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Facebook is no longer the province of Gen-Y’ers. Your boss, associates, and most of your high school graduating class are probably there, too.

As the 400,222nd user on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=400222, I’ve become much more active in the last year. Here are 20 tips I’ve learned that will help you make the most of your “Facebook Experience.”

One of the beauties of the Facebook environment is that you get what my friend Allen Gunn has referred to as an “ambient knowledge” of the status of your friends, through their “status updates.” You may also use Facebook to post or trade notes, connect with others, share interesting items from your web searches, and generally keep abreast of new developments in your friends’ lives. Facebook is particularly good for finding people with whom you haven’t connected in a long time. I’ve found long lost elementary and middle school friends here, and some of them are now turning into business associates and partners.

Any working woman knows the benefits of an expanded network. Facebook is a great tool because it has birthday reminders, the ability to “group” friends, and e-mail facilities. Your Facebook profile is a public way to share who you are. Use it wisely!

Tip 1: Log In

You’ll have to log in if you want to be a part of Facebook. Choose an e-mail address that you regularly check and a password that you’ll remember. Next, organize your profile, edit your “Info” section and then connect to, or “add as friend,” people who already are on Facebook.

Tip 2: Keep Your Information Private

Once you’re logged in, go to the top right: Settings (next to Logout) and change your PRIVACY Settings, particularly your Profile (your “presence” on Facebook) http://www.facebook.com/privacy/?view=profile as well as your News Feed and Wall http://www.facebook.com/privacy/?view=feeds

You may specify what you’d like to share on publicly-available “feeds” (on your friend’s homepages) here.

Tip 3: Update Your Info

Edit your Education Info and/or Work Info as you like. You may also use a little box under your picture for your motto, your business information, a quote, or something creative.

Tip 4: Smile!

Your Profile Picture is the way you show who you are. Most people either display just their own face (better), or a picture with their family (a little more difficult to see).

Tip 5: Find People You Know

To find people you know, go to http://www.facebook.com/srch.php and do a search by a person’s name or e-mail address, a classmate search, or a company name search. Once you get some search results, review them. If you click “Add as Friend,” they will get a notification and either Confirm or Ignore your request to add them.

Alternatively, “Send a message” to that person without adding them to your “Friends List.”  They’ll receive your message in their Facebook e-mail inbox.

Tip 6: Find More Friends

There is a “Friend Finder” to help you find people you e-mail if you use gmail, hotmail, yahoo, or other web-based mail services.  http://www.facebook.com/findfriends.php?ref=sb

Tip 7: Your “Wall” Is Public. Use it!

The “Wall” is a publicly available location where people post things like notes, images, videos, and your status update. Other people may post to your wall and you may post to others’ walls.

Tip 8: Share Your Photos

You can easily upload photos using your “Photos” tab.

Tip 9: Use Your Status Update Wisely

Your status update is the box “What are you doing right now?” It may be used for many things besides sharing what you are doing. Use it to share links, ask questions, or post photos or videos. Use www.tinyurl.com if you’d like to take a long website link and make it shorter.

Tip 10: Specify, Specify, Specify

If you are using your social network for procuring products and services or marketing your own, consider putting your keywords and phrases into your “Info” tab, under the “Personal Information” section. Then, these will appear in the general Facebook Search function. When someone types your particular key phrases into the Facebook Search function, your listing will appear. For example, one of my key phrases is “minority women in business.”

Tip 11: Control Your “News Feed”

You may edit the stories that appear on your Facebook homepage by editing your News Feed. Go to “Home” and scroll all the way to the bottom. Find “Options for News Feed” and click on it. Use the slider to specify what types of stories you’d like: events, groups, photos, notes, relationships, friends, wall posts, profiles, status, posts, and videos.

Tip 12: Customize Your Homepage

If you find that your Facebook homepage is being dominated by certain people, control if you want “More” or “Less” about that particular friend. On your “Home” page, a little to the right of an item within your “News Feed,” move your mouse around until you see “Options” and then click the pencil or the word “Options” to specify “More About…” or “Less About…” that particular friend.

Tip 13: Control E-mail Notifications

If you find that you are receiving too much e-mail from Facebook, based on activity on your profile, edit your e-mail notifications. Go to “Settings” (top right, in between your name and “Logout”) From the dropdown menu, choose “Account Settings.” Go to “Notifications.” This is where you may specify what types of e-mail you allow Facebook to send you.

Tip 14: Organize Your “Friends” List

You have the option to group your friends into different friend lists. Click the Friends link on the top left navigation menu. On the left-hand side is a link to “Make a New List.” Give the list a name you’ll recognize, then type in the names of friends. When you receive new-friend requests, you may add them to a particular list.

Tip 15: Start or Join a Group

From the “Applications” section of your “Home” page, you have an opportunity to set up new groups. A group in Facebook is just like a group in real life—a gathering of people interested in a particular idea, issue, or cause. Use the Search bar to find thousands of different groups that have been set up for different interests. You can locate mine by searching on, “A Successful Woman.”

Tip 16: Discuss Amongst Yourselves

Within groups, you may participate, follow, or review different topics for discussion. Note that each discussion topic is also viewable in search engines, so refrain from posting private information like e-mail addresses.

Tip 17: Use Facebook for Business

The “Pages” section is a great way to promote your company or business. http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/?ref=sb

If you are an official representative for your company or brand, you may set up a page about your business and recruit fans to that page. It’s a nice addition to your website or blog, and you’ll have the opportunity to send messages to all fans when needed. If you are an administrator for the page, Facebook allows you to purchase advertising and view pageview statistics.

