Microsoft is expected to show off Office 15, the next version of the company's productivity suite, on Monday at an event in San Francisco, according to numerous reports.
Office has been available to a select group of users in a technical preview since January. It's not clear whether a public beta of Office might be available Monday, or whether it will arrive later this summer.
Few details have seeped out about Office 15. Several reports claim Windows XP and Windows Vista won't be able to run Office 15. Microsoft is scheduled to stop supporting XP in 2014 and Vista support is expected to run out in 2017.
If XP and Vista won't run the new Office, that leaves only Windows 7 and 8 PCs to run Microsoft's newest productivity suite. Of course, rumors persist that Microsoft will bring Office to the iPad with native Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps. Microsoft in late 2011 released OneNote for the iPad.
Nor has Microsoft said whether it will offer a touch-only Metro version of Office on Windows 8, the next version of the operating system, scheduled for release in October. So far, only desktop UI versions of Office 15 have surfaced online. Microsoft is building Office 15 into Windows RT (the version of Windows 8 for ARM slates), but it too will feature the desktop versions.
What We Know About Office 15
Based on leaks from the Technical Preview, it appears Metro, the main design language for Windows 8 and Windows Phone, will figure prominently in the look and feel of Office 15.
Source: Supersite for Windows
This includes bold, basic colors, and square edges. Office's famous Ribbon UI will reportedly be hidden by default, giving Office 15 a more stripped-down and basic look.
The new version of Office will also feature integration with cloud services such as Facebook, Flickr, Hotmail, and SkyDrive. Microsoft is reportedly preparing an Office Marketplace for extensions and tools, and Office 15 will also feature a touch-optimized mode for tablets and all-in-one touchscreens.
Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX) today introduced Backup Plus storage devices – its reinvented consumer storage product family that delivers the easiest setup, one-click backup and the ability to save and share your content on Facebook and Flickr.
Seagate® Backup Plus hard drives are newly designed external storage that work interchangeably with both Windows® and Apple® computers and deliver new features to protect, share and save nearly every aspect of one’s digital life. These products come loaded with the new hassle-free Seagate Dashboard software for one-click local backup making it easier than ever to eliminate excuses or apprehensions about backing up one’s most valuable digital content. Seagate Backup Plus products are the world’s first external hard drives to provide backup for content on social networks, such as Facebook and Flickr. Storing a local duplicate copy of photos from social networks is now as easy as backing up files on your computer. Seagate Backup Plus will provide the peace of mind that every aspect of one’s digital life is safe from loss.
Backing up data is an absolute necessity that many people put off until after it’s too late. According to a 2011 study by Parks Associates less than one-quarter of the households in the survey have a weekly backup plan for their systems and only 4% are diligent enough to manually perform a backup on a daily basis.[i]
“The idea of providing a backup of photos and videos from Facebook is an interesting one, which I believe may help people come to realize the importance of maintaining multiple copies of any digital asset regardless of where it is stored,” said Brett Sappington, director of research for Parks Associates. “Social media has become a massive repository for personal digital content, and most consumers have not likely considered the possibility of losing access to those shared memories.”
Seagate Backup Plus hard drives featuring the new Seagate Dashboard backup software remove the barriers to performing backup and content preservation by making it as easy as possible. With just a click of an icon, computer.
files are replicated onto a Backup Plus drive. The Seagate Dashboard included on Backup Plus also provides a single click path toSave (download) and Share (upload)personal photos and videos on Facebook and Flickr.
According to a recent survey commissioned by Seagate and conducted online by Harris Interactive from May 22-24, 2012, more than half (54%) of U.S. adults personally have and/or know someone who has lost files. Over one-quarter (27%) of U.S. adults personally have lost files and found that it was upsetting for them. While almost all (97%) of those surveyed were identified as computer owners; only 11% have a continuous backup plan and only 10% have a daily backup plan.[ii]
“Backing up needs to be an essential part of everyone’s digital life. Nearly everything that is dear to us is now in a digital format; from tax documents, to emails, to family photos and video, many of these files can not be recreated in the event of an accidental loss or system failure,” said BanSeng Teh, senior vice president and managing director, Asia Pacific and Japan. “Seagate is in the business of keeping digital content and files protected in every aspect, whether it is in the cloud, stored on PC or with our external consumer products. Backup Plus is a product that eliminates the barriers to protecting these digital assets. The new Dashboard delivers a simple and complete backup experience with the added benefit of saving photos and video stored on Facebook and other social networks.”
