Microsoft revealed the new logo for its highly anticipated OS for Windows 8. Microsoft changed the logo from traditional  flag  users have come to love in the last 20 years to four blue windows. The new logo is a slightly angled blue block with a thin white cross in the middle, making it look like a window instead of the four-color wavy flag in the past.The new logo is designed by Paula Scher from the Pentagram Design Agency, whose notable works include the Citibank logo. But many critics have mixed feelings on the change of the logo.

As expected critics weighted in on Microsoft new change to the logo. Some of them are not trilled with the new design.

“It’s a simple one-color logo that emphasizes Windows 8′s simple design, but it’s so bland that it doesn’t convey anything important about the new OS,” Ludwig writes.

“I think it’s very appropriate to have 4 Blue Screens of Death coming right toward you. Pretty much captures my Windows experience, anyway,” writes Forbes E.D Kain

To take a page a line from  Jay -Z  “What’s $50,000 to a guy like me can you please remind me?” That’s kinda what Microsoft did with a new logo. Can you please remind me when was the last time you bought a new Windows computer because it had a sticker that had a nice flag on it? I don’t care what logo Microsoft has. What I care about is that Windows 8 works. Do you remember Windows Vista? I bet people ran to buy it because it has a nice logo too right?

What I care about Windows 8 is not the logo but if can make a splash in the tablet market.  It’s already late to the party and Apple is about to Debut its iPad 3 in March. I really don’t care about Windows 8′s new logo. What I want from Windows 8 is that it can run on low-end computer, doesn’t hog memory, and has backward compatibility drivers.I care that the OS will actually work. If Windows 8 is successful, then everyone who bad mouth the software giant will turn around and bow down to them.

Source:CNET

This might be news to some, but not everyone knows what 4G LTE means.Not everyone thinks in terms of footprints or tethering either. Especially if they’re over 16.

So “Saturday Night Live” decided to target Verizon’s enthusiasm for terminology in ads offering 4G LTE. Whatever that is. (The video may not be visible should you live across oceans the other side of the U.S.)

I am grateful to the Verge for sitting up late to witness the joy of a poor customer who ends up being more confused than a raccoon in a Michelin-starred restaurant.Four seconds for a song? One hour for a movie? To download? To, um, watch? One hour? 15 seconds for a Power Point? And there’s a Droid Sideboard Tablet?

The more the salesman talks, the more the customer is confused. In short, “it’s a nightmare for an old person.”

I have a difficult suspicion that it isn’t just old people who don’t understand these things. Younger people are better at covering it up and then going home and asking their Facebook friends what they should do.

Source: Geek

Perhaps you’ve been holding off on a tablet purchase until Windows 8 arrived. And perhaps you’re keen on having a go at Windows on ARM — what with the greatly improved battery life it’ll likely deliver compared to Intel or AMD tablets. If both those things are true, you’re in for a treat: Windows 8 on ARM will include Office 15 apps.

In Steven Sinofsky’s recent, 8,000-plus word blog post detailing Windows on ARM (WOA) he made several interesting revelations. For one, he stated that the Windows desktop is still a vital component of WOA, and that ARM users will still have access to the desktop and desktop apps. The apps, of course, will have to be ported to the ARM architecture, but it’s good to get additional confirmation that WOA isn’t limited to Metro-style apps.

Also worth knowing is that WOA is going to include the core Office 15 apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Sinofsky mentions that the aim is for WOA to be a “no-compromise product,” and Microsoft knows that Windows users will want access to the industry-leading productivity apps even on non-x86 desktops and laptops. That’s a pretty solid foursome of free apps.

Confused? You’ve got every reason to be. Microsoft does still make a truckload of cash off Office, so it’s a bit strange to hear that they’re throwing it in with WOA. Then again, this is the same company that has already given consumers the ad-supported (but still free-ish) Office Starter as well as free-to-use Office Web Apps. Why not give away some ARM apps, too?

But maybe Sinofsky meant that the Windows 8 Consumer Preview would include Office 15 as well, giving users a chance to test both at the same time. That could be the case, except that Windows on ARM won’t be made available for consumers to download or purchase — you’ll only be able to buy it pre-loaded on WOA hardware.

