Mar 05

Kayak to provide travel and flight search results within Microsoft’s Bing

Posted in: Microsoft, search, Today's Chili, Travel

Bing Travel just so happened to be the one major aspect of Bing that kept us coming back, and now it’s about to get even more irresistible. The famed Kayak flight search engine will soon be powering Microsoft’s Bing Travel, with the two locking down a partnership that’ll bring better results to consumers while enabling Bing admins to focus their attention on more pressing matters. According to Kayak, Bing will have access to “all” of Kayak’s travel search services globally, and it looks as if the integration will be complete “in the coming weeks.” Call it a hunch, but something tells us the folks are Redmond are just stacking up ammunition to face a new wave of inevitable competition — if that Google / ITA deal ever clears regulatory hurdles, it’ll be On Like Donkey Kong.

Kayak to provide travel and flight search results within Microsoft’s Bing originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceKayak, Bing  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 04

Gadget Lab Podcast: iPad 2, Kinect Hacks, Zombie Ants

Posted in: Apple, Games, ipad, ipad 2, kinect, Microsoft, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili

          

In this week’s Gadget Lab podcast, we kick off the show with a quick look at some weird fungus that’s apparently turning certain ants into zombies. Gross and awesome.

Moving on to gadget land, we waste some time playing with Zibits, puny robots controlled with a two-directional “joystick.” They aren’t very useful, but they’re charmingly simple.

In more serious news, we cover the highlights of Apple’s new iPad 2 tablet computer launched this week. It’s thinner, faster and lighter than the previous iPad, with the same $500 starting price.

The iPad 2 also includes two cameras: one on front for video-conferencing and the other on back for snapping photos, which are a neat addition, but they look like they’re pretty low-quality cameras.

Apple is also selling a pretty interesting protective cover for the iPad 2 called the Smart Cover, which has a magnet to clip the accessory right on to the side of the tablet. It’s a neat cover, but we’re more interested in Apple’s business strategy in the accessories game than in the product itself.

We wrap up the podcast with some of our favorite hacks for the Microsoft Kinect. Some clever nerds have hacked Microsoft’s Kinect controller to use it to control music, give themselves boob implants and create 3-D models, among other applications.

UPDATE: To enter the contest mentioned in the podcast, post your answer below by 5pm Pacific on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast on iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds.

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast No. 106

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0106.mp3


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Mar 04

Microsoft kicks off effort to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6

Posted in: Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Today's Chili, web browser, WebBrowser
“Friends don’t let friends use Internet Explorer 6.” A quote from any random web developer over the past ten years? Nope, that’s from Microsoft itself, and it’s featured on the Internet Explorer 6 Countdown site that the company just launched today. As you can see above, the site also includes statistics on IE6 use around the world (China is apparently the biggest offender by a wide margin), as well as information about how you can “join the cause” and educate others about the perils of using such a horrible, outdated web browser.

Microsoft kicks off effort to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ZDNet  |  sourceIE6 Countdown  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 04

Windows Phone 7 Update Reportedly Still Causing Problems for Samsung Owners

Posted in: Microsoft, samsung, Today's Chili, windows phone 7

Samsung Focus

On the bright side, the Windows Phone 7 update isn’t bricking Samsung phones anymore, but it is still causing headaches – enough that some users are being forced to factory reset their devices. 
Last week, Samsung and Microsoft pulled the plug on the update altogether, acknowledging that the firmware update – one that’s supposed to set the stage for a larger WP7 feature update later this month – was rendering some devices useless. 
Yesterday, we reported that Samsung and Microsoft had resolved the issue and Samsung owners would start seeing the update when their devices were eligible to receive it. Today, after that update has started to make its way to users again, many Samsung users are reporting mysterious error codes when trying to apply it. If the user tries to restore from backup to resolve the problem, the process fails – which leaves the phone owner no recourse but to do a factory reset. Ouch. 
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Support feed on Twitter has acknowledged the problem to several users, and promises that the team is working on a resolution. They stop short, however, of stopping the updates or suggesting workarounds. If you have a Samsung phone running Windows Phone 7, you may want to hold off on that firmware update until this is all worked out. 
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Mar 04

Microsoft Tablet OS Due Out in 2012 – Report

Posted in: ipad, Microsoft, tablet, Today's Chili, windows 7

Ballmer HP slate.jpg

Microsoft is finally issuing its full-fledged answer to the iPad. Next year. Word is that the company’s long awaited consumer tablet OS will finally be hitting the market, just in time for back to school 2012, which will likely put the tablets in direct competition with the third generation iPad.

