Spain’s Gas Natural, and the electrical company Iberdrola have also been hit in this attack.

This is perhaps the biggest ransomware attack recorded in history. Cyber security experts had been cautioning the governments around the world to beware and ready for such hacks.

City services in London, Nottingham, and the counties of Hertfordshire and Cumbria are affected by the latest ransomware attack, the source of which is still unknown.

Experts are calling the latest cyberattack “WannaCry”, or WanaCrypt0r and WCry. This malware infection spreads quickly because it stems from a Windows vulnerability known as EternalBlue that allegedly originated with the NSA. In March, Microsoft released an exploit to patch this exploit, known as MS17-010. But it appears hackers were quicker that the sloppy governments around the world.

Adam Kujawa, director of malware intelligence at Malwarebytes says that he hasn’t seen anything like this.  “The spread is immense. This is nuts,” says Kujawa.

so on a hunch I tried to force a bug check and well, yeah…

It’s kind of comical. Do you think they changed it because of all the past negativity or did they change it because they just wanted a design change? Either way, we hope it won’t nag us as much as it has in the past.  Overall my experience has been pretty positive with Windows 10 compared to previous operating systems.

Save

Millions of people are installing Windows 10 in their device around the world. The acclaimed best-Windows-yet has brought many novelties. Unfortunately, some bugs are also popping up as expected in any new OS release.

If you have upgraded to Windows 10 recently, chances are that you too are experiencing a no-sound problem with your PC. Our guide will walk you through simple steps to fix sound problems Windows 10.

Fix Sound Problems – Windows 10

Method 1

In the task bar of Windows 10, find and click on the sound icon on the right most corner.

Select playback devices.

Select current playback device. If nothing external has been attached, it should be default speakers.

Open the speakers’ properties.

You need to change the bit rate for your speakers. Depending on your device you can choose one of the following two:

24bit/44100 Hz

24bit/192000 Hz

This should fix sound problems windows 10. However, if not, try the following method:

Method 2 – Fix Sound Problems Windows 10

In this method we will uninstall the sound drivers and let the automatic updater reinstall it.

Go to Start Menu

Write Device Manager in search bar and open it.

Open ‘Sound and Audio Devices’.

Right click Current Sound Driver and select uninstall.

Now Scan for hardware changes, and your PC will detect the uninstalled driver and reinstall it automatically.

The above two methods should quite effectively fix the sound problems Windows 10. The problem is an easy fix and would not need much of digging around on the internet if you simply followed the steps explained in this tutorial. Windows 10 is a great environment and don’t let such a small problem ruin your experience of it.

Google has launched a new feature which will let you unsend a sent mail if you have second thoughts about the mail you just sent. You will have around 5-30 seconds to undo a sent email. This feature is now live for Gmail app in Android, and the search engine giant says that soon it will be available for Gmail web.

The Undo send feature was already there for Google Labs, but it is now available for “Inbox” app of Gmail in Android. You can also turn on this feature by going to the Settings page within Gmail and navigate to the General tab. Here, you will see “Enable Undo Send” option.  You will have the option to choose between different time options under which you could take back the sent email. You have 5, 10, 20 and 30 seconds time windows. If you want to use this feature, choosing the maximum time windows, which is 30 seconds in this case, would be the best option.

If you are not seeing this option when you go to settings, don’t worry; Google says that the new unsend email feature will start rolling out within this week for all Android and web users.

All you need to upgrade to Windows 10 is 3GB of free space.

Windows 10 will have exciting new apps like Cortana, Office 2016, Cloud integration of OneDrive and Dropbox, Xbox Live, a new mail and photos app, Windows Continuum, which would allow you to duplicate Windows display on multiple mobile and desktop devices.

On July 29, Windows 10 will be available to install or upgrade for PC, laptops and tablets. All the devices running official Windows 8.1 will be upgraded. The devices which will be shipped after the official launch of Windows 10 will have pre-installed Windows 10.

Alex King, a computer science student installed Windows 10 Boot Camp in his new 12-inch MacBook, and used it for a month.

