Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve always been suckers for Minority Report tech, and Microsoft Research’s latest attempt is not to be missed. Thought pinch-to-zoom was quaint? Try pinching the sky in this geodesic dome. Though the cardboard-and-paper-clip structure isn’t all that (unless you’re the arts and crafts type), the inside houses a projectiondesign DLP unit with a custom infrared camera system that can turn simple hand gestures into virtual interstellar travel, 360-degree video teleconferencing and more. You’ll find a pair of videos demonstrating the concept after the break, but try not to get too attached — if you’re anything like us, your poor heart can’t handle another Courier axing.

Continue reading Microsoft Research toys with the cosmos… using forefinger and thumb (video)

Microsoft Research toys with the cosmos… using forefinger and thumb (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on September 12, 2007 by CyberNet.

With Microsoft’s "Ultimate Steal" program launching today, I thought it was appropriate to base today’s "MyFive" on Office 2007! Here are five reasons why I love the new Microsoft Office 2007.

–Reasons to Love Microsoft Office 2007–

1. Ribbon Toolbar – The new ribbon toolbar in Office 2007 replaces the traditional menus and toolbars, and it’s awesome – once you get used to it of course.  If you’re used to a previous version of Office, give it a chance.  The ribbon is one of those things I can’t imagine not having because it saves me so much time – particularly in Microsoft Word. Everything seems easier to find, and you can even minimize the ribbon if you feel like it’s taking up too much room.
   
2. Mail Merge – This one may not rank high on your list, and perhaps it’s because you don’t know how to use it, but it’s extremely helpful if you have to send the same document to multiple people.  In Word 2007, there’s a "Mailings" tab on the ribbon which will guide you through the process, and we’ve got a "How-to" guide which you can find here that will help as well.
3. Format Photos in Word – It’s actually pretty amazing what you can do with photos in Microsoft Word 2007. There’s a great selection of "Picture Styles" that you can apply to your photos, and you’ll get a live preview of what your photo will look like before a style actually gets applied.
   
4. Keyboard Shortcuts – Another big change with this version of office are the keyboard shortcuts. While there were keyboard shortcuts before, they’ve been taken to a whole new level. There’s so much you can do with the shortcuts and they save time! You can nearly do anything you’d like without the use of your mouse in Office. All you have to do is press the ALT key and you’ll see little labels pop up which will show you "key tips" or what letter you need to press for a particular tab in the ribbon.  And then once you select a particular tab, you’ll get a new set of "key tabs" for the new menu that gets displayed.
   
5. If you’re a student, it’s cheap! – Getting Office 2007 for $59 is a reason in itself. With Microsoft’s recently launched "Ultimate Steal" promotion for students, you can’t help but love it.

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It was about a year and a half ago that Microsoft decided it could do QR codes better, that any universal coding system needed a dash of color, and launched Tag. Now, the roughly one billion Tags that users have printed have been made a little less illegitimate, with Microsoft bringing the service out of beta and taking the opportunity to toot Tag’s trumpet a bit. The codes have appeared in 20 million magazines so far and have recently been deployed to create a sort of tour for geeks in Amsterdam (no word on whether our own international man of mystery is featured). Meanwhile America’s cultural hub, the Mall of America, has been similarly bestickered to “enhance customer engagement,” but based on our previous experiences at that bastion of commercialism we’re thinking scooters and foot massages might have been more effective.

Microsoft Tag comes out of beta, promises free colorful codes for all originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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30 million Windows Phone 7 devices sold by the end of 2011? Microsoft says yes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on September 26, 2008 by CyberNet.

When it comes down to it, what most people want in an operating system is stability. They want something that works well out of the box, and they really don’t care too much about the extras that come with it because they can always download them at their convenience. In the case of Windows Vista, examples of extras would include things like Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail.

Do these extras really need to be shipped with the operating system? Microsoft thought so when Vista launched, but it looks as though they have re-thought the idea. Microsoft has confirmed that the next version of Windows will not ship with built-in programs including the three we mentioned above.

Our initial reaction to this change was definitely a good one. Since the launch of Windows Vista, there has been some confusion with the difference between the applications that come with Vista, and those that are available for download through Windows Live. For example, Vista ships with Windows Photo Gallery, yet one of the Live applications that people can download is Windows Live Photo Gallery. Installing the latter does not replace Windows Photo Gallery. This is where people get confused.

What does all of this mean for you? First of all, less confusion. Windows Vista general manager Brian Hall spoke to ZDNet and discussed the issue of confusion. He said in regards to the changes, that, “It makes it much cleaner.” There’s no need to have two different applications that offer nearly the same type of service to users. Less confusion for users is a great thing any day!

Microsoft is going to end-up taking the applications that they have removed and include them (we suspect) with their bundle of Windows Live Services. This means a user can download the group of Live services, and then choose which of them they want installed. This should certainly make things easier in the end. This also means that those applications could potentially get updated more frequently. To us, it’s a win-win situation.

Should Microsoft un-bundle applications from Windows to provide a cleaner, simpler operating system?

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