According to “people who declined to be identified because the plans haven’t been disclosed publicly,” cited by Bloomberg, Microsoft is set to begin public testing on the tablet-friendly version of Windows 7 later this year. The update will be designed specifically to work on touchscreens, taking advantage of tablet screen size and battery concerns.

Apple, of course, currently dominates the market, with the latest figures somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 percent of tablet sales in the U.S. Google’s Android is set to make a big grab, thanks to the recently released Motorola Xoom and a slew of upcoming tablets that will take advantage of Google’s tablet-oriented Android Honeycomb.

Unless Microsoft hits back with a downright revolution, the timing certainly doesn’t bode well for the software giant’s chances in the market. Sure the company got good reviews and even some moderate sales with Windows Phone 7 devices, but failed attempts to offer tablets to consumers in the past aside, Microsoft is really starting from scratch on this one.

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Mar 04

Updated Windows Phone 7 update isn’t updating some Samsung phones for March update

Posted in: issue, Microsoft, samsung, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Today's Chili, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Man, talk about a flustercuck. After missing a cycle with its mobile phone strategy, the last thing Microsoft needed was a support fiasco related to its very first Windows Phone 7 software update. But after re-releasing a patched software update meant to solve the update issues seen by some Samsung owners, we’re now seeing reports of a new issue on Twitter and in a variety of support forums and blog comments. At the moment, there’s no clear fix to the dilemma characterized by a wonderfully descriptive “error code 800705B4.” Unfortunately, what solves the problem for some (reboots, removing apps, freeing up space on the handset) doesn’t work for others. Microsoft’s official Windows Phone 7 Support Twitter account has responded to one frustrated customer saying, “We are aware of the error code are are looking into it right now,” telling another to hold off on the update while MS investigates. Funny thing is, this minor WP7 update wasn’t meant to do anything except prepare phones for the first feature update scheduled for early March. Not funny ha ha.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Updated Windows Phone 7 update isn’t updating some Samsung phones for March update originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Windows Phone Thoughts  |  sourceMicrosoft Answers  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 03

WrapUp: 30 Safari Extensions to Try, Unlocker Supports 64-Bit Machines, and More

Posted in: Gmail, Microsoft, performance, Today's Chili, WrapUp

This article was written on July 07, 2010 by CyberNet.

Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, or just leave a comment on this page if you think you’ve got something we should include.

–News–

ethernet.jpgEthernet Cables to Replace HDMI?
Large companies such as Sony, Samsung, and LG are contributing to a new technology called HDBaseT that could eventually replace HDMI.


gmail conversations.jpgGoogle Will Let Users Disable Gmail Conversations
Google is apparently working on letting users turn off the conversations feature in Gmail so that they can view their emails in a more traditional “flat” view.


firefox addons.jpg2 Billion Firefox Add-ons Downloaded
Over 7 thousand developers have helped contribute to Firefox’s 2 billion add-on downloads.


tapulous.jpgiOS Game Developer Tapulous Acquired by Disney
The maker of the popular iPhone game Tap Tap Revenge was acquired by Disney last week.


microsoft kin.jpgMicrosoft Pulls the Plug on Kin
The Microsoft Kin phone has only been on sale for two months, and has already been discontinued so that Microsoft can focus more on the Windows Phone 7 Series that is launching later this year.


google news.jpgGoogle News Gets Redesigned
Google News has received a slight facelift and some additional features, such as selecting which news sources you’d like to see more/less.


woot.jpgAmazon Acquires Deal Site Woot
Last week Amazon bought Woot.com, a site that offers one deal per day, for an estimated $110 million.


hulu plus.jpgHulu Plus Subscription Officially Revealed
Hulu is offering (currently by invite only) a monthly subscription-based viewing plan that makes their content viewable on some mobile devices and video game consoles.


chrome logo.jpgChrome Overtakes Safari in Usage
According to StatCounter the Google Chrome browser has inched by Safari coming in at 8.97% and 8.88% usage, respectively.