King found out that Windows 10 is much faster than OS X on the new MacBook. It renders 60 FPS, the animations are cool and smooth. When the transparency Aero mode is turned on, the Mission Control works smoothly, unlike in OS X, which perform sloppily when the transparency is turned on.

According to King, the gaming experience on Windows 10 run Apple MacBook is great. He was able to play heavy games like Left 4 Dead with 60FPS. He says that that hardware also worked optimally, with less heat generation.

Alexa King didn’t use the Virtual Box to use Windows 10 on Apple MacBook. He rather opted for Windows 10 Boot Camp version and installed it natively so that the Apple MacBook runs the Windows 10 by default.

If companies start making customized Apple laptops inbuilt with Windows OS, we could see a complete revolution in the PC industry.

Alex King explains complete testing and explanation of the benchmarks of the Windows 10 rundown on MacBook on his blog.

Bleep has a ‘Whisper’ feature which lets you send self-destructible messages. A ‘whisper’ will be deleted as soon as it is read.

Bleep supports end to end encryption, which, surprisingly, is not supported by iMessage, WhatsApp or Viber. You can also make secure Voice Calls using Bleep.

Download Bleep By BitTorrent

Microsoft has launched its Skype translator app which could translate more than 50 languages into English and vice versa. The app is free and the beta version is now available for download for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 technical preview users.

Microsoft’s new Skype translator app looks exactly like the normal Skype app. The only difference in the UI is the ‘Translation’ slider button. The app cannot detect the language spoken during the conversation automatically on the fly, which means before the start of conversation, you will have to specify which conversation language. Suppose you are going to chat with an Italian, just set the language of the conversation to Italian and you are good to go.
Skype translator app is still in the preview version, but it is a dream come true for businesses, Enterprise, students. The concept of live translation is pretty new; Microsoft has tapped in the right area earlier than its competitors.
Microsoft’s Skype Translator app works with any Skype client. You don’t need the app to be installed in the other person’s computer as well to enjoy the live translation.

The other major change coming to Windows 10 is in the live tiles feature. The leaked screenshots show 3D flip effect in the Windows live tiles, unlike the metro styled Windows 8 tiles.

The Cortana search box will be in front of you all the time with ‘Ask me anything’ prompt in Windows 10 in case you need assistance and help regarding anything.

Microsoft builds and new features are being leaked on daily basis and this points out to a worrying factor: the Windows 10 OS is not completed yet and the company is still in the process of development, final touching. Microsoft’s Build Developers Conference 2015 is tomorrow and the Redmond giant will reveal the date of Windows 10 in the event. Stay tuned.

Microsoft has also tweaked its Calendar app. There is a three-pane integration which lets you switch between mail and calendar for planning. You can add charts, tables, layers and text using Microsoft Word features in the new release.

Microsoft has also nudged the most important areas of the Windows 10 interface like Start, Taskbar and Action Center. You can now resize and customize the start menu and action center according to your choice. There is a new system black theme for Windows 10 in the new build release.

Windows 10 build 10061 also brings improved switching dynamics if you want to quickly change the interfaces for mobile, tablet and desktop.

We all just can’t wait to get our hands on Windows 10, which will definitely be a great experience to use.

]]> https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/04/23/microsoft-updates-start-menu-interface-mail-app-in-new-windows-10-technical-preview-build/feed/ 0 https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/04/03/run-android-apps-in-windows-mac-and-linux-using-googles-new-arc-tool/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=run-android-apps-in-windows-mac-and-linux-using-googles-new-arc-tool https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/04/03/run-android-apps-in-windows-mac-and-linux-using-googles-new-arc-tool/#respond Fri, 03 Apr 2015 13:33:09 +0000 http://preview.socialmediaseo.net/?p=32072

Google has announced a new tool that will let the Android developers to run the Android apps in Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. The tool is called App Runtime for Chrome (ARC). This is a huge step by Google because currently, the developers had to use Android emulators like BlueStacks to run the apps. ARC will allow the developers to run and test any Android app directly in Google Chrome.

