Office 2013 goes gold

Microsoft’s Office 2013 has not yet hit the mass market, but that does not mean it is not too far off in the future. In fact, according to Office Vice President Kirk Koenigsbauer, he did announce the software’s official “Release to manufacturing” (RTM) status on the Office News blog, and threw in some sweeteners in the form of release date information. To put it in a nutshell, Office 2013 has already gone gold, meaning it should be more than ready to hit the market at a specified date. Business customers will be the more privileged ones, as they will be able to get first dibs on the RTM software, being allowed to download Office 2013 in addition to SharePoint 2013, Lync 2013, and Exchange 2013 thanks to Microsoft’s Volume Licensing Service Center from the middle of November onwards.

As for TechNet and MSDN subscribers, those who fall under that category ought to be able to download such software when it happens, and Office 365 Enterprise is slated to receive an update within a similar time frame. As for the ordinary man on the street, one will just need to be a wee bit more patient, as Office 2013 will only be made available to the masses sometime within Q1 2013.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft releases Office Store for Office 2013, Microsoft introduces Excel 2013,

Xbox Music unavailable on Windows Phone 7 or Windows 7, have to survive on Legacy Zune support instead

Yes, we did bring you word on how Microsoft has announced their next step in muscling their way into the digital music market that is currently dominated by Apple’s iTunes and to a certain extent, Amazon’s Cloud Player, by introducing the Xbox Music service which delivers free streaming on Windows 8-powered devices such as computers and tablets. The thing is, folks who are still running on Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 will be unable to obtain access to Xbox Music, as the Xbox Music service was specially designed to cater for Microsoft’s Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Xbox 360 console only.

So what other options do Windows Phone 7 and Windows 7 users have? Well, they will just have to make do with the Zune Music service, where one is able to obtain access to a similar catalogue of songs as Xbox Music. I guess that ain’t too bad, it is just a matter of taking a different route to the same destination, and you can bet your bottom dollar that eventually, the Zune Music service will be phased out for good.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Xbox Music announced by Microsoft, Apple iTunes and Amazon Cloud Player to watch out?, Leaked screenshots reveal Xbox Music Pass pricing,

Gmail search gets a boost

If you remember web-based mail services of old such as Hotmail, Lycos and Yahoo, then you would realize how different things were back in the day, and searching for information was not that easy. Along came Google who changed the search landscape just about forever, and their Gmail service is definitely worth having for anyone who wants to locate their lost emails in a jiffy. Since August, Google apparently opened a field trial that enabled one to sign up in order to retrieve information from Gmail straight from the Google search box itself. The feedback has been more positive than negative, and from today onwards, everyone and their dog are able to sign up for a new and expanded field trial so that you can locate your stuff across Google.

In Gmail, as you start to type your search parameters into the search box, your eyes should start to see relevant emails from Gmail in addition to results from Google Drive, and Google Calendar amongst others, now how neat is that? You can sign up here if interested.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google warns users of potential Gmail attack, Gmail access restored in Iran, YouTube ban remains,

First Warning Systems Creates Early Cancer Warning Bra (Video)

First Warning Systems Self Examination BraA fortunate set of circumstances put 24-year old nurse Nedra Lindsay in
an investigative study linking non-circadean temperatures in breast
cells to abnormal growths within the breasts  At her age, breast cancer
was the last thing she expected to be faced with, but her study results
indicated a follow-up with mammography….

Password of the future: Your eye movement

Do you remember the nonchalant manner in which Loki obtained an eyeball at a ball (sorry, I just could not resist that) in the Avengers? Well, biometric security measures are not exactly the newest kid on the block when it comes to data security, but there has been progress made in this department, with the latest kind of password involving you to look into a camera, and when the camera detects the right kind of eye movements, it will unlock the computer or device. In a nutshell, passwords of the future could very well be your eye movement, now how about that? It is also safer for your eyeball, since there is no need for a thieving mind to actually gouge out your eyeball as that would be pretty much as useful as using the Apple Maps app on your iPhone 5 to search for public transport schedules.

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Open Home WiFi Access Led to SWAT Raid on Innocent Family Home, eHarmony confirms password breach ,

Acer Aspire 5600U and 7600U announced, will not come cheap

The desktop has definitely seen an evolution in design over the years, where the all-in-one concept has been explored for a fair number of years already, bringing ever changing and slimmer form factors to the table, literally. Well, Acer’s latest Windows 8-powered all-in-one desktops will come in the form of the Acer Aspire 5600U and the Acer Aspire 7600U which will be available in 23” and 27” sizes, respectively. It does seem as though a minimalist design structure will define both desktops, where the edge-to-edge display is complemented by a transparent panel that is located at the bottom of the bezel, not to mention having a stick thin frame which is no more than 1.4” thick. This makes it so slim, you are able to tilt the entire machine at a nearly face-up 80-degree angle.

