Microsoft Files Another Objection in Apple App Store Trademark Case

Microsoft on Tuesday filed a second objection to Apple's enduring pursuit to trademark the phrase "app store."

In the latest complaint, Microsoft hired a linguist, Dr. Ronald Butters, to go head-to-head against Apple's own hired linguist, Robert A. Leonard. Essentially Butters says that the phrase "app store" is too generic to be trademarked, while Leonard contends that "App Store" is a proper noun and therefore qualifies for trademark status. You say potato ...

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"What do people call Apple's and its competitors' stores as a group, or genus?" writes Microsoft's counsel. "To find that, you need to look where people talk about multiple stores, not just Apple's. And when you look there, you find them called 'app stores.'"

Citing Butters, the lawyers use an analogy to show that the generic use of "app store" simply follows a common naming paradigm in American English, like buying shoes at a "shoe store" or toys at a "toy store."

In early March, Apple called Microsoft a hypocrite for calling "app store" too generic to trademark, given that Microsoft successfully trademarked "Windows" in 2004. Weeks later, Apple sent cease and desist letters to a mobile porn software startup, MiKandi, and to Amazon for the "Amazon Appstore." While risky, companies can file such complaints even for unregistered trademarks.

Apple has been trying to trademark the phrase "app store" since 2008, when it launched the iTunes-based App Store for mobile software applications. In January this year Microsoft motioned for a summary judgment to dismiss the application.

According to a Microsoft spokeswoman, this should be the last reply filing from either party in the process. The ball is now in the USTPO/TTAB's court.

"There is a possibility of a hearing, but the next anticipated step in this process would be the outcome of the summary judgment ruling," she said.

Disclaimer: if Apple wins, PCMag will have to change over 400 generic uses of "app store" including titles to articles like "LG Unveils App Store for TVs" and "Ford Announces App Store for Sync Applications."

Browser Wars
When it comes to choosing a Web browser today, you're spoiled for choice. Major new releases Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 4 have brought these two big name browsers to near parity with upstart Google Chrome and longtime innovator Opera. The current crop of surfing software all include plenty of speed, minimized interfaces for a better look at that site you're browsing, and support for the emerging HTML5 standard markup language.

Each brings a unique twist, though. The new browser from Microsoft, Internet Explorer 9, adds hardware acceleration for graphics-intensive sites and arguably the best privacy tool to prevent tracking of your Web activities by marketing sites. Firefox offers a Panorama view of your tabs and a refreshed version of what's still the most powerful set of customizations, along with the ability to sync bookmarks, history, settings, and more.

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Google's Chrome, which may be the fastest growing browser in history in terms of market share, is also the most frequently updated. It's already at version 10 after just two and a half years. Chrome, too, offers syncing, but on top of this it adds some pretty powerful, useful features—its Instant feature starts displaying a page from your history before you even finish typing in the Omnibox, its combined address-search box. And the browser comes with built-in viewers for Flash and PDF content, saving you from having to install separate plug-ins.

Though Safari exist predominantly in Apple Mac territory, there's no reason Windows users can't enjoy the unique and—typical-of-Apple—beautifully designed extras if offers. Its "Reader" view cuts all the ads and unnecessary items off a page you just want to read the text on, and the Top Sites page offers a stunning 3D gallery view of your most frequently needed Web locations.

And then there's Opera. No browser has brought more innovation when compared with the size of its user base. Tabs, the search box, and zoom all started with Opera. Though it can claim only about 2 percent of Internet users, that still means tens of millions who know about the browser's Speed Dial for getting to you favorite sites quickly, Turbo for speeding up slow connections, and Unite, which actually turns your computer into a Web server. Also unique to Opera are its tab stacking, mouse gestures, and built-in Bittorrent client.

For a deeper drill-down into each browser's speed performance, compatibility, and extra tools and features, read our in-depth reviews by clicking the links below.

Google ChromeGoogle Chrome 10

Chrome Instant means your Web page is ready to read before you finish typing the address. This, its speed, minimalist design, and advanced support for HTML5 have deservedly been attracting more and more users to the browser. The latest version adds an improved settings interface, and even more speed and security.

Firefox 4 : Setup Firefox 4

Firefox 4 gets Mozilla back into the game. This lean, fast, customizable browser can hold its own against any competitor, and it offers graphics hardware acceleration.

Windows Internet Explorer 9 Beta: Developer Tools Internet Explorer 9 (IE9)

Microsoft's new browser is faster, trimmer, more compliant with HTML5—a major improvement over its predecessor. It also brings some unique capabilities like tab-pinning and hardward acceleration, but only Windows 7 and Vista users need apply.

Opera 11 Opera 11

Like the other current browsers Opera is fast, compliant with HTML5, and spare of interface. Long an innovator, recently it's added unique things like Unite, which turns the browser into a server, and Turbo, which speeds up the Web on slow connections through caching. Though perhaps the biggest new feature in Opera 11—extension support—actually follows other browsers, the new version also innovates with tab stacking and visual mouse gestures.

Apple Safari 5 : Full Page Zoom Apple Safari 5

Safari is a fast, beautiful browser, but the new Reader view makes it even more enticing. Leading support for HTML 5 features will also be important, but you can already get that in other browsers, too. Safari's strong bookmarking, RSS reader, and vivid new-tab page will also appeal to many.

Report $20 A Year for Revamped Apple MobileMe Music Locker

Apple is preparing to launch a revamped version of its cloud-based content storage service, MobileMe, featuring what's been called a "locker" for music.

The service will launch in April and will cost $20 a year, according to The Music Void, which cited "informed sources."

