Microsoft Wants to Bring HoloLens to the Consumer Market

Microsoft HoloLens was launched about two years ago but it was available only for the enterprise users or for those who can afford it for research purposes. Microsoft has been right on top of the augmented and virtual reality frenzy since the time of its inception as it wanted to position as the Next Big Thing in the consumer electronic market. Microsoft released the HoloLens among much fanfare and critical acclaim years ago but it was available only for the developers and enterprises with limited numbers, application support coupled with a massive $3000 price tag.

The history of HoloLens

When Microsoft first launched the HoloLens in 2015 it was positioned more as a set of software applications, AI as well as operating system rather than just being a headset. This has helped Microsoft rising above the competition of slew of headsets which emerged in later years which focused on the battery life, user experience and application support. A number virtual reality focused gadgets came up offering different and interactive game or application but they didn’t even tried to change the computer-user interaction paradigm.

On other hand Microsoft focused on augmented reality or mixed reality which allows users to experience as they wish. This has resulted in close synchronization between the data gathered from multiple sources, analyzing of the behavior pattern and having a operating system in place which actively binds them together. Microsoft is currently prepping its system rather the components which will ultimately helps in developing such products that satisfies the needs of the masses.

Can Microsoft successfully bring HoloLens to the consumers? 

Microsoft is trying to avoid the problems which Kinect has to face in its early days. Kinect was Microsoft one off beat project which used to translate sign language into text which will ultimately help in building cost effective three dimensional maps. These maps can in turn be used by the robots for efficient navigation and in the final it will enable robots in understanding the needs of the humans by carefully translating their gestures into meaningful tasks. Microsoft even brought a smarter and updated version of Kinect called Kinect 2.0 which appeared to be extremely cool but failed to fathom anyone’s interest.

In just past two years a number of environments and cases have emerged for the HoloLens to take advantage. But Microsoft has been right in focusing only on the enterprise during the initial years as it will be dangerous to bring such a technology right to the wide amount of consumers. A simple case study of the wearable that make use of the VR and AR has simply failed to show huge sales figure as consumers doesn’t find much benefit coming to them at the end. Therefore Microsoft is spending its time bringing a wide range of apps and environments which will help consumers in testing out the full capabilities of the technology in a smart way rather than being restricted to few things which can be done which such a capable device.

Facebook Tunes Into Television’s Market

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Facebook started as an advertisement free social media platform and it stayed true to this thought for a relatively longer but very soon the reality caught up with them. Currently Facebook earns millions of dollars each day through a very carefully installed ad network on its social media platform. Facebook ambitions are growing by leaps and bounds as it looks forward to enlarge its ad revenue in upcoming future. As per the report published in The Wall Street Journal Facebook is set on building a TV app which will work with the set-top boxes just like Apple TV.

Advantages of developing TV app

This particular TV app will help Facebook in encouraging the users in watching longer videos which has been eventual goal of the company. Facebook has plans to start testing of themed-roll ads which will play right in the middle of the videos present on its network. In similar fashion these kinds of ads will appear in the TV app as well over the time. Facebook has not made any official confirmation of going into the TV network with an app or bringing its own advertisement in such a manner for now.

Facebook plans to bring longer videos in the News Feed

So far Facebook has ensured that the users on its platform are not bothered with the longer videos on their News Feed but very soon this will be thing of past. Facebook will start prioritizing the longer videos right in the News Feed to generate more ad revenue. In order to bring longer videos it will first weigh on the percent completion or how much video is watch was user before they go away. In this manner the longer videos which are able to keep users engaged for large amount of time will find its way in the News Feed.

Facebook is actively making a series of tweaks in the News Feed algorithm which will help advertisers, content developers and publishers to push their content in the News Feed. Facebook is effectively trying to understand the user’s behavior or community as whole to bring more engaging content on the platform rather than indulging in penalizing the longer videos.

Why Facebook is developing a TV app? 

Facebook is expected to establish itself as YouTube video streaming platform wherein it has plans to first populate the platform with large videos then encourage content developers in delivering quality content on regular basis. It has been reported that Facebook has been in talks with a number of media companies to develop as well license a number of long form or TV style content which will range from scripted shows to entertainment as well as sports videos.

In simple words this app will establish Facebook as a serious leader in the streaming market wherein it will be able to distribute its new content along with the TV style advertisements in future. Facebook will certainly go ahead with its plans of asking higher price from the content developers, advertisers and other in future for displaying ads on the users news feeds.

How to Stop Windows 10 From Automatically Rebooting After Updates

It is extremely frustrating for the users to see their computer system each time it completes the updating process. This has been norm with the Windows OS which happens to reboot on its won each time it goes through the updating process. Windows has finally decided to do away with this functionality by bringing an update called Windows 10 Anniversary Update which eventually brought a new concept of ‘Active Hours’. Active Hour allows users to update their devices automatically during the time when machine is not in use. But even such feature is not good enough in stopping Windows from rebooting it after an update and this can play a huge spoilsport while working at later hours. Follow these smart steps to get rid of automatic rebooting of Windows after each update.

Step 1: Open Administrative Tools by going to the Control Panel

Press Start button and type in ‘Administrative Tools’ and press ‘Enter’ key. Now choose the ‘Task Scheduler’ from the list of options in the Administrative Tools window.

Step 2: Open the following path: Task Scheduler Library/Microsoft/Windows/UpdateOrchestrator

Now carefully look at the bottom of the window and you will find the ‘Reboot’ option which will certainly enabled at the moment. You are simply required to give a right click on that option and disable it from the menu.