Tip 18: Facebook Knows People You May Know

When you first log on to your “Home” page, there is a little section on the bottom right-hand side that lists “People you may know.” The social search mechanism identifies potential friends for you based on your mutual friends. If you see someone you recognize and know well, consider clicking “Add as Friend.”

Tip 19: Share It

Typically, there is a “Share” button somewhere on the pages within Facebook. You can use that link to quickly post something to your own “Wall,” or to send to someone in your network via Facebook e-mail.

Tip 20: About Applications

Finally, I must include a note on applications. Applications are add-ons offered by companies and individual developers. Be CAREFUL. Use your best judgment when installing applications, as they are often big time-wasters, or involve major time commitments (I usually click IGNORE this application). Some applications share your private information on Facebook with other applications from other website developers. Be mindful of what gets posted on your profile by you and by others.

Finally, the silhouette of a head that shows up in the bottom right hand corner of your Facebook window is part of the Facebook chat bar, which allows you to participate in real-time chats with friends. You can always “Go Offline” to hide yourself from chats.

Bonus Recommendation

Fix a certain amount of time that you’ll focus on the Facebook part of your online social networking and STICK WITH THAT TIME allotment.

Here’s to the great connections you’ll make on Facebook!

 

Written by Monica S. Flores

Microsoft is getting ready to introduce Windows Phone 7 in the next few months. This will be a new operating system for smartphones, as it will have very little in common with its forbearers, Windows Mobile and Pocket PC.

I recently got some hands-on time with a prototype phone, and I wanted to share my early impressions.

LOOK & FEEL

Homescreen
The homescreen for Windows Phone 7 uses tiles, rather than application icons. This sets it apart from Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS.

Tiles offer several advantages. First off, there is a great deal of flexibility about what's on a tile. For example, the address book tile has pictures of your friends on it, not just an icon.

Also, the tiles can be different sizes, so more important ones are easier to see.

Tiles will be used to give the user some quick status updates. For example, the email tiles shows how many unread messages are waiting. Developers will have a certain amount of control about what appears on the tiles for their apps.

Unlike the Android OS, there are no homescreen widgets, and there is only one home screen, though you can make this as long as you like by adding as many tiles as you want.

You probably won't want to add more than a few, though, as the homescreen is really about giving you quick access to your favorite software, people, and music. A small arrow to one side gives you access to a complete list of the apps installed on the device, so you have easy access to everything.

PERFORMANCE

I was really impressed by Windows Phone 7's performance on the prototype device I was using. Everything was lightening fast.

But there's something you need to keep in mind: Windows Phone 7 is not a multitasking operating system. When you switch away from an app, it closes itself. This is probably one of the reasons why the performance is so good, but it's definitely a tradeoff.

A definite drawback is that Microsoft left support Cut & Paste out of this OS.

Software
I tried out the Microsoft Office apps, and was quite pleased. Admittedly, I was just opening the small demo files for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but they opened in a flash.

I also used the web browser, and was equally pleased. I went to the Brighthand home page, and the Windows Phone 7 browser correctly handled the scrolling frame that lists recent news articles, something the Android OS browser can't do.

The address book -- called People -- stores the information you'd expect, plus it ties into Facebook and other social networking services. You can see more than just a single recent FB post from your friend, you can get all the recent ones, and even post replies, raising the question on whether you need a stand-alone app for this service.

One thing you need to get used to with the People app -- as well as the Games, Pictures, Office, and Music+Video ones -- is that what you're seeing is just a portion of a larger screen. For example, the image to the left is showing the People app. If you slide the screen to one side, you'll see a list of the most recent Facebook posts. If you slide it the other, you'll see images of people you've contacted recently.

I didn't get a chance to test out all the bundled software -- there wasn't enough time. But i was pleased with what I saw.

 

Hardware
Some of you are probably curious about the smartphone I saw running Windows Phone 7. I haven't mentioned it because it's not very interesting: it was the same prototype unit that Microsoft has been demoing this operating system on since this new OS was first unveiled.

Still, Microsoft is being cautious, and I was not allowed to take any pictures.

But we already know quite a bit about what all the devices are going to be like, as Microsoft has set some fairly stringent hardware requirements for its new operating system.

All smartphones running Windows Phone 7 will have to have a WVGA (800 x 480) capacitive touchscreen, Wi-Fi, at least a 5 megapixel camera with flash, a GPS receiver, and 8 GB of storage and 256 MB of RAM or more. The feature list also must include an accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, and an FM radio.

VERY PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION

Based on my short amount of time testing out Windows Phone 7, I can tell you I like what I see. It's both functional and good looking, and the speed is more than acceptable.

It looks like Microsoft is going to offer a decent platform, but the real question is going to be whether it will get the support from other companies it needs. Even the best mobile operating system is going to bomb without a large collection of third-party developers. This group is going to have to write new applications for the platform, as ones written for Windows Mobile aren't compatible.

Only if the Windows Phone 7 software store is quickly populated with an array of apps will this platform will become a serious competitor for the Android OS and iOS.

The apps are more important than the hardware, though it appears HTC, LG, and Samsung are prepping some good smartphones for this Microsoft's next OS.

 

By Ed Hardy

www.brighthand.com

A few years ago, Apple decided to let third-party software writers release their own applications for iPhones, and the result has been an explosion of useful apps that can do everything from order pizzas to track packages being shipped cross-country.

These days, there are more than 100,000 useful iPhone apps available from the Apple store – many of them free. And with so much customer support and enthusiasm behind the Apple brand, it’s easy to log in and see which apps are generating the most excitement on any given day.

The short-list of which apps are spreading the fastest is constantly changing, but there are a few defining characteristics that destine an app for a huge base of users.