Apple has secured a deal with Warner Music Group for digital licenses and is using that deal to leverage agreements with other major music labels in time for the projected April launch, the site said. While deals with Universal and EMI should be cemented fairly easy, the Music Void says Sony might hold out on Apple a bit.

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Rumors about a revamped MobileMe service have been trickling in for the past few months. However, it was previously reported that the service would be free. MobileMe has been available for a $99 annual fee, but that option has reportedly been discontinued. A 60-day free trial with the option to sign up for the paid service at its conclusion is available on the MobileMe page at Apple's Web site. However, the option to sign up for the year-long paid service without first test-driving it for 60 days is not advertised.

In many of the recent MobileMe reports, the overhauled platform has been referred to as a "locker." Last month it was reported that in addition to unveiling smaller, cheaper iPhones, Apple would ditch the $99 yearly subscription model in favor of a free service that would work like a "locker" for personal content like photos, videos, and music.

There has been no official announcement from Apple, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier today, Apple announced that its annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) will be held from June 6-10 in San Francisco, where it will focus on the next iterations of iOS and Mac OS X.

The cloud-based storage game, meanwhile, could be heating up. It's been rumored that both Amazon and Google are also prepping their own music "lockers."

10 alternative careers for burned-out IT workers

So you’re thinking about leaving IT — but you’re not sure what to do instead. Here are a few alternative fields where you might be able to use your talents in more satisfying ways.

I recently wrote an article that caused a bit of a stir. That article, 10 reasons for quitting IT, brought to my inbox an onslaught of email agreeing with my reasons and/or asking for advice on where to turn. After giving it some thought, I decided I would take a stab at a follow-up article to try to address the question “What should I do instead?” Here are a few possible alternative career choices for admins and consultants wanting to get out of IT.

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Some of these ideas might make perfect sense, whereas others might make you say, “Huh?” Either way, look at them as suggestions that are related to your current field — which you may or may not have already thought about. The relation to IT might be a bit of a stretch in some cases, but for others it will be quite obvious.

Note: This article is also available as a PDF download.

1: Auto repair
This might sound a bit crazy, but modern vehicles more and more depend upon computers. In fact, without the computer at its core, the modern vehicle wouldn’t be able to accomplish half of what it does. From emission control to hybrid power to brake control, automobiles depend upon computers. These computers are nothing more than embedded systems that depend upon another computer to troubleshoot, diagnose, and repair them. And since most IT admins and consultants love the thrill of fixing things, becoming an automobile technician makes perfect sense. Granted, you will need to get the proper training to make this leap.
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2: Teaching
The educational system does not have enough good teachers willing to go the extra mile to help future IT pros understand the career they are about to embark on. Does that mean you should step into education so you can beat it into your students’ heads that they will suffer immeasurable frustration during their career as a consultant or administrator? No. It does mean, however, that you can prepare them for the challenging road that lies ahead. And many of you will certainly understand how much difference it would have made in your lives if someone had helped prepare you for the challenges you have faced.

3: Working for a smaller company
If you’re unwilling to completely leave the field of IT, you could step down from that fortune 500 position and join a much smaller company. Having a much smaller network to deal with, few computers, and users who don’t have that same attitude toward you will remove a world of suffering from your shoulders. You could even step into the not-for-profit world and really feel wanted and loved. Although the NFP field has its own set of headaches, they aren’t nearly as intense as they can be in the upper echelons of capitalism.

4: Architecture
This is another career that would require more education. However, you like numbers. You like the order and design of the world around you. And you could learn CAD more quickly than you learned subnetting. Architecture is one of those fields where the sky could literally be the limit. You could spend some time in the great outdoors, you would be using the numbers you love so dearly, you would have a modicum of control over your own fate (perhaps being self-employed), and you wouldn’t have to deal with downed networks, fail-over, end-users, and lazy programmers.

5: Programming
You’ve spent years dealing with bugs, bug squashing, and software in general, so why not join the developer ranks and start coding yourself? Most of the programmers I know are good, although quirky, people. Some of them live singular, solitary lives, work long hours, and are dedicated to what they do. The biggest difference between programmers and admins/consultants? Programmers’ stress and headaches are specific in nature and tend to involve only one or two major problems (code won’t compile, features need to be added, etc.). Now I won’t kid you into thinking that programming will be an easier, less stressful route than consulting or administration. But you won’t have to deal with the avalanche of problems coming from nearly every corner of every building you walk into.

6: Writing
One of the biggest downfalls in the world of computer software and hardware is its documentation. Because software and hardware are ever-evolving markets, the minute you put out a book or manual, it’s out of date. That means those manuals must always be updated, renewed, refreshed. Take those skills of yours and build a brand for yourself. Write the manual for a piece of software, hardware, or protocol. Or find a blog to write for. There are millions upon millions of computer users out there, and most of them have no idea what they are doing. The world needs good writers of computer manuals and how-tos, because we know the manufacturers aren’t creating these documents.

7: Management
Not that you would ever see me working the management side of the coin, but this field is a good fit for a lot of administrators and consultants. This is especially true for consultants who have had to run their small shop or one-man show and keep the ball rolling. Those types have the necessary marketing, management, and communication skills necessary for management. But understand this: You will be trading one set of headaches for another.

8: Research and development
Companies thrive on research, and that includes tech companies. What R&D departments don’t need are people who have no idea what they are talking about. As an administrator or consultant you have been out in the trenches. You know how things do work versus how they should work. You are fully aware of the real-world needs versus the company-created needs. A voice like yours could be of incredible value to a company creating the next big thing in IT. Of course R&D tends to live only in bigger companies, so you would have to make your way though the mounds of resumes already piling up on the HR desks. Figure that out, and you might have a perfect match.