A Versatile Storage Device
In 2010, Seagate adopted the Universal Storage Module (USM®) standard, which enables consumers to easily add the newest Mac® and PC connection capabilities to their Seagate storage product even if these technologies are introduced later. To add yet another level of versatility, Seagate has introduced a way to have the company’s external storage products work cross-platform with both Mac® and Windows® operating systems without reformatting.
Seagate Backup Plus Storage
Available immediately through select retailers and resellersin India, Seagate Backup Plus drives will initially be available in capacities of 500GBand 1TB capacities for portable drives and 2TB and 3TB for Backup Plus Desk drives.
This new family of external storage will be available in red, blue, silver and black for the portable 2.5-inch form factor with a manufacturer’s suggested retail prices at launch are: 500GB, Rs. 5,600; and 1TB, Rs. 7,700. The Backup Plus Desk 3.5-inch drive: 2TB, Rs. 8,500; and 3TB, Rs. 12,000 MSRP.
Samsung's latest and greatest smartphone has finally arrived in India. Needless to say, it's arguably the hottest smartphone in the market. Building on the success of feature rich Galaxy series, Samsung Galaxy S III price in India is for online portals is Rs. 38500 (best price online). Samsung Galaxy S III launch in India is took places in the month of May-June 2012. Samsung Galaxy S III price in India will be in line with Samsung Galaxy S II and Note smartphones. Samsung Galaxy S III features Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 which comes with free access to 1000s of free apps. Samsung Galaxy S III will be show cased at MWC 2012.
Samsung Galaxy S III Features and Specifications
Loaded with latest and most powerful features, Samsung Galaxy S III will have dual core Nvidia 1.8 GHz processor and 1.5GB RAM which can assure you best performance for any type of application. Also Samsung Galaxy S III features 10MP camera in rear end which is much above than any other smartphone or even Tablets in market. Samsung Galaxy S III features inbuilt memory of 32GB which can be expanded up to 64GB using microSD card.
Samsung Galaxy S III Features List
Mobile Network Band: 2G, GSM and HSDPA
Operating System: Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, latest in the market
Smartphone Processor: NVidia’s Kal-El
Processor Type: dual core
Processor capacity: 1.8 GHz
Inbuilt RAM: 1.5GB
Screen Size: 4.62"
Wide screen with personalized menu items
Quick contacts on home screen
Stylish design
Screen Type: Super AMOLED 3D
Screen Resolution: 1280 x 1024 Pixels
Primary Camera Size: 10MP
Video Recording: 1080p with 60 fps
Secondary Camera type: VGA
Inbuilt Internal Memory: 32GB
Expandable memory with microSD card: 64GB with microSD card
TouchWiz 5 UI
Media file fomart supported:
Multi Format Audio file
Multi format Video player
Keypad type: Virtual QWERTY
Entertainment: Stereo FM Radio
Special feature: Built-in NFC
Audio jack size: 3.5 mm
Thickness: 9mm only
Available colors: Black
Connectivity:
Bluetooth
MicroUSB
3G HSDPA
WiFi
USB
Ring Tone support
Vibration
Polyphonic
MP3
WAV
Communication
Call
SMS
MMS
Email
Push Mail
IM
Social networking
Facebook
Twitter
Battery Type: 2250 mAh Li-Ion
Battery life on stand by: Long
Battery life in usage: up to 12 hours
Samsung Galaxy S III Price India
Samsung Galaxy S III Price in India is Rs. 38,900 though selected stores are selling at Rs. 38,500 also.
Infosys has promoted another 4,000 people taking the total number of promotions this year to 20,000, effective July 1, 2012. This is about over 13% of the company's total strength of 1,51,151 as on June 30.
