April Fools' Day : Google introduces Google Nose

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

While still in Beta, this promises to change the way we search. 

Google promises a true "Sensation" through their new tool "Nose" that allows you to search with the support of your sense of smell.

What do wet dogs smell like? Google Nose! How about victory? Google Nose! 

Try searching on Google for "wet dog" and explore other smells that people sniffed for, or visit google.com/nose to learn more. Happy smelling! :)

Related topic : April Fools' Day : Google introduces Google Fiber Bar
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*by andreascy*

Intel Launches SDK for OpenCL Applications at SIGGRAPH 2012

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Los Angeles - SIGGRAPH 2012, the World's Premier Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, welcomed 21,212 Artists, Research Scientists, Gaming Experts and Developers, Filmmakers, Students, and Academics from 83 Countries around the globe to Los Angeles this week. 

In addition, 161 Industry Organizations exhibited at SIGGRAPH 2012 representing 44,750 sq. ft. of exhibit space - approximately a 5,000 sq. ft. increase over 2011. 

A total of 19 Countries where represented on the show floor. “As SIGGRAPH 2012 draws to a close, I’m incredibly proud of the body of work that represents thousands of hours of effort from hundreds of volunteers,” said Rebecca Strzelec, SIGGRAPH 2012 Conference Chair from Penn State Altoona. 

SIGGRAPH 2012 was the launch pad for Computer Graphics and Animation Development, including the Beta release of the Intel® SDK for OpenCL. 

We caught up with Ryan Tabrah from the Intel Visual Computing Software group and asked him for a Demo of the new Software. 

He grabbed an Ultrabook and showed us the difference between an in-body Simulation running on a CPU versus the Intel HD Graphics. He then used them both, demonstrating how Developers can optimize their performance for Intel architecture. 

Watch the video below to see the increased performance with the new Intel SDK for OpenCL.

For news on Open CL, Cross Platform Mobile Development, and Ultrabook, you can subscribe to Intel Software Adrenaline here.

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*by andreascy* 

PointGrab: The Start-up Bringing Gesture Recognition to Windows 8 Devices

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

PointGrab announced recently that its pioneering hand gesture recognition software is now available for Microsoft Windows 8 in Beta version. The new software provides a Natural User Interface (NUI) hand gesture solution, which enhances the user experience with an easy-to-use, intuitive no-touch interface.

PointGrab’s Windows 8 solution will build upon the company’s successful Windows 7 product that has been adopted by top global consumer electronic brands. This news follows immediately on the heels of PointGrab revealing that their “Gesture Control” capabilities are being demonstrated in several models of the new line of Intel-inspired Ultrabook™ devices, as well as Haier’s All-in-One (AIO) Q8 PCs.

The newest version of PointGrab’s software works in synergy with the Metro UI in Windows 8, which was designed especially for use with gestures. PointGrab’s software was built from the bottom up in order to enrich the user experience by adding numerous “touch-less” hand gestures, which are detected by the PC’s internal 2-D camera.

Today, PointGrab has the largest assortment of commercial gestures for 2-D cameras, both for one and two hands. These gestures can be customized to the client’s requirements, and include swipe, select, one-hand zoom, thumbs-up, fist and many more.

PointGrab’s hand gesture solution for Windows 8 expands the company’s successful product line beyond the commercially available PC and TV solutions and further enhances its leadership in gesture software for 2D camera devices. PointGrab’s software is available for devices running either Intel or ARM-based processors.

PointGrab CEO Haim Perski added : 

“We are proud to announce this new software for gesture control of Windows 8. By detecting both the shape and motion of the hand, PointGrab provides full Windows 8 Metro functionality without having to physically touch the screen. Additionally, shortcut gestures have been incorporated, making it easier and more intuitive for users to work with the Metro UI. This software furthers PointGrab’s leadership of the hand gesture control market for PCs and adds to our advanced capabilities in providing users with a Natural User Interface.”

You might be interested in other Touch-Free topics:
Camitool Automatic Touch-Free Toilet Paper Dispenser
Introducing Leap Motion Technology: Say Goodbye to Your Mouse and Keyboard
Spread the love. 😎

*by andreascy*

Introducing Google's Handwrite Beta Feature, A New Way to Search

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Google introduced a fun and easy new way to search from your smartphone or tablet by simply writing a query on touchscreens. 

This new handwriting feature now joins Google's current method of input including speaking search queries, getting results before users finish typing, and searching by image. 

It's not as quick as voice searching, but it's easier to use than pecking letters on a virtual keyboard. 

To enable Handwrite, you must visit Google on your smartphone or tablet, click "Settings," found at the bottom of the page, and then enable Handwrite. 

