Google stop Gmail supporting for IE 6

Google is also thinking to cutting Gmail support for Internet Explorer 6 due to its inability to handle modern-day web technologies and latest features of websites. At that point, it was unclear which services were included in this. ComputerWorld reported that, yesterday, a Google spokesman confirmed that Gmail will be among the apps that Google will no longer support in IE6.

�We plan to stop supporting older browsers for the rest of the Google Apps suite, including Gmail, later in 2010?

While dropping IE6 is an essential step in pushing the Internet forward, Gmail�s inclusion in the list of apps could prove risky, as IE6 still controls 20.07 percent of today�s browser market. True, most Gmail users are probably savvy enough to already be using a more modern web browser, but relying on such an assumption may be a mistake. Perhaps upon visiting Gmail, Google would notify IE6 users of the need to upgrade their browsers. This would be similar to the way Facebook and YouTube have gone about it.

Microsoft is also in agreement, stating on two separate occasions that �We support this recommendation to move off Internet Explorer 6,� as well as saying that, �Microsoft has consistently recommended that consumers upgrade to the latest version of our browser.� Currently, the no-support list for Google Apps includes IE6, Firefox 2.0, Safari 2.0, and even Chrome 3.0. The inclusion of Chrome really shows how serious Google is about making the web a place of standards and security.

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1:07 AM | 0 comments

The Travels of a Cello Bow

DAVID FINCKEL ACQUIRES VALENTIN BERLINSKY'S CELLO BOW

How is that for the first headline after weeks of getting back together after my computer fried (lovely present from Santa)? However, it is the most fascinating story.

Berlinsky, who passed away in 2007, was the founding member of the Borodin Quartet.

He played - with this bow - at the funerals of both Stalin and Prokofiev, performed all the Shostakovich Quartets for the composer in private, and gave the first performance of the Shostakovich cycle in America. Therefore, the bow he played with is a very special instrument.

Extraordinarily, it came with its own passport. Apparently a passport is essential for musical instruments traveling in and out of Russia.

So what happened to Berlinsky's cello?

He didn't have one. In Russia, musical instruments belong to the state.

Read this charming story in the newsletter of the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center

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11:40 AM | 0 comments

Microsoft Announced Office 2010 RC Date and Pricing

Microsoft officials have confirmed that Office 2010 has moved into the release candidate stage. The company said it has distributed the software to those in the technology adoption programme.

This means Office 2010 is now officially out of beta. Once it's passed the RC state, it will be released to manufacturing, then offered for sale.

The release candidate period will allow for feedback from partners, which can impact the final build. The launch is expected in June, probably close to the end of the month, as the company says it doesn't expect Office 2010 to have any big effect on third-quarter earnings.

Ramp up, shut down

In a statement, Microsoft said: �Microsoft made a release candidate available to members in the Technology Adoption Program (TAP). This is one of Microsoft�s planned milestones in the engineering process; however they do not have plans to make this new code set available broadly.�

As is to be expected, it offers new versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. As of last month, the beta of the software had been downloaded two million times.

The news arrives just as Redmond's finest has announced that the free preview version of Windows 7 will shut down next month. Users will have until 1 March to spend money on the real thing, or their PCs will automatically shut down every two hours, with work not saved.

Microsoft Office 2010 prices:

* Professional - $499 boxed, $349 for product key
* Professional Academic - $99 boxed only
* Home and Student - $149 boxed, $119 for product key
* Home and Business - $279 boxed, $199 for product key

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11:14 AM | 0 comments

Google releases first Nexus One software update

After the successful launced of Google first Android based Smartphone Google Nexus One, now Google has released a firmware update for its Nexus One smartphone, which fixes a few bugs whilst also bringing some pretty major features.

The first change is that under the All Apps menu, Google Goggles will now be available directly from your Nexus One, with Google saying, �Just use your Nexus One camera to start searching the web.� Google Maps has undergone an update, bringing it to version 3.4, with the following changes (according to Google�s Nexus One blog post):

* Starred items synchronized with maps.google.com � access your favorite places from your phone or computer.
* Search suggestions from your personal maps.google.com history � makes it easy to search places you�ve searched for before.
* Night mode in Google Maps Navigation � automatically changes your screen at night for easier viewing and driving.

Perhaps the biggest improvement, however, is that the Nexus One now supports a pinch-to-zoom gesture in the Browser, Maps and Gallery applications. This is a pretty major feature for users of the phone, who will no doubt get a lot of use out of it. Lastly, Google fixed some 3G issues, meaning it should now have somewhat improved connectivity.