9: Cosmetology
I know, I know. This one might seem crazy on the surface, but give it a chance. First, there is an elegant mathematic to the art of hair design. I did a short stint in the field and really enjoyed it. Not only are you dealing with real people with real issues (some issues a bit bigger than others), but you see instant results when you are done. There is no sitting around and waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under you (as is inevitable in IT and consulting) no dealing with budgetary constraints or security holes, no horrific hours, and no cloud!

10: Farming
I couldn’t resist. Based on the amount of readers who truly wanted to pull way back to their “roots” and be farmers, this seemed like the perfect way to end this piece. Farming might well be one of the single most rewarding professions in the history of professions. Yes, it’s hard work, yes there is very little money to be made. But man, is it a good way to reclaim yourself. Digging in the dirt, creating the very things that sustain life… what more could you ask for? If you choose to go this route, I would highly recommend you bank a nice nest egg first, because you won’t get rich off the fat of the land. Your soul might, but your bank account? Not so much.

Taking a break
Naturally these ideas are all subjective, but everyone has a skill other than IT they can bank on. Even if it’s not the most marketable, profitable, or manageable skill known to man, you have something you can turn to when IT or consulting loses its luster. And who knows, maybe a break from the field is all you need. Go be a farmer for a few years and then, if you need to, come back to IT. Don’t worry — admin and consulting work will still be here. You’ll probably have to play a massive game of catch-up, but you’ll get back into the race more quickly than you think.

Other alternative professions?
This is a just short list of possibilities, but there are plenty more. What other careers do you think might be well suited for those who are thinking about leaving IT? Have you ever switched fields only to return to a tech job? Share your thoughts in the discussion.

Barnes & Noble Nook Update Will Bring Email Apps Like Angry Birds

Barnes & Noble on Friday promised a "major update" to its Nook e-reader firmware this spring, which will bring new apps, e-mails, and other features.

Those apps will include the popular Angry Birds game from Rovio, Drawing Pad, Lonely Planet Phrasebook, Tikatok, and Wine PhD.

The company did not provide too many additional details on the update, but did announce the addition of new magazines to its e-book store, as well as e-book content from Nickelodeon.

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The Nook Newsstand will now include the option to purchase The Economist, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, ESPN The Magazine, Saveur and PC Gamer, bringing the total number of available periodicals to more than 135.

Barnes & Noble's deal with Nickelodeon, meanwhile, means that customers with the Nook Color or Nook Kids for iPad app can exclusively access digital books featuring popular Nickelodeon characters like SpongeBob Square Pants and Dora the Explorer.

There are currently 12 Nickelodeon titles available, which will expand to more than 20 next month.

On Monday, Microsoft filed suit against Barnes & Noble for patent infringement regarding the Android-based Nook e-readers. Microsoft holds patents relating to navigation and how Web sites display content; technology used on the Android platform, the software giant said.

Earlier this month, Barnes & Noble and Spring Design announced a settlement in a lawsuit over the companies' competing e-book readers, the Nook and the Alex.

Microsoft Kinect starting interface revolution

Microsoft has insisted that the Kinect is only the start of its foray into 'natural user interface' (NUI) urging us to consider a world where 'interacting with a technology becomes as easy as having a conversation with a friend.'

The Kinect for Xbox 360 has been a roaring success for Microsoft, selling 8 million units so far and giving the entire Xbox platform a new lease of life.

But the potential for the motion and voice sensor has perhaps been even more exciting to many, and that includes people within Microsoft who are looking to the future of how we interact with our devices.

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Scratching the surface

"Even with all the excitement, the reality is that our industry – Microsoft included – has only scratched the surface of what is possible," blogged Microsoft's Steve Clayton.

"Most people's view of natural technology is sensory related – touch or speech – but Microsoft's exploration into NUI is multi-dimensional.

"By combining sensory inputs with the knowledge of what you're trying to do (contextual awareness), where you are and what is around you (environmental awareness), 3D simulation and anticipatory learning, we can foresee a future where technology becomes almost invisible.

"Imagine a world where interacting with technology becomes as easy as having a conversation with a friend.

"Natural and intuitive technology like Kinect can be more than just a great platform for gaming and entertainment – it opens up enormous opportunities to address societal problems such as healthcare, education, and providing greater access for persons with disabilities."

Exciting times

Clayton insists that the Xbox 360 Kinect is just the start, and that Microsoft will be attempting to push the envelope in how we interface with our technology.

"It's an exciting time for Microsoft, our customers and partners as we explore the possibilities NUI has to offer and how we can make them a reality – Kinect for Xbox 360 is just a first step," he wrote.

"For our part, we'll look to apply our learning and technology to fields such as healthcare, education and beyond. We'll continue to push the boundaries, lower the barriers of use for technology, and I think we'll surprise people with the true potential of NUI."

Bill Gates Urges India to step forward in R&D

Bill Gates is now living a life of a free man who is still looking into the betterment of the industry. Ofcourse, he’s still driving most of the things at Microsoft on the undercover.

The Bill-ionaire, today, urged India to move away from the current strategy of low-cost labor towards high-end research and development to keep its giant IT sector competitive. On a visit to New Delhi, he called on the Indian government to speed up its commitment to R&D and to boost low number of home-grown PhD students.

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Gates told a panel discussion that India’s “IT success story” should strive to add value and move away from low-cost labor as other developing countries play catch-up.