–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–

chrome tab manager.jpgMore Ways to View/Manage Your Chrome Tabs
 This nice little Chrome extension provides an icon-only view of all your open tabs across all open windows.


unlocker.jpgUnlocker Removes “In Use” Files on 64-Bit Machines, too
One of my favorite apps, Unlocker, now supports 64-bit machines. That means you can remove virtually any file regardless of whether something already has a hold of it.


iphone backup.jpgToggle iPhone Backups On/Off in iTunes
This free Windows app will let you toggle backups on/off for your iPhone in a single click.


changedetection.jpgChangeDetection Watches for Updated Sites
If you want to monitor a site for changes head on over to ChangeDetection.com to set it up. Once configured it will email you anytime it detects an update to that particular page.


browser speed test.jpgLatest Browser Speed Comparison
This is a great set of performance tests that put the latest browsers up against each other.


pixelpipe.jpgUploading HD Videos from Your iPhone Using Pixelpipe
By default the new iPhone 4 doesn’t upload full HD videos to YouTube, but using a free app such as Pixelpipe will help you get around that limitation.


lasso.jpg30 Safari Extensions You Can Try Right Now
Get everything from Gmail counters to Twitter integration right inside the Safari browser.


–Downloads–

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 03

Microsoft tablet OS not coming until fall 2012?

Posted in: Microsoft, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, rumor, rumors, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, tablets, Today's Chili, Windows, windows 8, Windows8

We’ve caught wind of many whispers about a Windows designed specifically for tablets, but the latest scuttlebutt states we won’t get to add them to our mobile arsenal anytime soon — Bloomberg‘s anonymous sources report that Microsoft won’t release a tablet operating system until the 2012 back-to-school season, and will only begin to publically test the OS at the end of this year. That suggests not only a timeframe, but also a likely plan — it’s not hard to imagine Microsoft would enjoy a slice of the educational market before iPads replace textbooks entirely at schools with cash to burn. Of course, Dell seems to think there’ll be a Windows 8 slate in January of next year.

Microsoft tablet OS not coming until fall 2012? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBloomberg  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 03

IE 8 to Enforce Standards Mode by Default

Posted in: Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Software, Today's Chili, Windows

This article was written on March 04, 2008 by CyberNet.

ie7 standards 

Microsoft made a decision over a month ago that Internet Explorer 8 will not use their “super standards” mode by default. They said that websites would be able to opt-in to having IE 8 render sites in a standards-compliant way, but they thought it would be best if they broke as few sites as possible.

According the IE Blog Microsoft has switched their way of thinking. They will now be enforcing the “super standards” mode by default, and making it so that developers can specify in the code whether they want the site to be rendered like it was in Internet Explorer 7. They try to say that this decision came because of the feedback from the community, but they also mentioned that it will help them avoid any legal issues:

Microsoft recently published a set of Interoperability Principles. Thinking about IE8’s behavior with these principles in mind, interpreting web content in the most standards compliant way possible is a better thing to do.

We think that acting in accordance with principles is important, and IE8’s default is a demonstration of the interoperability principles in action. While we do not believe any current legal requirements would dictate which rendering mode a browser must use, this step clearly removes this question as a potential legal and regulatory issue.

I think that this is the best move by Microsoft because it will help push for more standards-compliant websites to be produced. It will be interesting to see how fast websites are to converge to the standards implemented in Internet Explorer 8. I’m guessing that we won’t really see the effects of it for 5 or so years after its release which is when a majority of users will have IE 8 on their computer.

Read more about this at the IE Blog and the Microsoft Press Release

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 03

Microsoft Kills SideWinder Gaming Brand

Posted in: gaming, Microsoft, Today's Chili, video games

SideWinder Gaming Peripherals

The Microsoft SideWinder series of gaming and high-end keyboards and mice have been around for a while, and made waves when they were introduced as an alternative to bigger names in the gaming peripheral market like Logitech and Saitek (now owned by MadCatz.) Now, Microsoft is expected to kill off the brand entirely and end the peripheral line that brought us solid keyboards like the SideWinder X6 and the original SideWinder gaming mouse. 
According to a post at VR Zone, Microsoft is citing a far too crowded field in the PC peripheral market to keep up with the high-end brand, specifically from companies that specialize in peripherals like Logitech, Razer, and even SteelSeries. 
It’s not the first time Microsoft has tried to wind down the SideWinder brand – back in 2003 the company stopped making new SideWinder peripherals due to flagging sales, but thanks to an agreement with Razer they brought the brand back in 2007. This time however, it doesn’t look like there’ll be anyone to save the peripheral line, and Microsoft hasn’t indicated they want it saved.
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