The news was first reported by Ars Technia. The ARC Welder in the new app lets the developers to convert any .apk file in the system and run it directly in the computer. This process is called ‘mobile to desktop’ conversion. The latest step from Google will boost the Android app development and speed up the development process.

One drawback of the new tool is that it does not support the Android 5.0 Lollipop version and only run apps that are developed for Android KitKat. Google may resolve this problem in the upcoming versions of the tool. Google’s new tool also supports all the Google services, Google Cloud, app patches and Google+ social media platform. This is also a great feature as most of the developers need the Cloud and social functionality to test any Android app in their computer or the testing environment.

Microsoft is about to release its Windows 10 platform. This OS will support one-in-all feature, where all the apps would run in the same style for mobile, desktop and tablet. Couple this with Google’s new tool, the app developers in the coming days would be able to produce responsive designs and apps from their Windows computer and all the problems regarding cross-platform development will be solved.

]]> https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/04/03/run-android-apps-in-windows-mac-and-linux-using-googles-new-arc-tool/feed/ 0 https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/03/31/microsoft-announce-surface-3-a-beautiful-hybrid-tablet-running-full-windows/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=microsoft-announce-surface-3-a-beautiful-hybrid-tablet-running-full-windows https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/03/31/microsoft-announce-surface-3-a-beautiful-hybrid-tablet-running-full-windows/#respond Tue, 31 Mar 2015 13:33:19 +0000 http://preview.socialmediaseo.net/?p=32054 Microsoft has announced a new iteration of its Surface hybrid tablet line today with Surface 3. Surface 3 costs just $499. It is a beautiful slate, sleek, less in weight as compared to its previous versions. It will not have Windows RT like the previous versions, rather a full Windows operating system. Surface 3 is a complete laptop, with 10.8 inch screen and detachable keyboard.

Surface 3 looks exactly like Surface Pro 3 tablet, which is far costlier than Surface 3. But obviously, Surface Pro 3 has more power and storage. Surface 3 packs a 2GB Ram, 64GB internal storage. You will not get the accessories and covers in the $499 tag price. Microsoft also announced that you could double the RAM of Surface 3 in $100 extra. Surface 3 has ATOM X7 Cherry Trail processor.

Surface 3 tablet will have a one-year long free subscription of Office 365 apps. The best part is that it will be running full Windows 8.1— and would be upgraded to Windows 10 when it comes of course. This solves a lot of problems for the users who hate windows RT because of its inability to run the apps like we want in the original Windows productivity style.

Surface Pro 3 had a huge price tag and a lot of users were complaining. I think Microsoft has solved the problem as Surface 3 tablet can easily be labelled as another, slightly slow (as compared to Surface Pro), cheap version of Surface Pro 3.

Surface Pro 3 is now open for pre-sales and the general rollout will be done by Microsoft in May.

Internet Explorer is practically obsolete and irrelevant in the modern fast internet world. Google Chrome FireFox, Safari and other PC and mobile browsers have crossed Internet Explorer for years. Microsoft was persistent in its effort to improve Internet Explorer. Years after years of hard work, daily updates and feedback from users couldn’t improve Internet Explorer. The company has made a good decision by finally saying goodbye to Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer will remain in the Windows platform for some Enterprise apps, but the primary browser for Windows 10 users will be Spartan. Chris Capossela, marketing chief of Microsoft said that the company feels that by giving a new name and feel to the browser can do wonders in the user base. But apart from aesthetics, Microsoft could garner a massive popularity with its new browser.

The internet world is yet to see a good, clean, memory efficient and fast browser. Google Chrome is a memory hog and a number of users have reported that Chrome consumes a lot of RAM. Mozilla FireFox, on the other hand is not stable, crashes and creates issues for the users.

Spartan can be a game-changer for Microsoft and open new streams of revenue.

