GLENN’S SHOWNOTES
Office 2013 Service Pack 1 arrives
includes compatibility fixes for Windows 8.1 and Internet Explorer 11, plus better support for modern hardware, with improvements in how the productivity suite works on high-DPI displays and precision touchpads.
SkyDrive features have been rebranded with the service’s new name, OneDrive
Office 2013 customers will begin to get notifications of SP1 availability through Windows Update within the next 30 days
“Exchange Server 2013 and SharePoint 2013 customers can download SP1 at the Microsoft download centre.”
First-ever Aussie to win IBM’s global marketing award
IBM has named Computer Merchants as the winner of its 2014 Choice Award for Marketing Excellence Asia Pacific.
Computer Merchants is the first Australian company to win the award, which is given annually to the IBM business partner in recognition of outstanding, inventive marketing campaigns.
The Queensland-based IT firm won the gong for a multi-platform promotion of IBM PureFlex Systems. It teamed with RAW Marketing Consulting to launch the series of innovative campaigns.
Intel unveils 64-bit chips for smartphones and tablets
Intel has unveiled its first 64-bit chips for Android smartphones and tablets, codenamed Merrifield and Moorefield.
The dual-core Merrifield and quad-core Moorefield chips are both based on Intel’s Silvermont architecture and manufactured on Intel’s 22nm process
Android phones and tablets running Merrifield will appear in the second quarter of this year, while devices running the faster Moorefield will pop up in the second half.
president Renee James said
“Intel knows 64-bit computing, and we’re the only company currently shipping 64-bit processors supporting multiple operating systems today, and capable of supporting 64-bit Android when it is available,
Microsoft reveals details on Windows Phone 8.1
The next version of Windows Phone will add support for lower-end hardware, as Microsoft looks to target emerging markets.
The next version of Windows Phone – widely referred to as Windows Phone 8.1, though Microsoft hasn’t confirmed the name – will be backwards compatible, meaning the update will work on all existing Windows Phone devices.
That’s a change from Windows Phone 7, where handsets could be updated to Windows 7.5, but not Windows Phone 8.
The next version of Windows Phone will also support dual SIM cards and soft keys, no longer requiring the trio of physical buttons on the front of phones.
One nice benefit of these additions is that many hardware vendors will be able to use the same hardware for both Android and Windows Phone devices,
Microsoft didn’t reveal exactly when the update would arrive, but said it would be this spring in the US
Top Gun frame-by-frame tweeter shot down by lawyers
A Twitter account that was being used to tweet the film Top Gun frame by frame has been suspended following a complaint from the film studio.
The user had been posting updates, which included captions, for more than a month, but still had the majority of the film to cover.
It is quite an unusual case because you would expect it to be on YouTube. But to tweet it frame by frame, it is an interesting approach.
uploading a single scene every 20 minutes.
‘Stolen’ Twitter username ‘returned’
Naoki Hiroshima, who had held the Twitter handle since 2007, claimed last month that a hacker had stolen it.
He had said at the time that someone took control of his other online accounts and threatened to compromise data and websites owned by him, forcing him to give up the handle.
On Wednesday, Mr Hiroshima tweeted: “Order has been restored”.
German paper ripped for ‘anti-Semitic’ caricature of Facebook’s Zuckerberg
depicts Mark Zuckerberg as an octopus with a hook nose devouring the waorld’s technology. It appeared in the Friday edition of the Munich-based paper along with the International New York Times
The cartoon is starkly reminiscent of a 1938 Nazi cartoon depicting Winston Churchill as a Jewish octopus encircling the globe,” said Efraim Zuroff, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “And if anyone has any doubts about the anti-Semitic dimension of the cartoon, we can point to Mark Zuckerberg’s very prominent nose, which is not the case in real life. Absolutely disgusting!”
Jewish groups had complained that the caricature resembled Nazi propaganda.
Cartoonist Burkhard Mohr said he had intended to illustrate Facebook swallowing up rival WhatsApp.
Facebook quietly ends email address system
Facebook has quietly closed its three-year-old email service that gave users “@facebook.com” email addresses.
From now on, emails sent to an “@facebook.com” address will be forwarded to the personal email address from which the member signed up for the site.
“We’re making this change because most people haven’t been using their Facebook email address,” said a Facebook spokesperson.
The change will happen in early March.
SHAYNE’S SHOWNOTES
Samsung Galaxy S5: Everything You Need To Know
Right on schedule: the Galaxy S5 is here, and we’ve got everything you need to know about the new waterproof, dustproof, fingerprint sensor-packing, HD screen flashing and rad software-toting flagship. In short? It’s freaking awesome.
Mozilla Is Planning A $25 Firefox OS Smartphone
In developing countries, the high-end smartphone market is cornered by the big guys. But at Mobile World Congress, the Mozilla Foundation has announced a plan to get a different slice of the smartphone pie — with a low-end Firefox OS phone that will costs around $25.
Since Mozilla is a nonprofit, its role in the deal will be to set up specifications and provide the operating system. Gizmodo en Español reports that manufacturers will then adopt the platform and sell Firefox OS phones directly to consumers.
Fitbit Is Recalling All Force Wristbands
Fitbit announced today that it will recall its new Force model, after users complained of rashes and burns while wearing it. Fitbit CEO James Park says the recall is motivated by “an abundance of caution”.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the recall yesterday, but Fitbit has confirmed the move, publishing an apology letter from Park along with directions on how to return your Force.
Ford to dump Microsoft’s ‘aggravating’ in-car tech for … BlackBerry?
Ford Motor Company will part ways with Microsoft for the next generation of its Sync in-car infotainment system in favor of technology from Canadian rival BlackBerry, sources claim.
According to a report by Bloomberg, switching from Windows Embedded Automotive to BlackBerry’s QNX real-time OS will both save Ford money and improve the flexibility and speed of its in-car systems.
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