Microsoft to Introduce Web Versions of Office Apps
The forthcoming version of Windows Office would contain simplified forms of its apps that would be available through Web browsers, announced Microsoft at the Professional Developers Conference on Tuesday.
The software giant said that while it will be putting its Office apps like Word, Power Point and Excel online, it will not completely do away with the traditional versions. Online apps have proved to be very popular with users because of the many advantages they offer – mainly the ease with which documents created in an online app can be opened up for sharing and collaboration. It is this convenience that Google has been leveraging in its Google Docs suit.
Another major advantage of putting up apps online is that the user base grows virally. The user merely has to share a document and the app comes along with it for free. On the other hand, with paid and installed software the user base cannot be expanded so rapidly.
However Microsoft has not had a good track record for developing apps which move seamlessly between online and offline use. For instance its Outlook Web Access is a weaker version of the desktop app and the company has itself claimed that the forthcoming online apps will not come equipped with all the features of the desktop apps.
Online Video Site Draws Viewers with Fewer Ads
Hulu, one of the popular video sites on Internet, has brought about a number of advertising innovations in the last one year. some of the interesting advertising ideas which have caught on the imagination of net users are “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” rating for commercials, choose-your-own advertisement option before the start of the video show as well as interactive games during commercial breaks.
Hulu which celebrated its first anniversary on Wednesday has not only been commended for its easy-to-use and aesthetically pleasing interface but has also brought a new dimension to the advertising experience. Instead of continuing with the long commercial pods that television viewers have become used to, Hulu shows only one ad shown during each segment break on the site. This approach, say Hulu executives, make the selective ads more memorable and allows them to charge higher fees for the ad units.
Currently Hulu has more than a hundred sponsors, from General Motors to Old Spice. According to a Nielsen Online report issued last week Hulu provided around 142 million streams to 6.3 million unique viewers in September this year. this makes Hulu the sixth-most popular online video site in the United States though it has still a long way to go to match YouTube which is the market leader with twenty times more video streams than any other brand in the United States.
Google Settles Lawsuit with Publishers for $125 million
Google has agreed to pay $125 million to settle lawsuits filed by authors and publishers which charged the web search group of copyright violations.
In 2005 group of publishers and writers had challenged Google’s book scanning project that digitised and offered excerpts of books without permission from copyright holders. the suit against Google was brought on by the Authors Guild and members of the American Association of Publishers which includes McGraw Hill, CBS-owned Simon & Custer, Pearson Education, Penguin as well as John Wiley & Sons.
The agreement is the latest development in the dispute between Google and the publishing industry which has become increasingly wary of the media company’s shadow over their business. However the settlement is expected to put in place a legal and financial framework which will guide the digital distribution of millions of books over the internet in United States and later perhaps in other parts of the world.
The settlement is still subject to approval of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Once approved, readers will be able to look for and read extracts from millions of out-of-print as well as copyrighted books over the web besides having the option of buying access to the books.
Microsoft Unveils Windows 7, Looks Beyond Vista Brand
Microsoft launched the latest version of its Windows operating system on Tuesday with claims that it will be a slimmer and more responsive version of its popular operating system.
The new version will be branded as Windows 7 because it is the seventh in the series of operating systems which have been developed by Microsoft for PCs since the 1980s. Microsoft is sure to hope that the familiar brand name will help erase the memory of the disastrous response its Windows Vista got from customers and reviewers. However the company did not specify when Windows 7 will be available for sale to the public.
Microsoft further announced that it would soon bring out a Web-based version of its Office programs. this is most likely intended to take on competitors like Google Docs and Zoho which have introduced spreadsheets, word processors and presentation programs capable of running on a Web browser.
However Microsoft officials acknowledged that the strategy might evoke concern from market analysts on the possibility of the new products eating into the profits of the lucrative Office franchise. Investors are already worried about the Financial results of Microsoft in the most recent quarter which shows that the Windows unit reported a mere rise of 2% in revenues as opposed to as 4% decline in operating income.
Microsoft Overhauls Xbox Live with Socially Interactive Add-ons
With the new version of Xbox Live, Microsoft intends to overhaul its online gaming service and provide a more visual as well as a more socially interactive experience to gamers across the world.
Slated for a November 19 release, the “New Xbox Experience” is being described by Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten as a “transformation into a social media portal”. This is because the primary addition to the overhauled service includes a “friends interaction” feature which allows the gamer to connect up with seven others and move unhindered between games, films, chats or any other form of entertainment.
Another popular addition is the “Avatar” feature which will allow the Xbox 360 owners to put their own personal touch by customizing an avatar with its individual facial features and wardrobe.
Among other major changes will be a much simpler and more visual interface. For instance when the 360 owners update their Live interface, it will be transformed from a text-heavy hub to a more visual central location. This will no longer make it necessary to surf Marketplace for downloadable games or Netflix for streaming films and TV show and instead the user will be welcomed by that title’s box art.
EBay to Ban Sale of Ivory Items
Popular online auction portal eBay has decided to ban the sale of ivory products to help save the African and Asian elephants from being killed for their tusks which is the source of the inordinately expensive material.