]]> https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/03/17/microsoft-finally-shutting-down-internet-explorer-bringing-a-new-browser-in-windows-10/feed/ 0 https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/02/23/google-has-shut-down-google-talk-for-windows-find-alternatives/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=google-has-shut-down-google-talk-for-windows-find-alternatives https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/02/23/google-has-shut-down-google-talk-for-windows-find-alternatives/#respond Mon, 23 Feb 2015 06:47:04 +0000 http://preview.socialmediaseo.net/?p=31960  

Google Talk, also called as GTalk, has been ignored by Google for a long time and now finally it has been shutdown recently on February 16. Google is now urging the users of GTalk to try Hangouts for Chrome app. The users can still use Google Talk service using Chrome browser though.

Google has been boasting about its Hangouts app for a long time as a better alternative for Google Talk. However, users of Google Talk kept using the app for file sharing and some other purposes until it was shut down by Google. This also means that the Google Talk support for third party apps has also ended now since Hangouts doesn’t support the required protocols of third party apps like Adium and Pidgin.

The users of Hangouts would disagree with the claims of Google since it is not that easy to use. It presents difficulties for messaging and contains a really confusing interface. The status of the availability of the contacts is also missing. The Chrome extension is not fast enough and crashes often.

Considering the disadvantages of Hangouts, you need to find better third party alternatives. Apps like Psi and Digsby were quite famous once, but don’t hold water now. Trillian is a great app in this regard for messaging your buddies. It supports many chat networks like Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, and many more. Lighter option of Pidgin is also available. It might seem old, but serves the purpose very well.

You must find the app that best serves your requirements after the exit of Google Talk. The above mentioned apps are some examples.

Superfish helps users find and discover products visually, it instantly analyze the images on the website and offer the similar products in lower prices. Lenovo claims that it was unaware of this software which can grant hackers to have access to a user’s secure browser data, allowing third parties to potentially collect passwords, bank details and other sensitive information. Even the CTO of the Lenovo company, Peter Hortensius, said in an interview that they have made a mistake.

This software was included in some models of laptops which were sold worldwide between September and December. After receiving complaints from the users it they discontinued to pre-install it on to the laptops. This software is developed by the company named Superfish (same name as of its software) with base in Tel Aviv and Palo Alto and was also recently ranked 4^th on a list of fastest growing companies in US.

This software actually installs its own self-signed certificate which is a malicious technique known as man-in-middle attack, where the certificate allows the software to decrypt secure requests. The biggest threat in the security point of view is that hackers could use Superfish encryption methods and mistreat them to intercept other people’s traffic. For example, if someone is sitting in a coffee shop and is using public Wi-Fi then the owner could easily spy on any Lenovo user on network, collecting any password entered during the session.

Meanwhile, Lenovo is not pre-installing the software in the Lenovo machines. As some machines still have this software so they have asked the users to post on their forum in case of any concerns and they have also released full instructions on how to fully remove Superfish from their machines. A developer has also made a website which helps Lenovo users to know that if they are affected by security certificate and helps them on how to resolve those issues.

Check if you are affected by this malware by clicking this link

It is expected that Windows 9, codenamed ‘Threshold’, will be released on 30th September 2014. After the disaster experienced with Windows 8, it is anticipated that the new software will solve the problems encountered in the previous operating system. Major changes are to be made on the user interface. One of the changes you will notice in ‘Threshold’ is the lack of the Charms bar which was present in the previous operating system. The Charms bar is a sidebar that provided shortcuts to different functions in the system such as settings, search and devices. Another major change will be the return of the Start menu which was lacking in the previous version of the operating system. The Start menu enabled one to access various programs as well as live widgets embedded. The apps in Windows 8 will be able to run better in Windows 9 as they will be more flexible. Previously, they used to run only on full screen. Cortana, the digital assistant similar to Siri on Apple, may be available. This will make it easier for users to perform various tasks using the voice command feature. Rumors have it that Cortana will be tied to Bing, one of the search engines. If you are a huge fan of Google, then you may have a tough decision to make.