Many of the favorite apps are games or gimmicks, and they spread fast because the user can download them quickly and then use them until they’re bored and move on. But there are more than a few timeless iPhone apps that come in handy again and again. These are the apps that end up staying on board for the life of the phone.

Launchpad Iphone App

Here are a few most popular iPhone apps:

Launch Pad:

Launch Pad may not be a glamorous iPhone web app with all kinds of clever gadgetry on board, but it’s a great streamliner that comes in handy for anyone who uses their phone to surf the Web. Launch Pad is a top contender in the "Productivity" category on Apple’s homepage.

What It Is and How to Use It

When an iPhone user installs Launch Pad on their phone, it becomes the starting point for any internet searches. Launch Pad lets users connect to popular sites like Wikipedia, Google, Youtube and other favorite destinations in a single click. Rather than navigating first to the parent website, the user can fly with their search terms directly from the launch pad to their site of choice.

Here are a few special features of Launch Pad:

• Launch Pad items: this feature lets the user link immediately to any applications or websites. These links are marked with a familiar icon and tucked into the Launch Pad toolbar for quick and easy access.
• Page indicator: this feature automatically starts up when the control has two or more pages going at once. It lets users quickly select which page they want to use.
• Change angles: Launch Pad automatically adjusts for landscape and portrait orientations and it keeps up with users on the fly. 

URL to setup launchpad on your Iphone:

• LaunchPad

Where Traveler App

Where Traveler

This web app is perfect for the kind of business-oriented travelers who can’t remember how they ever got by without an iPhone. It already has tens of thousands of entries covering restaurants, hotels, shops and entertainment venues around the world. The list continues to grow as more users climb on board.

What It Is and How to Use It

Where Traveler has been in the travel guide business for more than seven decades, so they have plenty of experience connecting people on the move with the places they’re most interested in finding. Before going digital, the company published guidebooks on more than 120 distinct destinations. Most of these destinations where in the United States, but they also have information on several capital cities in Europe.

Where Traveler is ideal for globetrotting iPhone users who don’t have time to ask around for advice on restaurants and hotel rooms. The service is completely free from the Where Traveler website.

Here are a few of the apps leading features:

• Translation: this archive of information is available in 27 languages, so that the more than 50,000 entries are available to the masses.
• Real-time currency conversion: on-the-fly conversion between all major currencies – an invaluable tool for checking bills in restaurants and hotels.
• Up-to-the-minute airport information: including a full roster of arrivals and departures, flight cancellations, traffic conditions around the airport and expected security wait-time at the gate.

URL to setup Where Traveler on your Iphone:

• wheretraveler

Geo Meter Iphone App

Geo Meter

This little web app doesn’t inspire awe when users first hear about it, but there’s a reason that it tops the list in Apple’s "Utilities" category. Geo Meter delivers accurate GPS details on the user’s latitude and longitude, outputting information that can be used in conjunction with a host of other apps.

What It Is and How to Use It

Geo Meter keeps the user constantly updated regarding their current latitude and longitude, altitude, heading and speed. It also keeps track of its margin of error at all times, so the user knows how reliable the reading is at any given moment.

This GPS information is triangulated with the help of GPS satellites, cell phone towers and even wireless internet signals, the entire set of which guarantee accurate results. This handy app is especially with avid geocachers.

Here are a few of the special features of Geo Meter:

• Coordinates: the app perpetually recalculates GPS coordinates and outputs up-to-the-minute latitude, longitude, speed, heading and altitude measurements.
• Google Maps: it features a crossover interface so that users can view their location on Google Maps.
• Cut-and-paste data: coordinates and other information can be cut out of the app’s user interface and pasted into another, so users can tweet their coordinates or enter them into other GPS-related web apps.

URL to setup GEO Meter on your Iphone:

• Geo Meter

 

by Iberkenbosch

http://hubpages.com

Currently there are many antivirus with Internet Security, which have their respective advantages, both in terms of price, capability and accuracy to protect, and so forth.

Nah, in this article, I will only display 10 a list of antivirus software that is often used. I get the data from The Independent IT-Security Institute which is the institute that oversees the research of anti-virus and data security, this institution has been entrusted by the developer of antivirus companies all over the world. And 10 of this antivirus has obtained a certificate from The Independent IT-Security Institute.

The following is a list of 10 antivirus:

• Microsoft Security Essential 1.0
see Report

• Symantec: Norton Internet Security 2010
see Report

• Kaspersky: Internet Security 2010
see Report

• BitDefender: Internet Security Suite 2010
See Report

• F-Secure: Internet Security 2010
see Report

• AVG: Internet Security 9.0
see Report

• Panda: Internet Security 2010
see Report

• Eset: Smart Security 4.0
see Report

• Avast: Internet Security 5.0
see Report

• Avira: Premium Security Suite 10.0
see Report

Actually still a lot of other antivirus. And for other list of antivirus, you can visiting the direct The Independent IT-Security Institute. And to download or try this antivirus, you just follow the links from each of the antivirus. To select which the anti-virus, it is your right respectively.

The final word, I hope this little information can be useful. And GOD bless you and your “beautiful" PC.
:)

 

Report credit : AV-Test GmbH ©

 

by Heri Gunawan

www.compu-tech18.blogspot.com

Internet Explorer 9. May you be wondering, what exactly is Internet Explorer 9? and what is the difference with the previous Internet Explorer?. ok, I'll share a little about internet explorer from my experiences.