“At first some of that (IT boom) was built on low-cost labor. And, of course, as time goes on, you don’t want to have that as the only differentiator and it’s not a sustainable thing, because others can come along with that as well,” Gates said.

India’s R&D sector has made progress in recent years and attracted some big foreign hitters, including Microsoft, Google R&D in keeping with its IT and service-driven economic boom. But hampered by structural problems and a lack of government commitment, India’s R&D still lags behind the United States and Asian rival China. China has more than 1,100 R&D centers compared to 800 in India.

“Leading companies here are contributing a lot of ideas and techniques. Even more of that has to happen and bring it to its full potential,” Gates said. “You’ve got to get the government, universities … and companies like Microsoft to deepen their commitment to R&D.”

India produces several 100s computer science PhDs a year — a fraction of China or the U.S. — even as it exports a large number of students abroad. While English-speaking India is cheaper than China for R&D, New Delhi gives few incentives to researchers.

Currently, Indian market is more into service than into Product manufacturing. There is a focus shift of industry that is needed for India to endeavor.

Looking at the current PhDs, the number looks low. The worst thing is most of the TOP leading institute post-grads like from IIT, which is among the Top educational institues in the world, move to US or other countries for better research prospects, due to lack of infrastructure in today’s Indian market. This is causing a major Brain-drain.

IIT is known for producing brilliant minds though with simplicity. The IIT students have proven their competency even at the graduation levels. A lot of the sponsored researches from Intel, Microsoft, Google, AMD happen within IITs, without any encouragement from government.

R&D in other fields like manufacturing, construction, machinery is still fair in number. Why not IT too ?

Beijing offers incentives like tax breaks for R&D centers, and special economic zones provide infrastructure for hi-tech and R&D industries. Indian government structure has not encouraged any such activities yet.

May be it’s the time to step forward from the great Indian Leader Manmohan Singh, the world’s most educated Prime Minister, to come-up with policies that could encourage Research and development, leading to a better future for Indian IT industry.

Pretty Good Quad Band Dual Sim Cards JAVA Cell Phone

The 6235I Quad Band Dual Sim Cards JAVA Cell Phone is enriched with so many features that you will take a couple of days to explore all the features and still you will find one or two of the features are hidden from you.

It is said that the first impression is the last impression. Keeping that in mind the 6235i score pretty well because the 3.2 inch large screen grabs your attention and you will surely fall in love with it.

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It supports more than 20 languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Polish etc.

Connectivity is not at all an issue with the 6235i because it supports Bluetooth 2.0 for the transfer of media files amongst your friends or colleagues. Also it supports GPRS browsing you can access your emails and shop on ebay using your mobile phone. It also supports java which allows you to browse most of the sites as you know there are many sites which uses java in them.

With the presence of a 0.3 MP camera you can capture the best moments of your life, not only in a still format you can also record videos which you can view on the mobile video player even in a full screen mode. It supports 3GP/AVI formats for videos.

To store all the media files you can expand the memory space given in the phone and the space is expandable to upto 4GB using a TF card extension.

It comes with 2 batteries so even if one of your batteries got discharged due to your carelessness or in travel you can right away switch to the other battery.

In my opinion keeping in mind the price vs. the features that this phone has it is really a good option to go with.

First Images of Microsoft Office 2010 and Office Web Apps

Microsoft will offer free access to individuals from Windows Live Web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Even if Microsoft considers simplistic position face-to-face and its Google Apps online productivity applications, they nevertheless have similarities. The web editions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Office OneNote 2010, eased compared to thick client versions, will be free for individuals and users will need only a Windows Live to access. As for access, it can be done from either a computer or smartphone (Windows Mobile and iPhone / iPod Touch) through a Web browser: optional, Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari. Microsoft seems to have privileged the first three browsers in terms of market share. As regards a future compatibility with Google Chrome, the publisher prefers to avoid.

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As for the thick client versions of Office 2010, Microsoft ensures that the Office Web Applications will support the standards OpenXML and ODF 1.1, the format submitted by the publisher. Support of standards that may raise criticism as is the case for Office 2007 SP2. The Open Document Format Alliance has particularly noted the presence of bugs limiting interoperability between applications integrating support for ODF. A beta version of Office 2010 Web should be available in August. The official launch is scheduled for its first half 2010. For storage of office files, users have free space to 25 GB of Microsoft SkyDrive service.

Indeed, Office 2010 license will open the possibility of having no additional charge, access to applications from the desktop, web browser or on mobile. But companies can also choose instead to purchase Office 2010 licenses, to subscribe to a hosted offering. The Office Web Apps will be available on the microsoft support Online Services launched in March. The ribbon interface introduced in Office 2007 is now widespread (even integrates SharePoint). Beyond this ergonomic issue, the editor insists on adding collaborative features. Another new feature is a contextual spell checker to identify errors more easily. Main features of Excel 2010 made the honor by Microsoft, the "sparklines", the ability for users to convert data in trend curves displayed in a cell. As for PowerPoint 2010, it now includes video support including video codecs H.264 and MPEG 4. Videos can be treated as an image in the application.

To simplify the use of Outlook, including research, Microsoft has added the compression of messages. Thus, all messages related to the same subject are grouped together. Gmail users already know this functionality. Microsoft has also added system tray quick, customizable, thanks to a menu allowing you to easily create new buttons for action.

Inspiring Aspire

Acer's one of the valuable contribution in shape of mini Laptop to serve the nations. User friendly interface increase its worth as well as become smart to serve the users.