Windows 8 was developed with the aim of satisfying both touch screen users and users of the traditional computers such as the desktop computers and also desktop computers. It was a risky move but at least Microsoft has learned its lesson and has hastened to develop much better software. During this time when Windows 8 is still giving users a problem, Microsoft is still promoting Windows 7 in their devices. There is a truth to every rumor so we should expect some of these changes in the new operating system. Hopefully, the new software will be a huge success and make Windows 8 users forget the experience they have gone through with the problems of the operating system.

“This issue allows remote code execution if users visit a malicious website with an affected browser,” Microsoft said. “This would typically occur by an attacker convincing someone to click a link in an email or instant message.”

The bug affects Internet Explorer 6 – 11.

The Vulnerability enables the hackers to gain control of your system and lets them access and manipulate the data which is quite alarming considering the fact that almost 10% of all government systems still run Windows XP and perfectly vulnerable to this attack.  Microsoft has addressed the issue in a security advisory post and says “it is working on a patch” to fix the issue.

It is well known fact that there are three image formats mostly used: Jpeg that is lossy but used frequently since it lends good quality to pictures in low space, GIFs that support transparency and animation with limitations for reproduction of large range of colors, and lastly there is PNG that supports transparency but doesn’t compromise on reproducing the original picture. However, it takes perhaps too much space for ease of users.

In most of the websites, PNGs are used for most of the screenshots. The main reason for using PNGs is that it lends crisp quality to the images that are desired on web pages. However, the main drawback for using the PNG images on web pages is their large size and hence slow loading of pages. That also creates more stress on web servers. In order to solve this issue, TinyPNG comes up with their good features of having the quality of PNG images while having the smaller size also for faster browsing.

TinyPNG is the online tool for image processing for your desired quality. However, the real problem occurs when you don’t have an internet access and you want to process many images. Besides having the internet access, most of the users would prefer the local processing of images for faster achievement of results.

In order to have the desired features, you must try PNGoo that is developed by Kornel Lesinski. This is a windows utility that acts as a graphical user interface (GUI) that is a command line tool used for pngquant that reduces the size of PNG image significantly without affecting the quality of images.

The results of PNGoo are really amazing. PNGoo is not only faster but also more efficient than other image compression tools such as PNGgauntlet. PNGoo also provides a great option to overwrite the current PNG image of large size so that you don’t have to save the reduced size image into a new folder. Additionally, you can change the output directory where the images are to be saved. You can also play with the color settings if required for better results.

Linux doesn’t contain the alternative of PNGquant. However, OS X users may try ImageAlpha from the original website of PNGquant as given below.

Download PNGoo from pngquant.org

Get Personal

Your business plan identifies your target market, but how well do you really know it?

If you run a small store, you probably interact with customers daily. Do you know when else they’re in the neighborhood, the restaurants they frequent, and the services, such as barbers or beauticians, they use? Learning these patterns helps you target area promotions to the locations, days, and times that attract the most prospects.

Targeted messaging is another way to get personal. Don’t just put people on a generic mailing or smartphone alert list. Ask them what information they want and supply it.

Be an Expert

Image via Flickr by ifabrica

Delivering presentations on business-related topics pays off no matter where you give them. If you deliver them inside your store, attendees make a direct link between your knowledge and your business. Outside presentations don’t generate instant store traffic, but they represent a form of community outreach that enhances your credibility. In either case, use the event to set up continual contact between attendees and your business.

Reach Out to the Community

Image via Flickr by terren in Virginia

Customers have personal and community interests. Perhaps they help with youth sports, attend school plays and concerts, or are active in local churches and charities. Raise your business’s profile by being active in these circles, sponsoring charitable events, and spending part of your advertising budget with community organizations.

For example, sponsoring a youth sports team displays your company name on players’ uniforms. Church bulletins offer an affordable approach to weekly advertising. A congratulatory ad in the high school musical’s program portrays your business as a community pillar.

Exploit Your Outside Space

Image via Flickr by ell brown

Why should prospective customers have to go inside to see your best products if you have plenty of display room outside?

This strategy isn’t for everyone. You may not have the room. Local codes might limit you. But your best products were visible from the street, it would be a powerful lure for visitors.