What’s new in Internet Explorer 9? (from Microsoft’s website)
The improvements to Internet Explorer are as much about what you don't see as what you do see. Internet Explorer 9 has a streamlined design, fewer dialog boxes to click through, more intuitive navigation, and many new features that speed up your web browsing experience. Features like Pinned Sites let you pin your favorite website directly to the taskbar for one-click access. Other features, like hardware acceleration, deliver an all-around faster browsing experience. With Internet Explorer 9, websites perform and feel more like the programs you use every day on your PC.

What’s new in Internet Explorer 9?(according to my experience)

Internet Explorer 9, is a web browsing with new ideas and innovation from Microsoft. why I say a new breakthrough, Because if you saw a Glimpse of Internet Explorer 9 is very much Different with the previous version of Internet Explorer (IE 6 - IE 8)
with a view that is clean, simple, beautiful designs and are supported with a balanced performance with looks. other than those I mentioned earlier, Internet Explorer 9 is Also very fast for browsing, downloading and much more. (This according to my experience, and what about you?)

This is preview of Internet Explorer 9

 

How about features in Internet Explorer 9?

Internet Explorer 9 has some new features which do not exist in previous versions of Internet Explorer (IE 6, IE 8). In this article, I will only mention a little about these features :

• New Tab page

  Manage your favorite sites with the New Tab page

  
• One Box

  Surf or search with One Box

  
• Enhanced Tabs

  Manage multiple websites with enhanced tabs

  
• Download manager (Keep your downloads in order with Download Manager)

and  much more….(or for more details about the features of IE 9)

Internet Explorer 9 Beta system requirements

Internet explorer 9, can only run on:

• Windows Vista 32-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher

• Windows Vista 64-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher

• Windows 7 32-bit or higher

• Windows 7 64-bit or higher

• Windows Server 2008 32-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher

• Windows Server 2008 64-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher

• Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher

How to Download Internet Explorer 9?

To download Internet Explorer 9, you can download directly through the Microsoft official website. click on this button and follow the instructions.

That was my experience about Internet Explorer 9, and hopefully useful.

by Heri Gunawan

 

There are a number of apps in the Apple App Store that let you control your computer or a specific software using your iPhone. You can use your iPhone as a mouse, remote control iTunes with it and do a whole lot more. Such apps are fun to use simply by the virtue of the “awesomeness” factor.
We are going to be using the iPhone as a VNC server. Apple, of course wouldn’t allow such a feat to be accomplished on their cherished device, so you won’t find any such application in the Apple App Store. However, you might be aware that another very popular platform exists where you can get free and paid apps that you won’t find on Apple’s App Store. I am talking about Cydia.

Before we proceed any further I must mention a disclaimer. Jailbreaking has recently been legalized in the United States but you might want to check your local laws if you are outside the United States. Also keep in mind that jailbreaking will void your Apple warranty.

We need a jailbroken device for Cydia and we need Cydia for Veency which is the app that lets you connect to your iPhone remotely via VNC and thus control it from your computer. Veency is of course not the only app that jailbroken device owners might be interested in. There are lots of them available via Cydia that let you tweak your iPhone in ways no other app on the App Store would let you do.

Jailbreaking is easier than ever before with the latest app called jailbreakme. The actual process is however beyond the scope of our discussion here.

Installing Veency

• Open Cydia on your iPhone. Let it download the packages and do its thing. Now go to search and look for Veency.

• Click or tap on Veency. You will be able to see details of the Veency Package. Browse through them to know more about it.
• Once satisfied you can click the Install button towards the top right.
• Cydia will ask for confirmation before proceeding and show you a summary of what will be changed

• Confirm and Veency will be downloaded and installed on your iPhone.

Using Veency

From a configuration point of view you only need to ensure that WiFi is switched on your iDevice before you can access it remotely. You will also need to know the IP address that gets assigned to your device. You already know this if you assigned it manually.

Else you can find the IP address assigned to your device by visiting Settings > General. Then click on the blue arrow next to WiFi network name and you should find your settings listed there.

Accessing Remotely

Your iDevice now has a VNC server installed. So you should be able to connect easily using a VNC client. We have covered a number of them before. TightVNC stands out if you are on Windows. Download and install it from here. A portable version is also available if you are so inclined. Once that is out of the way, fire it up.

Next up you need to enter the IP address we determined above. And confirm the VNC request:

Once you are connected you will be able to use your iPhone remotely via your computer.

This is especially handy when typing long messages or accessing your iPhone in another room. There are certain downsides as well. Since you are using this with the mouse you won’t be able to replicate all the ground breaking gestures that make the iPhone so special.

 

by Varun Kashyap

www.makeusof.com

 

Download More Themes for Windows 7

Windows 7 includes five themes that will help you customize Windows to fit your taste.  If you are tired of the default themes there are a few sites where you can download more. Check out these sites:

• The Official Microsoft Windows 7 Personalization site
• iThinkDiff.com's Windows 7 Themes
• IntoWindows Windows 7 Themes
• Mike Swanson's Themes
• Windows 7 Box Logo Themes
• My7Themes.net
• Music Themes for Windows 7

 

Windows 7 Visual Styles

As with previous versions of Windows Microsoft prevents users from using third-party visual styles with the visual style engine included in Windows 7.  This is enforced by requiring each visual style to be digitally signed by Microsoft, without the signature the visual style will not be loaded.  The trick to use third-party visual styles is to remove the digital signature requirement.  In the past there have been a lot of tools to do this but for Windows 7 there is only one right now called UxStyle.

Getting UxStyle installed and running on your computer is easy. Just download and install from here. No more manually replacing uxtheme.dll with patched versions.

Once that have the service installed it will automatically patch the digital signature requirement in memory so you can load third-party visual styles.

