Microsoft Plans Language Assistant Cortana For Windows Phone!

Microsoft wants Windows Phone 8.1 to install a language assistant who carries the name Cortana in it. It is said that it is similar to Siri on iPhones and Google Now on Android Smartphones. With the update to Windows Phone 8.1 Smartphones get with Microsoft's mobile operating system a language assistant that is designed to provide the functions of Siri and Google Now, The Verge has learned from people who are familiar with Microsoft's plans.

The designation is based on the computer game series Halo, in which there is the AI Cortana character. On Windows Phone Cortana is only an animated icon and not a female character as in the Halo games. The approach of Cortana is a similar virtual personality as with Apple's Siri. Moreover Cortana collects data from Bing, Foursquare and other services in order to offer comparable performance to Google Now.

The user will thus find all relevant information in Cortana to simplify his use of Smartphones. A sub- function of Cortana is called notebook and is used to control the data flow with matching privacy settings. The user should therefore be set in the notebook, which data sources may use Cortana. So Cortana can on location information, personal data, reminders and contact access. In addition, the function can monitor the user behavior and show based on that information or make suggestions.

Depending on the chosen notebook settings to the Windows Phone Assistant noted the information in question. The user should edit later stored within the notebook information or delete, so that a privacy setting in the base can be changed at any time later. Moreover Cortana can be used to remove the user tasks. For example, if a message comes is asking in for a meeting at 19:00 clock, offers the wizard to create a matching calendar entry.

In addition, a Do Not Disturb mode is scheduled to appear in the notifications. The user may specify a specific user group, which is not affected by the Do Not Disturb mode. News of these individuals appointment would then continue to appear. It is expected that a first preliminary version of the update version will be come to the market only at the beginning of April 2014 is shown at Microsoft's Build conference. When Smartphone owners will get the update is still not known.

Microsoft would offer a free version of Windows 8.1 with Bing

Windows 8.1 is currently the latest version of Microsoft's operating system Windows 8. Microsoft currently experimenting with a free version of its operating system for PCs. According to unconfirmed sources, Microsoft could offer a free version or low cost of its OS called "Windows 8.1 with Bing", and integrating key services and applications.

It would be an update designed to attract users of Windows 7. Exactly one year before the Wall Street Journal quoted that Microsoft has decided to lower the price of Windows 8 and Office for OEMs licenses. The Verge now evokes an experimental project of Redmond called " Windows 8.1 with Bing " which would be a free or low-cost version of the update for users of Windows 7 operating system.

The Verge indicates the exact intentions of Microsoft are not yet finalized and that experimentation is part of a series of initiatives to monetize cloud services and applications of the publisher. According to The Verge, the free version called "Windows 8.1 with Bing” and is currently in development. Hence, they also contain the most important Microsoft apps and services and put an emphasis on the search engine Bing. In addition, Microsoft is targeting apparently from it, to win by no or low price more users for Windows 8. Early versions of Windows 8.1 with Bing are leaked on the internet and the familiar Windows Leaks website WZor.net already published screenshots of the software installed .

The Verge goes on to write that Windows 7 users might get the upgrade to Windows 8.1 with Bing free or very cheap. Another possibility is that the operating system is also available to PC manufacturers on favorable terms. The focus is to get as many new Windows 8 users. This information last week via Bloomberg that Microsoft would charge more for Windows 8.1 license of $ 15 on devices sold in more than 250 dollars. Service Pack 1 for Windows 8.1 is expected in early April.

 Now Windows 8.1 download costs currently around 120 Euros for individuals. It is therefore questionable how Microsoft makes money when it offers (nearly) the operating system and key applications for free. The Verge suspected that the company wants to move to new customers to use its fee-based additional services, such as major cloud storage. Details of these plans of Microsoft may known public at developer conference which will be held in San Francisco on of 2 up to 4 April.

Specialized Audio Components For Custom automotive Sound Systems

Many consumers put a lot of time, effort, and resources into their automobile, and one way that many enhance their car or truck is through enhanced audio components and sound systems. The electronics in a particular vehicle may actually surpass in value that of the car itself, making this an important investment for the owner. Furthermore, there are some savvy shoppers seeking to augment existing systems with very specialized, particular products that might be difficult to find in local retail venues.

There are some dedicated sites and merchants that are most likely to yield a more favorable selection for distinctive buyers, and that offer a wide range of innovative and technologically-advanced products. These items might be offered in a wider range of sizes or styles, or they simply might be goods that are nearly impossible to find and purchase off-the-shelf in an auto or electronics retailer nearby. The access to these fine quality products ensures optimal sound and performance for those seeking uncompromised audio in their vehicle, while also offering competitive pricing to lure and satisfy potential customers.

Many of the sites found that focus on these needs may provide some buyer incentives that make purchasing new and exciting elements more feasible; this may be demonstrated in discounts for first-time shoppers or deferred shipping when purchases meet a required minimum. One site with some enticing offers is pacificstereo.com, which provides new customers a flat percentage off of their initial order. This makes it viable to spruce-up existing sound systems in time for spring!

