z AiO

Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 62z AiOLenovo has just expanded their All In One (AIO) portfolio with the latest addition to their family, the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 62z which is said to be a good fit for not only small workspaces, but equally small budgets, too, without having to compromise on performance and capability. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 62z comes with an 18.5-inch LCD display, which should be more than enough for the average computer user who does not indulge in graphic design, while being equally at home at nursing stations and school computer labs, where space is a premium.

Prices start from $549 onwards, which means it should not be too hard to scrounge together some money to purchase a computer if you are in need of one. Talk about value in a compact form factor! You will find that the ThinkCentre Edge 62z will come with up to 3rd generation Intel Core i3 processors, half a dozen USB 2.0 ports and Integrated Intel HD graphics. Expect the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 62z all-in-one PC to arrive in markets from the beginning of May onwards. [Press Release]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Confirms Windows Blue, But Probably Will Not Be The Retail Name, Facebook Comments Bug Reset Like Counts ,

Facebook Comments Bug Reset Like Counts

Facebook Comments Bug Reset Like Counts You know what they say about Murphy’s Law – anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, or something to that effect. Well, when it comes to a social network like Facebook, we would have more or less expected it to function the way it should, that is, being bug-free and all after all this while of fine tuning. Apparently not, as Murphy’s Law decides to drop by the world’s largest and most popular social network, where a new bug actually temporarily reset Like counts and comment threads on sites that carry its now ubiquitous Like buttons and Comments plug-in.

It is good to know, however, that this is but a temporary situation, as all Like counts as well as comments ought to be restored to the original or most recent state once Facebook has finalized a fix. This particular Facebook comments bug happened on March 25th in the afternoon, according to certain websites, where the majority of those sites had not www URL prefix. Well, all’s well that ends well, I suppose.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Confirms Windows Blue, But Probably Will Not Be The Retail Name, Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 62z AiO,

Google Blots Out ‘Ungoogleable’ In Sweden

Google Blots Out Ungoogleable In SwedenIf you were to turn the clock back 15 years or more ago, what would you have thought of this company known as Google? Surely you would have placed your money on the likes of Netscape, Microsoft and Yahoo when it came to search, but where is Netscape today? Google, on the other hand, has grown to be such a behemoth, that basically when they speak, the world listens. Well, folks over at Sweden have something interesting and new to grapple with now, where Google has allegedly placed pressure on the Language Council of Sweden as the latter made attempts to add “ungoogleable” to its list of new words.

Swedish news outlet Sverigesradio claimed that Google’s legal eagles decided to contact the Language Council after the announcement of making “ungoogleable” (or, in Swedish, “ogooglebar”) an official word. It took plenty of e-mails flying back and forth between the Council and Google’s lawyers before the Council took the step to drop its bid to make it a word, citing reasons that it took “too much time and resources away from other work.”

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Confirms Windows Blue, But Probably Will Not Be The Retail Name, Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 62z AiO,

Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Retina Tagline As A Result Of Chromebook Pixel

Apple Updates MacBook Pro with Retina Tagline As A Result Of Chromebook Pixel

Google announced its Chromebook Pixel high-end laptop last month which features a screen that’s capable of producing a high-DPI of 239 dots per inch, which is slightly higher than Apple’s MacBook Pro Retina’s display. Because of this, Apple has quietly removed the “highest-resolution notebook ever” tagline from its MacBook Pro Retina display listing on their website.

The Chromebook Pixel has a 2560 x 1700 resolution, while the MacBook Pro with Retina display only has a 2560 x 1600 resolution. That 100 additional pixels in the Chromebook Pixel’s resolution has earned them the right to be called the “highest-resolution notebook ever” tagline. Apple replaced its original tagline with a new describing the MacBook Pro with Retina display as “High performance has never been so well defined.” (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Modbook Pro Brings Us The iPad We’ve Wanted All Along, 600 Students To Receive MacBook Air At Illinois High School,

Google+ Profile Photos Now Support Animated GIFs

Google+ Profile Photos Now Support Animated GIFsWhich is the most frequently viewed animated GIF on the Internet? I am not quite sure about whether porn ads would fall under this category, but it would be safe to assume that hugely popular stuff like the Nyan Cat would be part of the animated GIF revolution. After all, if a picture is able to speak a thousand words, imagine just how about an image that has several frames within it will be able to tell its story? For those who do spend plenty of time on their Google+ social network, you might be well pleased to hear that Google+ now supports the use of animated GIFs as your profile image.

Yes sir, you are now able to upload your most flattering image that you think you look in, crop it according to the correct size, and who knows, it could very well be a springboard to a whole new generation of crazy Internet memes? Just what kind of animated GIF do you have in mind to get your Google+ profile update to keep up with the times?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Updated Windows 8 Mail App Ditches Google Calendar Support, Samsung Series 9 Premium Ultrabook Gets 1080p Display Update,

Updated Windows 8 Mail App Ditches Google Calendar Support

Updated Windows 8 Mail App Ditches Google Calendar SupportFor those who are using the recently updated Mail, Calendar, People and Messaging app for Windows 8, you might have figured out that support for Google Calendar has been removed in its entirety, which means you can no longer synchronize new as well as current calendars, no thanks to Google ditching Exchange ActiveSync support. Those who want to use the updated app will be on the receiving end of a message that reads as follows, asking you to reconnect your account.

We can’t connect to [address]@gmail.com because Google no longer supports Exchange ActiveSync. Reconnect to get your emails and contacts using a different method. Cancel to save your drafts and reconnect later.

Microsoft did mention in the past that EAS-syncing Google accounts which were added to Windows 8 before January 30th would retain information such as contacts, emails and calendars, but this seems to be nullified and void now. How will Microsoft offer support for Google Calendar down the road via the stock Calendar app in Windows 8 and Windows RT? We do not have the answer, and will hope to hear from Microsoft soon.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google+ Profile Photos Now Support Animated GIFs, Samsung Series 9 Premium Ultrabook Gets 1080p Display Update,

An Ode to Hollywood’s Obsession With Hacking the Mainframe

The term ‘mainframe’ doesn’t get thrown around as much as buzzwords like ‘cloud computing’ these days; except in Hollywood. The movies are still obsessed with the idea of someone hacking into the mainframe. Or, to be more specific, “hacking the mainframe” is still a convenient but lazy plot device that lets characters discover vital expository backstory, or escape a seemingly inescapable situation. More »