The final step is to download more visual styles to use with Windows 7.  Below I linked some of the best places to download good visual styles for Windows 7:

• Windows 7 Visual Styles at deviantART
• Windows 7 Visual Styles at Deskmodder
• Windows 7 Visual Styles at Neowin
• Windows 7 Visual Styles at SevenForums

Keep in mind that you can only run visual styles for Windows 7.  Don't try to use Windows Vista or Windows XP visual styles, they will not load.

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) will come with cool new features, beyond what the four Platform Preview releases of the browser have offered early adopters.

While Microsoft is completely mum on the feature set for the next major iteration of Internet Explorer, fact is that the company has already decided on the goodies that the successor of IE8 will bring to the table.
Moreover, the software giant has also been sharing details related to the new features in Internet Explorer 9 internally, according to Jon Box, an Architect Evangelist in Microsoft Developer & Platform Evangelism.

This should of course, come as no surprise, especially since Microsoft is well known for dogfooding its own software (eating its own dog food, namely testing products internally).
“I was at an internal training session a couple of weeks back. And I saw lots of cool WP7 demo’s. But, I also witnessed some cool IE9 features,” Box revealed at the end of the past week.
Microsoft has not confirmed officially any features for IE9, but according to Box, the wait will certainly be worth it.
With the last Platform Preview of IE9 already available, Microsoft is now focusing on wrapping up the first Beta development milestone of the browser.
As I’ve said before, IE9 Beta will be a fully-fledged browser, and judging by the information shared by Box, will also feature some of the new features planned by the software giant.
“Those guys had been holding back on us. Yes, performance is looking great – but they’ve got more up their sleeves. So, I’m looking forward to the unveiling of the beta,” Box added.
Microsoft has already sent out the Beta invites to the Beauty of the Web event in San Francisco on September 15th, 2010, for the launch of IE9 Beta.
Still, the Beauty of the Web site offers no clues as to what IE9 Beta will bring to the table, acting only as an R.S.V.P. destination for those invited.
“In the meantime, check out the announcement from James Pratt on the Exploring IE blog. The post is titled Announcing the Beauty of the Web event for IE9 Beta Launch,” Box noted.
“While waiting for the launch, check out the IE9 Platform Preview 4 post and download it today. There are some really cool / rich pages on the test site. Will your site run it today?” he asked.
The only clues related to new IE9 features came from leaked screenshots of an early Beta Build, which sported additions such as a download manager.

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) Platform Preview 4 is available for download here.

www. softpedia.com

Microsoft has lost its second executive in less than six months

Stephen Elop, part of Microsoft's senior leadership team, is departing the company after joining in January 2008. During his brief time at the company he lead Microsoft's Business Division, responsible for products like Office 2010. Prior to Microsoft, Elop was Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Juniper Networks, and held various positions at both Macromedia and Adobe.

In an email to workers, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wished Elop good luck for his new role. "I am writing to let you know that Stephen Elop has been offered and has accepted the job as CEO of Nokia and will be leaving Microsoft, effective immediately. Stephen leaves in place a strong business and technical leadership team, including Chris Capossela, Kurt DelBene, Amy Hood and Kirill Tatarinov, all of whom will report to me for the interim."

Elop's departure is the second high level move in less than six months. In May this year the company announced the exit of Robbie Bach, head of the Entertainment and Devices division. Elop's move to Nokia comes at a time when the mobile manufacture  r is struggling to stay relevant against stiff competition from Apple's iPhone devices, Google's Android OS and Research in Motion's successfully BlackBerry range. Nokia's share price has dropped almost 40% from a year ago.

Elop made a brief remark on his departure from Microsoft in a statement issued to the media on Friday: "I am extremely excited to become part of a team dedicated to strengthening Nokia's position as the undisputed leader of the mobile communications industry...the company has deeply talented and dedicated people, and I am confident that together we can continue to deliver innovative products that meet the needs of consumers."

 

by Tom Warren

Image Credit: Microsoft ©

Breakneck sales for Windows 7 have vaulted Microsoft revenues to record highs, even amid dreary headlines.

Despite the spectacular death of the Kin, reports that Apple had surpassed Microsoft in market capitalization, and a dicey start to the Windows Tablet, 2010 may not be such a bleak year for Microsoft after all. The latest numbers actually show it smashing quarterly and yearly records as it continues to make money hand over fist with Windows 7.

According to its earnings report, Microsoft generated $62.48 billion in revenue over the 2009-2010 fiscal year, a 7 percent increase from the year prior, and its h ighest revenue ever on the books. Not surprisingly, Windows 7 played a major part, driving revenue in Microsoft’s Windows division up 23 percent from last year to $18.49 billion.

How many copies does it take to generate that kind of cash? A lot. In the nine months since its launch on October 22, 2009, Microsoft has sold 175 million copies of Windows 7 – about 638,600 copies every day – or in even more stark terms, seven copies every second.

While Windows 7 was busy bringing home the bacon, other divisions weren’t quite as productive. The clearest loser was Microsoft’s Online Services division, including Bing, which brought in $565 million last quarter but managed to shovel $696 million out the door.

 

by Nick Mokey

Inilah berita IT dari Microsoft Indonesia, yang diperuntukkan bagi Anda para profesional di bidang IT. Microsoft telah menunjukkan kepeduliannya bagi profesionalisme kerja di bidang IT. Untuk itu Microsoft mengeluarkan sertifikasi profesionalisme yang akan mengantar penyandang sertifikat ini untuk dapat dihargai lebih dalam dunia kerja melalui pengakuan profesional yang diberikan Microsoft. Dengan menyandang Sertifikasi Microsoft, maka kemampuan Anda diakui secara internasional, di belahan negara manapun Anda berada.