Google Chrome 34.0 with Hands-Free Google Voice Search

Google has just announced the arrival of the Chrome 34 Beta. With the full support of the Web Audio API, this helps the developers without prefixing their audio tag for the browser. The work of developers will be a little easier with Beta version of Google Chrome browser. The developer may use it or not that is up to them and several features of the version announced by Google in beta, will simplify integration.

In general, advance features are always available on every release of the new version of Chrome. Several new features are announced now also that includes the control "hands” with the simple phrase “OK Google". First, the arrival of simplified images responsive design writing is possible with this new version. We will not repeat the arguments of Google in its entirety - roughly what everyone knows, uses evolve with new appliances and therefore various screen sizes - but there is the arrival of the attribute ' srcset for the image tag. Here is the sample code provided by Google:


<img alt  =  " A rad wolf  . " src = " pic1x.jpg " srcset = " pic1x.jpg 1x, 2x pic2x.jpg , pic4x.jpg 4x ">

This solution, which allows you to easily manage images in responsive design is simple. This new feature was already expected, especially as the Webkit rendering engine incorporated in August 2013. Blink - rendering engine Webkit fork and developed by Google since version 28 of Chrome – hence it was easy to make it possible.

 The attribute can also declare different sources for the image sizes, which will be displayed depending on the configuration of the browser visiting a site. A solution which should also help solve performance problems often encountered with the multiplication of images. Attribute ' src' is now optional. For now, however it will always think the declare fallback for some other browsers that would support not ' srcset. Until now, developers should indeed increase the prefixes for the audio rendering.

The solution validated by the W3C Web Audio via a Javascript API audio decoding. Quite powerful and advanced, it was not supported. Google is announcing that henceforth there will be no need to prefix some API entry points. Exit the 'web kit audio Context' for example, the point specified by the W3C ' audio Context ' in details.

Same for 'Offline Audio Context’. Chrome and Firefox supports the Web Audio API without prefix. Need redundant code for compatibility on both browsers. Note that both methods should continue side by side for the moment, to allow time for developers to change their code. That said that they have an incentive to take the front. Google has already announced that the management of prefixes may be impaired from a future version of the browser, unspecified.

ZTE brings thin Smartphone Grand Memo 2 LTE

ZTE launches its Grand Memo 2 LTE, a new Android Smartphone with a large display in the market. The focus of the manufacturer is to use the Smartphone easily; in addition the device has the latest version of Android and LTE support. The Chinese manufacturer ZTE has unveiled a successor to its Smartphones Grand memo. The Grand Memo 2 LTE has an even slightly larger screen than its predecessor, an improved front camera and the new user interface Mifavor 2.3.

With only 7.2 mm, it is one of the thinnest Android Smartphones available in the market. The 6 -inch screen has a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels, giving a pixel density of 244 ppi. Inside the Smartphones Snapdragon Qualcomm processor 400 is there, but it is not clear which model how many cores are working. The clock rate also has not announced by ZTE.

The Grand Memo 2 LTE has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of built-in flash memory. Whether the Smartphone has a slot for micro SD cards, two slots are available in total. One could for the SIM card, and the other may be for a memory card. The device supports UMTS on frequencies 900 and 2100 MHz, and LTE on unknown bands.

Wireless dominates the Smartphone of 802.11a/b/g/n at both frequencies 2.4 and 5.0 GHz; also the new fast standard ac is supported. Bluetooth runs in version 4.0, a GPS receiver and an infrared transmitter are installed. The camera on the back has 13 megapixels and a BSI sensor from Sony. The front camera has been upgraded by ZTE, it is now has 5 megapixels instead of 1 as the first Grand memo and hence it is suitable for self-portraits.

ZTE has installed on the Grand Memo 2 LTE a good camera app with numerous setting options. Good like us have also aids such as the scale at which the user can align the viewfinder image correctly. The quality of the photos we could not be conclusively assessed without an external monitor. The Grand Memo 2 is also known as LTE comes with Android in the current version 4.4.2 Kitkat and runs smoothly through the menus.

The user interface of ZTE is more colorful than that of a pure AOSP - Androids and provides the user with some advanced configuration options also. Apart from a special child mode and a glove mode, there is the possibility to record telephone numbers in a blacklist and block the incoming unwanted calls. Thus, the user is protected against unwanted and annoying calls. About an authorization manager the user also has more control over his data, even an Adblocker is preinstalled.

The housing of the Smartphone measures 161.5 x 83 mm and is 7.2 mm thin. The distance between the display and the edge is very less, according to ZTE; it utilize for the LCD screen of almost 80 percent of the front of the device. The built-in battery has a nominal charge of 3,200 mAh; according to ZTE, the battery consumption has fallen by 30 percent.

An HD video to be played up to 16 hours, which is not clear how this value was measured. The Grand Memo 2 LTE offers some interesting features and a large screen. Especially the camera software and the advanced security features we liked. A price for the device has not yet mentioned by ZTE, the launch will take place in April 2014 first in China.