The firmware will download over the air if you own a Nexus One, meaning you should see a notification in the phone�s status bar when it�s ready to be installed. If you don�t, be patient � Google hopes that everyone will have the update by the end of the week.

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10:53 AM | 0 comments

Microsoft Launches Silverlight For Facebook

Facebook and Microsoft have partnered to create a standalone Facebook client powered by the new Silverlight 4 Beta technology. The client allows you to browse and interact with Facebook with a completely different interface, and a glossy one at that. To be completely honesty, the client is gorgeous, and the complete integration with Facebook legitimately makes this a better way to browse Facebook than Facebook.com itself, in my opinion.

Starting up the Silverlight client, you�re first bombarded with a series of permissions dialogs, asking whether you are are willing to allow the application to have access to every aspect of Facebook: News Feeds, Wall, Messages and more. The process isn�t overly annoying, because frankly, as Facebook users, we�ve come to expect the permissions requests before utilizng applications. The Facebook Connect permissions dialogs are pretty standard across sites, and lend a bit of authenticity to applications.

After this process, you arrive at the heart of the client, and it is quite striking in a complete black finish. Silverlight really demonstrates its strength here, with lots of available space and big fonts. Browsing is quite easy, and my various friends lists are listed along the left side of the client. The most impressive element of the new interface is the photo album on the right side, it�s a unique way of showing the recent photos within my network. The events tab is also a completely superior alternative to the way that the Facebook Events calendar can be viewed.

One glaring omission is in the system is Facebook Chat, but I imagine this is part of future releases. Another problem was the lack of search anywhere on the client: At least give me a Bing or something. Finally, I had a real problem when trying to look at some specific photos from my friends feed, I kept getting this error: �the owner of this album did not make this available to this application�. Applications themselves are not available on the client, understandably.

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7:38 AM | 0 comments

Google Reveal Chrome OS tablet concept

Google�s upcoming Chrome OS is being primarily designed for netbook computers, which has shown its interest in tablet computing with its browser-based Chrome OS, it could be the ideal operating system to run on a tablet device � and this is an option that Google is considering. More information about how the new operating system could be optimised for such a form factor is revealed in documentation on Google�s Chromium projects website.

On Monday, Glen Murphy, a user interface designer for Google's Chrome browser and the Chrome operating system based on it, pointed to image and video concepts of a Chrome OS-based tablet that went live two days before the iPad launch. Apparently nobody noticed initially, because only now did Murphy tweet, "Apparently our tablet mocks have been unearthed."

The site also shows the array of devices Google envisions for Chrome OS.

"While its primary focus is Netbooks, Chrome OS could eventually scale to a wide variety of devices. Each would have vastly different input methods, available screen space, and processing power," according to the Chromium form factors site. Chromium is the name of the open-source developer project that underlies the branded Chrome product.

It's possible that Chrome OS could be an easier sell on tablets than on Netbooks, the class of device on which Google said it plans to launch Chrome OS. Netbooks often are used as general-purpose PCs, so the browser-based philosophy of Chrome OS is a more jarring transition.

Today's tablets, in contrast, tend to focus more on a collection of specialized uses such as reading books, surfing the Net, and chores that only require light typing. With that approach, Chrome OS's break from the PC world could be less jarring. The tablet market isn't as big as the Netbook market, though.

The ideas are only mock-ups, but Google has established itself as a real if not dominant force in the computing industry. Its Android mobile phone operating system is increasingly influential, and its Chrome browser continues to steadily grow in usage.

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7:28 AM | 0 comments

Windows 7 RC expiration begins in two weeks

A reminder for the expiration of Microsoft Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) has issued by Microsoft. Users will get their notification.

Windows 7 RC does not expire until 1 June 2010 but from February 15 users will begin seeing expiration notifications in the task bar one time per day and then a Notification Wizard one time every four hours and then one time every hour. After March 1 Windows 7 RC users will experience shut-downs every two hours. A brief summary of the events can be found below:

Effective February 15, 2010, the expiration notification process begins:

* Windows 7 RC users receive an expiration notification in the task bar one time per day.
* Windows 7 RC users are presented with the Notification Wizard one time every four hours and then one time every hour.

Effective March 1, 2010, Windows 7 RC enters the next phase of expiration:

* Expiration notifications in the task bar continue.
* Computers that are running Windows 7 RC restart every two hours.

Effective June 1, 2010, Windows 7 RC expires:

* Windows starts to a black desktop.
* Windows 7 RC users are presented with a Windows Activation screen. The screen states that the Windows that you are running is not genuine.
* Computers that are running Windows 7 RC restart every two hours.

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7:15 AM | 0 comments