If that’s not possible, use creative signage. Any surface people can see, such as windows, walls, and light poles, makes fair game. Avoid overkill and honor local codes. If these codes ban painting promotional material on your walls, use a free-standing banner. A company such as Banner Stand Pros can offer stand and banner options as well as print your banner.

Stay in Touch

Once you set up a contact list, it’s important to support it. That means keeping list members informed about your business, especially the events that match their interests. It also means knowing when to stop. When it comes to communications, sometimes less is more. Being personal means not bombarding everyone with the same information. It means letting a person say no as well as yes.

There are many ways to get people inside your doors. You’ve probably tried your own. Please share how you’ve done.

It seems to be good news for other operating systems like iOS, Windows and Blackberry but awful for the Android users. From the Cisco’s 2014 Annual Security Report it can be easily concluded that these malwares enter the phone through SMS or Apps installed from non official market places. Malware is generated by the people that know the coding in Android. There are Malwares that are specially designed for Android, which means that if an iOS user install that infected app he will not get infected but, if the same infected app is downloaded by an Android user it will adversely result into a system collapse or slight damage to the software.

Android have attracted most consideration of malicious elements due to its growing popularity and comparative openness as compared to iOS and Windows.

Eric Schmidt has openly said that Android is more secure than iOS, but due to increasing issues of security and privacy this does not seem to be true. This doesn’t mean that all the Android devices are malware effected but it is more likely to solve the security issues in Android. Android is too disintegrated, manufacturers and carriers don’t want to release updates of which some are security updates. They need to solve this problem out. These burning issues are very hard to resolve as they are properly backed by organized crime elements. Rather than identifying the malware after its penetration in the system, it must be identified at the time of its entrance in the device.

In order to minimize the security risks, the security systems should be designed which must be operated directly by the user. Users can install the updates for security issues on the regular basis, plus using a password or pin and setting your phone to lock after a period of inactivity could be a more positive step for a secure and fast operating system.

]]> https://socialmediaseo.net/2014/01/28/report-99-percent-of-mobile-malware-targets-android/feed/ 0 https://socialmediaseo.net/2013/11/12/vine-released-windows-phone/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=vine-released-windows-phone https://socialmediaseo.net/2013/11/12/vine-released-windows-phone/#comments Tue, 12 Nov 2013 17:35:39 +0000 http://preview.socialmediaseo.net/?p=30418 At last the wait is over for Windows users to get their hands on Vine, Twitter’s six second video recording and sharing social media app, is rolled out for Windows phones. It’s time for Windows users to relish themselves after a much loathsome wait they had to suffer. Earlier this year, Chris Weber, head of global sales and marketing for Nokia already teased the likely release of a Windows version of social video-capture app and it seems he was well wired.

Vine for Windows has more or less the same look and feel as far as the interface of the app is concerned. Same tap and hold procedure to record or cut our any video or screen sharing. Ghost and TimeTravel, on-screen grid and ghost mode for animation, time-lapse editing, explorer for content searches based on popular trending posts around the web are some of the new additions perks for the Windows users. You can easily pin your accounts to your home screen, making it easy to simply log in and start sharing. Switching between the apps that was a real fuss in iPhone and Android versions of Vine is revamped for Windows and now you can easily pivot around the apps without any lags and delays.

Vine for Windows makes the best use of the Tiles and alert you in case of any update, notification or share from the community. It also uses the Windows lens to capture the six second videos in tweaked up quality, spicing up the video sharing mania. You can also make short films and GIF animations using the grid mode, specially designed for Windows version of Vine.

Vine is just a figment of the upcoming social app frenzy for Windows phones. Instagram has already announced that they will release the Windows version any time soon. Path and Flipboard are also scheduled for release for Windows phones.

Started as a video editing tool in January, Vine hiked up quite swiftly than we expected. At start, Vine was used to mesh together edited bits and pieces of videos and GIF patches to make a quick six second video. It claimed to reach about 13 million users in June this year and by August, Vine’s access span touched 40 million users. Vine’s roll out for Windows has been confirmed on the official blog of Vine.

