Posts Tagged ‘Windows’

Microsoft’s Windows phones hit the market

After months of talking about Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft is announcing on Tuesday that the first crop of phones to carry the Windows Phone brand are ready to hit the market.

A host of new phones running the new operating system are expected to debut between now and the holidays, with many being announced later on Tuesday. AT&T has already announced two Windows Mobile 6.5-based phones–the Pure and the HTC Tilt 2. In all, Microsoft has said to expect more than 30 phones running the OS by year’s end.

(Credit: Microsoft)

With the new operating system, Microsoft hopes to make the case that the devices are not only worthy phones, but also the best option for those who want to take their Windows world with them. The operating system itself features Adobe Flash support, an improved browser, and menus that are easier to navigate with a finger, as opposed to a stylus. Perhaps more interesting are two new services that come along with Windows.

The first, the Windows Marketplace, is Microsoft’s answer to the iPhone‘s App Store. It’s somewhat interesting that Windows Mobile has long had more programs than the iPhone–none of which involved approval from Microsoft. But Microsoft has found itself in the position of having to insert itself as middleman to match Apple’s approach.

Users will still be able to buy and download applications directly from developers, but Microsoft apparently felt it had to mimic the iPhone’s App Store in order to help connect less technically savvy users with the thousands of programs that already exist for its phones.

Full story :
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10367699-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Intel’s Moblin 2.1 to compete with Windows

Could Intel’s new Moblin 2.1 OS make a dent against Windows in the mobile and desktop markets?

At this week’s Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, the chipmaker debuted a beta version of its Moblin 2.1 open-source operating system targeted to run on a variety of devices, including smartphones, Netbooks, nettops, Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), and in-car systems.

Moblin 2.1 will compete with other open-source operating systems like Google’s Android and bump up against Microsoft in the burgeoning nettop arena.

Originally developed for Netbooks, Moblin 2.1 (short for mobile Linux) will come in three flavors–one for handhelds, another for Netbooks, and a third for nettops.

Source :

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10361563-1.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Windows 7, Vista zero-day flaw reported

A security researcher has said there is a zero-day vulnerability affecting Windows 7 and Vista.

The flaw in Windows 7 could allow an attack which would cause a critical system error, or “blue screen of death,” according to researcher Laurent Gaffie.

Gaffie wrote in his blog that the flaw lies in a Server Message Block 2 (SMB2) driver.

“SRV2.SYS fails to handle malformed SMB headers for the NEGOTIATE PROTOCOL REQUEST functionality,” wrote Gaffie in a blog post Monday.

Gaffie said he had contacted Microsoft. Comments on his blog by other users said that the flaw could lead not only to denial of service, but could also lead to remote code execution.

Computer security publication “The H” wrote on Tuesday that its German sister publication had tested the proof-of-concept code, and that while the exploit had caused a reboot on Vista, the exploit had not worked on Windows 7.

Metasploit creator HD Moore said in a tweet on Tuesday that an SMB bug appeared to have been introduced into Vista SP1. Coder Josh Goebel said in a blog post that he had added the exploit code to Metasploit.

Microsoft had not responded to a request for comment at the time of writing.

Source :

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10346664-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Microsoft releases preview of Windows 7 embedded edition

Microsoft has released a technical preview of its new Windows 7-based embedded edition, the company said Tuesday.

Designed to run on everything from ATMs to digital photo frames, Windows Embedded Standard 2011 is now available for download as a trial edition. The finished version is expected in the second half of 2010.

The community technology preview of Windows Embedded gives businesses and developers a chance to evaluate it on their devices and offer feedback to Microsoft. The company said that Windows Embedded lets manufacturers choose only those components they need to drive their equipment, eliminating the need to develop a full platform on their own.

Windows Embedded is used in a variety of markets, including industrial automation, entertainment, and consumer electronics. In the business world, the software is typically found in thin clients, kiosks, medical equipment, and point-of-service devices. On the consumer side, Windows Embedded is used in GPS devices, gaming consoles, networked TVs, and portable media players.

Microsoft said the latest embedded version offers several new features. Businesses will be able to manage their devices using Active Directory group policies and virtual desktops. The new edition will support 64-bit CPUs, the Windows Aero interface, and Windows Touch for touch screens. Windows Embedded Standard 2011 will also incorporate Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Media Player 12.

To help manufacturers, the company will offer Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certification, a preparation kit, and training software. More information can be found on the Windows Embedded Training site. The company will also let businesses and developers register for free Webinars.

Source :

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10322875-75.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Opera 10 browser is here

The Opera 10 browser is now ready to download for Windows, Linux, and Mac three months after the beta first emerged (hands-on Opera 10 beta review).

If you’ve been keeping up with the beta updates, the final build of the cross-platform browser shouldn’t surprise you. Opera Turbo, the browser’s much-publicized compression engine for slow-poke connections, remains a feature highlight. Opera claims that Opera Turbo runs the browser up to eight times faster on suffering connections than do competing browsers.

The refreshed user interface is also noteworthy. Joining the new default skin (changed from version 9.6), are changes to tab bar behavior. The conventional tabs double as thumbnail images. Double-click the thin gray bar below the tabs (indicated by dots) or click and drag to expand open tabs into preview windows that you can navigate by clicking among them.

Other enhancements include an expanded Speed Dial (a feature that has later been adopted and adapted in Google’s Chrome browser) that shows more commonly visited Web pages than in previous Opera browsers. You’re also able to customize it with a background picture. You’ll see that spell check will be applicable to any text field (for 51 languages), and that Opera’s incorporated e-mail client takes a page from Google’s books by threading e-mail conversations.

Developers get access to a newer version of Opera Dragonfly, the publisher’s online development tools, but everyone can benefit from the speedier rendering engine that, according to Opera, makes version 10 up to 40 percent faster than version 9.6–before switching on Turbo’s compression.

Despite all the additions that Opera hopes will keep Opera 10 competitive, there are still two notable omissions for this final release. The first is Opera Unite, which uses your browser as a Web server for sharing your content with others. The second is the Carakan JavaScript engine that promises to process JavaScript about 2.5 times as fast as the engine used in Opera 10 alpha.

Full story :

http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10320478-12.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

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