So what’s Microsoft playing at here? Are they giving away the apps and hoping to tie us in to subscriptions by introducing Dropbox-like storage plans for SkyDrive? It’s already been widely publicized that Windows 8 will feature heavy SkyDrive integration, so Microsoft could indeed be looking for ways to create a continuous revenue stream from Office users — instead of selling folks on an upgrade once every few years.

Source: TMZ

Whitney Houston died this afternoon … a rep for the singer told the Associated Press.

According to our sources, Houston died at the Beverly Hilton hotel. A police crime lab vehicle was seen outside the hotel just moments ago.

So far, the details surround Houston’s death are unclear. The singer famously battled drug addiction for years.

Houston won two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards during her record-breaking career. Her album “Whitney” was the first female album to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts. She has sold 200 million albums world wide.

Houston holds an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Grambling State University in Louisiana.

Houston had one child, Bobbi Kristina, with husband Bobby Brown. Houston and Brown were married from 1992-2007.

We spotted Whitney out just last weekend with on-again/off-again beau Ray-J.

Source: DailyTech

Is that an Android in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? A  new study shows that Canadian Android users are more likely to have sex on the first date as well as one-night stands than those who have iPhones or BlackBerrys.

The survey, which looked at 1,068 Canadian singles from October 13-15, was conducted by polling firm Zoomerang. According to its results, 62 percent of Canadian Android users have sex on the first date while 57 percent of iPhone users and 48 percent of BlackBerry users get lucky the first time around.

In addition, Canadian Android users also have more one-night stands at 55 percent while iPhone users and BlackBerry users are at 50 percent and 47.6 percent respectively. Android users also frequented dating sites more often at 72 percent while iPhone users were at 58 percent and BlackBerry users were at 50 percent.

While Canadian Android users are more likely to get the ladies, iPhone users and BlackBerry users have their perks too — I think. For instance, iPhone users were most likely to date co-workers at nearly 25 percent, and BlackBerry users were most likely to drink alcohol on the first date at 72 percent.

Most singles from each party agreed that technology like dating sites, email and text messages have greatly increased their social lives.

Android may top the mobile category in terms of sexy time, but Apple recently crushed Google’s mobile operating system in Q4 2011 sales, outselling Android 4-to-1 on AT&T. The iPhone also outsold all Android phones combined at Verizon.

Source:tomshardware

Microsoft may have released a developer preview of Windows 8 a few months back, but Redmond has still given little indication as to when the non-developing public will get a chance to play around with the next iteration of Windows. With 2011 drawing to a close, we’ll soon enter Windows 8′s launch year, and it appears the beginning of 2012 could shape up to be quite Windows 8-centric.

We’ve already heard the reports that say Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will talk a lot about Windows 8 during his CES keynote in January. However, the latest scuttlebutt says Microsoft will release the public Windows 8 beta will be released shortly after CES. Read Write Web sites sources close to Microsoft in reporting that the public beta will hit in late February of next year. The site’s sources couldn’t confirm the feature set, saying that this has yet to be nailed down and will be decided by the Windows 8 engineers based on which components are ready for public consumption.

Earlier this month we heard that the Windows 8 install process had been streamlined by Microsoft. The company said that users will be able to install Windows 8 in as few as 11 clicks, depending on their existing OS, migration choices, install method, and the number of blocking issues needed to be resolved before the PC is ready for installation.

Since the release of Windows Vista, consumers have halted all types of upgrades to a new version of Windows. When Windows 7 came out, it was a major success but it still have customers skeptical on upgrading and how to do it. In Windows 8, Microsoft will to ask fewer questions on upgrades and clean install and make good on their promise.

There are some slight differences from installing Windows 7 and Windows 8. Some new features in Windows 8 is the ability to log in with a Windows Live ID (aka E-mail), and options to disable certain updates. Do you hate putting that annoying 25 digit product key during installation? In Windows 8 there is no need to install a product key (at least not in the Windows developer Preview). Windows 8 has faster drivers installation and more. To find out more, click on the slide show.

Boot into your Windows 8 DVD and press any key to continue

Click on the language you prefer and click "Next"

Click on "Install Now"

Accept the End User License Agreement and select "Next"

Because we want to start from scratch, we will do a
Custom clean install (Custom advance). If you are
upgrading from Windows 7 select Upgrade

The 20 GB unallocated means space we did not use
yet on the Hard Drive. We will use this space to
create a partition. First click on "drive options"

Click on "New"

At this point, we can set the max size depending
on your Hard drive, or as small as 16/20 GB.
Once you set your size, click "Apply"

Extra Partition means an additional partition needed
to install Windows 8.