Download Vine for Windows

How is it that a software company like Microsoft, who revolutionized the world of personal computing, can be failing so miserable with each new product launch?  I’m confused to no end…

Since Microsoft launched the new Windows Phone 7 (WP7) – which just the name is sometimes difficult and confusing to say – sales for the Windows phone have dropped a dramatic 38%.

One thing, perhaps, the  Windows Phone 7 phone (again, isn’t that just ackward?) might have in its favor is a substantial upgrade that is coming soon from Microsoft.  Microsoft is claiming that the new WP7 phone update will integrate all apps directly into the software of the phone, instead of having to download hundreds of individual apps as it is now on the iPhone and Android smartphones.

But that’s something that is still yet to come from Microsoft.  And as history proves, Microsoft is notorious for promoting something big only to have it hit the market and die… fast.

Disclaimer:  I’m a huge fan of Microsoft and would love for them to succeed, once again, like they did with Windows OS.

Last month, Google allowed people to request a free netbook (called the Cr-48) running their Chrome OS. Google wants to get feedback from users on the new Chrome OS, and figured that getting free ones out to users would be the best thing.

On a side note – I requested several of these and haven’t received any yet (sucks to be me…).

Anyway, now that the Cr-48 has been in people’s hands for about a month now, people have already figured out how to load other operating systems onto it.

For example, you can read here how people have successfully installed Windows OS onto the Cr-48.

And below, you’ll see a video of someone who successfully installed Mac OS 10 Snow Leopard:

via Geek.com

As a blogger, I obviously spend a lot of time in front of my computer. Doing things like writing new articles, tweeking websites and other web projects, and providing consulting to others has caused me to use multiple browsers.

I use multiple browsers primarily because I want to see that the CSS styles I change are loading properly in the different browsers.

So this morning, my eyes were opened to a scary reality.

I realized I know use 6 different browsers and 2 different operating systems.

My list of browsers:

• Chrome – which I use about 70% of the time simply because it’s super fast.
• Firefox – I use about 25% of the time, primarily for checking Google Pagerank, SEO variables, and mostly for the Firebug addon (a must have for site design and hacking)
• Safari – falls in the 5% of the time somewhere and I use primarily to check how changes look
• Internet Explorer – again, within the 5% piece of the pie and I use for things like access wireless routers (wireless networks) and also to see how site changes look in IE.  To my unending confusion, Internet Explorer is the most used browser in the world, yet every time I open it I’m painfully reminded of why I absolutely can’t stand IE.
• Opera – I actually just started using Opera on my desktop not too long ago, and again I primarily check website changes and configuration. After all, Opera does now have 150 million users worldwide.
• RockMelt – now RockMelt is something I just got an invite to install last week. It is basically a mashup of Google Chrome and Facebook… no lie! The only problem I have with RockMelt so far is when I have the sidebars (Facebook widgets) enabled, the style sheet doesn’t adapt and my text box in my WordPress blog overruns onto the sidebars – something that is very frustrating.

My list of operating systems:

• Windows XP – I use Windows XP most of the time primarily because I do not have a MAC.
• Mac OS X – even though I don’t personally own a Mac, I use a lot of Mac’s throughout the week. I do IT, live streaming, and editing (Final Cut Pro is amazing…) work at my church and help other people out on their Mac’s, so I get a lot of exposure to Mac OS X. What I love more than anything is when adding Fusion or Parallels to a Mac which in essence converts you Mac into a PC – ironic huh?
• Linux – the Linux version I use, and have ever used is Ubuntu. I use Ubuntu mostly on my laptop and primarily just to try to learn more about the Linus environment.

So there is it… pretty scary huh?

I know, I just realized it this morning myself.

6 browsers and 3 operating systems – welcome to my world.

How about you?

Tell me about your world of browsers and operating systems.

Is their one particular platform that you use all the time?

Do you split your time between other platforms?

Anxious to read your responses.