Menurut Microsoft, keunggulan dari Sertifikasi Microsoft ini antara lain memberikan nilai tambah pasaran hingga 30% sampai dengan 40%. Selain itu juga para penyandang sertifikasi ini memperoleh kesempatan peningkatan rata-rata gaji antara 5% hingga 11% dari gaji rata-rata yang berlaku secara umum (Gartner-2006, studi kompensasi studi IT). Selain itu menurut Microsoft, 75% dari manajer percaya bahwa sertifikasi ini sangat berpengaruh pada kinerja team. Menurut IDC 2006, team-team profesional mempunyai 40% - 50% anggota team yang telah terlatih dengan teknologi dan proses Microsoft.

Untuk memperoleh Sertifikasi Microsoft ini, terlebih dahulu peserta harus mengikuti Exam di Authorized Microsoft Certified Partner in Learning Solution (CPLS) yang telah ditunjuk Microsoft. Di Indonesia, CPLS yang ditunjuk adalah :

• Asaba Computer Center
• ExecuTrain
• Ebiz Education Enterprise
• Inixindo
• Intellisys
• Iverson
• Mitra Integrasi Informatika
• NETtrain Infotama
• Sarana Solusindo Informatika

Sumber : Microsoft Indonesia

Here’s a look at the most common Linux desktop mistakes by new users. Avoiding these pitfalls can prevent a lot of frustration.

New desktop users can make plenty of mistakes (as can anyone). But knowing which mistakes to avoid, from the start, helps prevent a LOT of frustration. I’ve handled the topic of mistakes new Linux admins make, but never those of desktop users. Here are some of the most common Linux desktop mistakes I see new users make.

1: Assuming they are using Windows

Although this might seem way too obvious, it’s not. The average user has no idea there are even different operating systems to be had. In fact, most average users couldn’t discern Windows XP from Vista from 7 (unless they are certain Windows 7 was “their idea”). Because of this, new users might believe that everything works (or doesn’t work, as the case may be) as it does in Windows. Make your end users aware that they are using a different operating system — and that it works differently.

2: Trying to make exe files work

Unless you have done your homework and installed WINE, double-clicking those .exe files simply won’t do anything. And when that happens, your end users are going to be upset. I have seen many an end user download an app made for Windows assuming that it will work for Linux. Make it clear to users that Linux, like Windows, will only run applications made for that operating system. This, of course, is tossed out the window when WINE is involved. But new users won’t be using WINE anyway.

3: Choosing the wrong distribution

One of the biggest problems for users is choosing the wrong distribution. Imagine being a new user and selecting Gentoo or Slackware or Fedora! Yes those are all good distributions, but any of them would send a new user running away in fear. If you are in the initial stages of helping a new user out, do yourselves both a favor and choose the distribution carefully. Consider the user’s ability, needs, and hardware before you make that selection. Don’t just jump on board Ubuntu because everyone says you should. A lot of distributions out there are made specifically for new users. Give them all a close examination before making the choice.

4: Not finding software

Because so many new Linux users are migrating from Windows, they think software can be had from the same channels. Most of the time, this is not the case. The new user needs to become familiar with their package management tools right away - especially tools like Synaptic, Packagekit, and Ubuntu Software Center. Each of those tools is a mecca of software where users can most likely find all the applications they need.

5: Sending OpenOffice documents to Microsoft Office users in the default format

I see this so often. New Linux users are proud of the strides they have made but dumbfounded (and sometimes turned back to Windows) because the people they share files with can’t read their formats. Remember, Microsoft products are not good at getting along with other operating systems and other applications. Make sure your new users are saving in file formats that are readable by the Microsoft equivalents.

6: Avoiding the command line

I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why people completely avoid the command line as if it is the most complex tool there is. I know people who can work absolute magic with Photoshop but can’t seem to type a simple rm command at the command line. Why this is I will never know. New users shouldn’t shy away from the command line. Knowing the command line isn’t essential anymore, but it will make them more capable users.

7: Giving up too quickly

Here’s another issue I see all too often. After a few hours (or a couple of days) working with Linux, new users will give up for one reason or another. I understand giving up when they realize something simply doesn’t work (such as when they MUST use a proprietary application or file format). But seeing Linux not work under average demands is rare these days. If you see new Linux users getting frustrated, try to give them a little extra guidance. Sometimes getting over that initial hump is the biggest challenge they will face.

8: Thinking the Windows directory hierarchy translates to Linux

There is no C:\ in Linux. Nor do you use the “\” character. Nor should you use spaces in filenames. These are common mistakes new users make. Trying to map out Windows to Linux, directory for directory, is impossible. You can get as far as C:\ = / and maybe Default User = ~/, but beyond that you’re out of luck. Make sure new users understand that everything starts at / and their most important directory is their home directory (aka ~/ aka /home/USERNAME/).

9: Skipping updates

I have been burned with Windows updates many times. Need I bother mentioning the update from Explorer 7 to Explorer 8? Very rarely has a Linux update fubar’d a system of mine. In fact, I can’t remember the last time it has. So I am always up to date on my systems… and with good reason. Those updates bring new security patches and features to software and should be applied. Having an installation with a security hole is not what your users need, especially on a machine that houses important information.

10: Logging in as root

I really shouldn’t have to say this. But just in case, be sure to tell your users DON’T LOG IN AS ROOT! But… just in case they must… DON’T LOG IN AS ROOT! Instead, have them open up a terminal window and either “su” to root or use “sudo”. And just in case you didn’t hear me the first time, DON’T LOG IN AS ROOT!

