Microsoft will sell Windows 10 on bootable flash drives
Prasad, 18 July, 2015
MicrosoftWindows
Microsoft has confirmed that it will be selling Windows 10 on bootable USB flash drives instead of optical media. This will allow consumers to install the OS even on machines that don't have an optical disc drive built-in, such as some of the ultraportable notebooks. The USB drives will also likely be a good bit faster than the discs, making the process quicker.
The OS is now currently up for pre-order on Amazon and is available on a USB drive. You can pre-order the Home edition for $119.99 and the Pro edition for $199.99, if you don't have an existing Windows machine that you can update for free.
That last feature is the potentially controversial one. When you turn on this feature of WiFi Sense (and it’s not clear if the feature comes activated or not), it will request permission to connect to Outlook, Skype, and Facebook on your behalf. Other users on your friends list who also run Windows 10 will have their contact information shared with you as well, assuming they also enable the feature.As Windows 10 moves towards final status, some of the operating system’s new features and capabilities are getting attention. One new option, brought over from Windows Phone 8.1, is called WiFi Sense, but it’s debut on the desktop could be controversial given what the feature does. WiFi Sense will automatically connect you to detected crowdsourced WiFi networks, acquire network information and provide “additional info” to networks that require it (it’s not clear exactly what constitutes additional info), and can be used to automatically share your WiFi password with your contacts on Facebook, Skype, and Outlook.
The last few years have been odd for Nokia. After failing to adjust to a post-iPhone world. it brought on former Microsoft executive Stephen Elop as CEO. Nokia’s Symbian platform had been slow to develop and was generally clunky compared to iOS and Android. It was clear the company needed a change, a sentiment expressed in Elop’s now-famous “Burning Platform” memo. The company basically had two options — go with Android or Windows Phone. Elop being a former Microsoft bigwig, it was a foregone conclusion that the company would side with Microsoft.Nokia was synonymous with cell phones for years as the industry took off. Almost everyone who had a mobile phone in the early 2000s was hauling around one of those giant Nokia bricks (you know the one). The smartphone revolution was not kind to Nokia, though, and Microsoft eventually bought the company’s devices and services division in 2014. Now Nokia is looking to get back into the phone game.
After making Lumia devices in partnership with Microsoft for about four years, Windows Phone still hadn’t found its footing. Microsoft could afford to keep plugging away on Windows Phone, but Nokia? Microsoft agreed to take on all the risk itself by purchasing Nokia’s phone division for $7.5 billion. One stipulation of that deal was that the remaining Nokia business could not produce and mobile phones until the final quarter of 2016.
Nokia spokesman Brett Young has now made it known that Nokia is looking to get back in the phone market just as soon as it’s contractually able. That means finding a “licensing partner” to handle the day-to-day operations of bringing a phone to market. Nokia would be involved with the design of the hardware and software, and also license the name and any necessary IP to its partner company. This is basically what Nokia did with the N1 tablet, which launched late last year in partnership with Foxconn.
As for what a new Nokia phone would look like, it would almost certainly be running Android like the N1 tablet. Nokia even has its own beta home screen launcher available on the Play Store called Z Launcher — it’s really all set. Microsoft would be unlikely to license Windows Phone to Nokia again, not that it would be a viable option at this point anyway.
Nothing is set in stone yet, but I don’t think Nokia will have any trouble finding a partner to build and market a phone. Nokia is still a household name with a reputation for building quality products. As long as it doesn’t simply slap the name on a white-label Chinese Android phone, it could still be a player in mobile.
Local Motorsthis week unveiled designs for what it hopes will be the first consumer-ready 3D-printed electric cars.
The company plans to build two versions of the Reload Redacted vehicle, based on a design by engineer Kevin Lo, who took first place in the Project [REDACTED] competition.
Local Motors earlier this year demonstrated a concept vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show, where it printed out the entire body during the event. The resulting prototype, dubbed the "Strati," was made up of fewer than 50 individual parts. The vehicle was equipped with an electric power train.
The first consumer-ready 3D-printed vehicles will debut in the first quarter of next year, and could be priced between US$18,000 and $30,000, according to Local Motors. These first vehicles won't exactly be street-ready, however -- they'll be low-speed vehicles. A full-speed version that is fully street legal is set to follow.
Breaking the Mold
Local Motors is "hell-bent" on revolutionizing automobile manufacturing, said CEO John B. Rogers, Jr.
Cars have been produced pretty much the same way -- using stamping methods -- for the past 100 years, he noted. However, the technology is now available to change this. Local Motors intends to rely on Direct Digital Manufacturing to produce automobiles.
"Local Motors is touting the ability to custom manufacture cars on demand," said Michael Molitch-Hou, editor-in-chief of 3D Printing Industry.
"This is huge, as a custom car is typically an expensive luxury for people on MTV's Cribs," he told TechNewsWorld.
"Auto manufacturers produce standard cars en masse, leaving a stock of cars that may not be purchased," Molitch-Hou pointed out. "Local Motors, however, can print a car whenever a car is ordered, as it only takes a few days to build one, and the BAAM (Big Area Additive Manufacturing) machine is really fast."
The customization could go way beyond personal tastes and aesthetics.
"The geometry of a part can be optimized for energy and material costs," Molitch-Hou suggested.
"The innards of the car might be printed in, say, a semi-hollow, honeycomb pattern, rather than as a completely solid part, so that it offers the same structural stability, but without the same amount of material being used," he explained, "reducing the weight of the car, improving energy efficiency and using less material."
Not Truly a 3D-Printed Car
Contrary to many overenthusiastic headlines, Local Motors is not planning to use 3D printing to manufacture the entire car.