Regardless of whether you pick up the Aspire 5600U or the Aspire 7600U, you wilI end up with a 1080p display, 8GB RAM and 1TB of storage space, with the option to configure them with Acer’s InstantOn technology that delivers 1.5-second resume times. The Aspire 7600U will feature a discrete NVIDIA GT640M GPU with 2GB video memory, while the Aspire 5600U is the less endowed of the two with an integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics chipset. Out later this month, pricing for the 5600U starts from $1,000 upward, while the 7600U is nearly double the entry price point at $1,900.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Ivy Bridge-powered Acer Aspire V3 launching in Japan, Acer Iconia W510 Windows 8 tablet arrives on November 9, to cost $500,

Raspberry Pi Model B ships with 512MB RAM

To say that the original Raspberry Pi was a runaway success would be accurate and true, some might even throw in the adjective “runaway” to boot (although it did suffer some birth pangs). Well, it seems that there is the Raspberry Pi Model B made available to the masses already, where it will come with a bump in its memory count, bringing the RAM amount to 512MB in the process. In fact, folks who have already picked up the 512MB Raspberry Pi earlier this morning are already able to download the updated firmware, now how about that?

After all, many fans of the Raspberry Pi have already asked the people behind this super affordable “computer” to come up with a more expensive version that carries additional RAM, making it ideal for folks who want to up the ante when it comes to the Raspberry Pi’s overall use in our life. From today onwards, all Model B Raspberry Pis will ship with 512MB RAM, and the price point of $35 will still be maintained. Not too bad a way to kick off the week, no? Even if you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, this is still something worth smiling over.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Raspberry Pi gets a 1GHz turbo mode upgrade, The Dark Pi Rises in the form of a drone,

Windows 8 Pro sold by Walmart for $70

Hmmm, judging by today’s news, can you say that Microsoft is not getting the kind of respect that they deserve? I am referring to the fact that Halo 4 has already been leaked over the weekend, and while there are repercussions for those who downloaded it and played the game, it has not stopped folks from doing so, either. Having said that, Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system which is scheduled for a rollout later this month has already been put up for sale at Walmart according to The Verge (who also provided the photo). As to whether this is an isolated incident or not remains to be seen, but what you see above is an image of Windows 8 Pro being put for sale for $70 a pop.

The official release date for Windows 8 is this coming October 26th, and word on the street has it that Walmart employees have informed their customers that Windows 8 Pro is already available for sale, it is just that Walmart did not do any promotional work just yet. Which part of the communications line do you think resulted in this particular snafu?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Major Windows 8 update released, Microsoft sponsoring free WiFi in San Francisco and New York as part of Windows 8 marketing campaign,

Next-gen iMacs expected to feature a new curved and thinner design [Rumor]

We’re sure that many were kind of disappointed earlier this year when Apple did not unveil new iMacs alongside the refreshed MacBook Airs and the MacBook Pros. However rumors at that time suggested that the refreshed iMacs could be coming later although when exactly is still a mystery. That being said, photos have been posted on Chinese website, WeiPhone, that claims to be the internal components of the upcoming iMac refresh which also shows off WiFi and Bluetooth antennas, fans, and a hard drive.

Unfortunately the specifics of the refresh were not mentioned, although in terms of design, we could be seeing something completely new. According to the reports, the upcoming iMac refresh will not only introduce new components (obviously), but will also be much thinner compared to its predecessor. This is thanks to its display being attached to its glass cover which sounds similar to the technique employed on the iPhone 5 which resulted in a much thinner device. The report has also suggested that the shell of the new iMac will be curvier like a water droplet, rather than squared. We’ll take this with a grain of salt for now but what do you guys think?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Refreshed iMacs rumored to be revealed on the 12th of September alongside iPhone 5, This iMac prank is hilarious but extremely cringe worthy,

13″ MacBook Pro with Retina display “confirmed” for Apple’s 23rd of October event

If you think a 13” MacBook Pro is more portable versus a 15” one, you may have heard rumors that Apple could be announcing a 13” MacBook Pro with Retina display alongside the iPad mini, which according to the rumors, has been pegged for a 23rd of October announcement. That being said, it seems that the 13” MacBook Pro with Retina display has been “confirmed” for Apple’s event. This is according to the folks at 9to5 Mac who have been tipped off by a reliable source from a high-profile US retailer.

The specs of the device were not mentioned, although according to their source, the 13” MacBook Pro will not only be smaller, but is also expected to be thinner and lighter compared to its 15” Retina counterpart which was launched earlier this year. It will also come in two different configurations and will be up for purchase “soon” after its introduction. In any case we’re a little over a week before the rumored 23rd of October event, so we guess we won’t have long to wait to see if the rumors pan out, so check back with us then for the details.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Retina Macbook Pro 13 GPU could be slower than first Macbook Air’s [rumor], 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina display rumored to be facing production quality issues as well,