11: Losing windows to the pager

The pager is one of the handiest features of the Linux desktops. But over and over, I’ve seen that new users don’t quite understand what the pager is for and what it does. Because of this, they will “lose” their windows from the desktop. Where did it go? It was there a moment ago! I guess it crashed. No. More than likely, they moved it to another desktop. Another desktop? You see where this is going? Help the new user understand what the pager is and how useful it can be.

12: Ignoring security because it’s Linux

A big part of me still wants to boast and say, “In the 12 years I have used Linux, I have never once had a virus or worm or been hacked.” Although that is true, it doesn’t mean I should ignore security. I have witnessed the effects of a rootkit on a Linux machine. They aren’t pretty and data will be lost. Tell your users that they can’t ignore security just because they’re using Linux. Security is crucial, regardless of   the OS.

 

by Larry Dignan

from http://www.zdnet.com

 

Windows 8? How Will Be Different Windows 8? you may be wondering, how his form this new family of windows?. probably many other blogs have been discussing about these windows 8, but there is nothing wrong if that this article discusses the different terms.

Probably many other blogs may have discussed about the Windows 8, but here I do not like to discuss or repeat the previous blog, about Microsoft's leaked set of documents shared with its PC maker partners.

ok, just go ahead, I pick out a small portion of this article based on information from official website of Paul Thurott. check it out!!

Schedule

Actually, this bit wasn't included in the leaked documents: Microsoft currently plans to ship Windows 8 by mid-2012. If you do the math, that means a first beta release by mid-2011--just one year from now--and a public beta by the end of 2011.

As with Windows 7, Windows 8 will follow a very regimented and logical schedule. Currently, Microsoft is in the planning stages, where the big picture comes together and broad themes are introduced. These themes will morph into scenarios and then, finally, into individual features. This phase is just about over.

In phase two, development, Microsoft will design and build those features. It will refine the SKU (product edition) lineup. And it will begin sharing code with other development groups within Microsoft so that they can build their own integration pieces. This phase will last until Beta, in mid-2011.

Finally, in the third phase, readiness, the product is now feature complete. Microsoft prepares Windows 8 to come to market by fixing bugs.

Note that, as with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8 and Windows Server "8" are being developed simultaneously. This is the plan going forward for all Windows/Windows Server versions.

Product edition differentiation

While we're still many months away from understanding what features will be included in each Windows 8 product edition, Microsoft does already have an idea about some of the features it will use to differentiate each version: App Store (yes, like that for the iPhone; possibly called Windows Store), devices, multimedia, help and support, and UI & theming. The Windows 8 user experience will be even "less complex" than that of Windows 7.

Microsoft will also allow its PC maker partners to customize Windows 8 in ways that were not previously possible. This includes cobranding on the App Store/Microsoft Store, enhancements to Device Stage, integration in Help & Support and Windows Troubleshooting, and so on.

Also, the PC market is changing. By 2013, China will be the number one PC market in the world. Emerging form factors like slates are redefining people's expectations, and low-cost PCs like netbooks will continue to grow.

Co-developed products

Microsoft has confirmed that Internet Explorer 9 will be part of Windows 8, though it will most likely ship well before Windows 8. Interestingly, Windows Live Wave 5 will also ship concurrently with Windows 8, or at least be developed concurrently. This makes sense when you consider the 18 month development time for each Windows Live wave. The current release, Windows Live Wave 4, will ship sometime in late 2010. That time period plus 18 months is mid-2012, exactly when Microsoft plans to ship Windows 8.

(By the way, the leaked documents note that an IE 9 beta is expected in August 2010 and that this release will involve the "first release of full IE functionality." Release Candidate and RTW--release to web--dates are TBD.)

PC form factor targets

Microsoft expects Windows 8 to target three main PC types, the "Lap PC," the "Workhorse PC," and the "Family Hub PC." These names roughly correspond to PC types we're currently familiar with, of course, and one might imagine that the "Lap PC" category includes netbooks, tablets, and notebook computers.

Windows Store (App Store)

Microsoft intends to support Windows 8 with an iPhone-like App Store that could be named Windows Store. It will provide consumers with an obvious and trustworthy way to find new Windows 8 applications, with a delightful end user experience. The company feels that improving the Windows app model (see below) is "critical" for success and that having one catalog and one experience is key to making it happen.

Application platform

Microsoft's recent (Vista+) application development platform technologies haven't exactly taken the world by storm, and as Google is fond of pointing out, most new applications these days are actually web applications, not applications that target traditional desktop OSes like Windows or Mac OS X. With this in mind, Windows 8 will support "tailored web applications" that appear to blend web technologies with native Windows technologies, providing a more seamless experience for users, especially when you consider that discoverability will occur via an App Store, possibly called Windows Store.

According to Microsoft, these "tailored experiences" offer instant gratification (super easy discovery and install), take advantage of web services, integrate with social networks (and such social technologies as ratings and collaboration), are extensible, scale according to device type and capabilities, and have flexible licensing, distribution, and monetization options. These monetization options are similar to what's planned for Windows Phone: Try/buy, in-app purchases, subscriptions, ad-supported, and alternate currencies, among others.

Best of all, this integration with the web will enable a My Applications scenario where applications and application settings follow users from device to device.

The big question is how this will all come together. Native Windows APIs are diverse and inconsistent, and languages like C++ and C# are not approachable for hobbyists. Microsoft is investigating HTML 5 and JavaScript as an alternative, providing tiers of programming models that would be accessible to all kinds of developers.

Microsoft is also looking at other application-level interactions, including stereoscopic 3D, high color displays, and multi-nodal natural input.