This feature is currently available in 27 languages.

Learn more at Google

*by andreascy*

Microsoft Research : ChronoZoom - An Infinite Canvas in Time

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Embark on a voyage through time, infinitely scalable from the Big Bang to today, exploring this master timeline of the cosmos, Earth, life, and human experience. By unifying a wide variety of data and historical perspectives, ChronoZoom provides a framework for examining historical events, trends, and themes, enabling researchers, educators, and students to synthesize knowledge from different studies of history, specialized timelines, and media resources, courtesy of the cloud. 

 

 

 

This platform for research and learning helps users develop a broad understanding of how the past has unfolded and discover unexpected relationships and historical convergences that help explain the sweep of Big History - and the relationship between the humanities and the sciences. Become your own time traveler and check out the beta today. 

*by andreascy*

Mediafire Express Beta Software Application (and REST API)

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description:

Today the MediaFire team announced the Beta release of MediaFire’s first software application – MediaFire Express (MFE). This Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible application makes it easier than ever to upload files from your computer to your MediaFire account.

You can download MediaFire Express from their new “Tools” section here.

MediaFire Express is currently in Beta testing and the UI is still a rough proof of concept, so expect a couple bugs if you decided to give it a try. This product helps MediaFire to test some of the new tools they are developing and lays the groundwork for future products that will be released later this year. 

MediaFire Express for Mac

MediaFire Express for Windows

MediaFire Express (Beta) Features: 

- MediaFire Express can upload files from our computer to your MediaFire account without requiring you to open your browser. 

- New users can create a MediaFire account during installation. 

- MediaFire Express users can switch between MediaFire accounts. 

- Users can select an upload destination folder from within their “My Files” folder hierarchy. 

- Users can upload a file via a right click menu on File Explorer’s (on Windows) or Finder (on the Mac). 

- Users can upload a file by dragging and dropping it on the MediaFire Express’ Drop Zone. 

- MediaFire Express avoids contributing to desktop clutter by hiding its windows when it is idle. 

- Progress bars make it easy for users to monitor file upload progress. 

- Users can invoke the MediaFire Expresses Screenshot tool from (1) the keyboard, (2) a button located on the MediaFire Express’ Drop-Zone, or via a systray menu. 

- Quickly open your “My Files” page with a click of a button. 

- MediaFire Express dynamically throttles back upload rates as necessary so as to avoid reducing Quality of Service on slow DSL links. 

- MediaFire Express’ Screenshot Tool captures images of (1) the entire desktop, (2) an application’s window, or (3) a user defined area and then (1) uploads the screenshot to your MediaFire account for sharing, (2) saves the screenshot to disk or (3) sends the image to the printer for a hardcopy. 

MediaFire REST API: 

As a side note, today they announced also the first REST API for MediaFire. Developers interested in building tools that interface with MediaFire’s cloud storage system can find out more here.

*by andreascy*

Microsoft News : Download now Visual Studio 11 Beta and .NET Framework 4.5 Beta

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Microsoft has released the Visual Studio 11 Beta with .NET 4.5 Beta for download.

What’s new in the Visual Studio 11 Beta? 

Plenty. One of the more significant changes that the Internet has been arguing about lately is the decision to suck away all of the color from the UI in order to increase focus on code. While the new monochromatic approach (that’s present in terms of both UI colors and iconography, which has also been simplified) is cleaner, it is quite bland and depressing. Surely they could have added some additional color to the mix without taking away from the focus on the code.

Beyond this user interface aesthetic change, they also introduced a variety of features and user experience improvements to help boost productivity while developing. Here’s a quick rundown of the main improvements :

Hubs : 

To improve the method of navigating through code, Visual Studio now has new versions of the Solution and Team Explorers. In the Solution Explorer hub, various tool windows – Class View, Object Browser, Call Hierarchy, Navigate To, and Fine References – were integrated into one explorer. Something similar was done with the Team Explorer.

Pivots : 

Following up on the aforementioned new "Hubs" feature, you are now able to switch the relationship or pivot without switching to another tool window.

Multi-Instancing : 

Multiple instances of the Solution Explorer can now be created, with each instance displaying something different/unique about the content at hand. So say, while browsing through code, a developer can duplicate the current instance of the Solution Explorer to maintain that active view.

Preview Tab : 

The new preview tab works to minimize the amount of windows created while working on a project; basically, every time a developer does something that would trigger a file to be opened as a "side effect", the file will be opened in the preview tab. You’ll be able to do anything to a file while it is inside of a preview tab, such as edit the content, or convert the tab into a "regular" tab by clicking a button, double-clicking on the file, or dragging the tab.