Notice in Windows 7, it was 100 MB for a system reserve
partition. In Windows 8 it's more than triple 350 MB

Now click "format" to format the partition

Now that we created a partition and formatted it, it's time
to install Windows 8. Click "Next."

The installation process usually takes about 30 minutes
to complete.

The computer has rebooted and now is installing additional
System files and driver.

Give your PC a name. It can be anything. You can change it if you don't like it. Once you've picked a name click "Next"

You can choose to have express options to move the installation faster or to have custom options and choose what you features you want to disable or enable.

You can choose between sharing the connection or not sharing one. Because you are first setting up Windows, it's recommended to not share the connection. You can always change this setting later.

you can choose to disable certain apps such as updates, internet explorer settings and more. Once you feel comfortable with your options select "next"

Because this is a Developer preview of Windows 8, Microsoft wants users for feedback and content. If you don't feel comfortable with that, disable all options and click "Next."

You can share apps with certain people and location if you choose to. If not, you can disable them. Once you've done that click "next."

One of the new features in Windows 8 is the ability to log in with your Windows account with Windows Live E-Mail address. You cannot log in with a Google or any other type of E-mail address other than Windows Live ID. If you don't want to log in with your E-Mail address, select the "Don't want to log on with a Windows Live ID?" option and click "Next"

You can choose again between a Windows Live ID or a traditional local account.

Type in a User name, password, and a hint to continue. Once you’ve done that, click next.

Source: CNN

(CNN) – The chances of seeing professional basketball in 2011 are getting smaller, but fans of the sport will have at least one opportunity to watch pro players at work in December – if they’re willing to include a donation for President Barack Obama’s re-election bid.

The “First Ever Obama Classic” is slated for a yet-to-be-announced venue in Washington on December 12, three days before the first possible NBA game.

A labor dispute between league owners and players has threatened to scuttle the 2011-12 season, and the earliest possible date play could begin is December 15, league officials have said.

The “Obama Classic” will feature NBA players past and present, with money from tickets going toward Obama’s re-election campaign.

Some of the NBA’s biggest names have already signed on, including Boston Celtics’ guard Ray Allen, New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony, and Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh.

Other players include Patrick Ewing, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard, and two female players: Cheryl Miller and Tina Thompson. More players will be added before the event, according to the Obama campaign.

The campaign is making a limited number of $100 tickets available to the Obama Classic for “Gen44″ donors, a classification for Obama’s younger supporters. General admission tickets are $200, premium seats are $500, and courtside tickets will set fans back $5,000.

Obama is a big basketball fan. Last week, he watched a college game aboard the U.S.S. Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier docked in San Diego. And earlier this fall, former professional players attended an Obama fundraiser in Orlando.

At that event, Obama told the crowd, “I don’t miss my shots in the fourth quarter.”

Source:Geek

Not everyone can afford an iPad, even the $200 Kindle Fire is going to be out of reach for many cash-strapped individuals. But one student in China has demonstrated you only need $125 and a bit of DIY to create your very own device.

Wei Xinlong wanted to get his girlfriend Sun Shasha a tablet for her birthday, but the cost put everything that was available pre-built out of reach. So Wei decided to see what he could create with his own two hands.

After reading up on creating a tablet, and watching a number of how-to videos, Wei scoured the Internet and found a laptop used. He bought it for $78 and extracted the processor, motherboard, memory, GPU, and display from it. He then created a new case for the device by hand, carving the required holes to fit it together. The touchscreen and battery were sourced separately and added to the laptop parts, taking the total cost up to $125.

The end result was a Windows 7 touchscreen tablet that apparently has roughly the same measurements as the iPad. I think it’s safe to assume this device is going to be thicker than the iPad, but could equal it in terms of width and height.

Luckily for Wei, his girlfriend loved it. She can use it to surf the web, watch videos, and read books. One thing Wei may not appreciate is Sun taking the time to stick rhinestones all around the edge of the casing he so lovingly created. It’s her tablet though, so I guess she can do what she likes to it.