The ban will go into effect in December this year and will be enforced from January 2009, announced an eBay official on Tuesday. While the company will allow sale of products with small amounts of ivory like pianos, they must have been manufactured before the year 1900. However products containing large amounts of ivory will not be allowed for sale regardless of the year of their making. Among the products expected to be banned by this policy are chess sets, ivory broaches as well as other jewellery items made of ivory.
eBay decided to take the step to ban all ivory products since it had become impossible for the company to ensure that the product for sale was in compliance with the complex regulations governing the sale of ivory products, wrote Richard Brewer-Hay in the company blog, eBay Ink.
Last year eBay had imposed a ban on cross-border sales of ivory products but sales had continued unhindered. The decision to ban all ivory products from December onwards was welcomed by the Humane Society International as well as the Humane Society of the United States which had brought into eBay’s notice as early as 2002 the sale of thousands of ivory products being conducted on its site.
Compare great rates from savingsaccount.com
As the economy teeters on the edge of a recession, it has become more necessary than ever for individuals to undertake some astute financial planning. One of the best ways to ensure financial security is to practice regular saving which will not only help one to keep by some funds for a rainy day but will also inculcate financial discipline required for larger investments.
Savings accounts offer a great way to create nest-egg of savings but depositors are often confused by the sheer number of banks, all claiming to offer the best rates. Savingsaccount.com is an online portal which offers a free and easy way to compare banks and see who offers the highest and great rates on online savings accounts.
Great rates and easy account rules are among the top requirements of most customers seeking to open an online savings account. Savingsaccount.com not only helps customers to compare online banking and find the provider offering the highest rate of interest but it also helps a customer to look for the specific account features required. Most online banks do not require minimum balance or monthly fees for setting up savings account and even offer interest bearing checking facility. Some of the banks currently giving great rates on online savings account are FNBO Direct, E*TRADE, WTDirect and HSBCDirect. It’s so convenient to compare banks
Ideasbynet Offers an Amazing Range of Promotional Items
Promotional products are one of the most effective ways by which businesses can advertise themselves to clients, suppliers and other important contacts. Ideasbynet is one of the most trusted companies in UK which make available promotional items and corporate gifts over the internet.
Ideasbynet has a vast range of over 5000 products which can be used as corporate gifts and promotional items. One of its most popular buys are conference folders which come in different materials like leather or polypropylene and different varieties like zipped or ringbinder. What’s more, all conference folders from Ideasbynet can be branded, printed, foil backed or embossed with the customer’s business logo.
Among other regular items from Ideasbynet are promotional pens and promotional bags. Its range of promotional bags includes exhibition bags, low cost plastic carrier bags, environmentally friendly paper bags, laptop computer bags as well as superior quality executive bags. A simple but very practical item among promotional products is the promotional pens and Ideasbynet allows its customers to choose from ordinary types of plastic, multi-functional or highlighter pens to branded promotional pens from Parker, Senator, Balmain Executive or Prodir.
Other than offering its customers a vast range of promotional products to select from, Ideasbynet also scores over its competitors in unparalleled service and some of the lowest prices on the internet
Wide Spectrum of Payment Processing Products from Cardservicesales.com
The arrival of a cashless economy means that businesses have to evolve their cash processing systems according to current trends in payment. One of the most reliable providers in the American transaction processing industry is Flagship Merchant Services. The company caters to the payment processing needs of a wide range of businesses by offering various types of merchant accounts and credit card machines.
Among the wide range of reliable and flexible merchant accounts offered by Flagship Merchant Services are those suitable for retail businesses, wireless credit cards, restaurants as well as those businesses operating through mail orders or telephone orders. Among the free services provided by the company are setting up of merchant accounts, reprogramming of credit card machines, online reporting, shopping cart set-up for internet portals as well as round the clock technical support for customers.
Flagship Merchant Services was founded in 2001 and since then it has emerged as the largest registered ISO for First Data Independent Sales program. Not only this, Flagship Merchant Services boasts of one of the highest approval rates in the industry as it helps businesses of various sizes in setting up merchant accounts and installing as well as servicing credit card machines.
Old Versus New (again)
This is another piece about the snobbery of technology.
The way in which every next application is seen to be the best thing, or at the very least better than before, and that it is superior by virtue of being younger, is quite weird.
It has been estd. with windows vista that this is not true. But for the most part we continue to believe the myth. In fact we even believe that vista will one day live up to the hype, even I do.
What I don’t understand is why.
I mean to a geek who spends his whole day online, perhaps the difference between internet explorer 6 and 7 is obvious, but to someone who just uses the net to check mail, he really doesn’t get it.
I mean how does it make a difference when I type, Dear Mother, if I’m doing on either one. Yet when I sign in, the mail server will dutifully, and almost scandalized, inform me that my machine is using a version of IE that is now obsolete. What is more irritating that that is my friends telling me that IE itself is obsolete, and anyone not using firefox or the new rosy cheeked baby, chrome, is old enough to be dead.
Even as I post this using IE 6, I bet, some one please explain the difference!
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