Digital media

While the leaked documents don't communicate the fates of Microsoft's myriad of digital media players (Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, and Zune), there is still some very interesting information. Windows 8 will include support for new formats, including AVC HD (with chapter seek), 3D video, and multiple MPEG-4 formats for the web, and will improve MJPEG (webcams and still cameras), MPEG-2 (decoding/encoding), H.264 (encoding), and WMV. Additionally, Microsoft will expand the Windows 8 Play To experiences to include HTML 5-based audio and video in web pages.

One of the big trends involves PC-based TV tuner support. Microsoft has been steadily evolving TV tuner support in Windows since the initial XP Media Center release in 2002, but the thinking now is that future "TV" experiences on the PC will be web-based. If this works out as believed, future media PCs will not need TV tuners or the complicated software required to make them work. To this end, Windows 8 will likely be the start of the move away from traditional TV tuners in Windows.

Backup

Windows 7 built off of the solid backup and restore foundation from Windows Vista but made some more logical differentiations between the various SKUs, or product editions. With Windows 8, Microsoft hopes to further improve backup and continue differentiating between the low-end and premium SKUs. Windows 8 will utilize new location capabilities (see below) to determine how/if Windows Backup can function, and will be more automatic, requiring less user intervention.

Startup time and power management

While Windows 7 included dramatic improvements to resume time (from sleep) and power management in general, Windows 8 will provide fast, nearly instantaneous resumes from various states and should resemble appliance performance. A lot of this work is simply an extension of what happened in Windows 7 and thus doesn't bear much discussion, but it's important to note, I think, that the sudden emphasis on iPad-like slate PCs will require Windows 8 to function more like a device than like a PC when it comes to wakeup times. One thing Microsoft is considering is renaming the power off states; perhaps by eliminating or renaming "Shut down" they can convince users to utilize built-in power management efficiencies.

Restore, reset and recovery

While most PC makers offer some form of PC recovery functionality that is based on lower-level Microsoft tools and technologies, Windows itself doesn't currently offer any integrated functionality along these lines. That may change in Windows 8, where Microsoft is planning to provide a number of features that will help users overcome performance issues both real and imagined. These include a way for users to restore the system to a recommended state with calling for help and a "push button" ("factory") reset option that would (finally) protect users' personal data, settings, and other customizations. After such a reset, the user could launch the Windows Store to reinstall applications.

New device types

Windows 8 will natively support next generation devices based on the USB 3.0 standard. It will also support Bluetooth 3.0 (but not Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed) for hands free adapters and mono and stereo headsets. Interestingly, Microsoft is considering deprecating Firewire/IEEE1394 support in Windows 8, meaning that support would continue but that improvements and enhancements would cease.

Locations and sensors

While Windows 7 was the first Windows version to provide a sensors platform, including support for all-important location capabilities, Windows 8 will improve on these technologies dramatically. The biggest piece of this is an "in-box" location service, codenamed Orion, which uses Wi-Fi triangulation with accuracy down to 50 to 100 meters, or IP lookup with accuracy down to 25 kilometers. (It supports dedicated GPS hardware as well, of course. This provides accuracy to 3 to 20 meters.)

Windows 8 will also include support for other sensor types, including human presence sensors (read: Kinect) with facial recognition and attention detection functionality, ambient lighting, system orientation, accelerometer, infrared, and so on.

The sensor support in Windows 8 may seem uninteresting, but it enables some fascinating possibilities. In the leaked Microsoft documentation, the software giant explains how a sensor-enabled Windows 8 PC could detect which user just walked in the room, turn on the PC, and log him in, all automatically. When he gets up and leaves, the PC logs off.

Likewise, on portable PCs, you could be playing a game and then stand up and leave; when you do so, the game will pause and, over time, log off. Microsoft expects sensors to be a common feature of most Windows PCs by 2012. Just in time for Windows 8.

Final thoughts

There's a bit more, but that's the big picture stuff and probably the most interesting bits. Certainly, we didn't receive a gift like this so early in the Windows 7 development timeline, so this is quite interesting indeed. I can't wait to find out more.

hopefully this article can answer or at least give us about windows 8.

This is the recent time problem faced by lot of  facebook users because of facebook privacy policies. Many users are suffering a lot because of this issue by facebook.

Probably, there is two reason for why facbook banned you for adding friends

• Adding friends virally or Mass follow of friends.
• Having Plenty of friend Request.

How to Un-Lock the BAN ?

• Don’t add more friends with in a particular span of time. Adding 50 or 60 friends within an hour will surely leads to these kinds of problem.
• Having plenty of Pending friends request and trying to add more friends will not be permitted by facebook privacy policies.  So delete the pending friends request from your profile.

How to Delete Friend ReQuest ?

 

• Go to > Accounts > Edit Friends

• Find and click

• And then, you able to see “Friend Request Pending” [circled] in the image, just delete then by clicking the “cross” button indicated by an arrow. 

After doing the things i’ve said here, wait for some days to make facebook to release the BAN. Don’t repeat the same things again and again if you do so facebook loves to BAN your account permanently.

hopefully, this article may help your problem.

*picture below in this article only as illustrations.

by Heri Gunawan

www.compu-tech18.blogspot.com

 

Microsoft has released a tool for Windows 7 users which fixes an inconsistency found in Windows servicing store which may prevent the successful installation of future updates, service packs, and software. This tool checks your computer for such inconsistencies and tries to resolve issues if found.

You can download and install this tool using following link :

For 32-bit or x86 :

• System Update Readiness Tool for Windows 7 for x86-based Systems (KB947821)

For 64-bit or x64 :

• System Update Readiness Tool for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB947821)

Knowledge Base Articles: KB947821

 

by Heri Gunawan

www.compu-tech18.blogspot.com