For a complete and detailed rundown, there are two posts on the Visual Studio MSDN blog that delve into the changes and new features, and provide an in-depth overview of how they work.

You may download the new Visual Studio 11 Beta through Microsoft here.

.NET Framework 4.5 Beta :

Now with .NET Framework 4.5, Microsoft .NET has been enhanced significantly to enable developers to be as productive as possible while building rich, reliable and high-performance software in managed code.

Following are some major improvements in .NET Framework 4.5 :

Languages : 

To help developers deliver responsive clients and scalable servers, the C# and Visual Basic languages now have built-in support for writing asynchronous code almost as easily as if it were synchronous. And to help developers tackle data-complex problems, F# integrates Type Providers to make data access trivial in F# programs and components.

Performance : 

The Common Language Runtime has been overhauled to provide better performance, in particular for server applications and services. With additions such as background server garbage collection, multicore background JIT compilation and profile-guided optimization, managed applications can now start faster and run with better throughput and lower latency.

Networking : 

With the proliferation of devices and continuous services in the cloud, .NET Framework 4.5 builds upon the high-quality networking libraries already available in .NET to further enable the development of increasingly connected applications. New support spans from modern HTTP libraries to WebSockets to support for contract-first service development.

Beyond such areas, many additions have gone into improving the .NET Framework end to end. There are improvements from regular expression processing to better support for compression standards, enhanced support for HTML5, developer productivity enhancements in Entity Framework, optimized mobile experiences through ASP.NET, and more, ensuring .NET Framework 4.5 has something new for all developers building for the client and the cloud.

*by andreascy*

ESET announced : Endpoint Security and Endpoint Security Suite (Beta Versions)

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

ESET announced the BETA launch of its new flagship products for Business customers : ESET Endpoint Security Suite and ESET Endpoint Security. ESET, the maker of the award-winning NOD32 technology for 25 years, invites IT administrators to join in the public testing of these new products. Both ESET Endpoint Security Suite BETA and ESET Endpoint Security BETA come standard with ESET Remote Administrator 5 BETA and are available for free download at www.ESET.com.

Utilizing multiple layers of malware detection, boasting the ThreatSense® scanning engine, ESET Live Grid™ – the in the cloud file reputation service, the next generation ESET Endpoint Security solutions deliver industry-leading proactive protection against emerging threats. The small system footprint coupled with advanced remote management of clients make these ideally-suited solutions for any size company. The next generation ESET Remote Administrator 5 BETA comes standard with both solutions and includes Web Dashboards and Role-Based Administration, allowing for variable level of work automation and remote control of almost every imaginable detail of connected endpoints.

“ESET Endpoint Security BETA and ESET Endpoint Security Suite BETA are not just a mere upgrade or rebranded products, it is truly a new generation of security solutions in ESET's portfolio for business customers. It introduces new features along with improved functionalities – like Live Grid, HIPS and Rollback of Virus Database/Program Modules −important for IT specialists and administrators. Many other features are significantly enhanced,” said Palo Luka, ESET Chief Technology Officer. "At ESET we are keen to offer the most up-to-date and advanced protection critical for any business infrastructure. Our BETA products are in the testing phase and we are inviting ESET users to give it a try and report back to us with their valuable feedback." 

The new generation of ESET Endpoint Security solutions continues a long tradition of high-quality and comprehensive products for business users. ESET Endpoint Security provides essential Antivirus/Antispyware protection and Device Control. ESET Endpoint Security Suite also adds Firewall protection, Web Control and a Spam-filter. Both products will feature ESET Remote Administrator 5. With the launch of full versions of both Endpoint Security solutions – ESET Endpoint Security and ESET Endpoint Security Suite – slated for later in 2012, ESET will offer a flexible solution to meet the business customers' individual endpoint security needs. 

For additional information about the current BETA version please visit ESET Endpoint Security Suite BETA, ESET Endpoint Security BETA (including ESET Remote Administrator 5 BETA) on ESET.com.

ESET Endpoint Security Suite BETA and ESET Endpoint Security BETA Feature Comparison (current release)

	ESET Endpoint Security Suite BETA	ESET Endpoint Security BETA
Antivirus	*	*
Antispyware	*	*
Anti-Stealth	*	*
Personal Firewall	*	-
Anti-Spam (with spam log)	*	-
Self-Defense	*	*
Host-based Intrusion Prevention System  (HIPS)	*	*
Live Grid	*	*
Support for Microsoft NAP	*	*
ESET Remote Administrator 5	*

*by andreascy*