"We have done the promotions and progressions as we talked last time, we have done 20,000 across the corporations," Infosys CEO S D Shibulal said.
The company had earlier said it would review the wage hike decision depending on the company performance. However, with lower-than-expected earnings and forecast, in dollar term, the company will not lift its freeze on salary hike any time soon.
Infosys and its subsidiaries added 9,236 (gross) people in the first quarter of FY'13, while the net addition during the period stood at 1,157 employees. The rate of attrition during the quarter was marginally higher at 14.9% against 14.7% in the January-March quarter of 2011-12.
"Typically, attrition in the first quarter (of a fiscal) goes up because people tend to go for higher studies. About 30% of our attrition was due to this reason," Shibulal said.
Meanwhile the country's lead tech player Tata Consultancy Services has continued to hire to support business growth. With campus trainees joining the company from the beginning of July-September quarter, lateral hiring accounted for 75% of total hiring in Q1. There was a total gross addition of 13,831 people (net addition of 4,962), taking the total employee strength of 243,545 on a consolidated basis.
The utilization rate (excluding trainees) was at 81.3% and that including trainees was 72.3%. The attrition rate (last twelve months-LTM) was 12.0%.
"We have been able to effectively increase our retention rate in the first quarter to over 88% and increase our utilization rates further. The on-boarding of current year's trainees has begun," said Ajoy Mukherjee, executive vice-president and global head, human resources.
TCS has a target to hire 50,000 people this year while Infosys will hire 35,000 people, which includes 13,000 jobs for its BPO operations.
Know Your Mobile India brings you the best budget Android 4.0 tablets available in India
Keeping in mind the budget conscious consumers, manufacturers have now introduced a series of tablets that combine the delicious Android Ice Cream Sandwich flavor with style and performance.
The top 5 tablets that win the top slot as the best Android 4.0 tablets in India
Micromax Funbook tablet
The much awaited 7-inch Android 4.0 tablet from the Micromax stable has finally arrived for Rs 6,499.
Dubbed Micromax Funbook, it is the cheapest tablet to feature a Android 4.0 OS. Powered by a 1.2 GHz processor, the tablet comes equipped with Cortex A8 processor, dual mail 400 - 2D/3D graphics processor for multimedia processing, pinch-to-zoom functionality and 2800 mAh battery life.
The device also features a 0.3 megapixel front facing camera for video calling, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB of internal memory, WiFi and 3G connectivity. The Funbook tablet packs in a unique e-learning app to aid students from school to college among other handy apps like Documents on the Go, Adobe PDF, Adobe Flash, YouTube, Text Editor and more.
Available in grey and black colours, the Micromax Funbook tablet packs in a free Tata Photon EVDO data card and 1GB of free data download for two months.
Price: Rs 6,499/-
Zync Z-990 tablet
Priced at Rs 8,500, Zync Z-990 is India’s first tablet powered by Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The tablet comes equipped with a TFT capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 800x480pixels and a powerful 1.2 Ghz processor. In the era of mobile computing, this portable and innovative product brings an unmatched mobile experience with its 3600 mah battery life, 1GB RAM and 4GB internal storage which can be expanded to 32 GB.
Equipped with a 0.3-mega pixel front facing camera for video calling, the device brings host of connectivity options via Wi-Fi connectivity, USB port, 3G USB dongles, HDMI port among others.
The device also features control over data usage, new gallery app with photo editor, new lock action, user interface, camera capabilities and five point touch.
Dubbed iBerry Auxus AX02, the 1 GHz processor run tablet supports a gyro based motion sensor for better gaming experience along with a 1 GB RAM, HDMI output and 3G USB modem support and more for just Rs 10,000.
The manufacturer has provided the tablet with a one year comprehensive warranty and on-site warranty. This means that if your iBerry Auxus tablet is ever plagued with any issue, the company will pick up the tablet from your home.
There are also toll free numbers available for queries and technical support. Price: 10,000/-
Mercury mTab Neo2 - 3G Voice Tablet
Another budget tablet that boasts of impressive specs is Mercury mTab Neo2.