Give me an Acer's Aspire One mini laptop and most of my needs for computing on the move are met. The machine comes with 10.1in screen and the option to fit 2GB memory; much better than many notebook systems.

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What makes this Aspire stand out from the other similar products are its keyboard and screen. The main difference between this model and earlier version is the 10.1in screen that makes its usage easy.

Executive looks of this Acer product distinguish it to the other lineup products. Smooth shape of edge of Acer product intentionally catches the eyes of the viewers and it provides one of the best friendly environments to its users. Users feel soft when they work out on it.

Aspire 's keyboard is also good - keys are well sized (less the function and cursor (arrow) keys). Aspire has a small touch pad with a single bar instead of two separate mouse buttons below the keyboard.

In addition to standard collection of ports, the Aspire One can connect wireless using 802.11b/g WI-Fi or Bluetooth. Some models can also be fitted with an optional internal 3G broadband modem for connectivity virtually anywhere, but our review unit did not have this. A button near the screen hinge turns Bluetooth on and off, while a slide switch at the front of the case does the same for Wi-Fi.

This inspiring performer with impressive battery life claim can meet anyone's requirement. It seems to be good to have in anyone/s travel bag. Acer's bring a bright technology move to satisfy its valuable customers.

Acer's one of the valuable contribution in shape of mini Laptop to serve the nations. User friendly interface increase its worth as well as become smart to serve the users.

Best Dual Multi-Monitor Software

Adding Multiple monitors to your setup definitely increases productivity. But it can get all tricky without use of the right software.

Windows 7 gives you a decent Multi-Monitor support, but trust me its only the beginning.

While hunting down for better Multi Monitor softwares, I tested a dozen of available options and then shortlisted a few options:

1. Display Fusion

DisplayFusion kills the pain and adds a taskbar to every monitor that works and looks just like the Windows Taskbar. It also lets you put different wallpaper on each monitor right from your local drive or from Flickr.

Features:

* Advanced Multi-Monitor Taskbar support
* Different Wallpaper on each monitor OR span multiple monitors with single wallpaper.
* Easily move a running window to different screen with one click.
* Special TitleBar Buttons to move/size/control windows among screens.
* Auto-snap windows to the edge of your monitor
* Integrated Flickr.com, Vladstudio.com image search & download
* Fully Customizable HotKeys: Move windows to next monitor, maximize in next monitor, maximize single window to multiple monitors, do almost anything your imagination lets you between multiple monitors.

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Display Fusion is available in two Versions: Free, and Pro version ($25)

Download

2. UltraMon

UltraMon is a utility that unlocks the full potential of multiple monitors.

Features:

* Window management: Easily Move and Maximize Windows across the desktop.

* Smart Taskbar: UltraMon adds an additional taskbar for each secondary monitor, and each taskbar only shows tasks from the monitor it is on. This makes managing lots of open applications much easier, and when activating an application, you’ll know on which monitor it will appear.

* Application positioning: Use the UltraMon tabs added to a shortcut’s properties to set an application’s position or use custom display settings when the application is running.

* Shortcuts, hotKeys: Control application positioning with UltraMon Shortcuts
* Display profiles: With display profiles, you can quickly change the settings of one or more monitors. You can also create a display profile that gets applied when logging in, especially useful when the computer is used by more than one person, and not everyone wants to use the same display settings.
* Wallpapers and Screen savers: The UltraMon wallpaper manager adds the ability to use a different picture on each monitor, or stretch a single picture across the desktop. Some screen savers only run on the primary monitor. UltraMon can blank the secondary monitors when the screen saver is running, or run additional screen savers on secondary monitors.
* Mirroring: Mirror your main monitor to secondary monitors for a presentation

Ultramon 3.0 is available for Free trial

Download

3. WinSplit Revolution

WinSplit is different. Instead of distributing apps across multiple spaces, it allows you to best utilize each Display by filling up complete screen with multiple windows tiled just right.

Features:

* Automated window handling (resize, move, reorganize, close tasks)
* Snap Multiple windows to grids, define the number of multiple windows across screen
* Global hotkeys and clickable virtual numpad

When combined with any of the Display Fusion/ Ultramon, it can put each Display to efficient use. Checkout more features at official website.

Download

4. Dual display Mouse Manager

When using Dual or Multiple monitors, it’s easy to overshoot your mouse to another screen when you least wanted it to happen. Dual display Mouse manager comes to the rescue, slowsdown the mouse at the screen edges.

Dual display mouse manger is open source tool, hence, available for free.

Download

5. Multi-Monitor Mouse

Just like Dual display mouse, Multi-Monitor mouse lets you handle mouse position, but in a different way. Multi-Monitor Mouse uses keyboard shortcuts to move your mouse cursor to the next monitor in your multi-monitor setup. Jumps can be relative—having the cursor placed in the same relative position on the new monitor—or in the center of the screen. It can also be specified to transverse in an ordered Fashion

Multi-Monitor Mouse is freeware

Download

6. Synergy

Apart from Multi-Monitor setup, if you own multiple PCs/ Mac you can use a single computer’s Mouse and keyboard to control all of them. This is really a handy application must for everyone who uses multiple systems at a time.

How to Use: Install the synergy on both (or multiple) computers. Create one machine as the server, this is the same machine whose mouse and keyboard will be used to control other machines. Then you can add hosts, and setup their relative positions to each other by defining rules that decide moving mouse to which corner shifts the control to which computer.

Synergy is Open source and hence, available for Free.

iPad vs Windows 7 Tablet

Its not about winning or losing, we are happy to start seeing some competition to industry’s most popular Tablet device: Apple iPad.