This will help in eliminating the notorious automatic rebooting in the Windows OS after each update but a number of users have claimed that these failed to work in their advantage as Windows automatically switches back to the default settings in no time.

In order prevent such thing from happening in future you should open the window by typing in this address: C:/Windows/System32/Tasks/Microsoft/Windows/UpdateOrchestrator. Now carefully locate the ‘Reboot’ file that doesn’t have any suffix or file attachment and rename it as ‘Reboot.bak’. If you are unable to rename this file as it is a system file, now you will be required to ‘Take Ownership’ and this can be done by simply giving a right-click, then follow the steps as appears on your screen.

Some more smart steps to stop Windows from shutting down

Users should understand that these steps are designed to stop the Windows OS from rebooting itself but it will not stop the OS from updating itself. Windows has also brought some exciting features with Creators Update on Windows 10 which brings a greater amount of control over the updates. Now users will be able to opt out of the updates from the drivers or simply users can stop the updates by disabling the Windows Update service.

Though disabling the Windows Update service is an extremely risky affair as it stops system from the receiving the security updates which is necessary to secure devices in this era of prevalent attacks. Furthermore whenever system updates are acquired by a device then its needs to get rebooted in order to function properly. Now you know how to get rid of rebooting problem with these smart yet simple ways.

How to Take a Screenshot on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

Screenshots have turned out to be the most innovative and smartest way to have a record of some important thing or to share information with others. This enables you to get a prove of anything or substantiate your point in no time. There are different methods of taking screenshots on different devices. The different devices include:
Windows Computer – You can easily take a screenshot of the existing screen without having to download any extra tools or software for it. All you need to have is a regular keyboard used in Windows and from that keyboard you just need to tap the print screen button.

This button is generally found on the top right corner of your keyboard and in some cases you also have to press the shift button to bring this function into the active mode. As you tap this button the computer will automatically go for a screenshot of the whole existing screen and will save it to clip board. If you wish to take extra screenshots then you will have to utilize an added program which is known as the Snipping Tool.

After downloading this program, you will have to search and locate your computer for the apt tool and then open the program. Press new and crosshair that enables you to choose the desired area that you intend to capture, as soon as you release the button you will then have to save the file. It is best if you include the Snipping Tool to your Start bar.

Mac – The best known device to feature finest screenshot ability is Mac. In this device you are provided with a short cut that easily selects the portion that you want to take image of. All you need to do is hold the shift and command keys simultaneously and also the number 4 button that will transform your mouse or trackpad into a crosshair. By using crosshair you are required to draw around the area that you want to take a snap of. After this step, your desired image will be protected as a .png file on your desktop.

iOS Devices – Inorder to go for a screenshot on an iOS device, like an iPad or an iPhone all you are required to do is hold on to the home button and the power button that appears on top right side corner of iPhone 6 and on the top of other iPhones issued before this. In this way the snap of your existing screenshot will be taken and will automatically get saved to Photos.

Android Devices – Taking screenshots on most of the Android devices is almost similar to the one’s we take on iOS devices. With the developed version of androids, the way to take screenshots have become even more easier, as you just need to hold on to the volume down and power button simultaneously. After the screenshot have been taken a quick options of animation will appear and your captured image will be saved to the Photos app in the screenshot section.

Nissan Offers Cheap Hybrid Electric Cars

Global warming, awareness to ditch one’s own vehicle and opt for public transport, governments bid to reduce the amount of cars from the roads and more regulations is making it tough for the car manufacturers to get more customers. Nissan is a Japanese automaker which is making leaps in the automobile sector with its affordable and powerful vehicle portfolio. However in a bid to keep its revenue coffers filling up; it has decided to move away from traditional by focusing on all electric or hybrid cars. This will help Nissan in manufacturing greener vehicles at the same time lowering the costs.

The first electric car for Nissan

Nissan started it mass market entry with the battery-electric vehicle called Leaf which was launched in 2010. Currently this car is the coveted world’s top selling electric vehicle but this car simply failed to reach the initial targets. Till today it has sold only 250,000 units on global scale which are not a great numbers when we take time taken into the equation. The major reason attributed to the sales failure of the all electric car has been revealed by the CEO Carlos Ghosn is that ‘going all electric is expensive affair’. Therefore Nissan is focusing on nearly electric car manufacturing for upcoming years which will help in saving more on the costs as well as it will help in fending off the competition from the rivals.

Nissan is embarking on the journey of creating gasoline-hybrid technology of next level rather than concentrating on fully battery powered vehicles with zero emissions ratings. Nissan will have to best the major competitors like Toyota which is known for making astonishingly awesome hybrid cars and the most notable one is Prius.

Nissan is taking a Hybrid Detour

This isn’t the first time Nissan is thinking of developing hybrid cars. In 2010 Nissan has invested in a limited range of hybrid cars wherein it was able to ship only 95,000 by March in the same year and its global sales stood at 5.4 million units. Nissan has its eye on the world biggest automobile market and it will be focusing only on affordable electric car for China. Nissan R&D is also working on a vehicle which will be able to run on electric power generated right from the ethanol.

Nissan has kick started its e-Note program wherein it will be building a compact hatchback which will possess the same motor from the Leaf but it will be a hybrid vehicle. This E note vehicle will give direct competition to the General Motors Chevrolet Volt which effectively switches to the gasoline engine when battery is running low. The e-Note vehicle will be sold at a starting price of $15,777 and its availability is currently limited to Japan only but quite interestingly this vehicle is 40 percent cheaper than the 2010 Leaf. Nissan has stressed that it has go for cheaper price point for its hybrid vehicle in order to attract new buyers or to get them to upgrade to completely electric car in future.