Powered by 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 multi tasking dual core processor, the 7-inch tablet packs in HD resolution for clear and vibrant pictures. The tablet sports both front and rear facing camera for capturing images and video calling. Mercury mTab Neo2 tablet currently runs on Android 2.3 OS but a Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update is scheduled to release within next four weeks.
According to Sushmita Das, Country Manager - India, Kobian: Work, talk and share your stuff at high speed, with mTab Neo2. This product comes with all the features one can ask for in the current tablet ecosystem and a little more with the upgrade to Android 4.0. It's a beautifully bundled feature rich product from Mercury. The long battery life is the topping the ice which will surely attract more customers and hence will help our partners sell more.'
Other features include: 8GB with 32GB expansion via Micro SD, Bluetooth, HDMI 1080P Video Output and more.
Apple is preparing to launch a smaller tablet computer in the coming months in a bid to maintain its edge in an increasingly crowded market, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The Journal on Thursday cited unnamed sources as saying that component parts manufacturers had been ordered to gear up for mass production of the tablets in September, indicating the launch may be drawing near.
It said the new tablet's screen would likely be smaller than eight inches (20 centimetres), compared to the 9.7-inch (25-centimetre) screen on Apple's market-leading iPad, launched in 2010.
The newspaper cited one source as saying that Apple was working with screen-makers LG Display of South Korea and Taiwan's AU Optronics.
Apple has dominated the market for tablet computers since the release of the iPad but faces increasing competition as Samsung, Amazon, Microsoft and Google roll out competing devices.
Ivy Bridge is clearly the buzzword at Computex, this year and apart from Intel, every manufacturer worth its salt has an Ivy Bridge offering, be it a notebook or even a tablet. Along with that, Intel has announced their new CPU line-up in India as well for notebooks, desktops and All-in-one (AIO) PCs. The notebooks powered by these CPUs will be available from all major OEMs operating in India, like Dell, Asus, Acer, HP, etc. Also, the Croma chain of retail stores will be amongst the first to receive these new notebooks, so you can have a hands on with them before buying. They will also be the first partner to offer Intel’s Anti-Theft service in India. “Croma is proud of being Intel’s first partner in offering Intel Anti-Theft service in India since last year. Mobile PC usage in India is on the rise and we expect to further accelerate it with the new Ultrabooks and increased mobility brings with it the need for increased security. With Intel Anti-Theft technology we are able to secure the laptops and Ultrabooks purchased at our store so that our customers can safeguard their devices giving them peace of mind and helping us reaffirm our resolution of brining a world-class shopping experience to our customers,” said Mr. Ajit Joshi, CEO & Managing Director, Infiniti Retail Ltd.
Slimmer, lighter and hopefully cheaper
Powered by 3rd Generation Intel Core processors, made with the advanced 22nm 3-D tri-gate transistors, these new Ultrabook devices are responsive and more secure to better protect personal information. The new chips also offer increased media and graphics performance, long battery life and more choice in stylish designs. Because of the 22nm tri-gate transistor manufacturing technology the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors now deliver 22 percent faster performance on multi-threaded applications, compared to 2nd Generation Intel Core processors. For example, experiences when using photo editing software or many games will significantly improve based on the new processors. The new Ultrabooks have up to twice the video processing and 3-D graphics performance of the prior generation, cutting a user’s video processing time in half and making for a smoother, richer visual experience. All Ultrabooks with 3rd Generation Core processors will have built-in visuals with features like Intel Quick Sync Video, Intel Clear Video HD, Intel HD Graphics, Intel InTru 3D, Intel Wireless Display and Intel Insider.
Intel is working across a broad cross-section of the industry to accelerate and enable thin and light designs. A recent and significant breakthrough in chassis design using existing materials and standard injection molding equipment will enable an Ultrabook chassis that is equivalent in quality to machined aluminum and die-cast metal solutions in the market today. Borrowing engineering approaches from the automotive and aerospace industries, the new chassis design has the potential to reduce chassis costs by up to 65 percent and is expected to be in market next year