As illustrated in the video, there are things that iPad would do better than Windows 7 tablet, and vice versa.

Watch the Handson Comparison video for most daily use-cases:

Web Browsing: Windows 7 Tablet might be slightly faster at this but layout, screen size-wise, it fails to showcase its appeal.

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OnScreen Keyboard: The on-screen keyboards are great, iPad definitely has a better one.

Flash, youtube: Windows runs native Flash in browsers and iPad relies on native youtube app to achieve the same. Other flash sites, just wont work. However, unofficial iPad Flash [Frash] should nail down to stability and support.

Screen: Windows 7 Tablets will feature different screens, varied by the vendor that manufactures it. But iPad already features best in class IPS display.

Email & apps: As you can see from the video above, Windows 7 tablet seriously lacks on user usability. Its not easy when it comes to touching small areas which were originally meant be used with mouse cursor.

Connectivity: Windows 7 Tablets have its edge over here as it provide all kinds of standard PC connectivity ports: USB, SDcard and what not.

Battery: Mileage may vary but, iPad gives a bare minimum of 10hours, which is atleast 2x times better than any Windows 7 Tablet device that will be coming anytime soon. This is one of the reasons why HP windows 7 Slate was dropped.

Multitouch: Nobody, I said nobody can beat apple in this. They are the mastters of multitouch gesture smoothness, google might be approaching them, but Apple is far more superior at this.

Some Oracle customers face looming support fee rise

Oracle customers on a range of significant releases have a choice to make this year: Upgrade, or potentially pay more for support.

While Oracle provides five years of Premier Support after a product's general availability, after that period comes extended and sustaining support, which cost more and provide fewer benefits.

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Extended Support will end later this year for PeopleSoft FMS/ESA 8.8, as well as for ELS 8.81 and HRMS 8.8, according to a document (PDF) on Oracle's website.

JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.12 and JD Edwards CRM Mobile Sales 8.12 go into Extended Support next month. E-Business Suite 12 and Siebel CRM 8.0.x enter Extended Support in January 2012.

Oracle has made concessions to users regarding support windows, citing the global economic downturn. In 2009, it announced that first-year extended support fees on some releases would be waived.

Oracle has no plans to provide any general extensions to those waivers, according to a spokeswoman. However, it has since announced a number of platform-specific Extended Support fee waivers for Database 10gR2, as well as a first-year waiver of Extended Support fees for PeopleSoft Enterprise 9, she said.

A number of PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 modules are set to enter Extended Support this year, according to Oracle's site.

Under Extended Support, which lasts for three years, customers get the benefits of Premier Support, save for the fact that certifications may not be available for new versions of third-party applications.

Sustaining Support comes next and is available indefinitely, but omits key services such as new tax and regulatory updates; new critical patches; and new certifications with both Oracle and third-party products.

Support deadlines have been a hot topic among members of the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG), and will surely also be at the group's Collaborate 11 conference in April, said John Schmitz, who serves on the organization's Customer Support Council.

Users have "a lot of concern" about the cost and complexity of upgrades, said Schmitz, who is also an E-Business Suite project leader at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's IT department. "I think they'd welcome all the help they can get."

Oracle recently made a "big step forward" in this direction with the release of a number of detailed guides that walk customers through specific upgrade processes, Schmitz said.

UW-Madison is going through an E-Business Suite upgrade, and is finding a related document to be a great help. "We're using it as a single source for shopping for information regarding the project," he said. However, the team is still evaluating whether it wants to closely follow the entire methodology laid out in the guide, he said.

Meanwhile, expiring Oracle support windows have third-party support companies like Rimini Street eager to offer another choice.

"We present an alternative to having to go through an upgrade," said David Rowe, senior vice president of global marketing and alliances.

Rimini Street's service provides ongoing technical support as well as tax and regulatory upgrades; the company says customers will save at least 50 percent on their existing support bills.

But Rimini Street and the third-party software market in general have been clouded somewhat by litigation. Oracle sued a former SAP subsidiary, TomorrowNow, which also sold third-party support services, claiming intellectual property theft. SAP admitted liability for TomorrowNow's actions and a jury awarded Oracle $1.3 billion last year.

Oracle subsequently sued Rimini Street, which is led by TomorrowNow co-founder Seth Ravin, lodging similar charges. Rimini Street has vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

Schmitz hasn't heard much buzz among OAUG members regarding third-party support, but imagines that sentiment "runs the whole range" from embarking on upgrades to considering a break with Oracle support, he said.

While Oracle executives have been responsive to OAUG, the group is hoping to work more closely with other user organizations such as IOUG (Independent Oracle Users Group) and Quest, to present a broader front on support issues, according to Schmitz.

Five items all IT consultancies must stock

Some IT consultants drive profits via a storefront; others wouldn’t touch retail using their fiercest competitor’s budget. I don’t think IT consultants targeting commercial clients have much business managing a store. When’s the last time someone walked in off the street and asked to buy a dual-CPU 2U rack-mount server? It’s usually a residential user hoping to score a $399 cut-rate laptop capable of editing video while drafting three-dimensional CAD drawings.

I’m not suggesting that your consultancy keep a lot of inventory in stock, but there are five items I think your office should keep on hand at all times.

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1: Basic desktop computers
Clients, especially business clients, often need desktops in a hurry, and many refuse to purchase spares or depot machines until it’s too late. We’ve seen it too many times in my office, so now we keep several desktop computers in inventory. We sell several each week simply because we have them on hand.