"With their first 3D printed car, the Strati, they didn't 3D print the entire car, but just the body," noted Molitch-Hou.
In fact, the wheels, axles, motor, and everything else critical to the actual mechanics of the car were traditional components attached to the 3D-printed body, he said.
"Another important point is that the car body isn't entirely 3D-printed, but is first printed and then milled," Molitch-Hou remarked.
The 3D-printing process might not be all that appealing to those who desire a luxury auto's fine lines and craftsmanship.
"Most extrusion 3D printing isn't all that pretty to mainstream consumers," Molitch-Hou observed. "There are discrete layers that you don't see with injection molding or other traditional processes, so it's not smooth and pretty like a Chevy Volt or something."
3D Printing's Future in the Auto Industry
Speed is another potential hurdle that could slow the adoption of 3D printing in auto production.
"The technology is simply not fast enough to make it feasible," said Alex West, associate director of process automation and machinery at IHS.
"The sheer number of vehicles produced by Toyota, Honda or GM just is too great for 3D printing, and the material costs are too high," he told TechNewsWorld.
For that reason, it is unlikely that the roads will be dominated by 3D-printed vehicles in the next 30 or even 40 years, but 3D printing will have a place in the auto industry.
"It will certainly be used with prototypes, which we are seeing already in other industries," added West. "It will also be used in some parts where you can reduce weight, and that can help in terms of fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions."
Retooling and Rethinking
For the auto industry to full embrace 3D printing would require a paradigm shift, but it printing could play a significant role in the tooling process.
"There could be 3D-printed parts that aren't used in the car itself, but could be used in the assembly process, where it helps shave off seconds on the line -- and that translates into a substantial return on investment," West noted.
Still, the major auto makers might be slow to adopt even that narrow use.
"Right now, the auto industry is dominated by a handful of giant manufacturers," noted Molitch-Hou.
"We've seen how slow and clumsily big companies move, and their one-size-fits-all method of manufacturing is not a viable one in the long term," he maintained. "They have to mass manufacture a handful of car types per year -- and then next year they make small improvements to these models and release the next iteration."
In may be in designing cars -- not manufacturing them -- that 3D printing exerts an industry-changing influence.
"3D printing enables rapid iteration based on customer feedback," said Molitch-Hou. "If Local Motors' first car doesn't do well, they'll receive feedback from their community, make changes to the design, and can instantly improve it with their next print. That's the beauty of 3D printing."
Apple on Thursday released to consumers a preview of the latest versions of its mobile and desktop operating systems -- iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan -- which contain a number of new features, including a revamped two-factor authentication scheme.
The latest release of iOS also contains two new smart folders. One automatically collects any photos captured with the front-facing camera in an iOS device -- which typically is used for selfies -- and the other aggregates any images used for screen shots.
Other new features in beta three of iOS 9:
a setting to enhance the quality of streaming over cellular networks;
display of Siri search results with a down swipe;
display of more apps per folder on an iPad; and
the debut of a News app. When the app is launched, you can select a number of content sources. News from those sources will be displayed on a News Screen.
"Apple is not only expanding functionality in iOS, but also adding significant capabilities," said Brian Blau, a research director at Gartner.
"While these preview features are't final," he told TechNewsWorld, "it's good to see that Apple continues to advance their platform to give users more robust access to content, such as with improved streaming quality, and security through two-factor authentication."
Apple Polishes Security
Two-factor authentication typically requires the user to acquire a code either by text message, phone call or email when trying to log into an account from a new device.
Apple's new authentication method will be an improvement over it's existing two-factor verification method, which is less than elegant. With the new system, an Apple ID won't be sufficient to log on to an Apple service from a new device or browser. Users also will need to authenticate their identity with a password and six-digit verification code.
For those who have an Apple device that's already been verified and is running the latest versions of Apple's operating systems, the code automatically will be displayed on that screen. If an Apple device isn't close by, the user can receive the code through a text message or phone call.
After a device has been authenticated, the user won't need an authentication code again unless the device data is wiped, passwords are changed, or the device is removed from the user's approved device list.
A browser can be treated like a device; once a browser is authorized to access an account, the user won't need to obtain a code for subsequent log-ins.
Unlike Apple's existing authentication system, the new one is built into iOS 9 and El Capitan. That allowed Apple to streamline the process and perhaps entice more people to use the security measure.
The new system also gets rid of the 14-character code deployed by the existing scheme, which was difficult to remember for most users, but did come in handy if a password was forgotten and access to an account needed to be regained.
Surprises to Come?
New features for the iPad show that while many tablet makers have embraced the idea of slates as primarily content consumption devices, Apple continues to press the idea that its tablets are content-creation machines.
Features such as multitasking and split-screen view on an iPad Air 2 are all "developments that relate to the use of the iPad as a full-featured computing device," noted Charles Golvin, chief analyst at Abelian Research.
"As is often the case with Apple, many of the features they introduce as 'new' are, in actuality, closing or overcoming gaps between Apple's and competitors's current products," he added.
"In these releases, I would point to the natural language search in Spotlight, the proactivity that Google Now introduced, and the long-missing transit option in Maps that Nokia Here premiered several years ago," Golvin told TechNewsWorld.
"Still missing from Maps," he said, "is the cycling option that Google has offered for some time."
Whenever Apple releases a new beta of its operating systems, the code often is scrutinized for clues to features in future hardware products.
"That can delude people into thinking what's in the release is all that Apple has," said IHS Senior Director Ian Fogg.
"If the new hardware needs new software support, we won't learn about that until a new iPhone model is unveiled," he told TechNewsWorld.
"You have to be very careful when you look at these beaters," he added, "because they don't tell you everything that may be coming. I suspect that there will be software changes that we won't see for the first time until the next iPhone is out there."