It’s almost hard to believe! You’ve grown up so fast… all the memories we’ve shared. It seems like just yesterday that I was filling up all those floppy drives!

Ok… enough of my reminiscing.

Today, the Microsoft Windows operating system turns 25 years old.

Windows 1.0 arrived on the scene on November 20th, 1985. Since then, Windows has become the most widely used operating system in the world, made Bill Gates the richest man in the world, and made “GUI” the standard for user computer user interface.

Fast forward 23 years and we have Windows 7, which is now the most successful version of the Windows operating to day. Windows 7 has sold 240 million licenses with 300 million as the expected number by the end of 2010.

So what are some memories you have with Microsoft Windows? Some bad, I’m sure… but hopefully you can agree on the relevance and impact of Windows on history of computers.

image via Google Image

With the Windows Phone 7 smartphones on their way to AT&T next month, of course there needs to be a whole lineup of TV commercials to come along with it. Because that’s what Microsoft does – they spend a lot of money on commercials and promotions and somehow miss the boat on product usability and technology.

Anyway, there are now 5 Windows Phone 7 smartphone videos available and you can see them all below.

Watch the commercials then let us know what you think in the comments:

The Windows Phone 7 conference is setting a pretty fast timeline for when the new mobile phones will hit AT&T. Ralph de la Vega (CEO of AT&T) has just stated that 3 Windows Phone 7 devices will be hitting the shelves at AT&T on November 8th. Steve Ballmer also just announced that Microsoft will be launching 9 phones in the U.S. when the phone ships in November.

No word yet on a Windows Phone 7 tablet pc, but then again the conference has only just begun.

AT&T CEO also announced that AT&T U-Verse TV will be coming to the Windows Phone 7 smartphones. You’ll be able to watch shows like Mad Men on your mobile.

Non-AT&T U-Verse customers will be able to get the service as well for a small monthly fee – the amount is not yet known.

via BGR

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is pumped, the conference room is packed full of reporters, tech enthusiasts, and yes… even critics. But nonetheless, BGR (BoyGenius) is on location and providing us all with live blogging so that we don’t miss a beat.

What can we expect from the Windows Phone 7 conference?

For starters, the conference is being sponsored by AT&T. So definitely we can expect some new mobile phone news – phones powered by Windows Phone 7 OS.

But there is also rumors about Microsoft (Steve Ballmer) slipping in a surprise announcement such as a Windows Phone 7 tablet pc “Slate PC”.

So who knows exactly, but follow BGR to get the latest and greatest as it happens.

On Monday, October 11th, 2010, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is holding a press conference in New York City along with AT&T. This event has mainly been billed as an announcement for the new lineup of Windows Phone 7 mobile phones that AT&T will carry (T-Mobile has also announced partnerships with Windows Phone 7 mobile phones). But there are rumors starting to surface that Mr. Ballmer may use this platform to announce a new lineup of Windows Phone 7 tablets – or “Slate PC’s” as some people refer to them. Ballmer has been dismayed, and shocked, by the popularity of Apple’s iPad and feels that it is now time for Microsoft to answer the explosive tablet demand.

So what do you think – do you think that Microsoft can be successful with a tablet “Slate” PC that runs on Windows Phone 7?

via AppleInsider

Word on the street is that T-Mobile will begin selling Windows Phone 7 mobile phones along side of AT&T. Microsoft would now have two major US carriers on board ready to sell their Windows Phone 7 mobile phones. The Windows Phone 7 mobile phone that’s coming to T-Mobile is said to be a device manufactured by HTC, and that the device is more “business oriented”. Microsoft’s share of the mobile phone market has decreased recently to only 5.5%, and dropping quickly. According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, the company has missed one whole cycle in mobile phones. The announcement for the new Windows Phone 7 enabled mobile phones is expected next Monday as Ballmer hosts a Microsoft & AT&T press confere

So do you think that Windows Phone 7 devices will succeed with the help of both AT&T and T-Mobile?

Or has Microsoft just fallen too far behind the mobile phone curve?

via WSJ