IT consultants often decide to try to repair a client’s failed four- or five-year old system because the client needs it back up and running fast. The computer in question is desperately needed to print checks, take orders, process lab results, check-out customers or patients, operate a machine, or process critical email, etc. (we see these scenarios each week). If you have a replacement system ready to go, it can significantly reduce client downtime.

The systems you stock don’t need to be fancy; in fact, a desktop chassis with an Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, Windows 7 Professional (32-bit), and a 250 GB hard drive meets a tremendous variety of client needs.
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2: Basic laptops
Laptops fail more frequently than desktops due to the wear and tear mobility inflicts. Also, clients usually can’t seem to wait when they want a laptop; for instance, perhaps an executive drops a laptop and needs a replacement fast or an IT staff member is taking an unexpected trip.

Stocking a laptop that meets everyone’s needs is a tough task, though. Almost everyone wants a unit that is as light as a netbook, as stylish as Apple’s MacBook Air, and as fast and capable as an Alienware M17x. Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.

But here’s what you can do: You can keep a couple of Dell Latitude E5410s, HP ProBook 4520s, or Lenovo ThinkPad Edges on the shelf.

3: Hard disks
Hard disks are like oxygen in this business — you have to have them in all kinds, shapes, and sizes. IT consultancies should stock internal desktop and notebook drives, external disks up to 2 TB, and potentially even SCSI disks if your office supports a large number of servers with those drives. We often bill hard disk sales faster than we can reorder them, so stock up.

4: Routers
Networks and underlying routers provide the backbone infrastructure that power businesses. Thunderstorms, electrical surges, corruptible firmware, and other threats often prove fatal to critical network communications, including email, Internet, credit card authorization, cloud-based applications, remote sites, and other operations.

Your IT consultancy should not have to tell a client their business operations will be down 48 to 72 hours while you’re waiting for a replacement router. Keep replacements on hand.

You should stock SonicWALL TZ 100s and SonicWALL TZ 200s because they’re inexpensive, provide extensive QoS and VPN capabilities, and even offer optional gateway security subscription services. Plus, they’re worth their weight in gold by serving as a temporary unit until a larger, more powerful or specialized replacement can arrive.

5: Microsoft Office
How many times has a client asked you this question? “Microsoft Office isn’t included with a new computer?” Clients — regardless of their technical sophistication or intelligence — are often surprised that the popular office productivity suite doesn’t automatically ship with Windows. In our experience, what’s even worse is that most clients don’t understand they cannot transfer Office licenses purchased with an old PC to a new computer. New licenses are required.

Microsoft’s made suite selection easier with 2010. Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 includes Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, which meets most users’ needs.

What’s on your inventory list?
Symantec Endpoint Protection licenses, network adapters, wireless access points, battery backups, surge protectors, 14′ Ethernet patch cords, USB cables, and potentially even a laser jet printer are among other items my consultancy regularly stocks. What items do you stock? Join the discussion.

The happiest and unhappiest cities in which to work

In yet another listed breakdown of work trends, a company called CareerBliss has compiled lists of the happiest and unhappiest cities in which to work. Here are the happiest:

* San Jose, CA
* San Francisco, CA
* Jacksonville, FL
* Miami, FL
* Washington, DC
* Memphis, TN
* El Paso, TX
* Los Angeles, CA
* San Diego, CA
* Birmingham, AL

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CareerBliss says the list is based on growth opportunities, compensation, benefits, work-life balance, career advancement, senior management, job security and whether the employee would recommend the company to others. (As another qualifier in the press release I received, Matt Miller, the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of CareerBliss says “A field that often yields happy employees is information technology.”)

From the looks of the list, I’d say the most common characteristic is sunshine. Aside from DC, most of these places stay warm most of the year. I’m not trying to be shallow here, but it has to play into the equation, right?

The list of unhappiest cities in which to work includes:

* Saint Paul, MN
* Indianapolis, IN
* Omaha, NE
* Cleveland, OH
* Pittsburgh, PA
* Salt Lake City, UT
* Brooklyn, NY
* Tucson, AZ
* Portland, OR
* Tampa, FL

The inclusion of Tampa and Tucson kind of blows holes in my sunshine theory, but I’m sticking to it.

Hosted Microsoft CRM

If your business has a roll of customers in the thousands, there is a good chance that you struggle to keep track of everything. If you happen to be like most business owners, you have perhaps lost more customers than you would like to admit through cracks in the floor. Keeping abreast of thousands of customers sounds very challenging, and so it is. Now, however, a fabulous technology has arrived that could assist you in figuring out your spider's web of an organization and get everything into focus. This technology is none other than hosted Microsoft CRM 4.0, and it has the potential to be of great benefit to your business.

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This new-fangled system has been designed to help you streamline customer data and keep it all in one place, as opposed to spread over separate systems. There are businesses which send out surveys and questionnaires, and then have a third party enter the records to a database. These businesses would benefit the most from Microsoft CRM. Using this system, so many paper records will not be needed any more. A business could manage all its information gathering over the Internet.

Storing records electronically in this way is not just simpler for the customer. The business also benefits. The customer can access their information over the Internet and change details as required. They could even remove themselves from the system entirely, if they wished. The business would benefit from the ease of accessing customer data. Data that's more easily accessed makes a business easier to run, however you look at it. Instead of using a third party to manage customer records, a business has access itself with little to no delay in obtaining information. Microsoft CRM 4.0 will also cut costs.

Not only would such a system improve business productivity and cut costs, but it is also highly user friendly. Minimal training is required to learn how to operate the software. The software is extremely self-explanatory, something sure to be a relief to most business owners daunted by the prospect of the time needed to train new employees. The system employs a program which most employees will be familiar with, making it yet simpler to use. The software will allow your business to boost its number of customers from the thousands to the tens of thousands, all with just some clicking of the mouse. You won't lose any sleep over this.

The software includes very effective tools for data importing and reporting. Microsoft Dynamic CRM has numerous language and currency features built-in. There is also a capacity for Windows Live Message and MS Office Communicator. The software makes cloud computing feasible. One feature is ribbon interface. Reports can be created by all users, not just admins.

Considering all these features, one of the only things missing from the product is power dialing. Full CRM companies are dependent on telephones to maintain customer databases. Another useful facility absent from the package is voice messaging. CRM systems exist which have such features and sell at a comfortable price.

Ms Office Fresh Word Edition

Inside a area daring plus current method, the general public in these days can't handle without the Microsoft Office word. This can be utilized by businessmen and students duplicate targeted letters down a person s view, manufacturing fashioned library, together with elemental archive as opposed to content material this to size through the use of pen and paper. Of course, the Microsoft Word has become a way of life for modern these. Aside from that, also there have been several other necessary gear by way of Microsoft Office word corresponding to the Excel, PowerPoint, and many other distinct functions suited to your necessities, disregardless of whether you have to make a spreadsheet or even design our slideshows. It has created this attainable to be able to finale your activity competently and to the shortest a long time attainable.

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Nevertheless for the reason that modern tools hold steady which will evolve, it was subsequently necessary in your Microsoft Office furniture so that it will evolve by using eye secrets yet. This has manufactured the invention through the reflex version within packages that you could download on the net you should choose confidence. You could plainly manner Microsoft Office download and be capable to use it on your computing device hassle-free.

What are the benefits you could get pleasure from once you utilize the Microsoft Office download variety, and? The most notable plus amongst downloading the Microsoft Office's microelectronic side could be that you ll certainly get entry to a duplicate of this Microsoft Office word. This will tolerate you in order to briskly receive your style through the Microsoft Office download, despite which computer you are using. The improved portability that is certainly open because of the download report through the software program will be preclude revenue and earn length added handy.

The place achieve the cost discount rates come from? If you buy a Microsoft Office download kind, there is no excess cost placed on the operator to your creating and container detriment for any a program formula. Consequently, you really are only retail the true applications that is positive to use realistic customers without depriving themselves through the capacity to fully eat an achievable course gadget. Nevertheless this is a further motivator you could savour in installing attempt photocopy in place of choosing this from CD.

After having lost your Microsoft Office download and obtained the make a copy for any archives from the utility, you may additionally savor an additional characteristics that include reading this account. The two of the majority of commonly used Microsoft office word packages will be the Word and Excel, therefore there is no had better wage manually for each computer software since you can buy them all which has a unmarried download for the reflex fake through the Microsoft office.

For the reason that column has become reproduced electronically, it is simply just like an awful lot closer for you to receive such updates at the Microsoft Office Word aid the mentioned you can love innovative features that will boost performance for your supplement. You are able to exactly have the entirety you may need right within the fingertips!

The Microsoft make contains proven these sincerity so that it will send excellent quality aids so one can present for any advanced requirements from any loyal buyer basis. Afterward, Microsoft Office download type is just one more stair in resolved effort to ensure that you is able to find the favorite meaning and the you get over done in the same amount over period.

Clean up your data with this easy-to-use Excel function

Excel includes a number of functions that allow you to remove printable characters, like spaces, from imported data. But what if your data contains nonprintable characters, like the ones shown in Figure A?

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To clean up this data, Excel provides the CLEAN function. Follow these steps:

1. Select C2:C10.
2. Enter the following formula:
=CLEAN(A2)
3. Press Ctrl + Enter (Figure B).

Figure B

Excel displays the contents of the cells without the nonprintable characters. You can now copy the results to another part of the workbook using the Paste Special option to copy the values without the formulas (Figure C).

Figure C

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Quickly find matching records in Excel with a few keystrokes

When you need to quickly find matching records in your data, you could sort the list, then add a filter — but you can accomplish the same thing in three steps using Excel’s shortcut keys.

For example, if you keep track of all your orders for a certain month in an Excel worksheet, here’s how to find out which orders go to the 08004 zip code.

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1. In the Zip Code column of your Orders worksheet, click on the first cell that contains 08004.
2. Press [Ctrl][Space] to select the entire column.
3. Press [Ctrl][Shift][\].

Excel selects all the orders that do not match the active cell, making orders with the 08004 destination easily visible.

You can also use shortcut keys when evaluating row data. For example, say you held 48 sales promotions during the past 12 months. You list each promotion in Row 1, starting in Column B; you list each sales region in Column A. For each promotion, you enter the response rate for each region. To find out which promotions had an 80% response rate for the North Region, follow these steps:

1. In the North Region row, click on the first cell that contains 80.
2. Press [Shift][Space] to select the entire row.
3. Press [Ctrl][\] in a selected row.

Excel selects all the cells that did not match the active cell so you can see which promotions had an 80% response rate.

Office 2010 looks solid and smooth

Say what you will about the Windows monopoly, it was Office that made Microsoft's fortune. After all, what's an OS without applications? Over the years, Microsoft evolved a humble word processor and spreadsheet into a tightly integrated suite of groupware and productivity applications. Today you'll scarcely find a business desktop without Microsoft Office installed.

At the same time, competition has never been tougher. Open source alternatives, such as OpenOffice.org, now offer the basic functionality of business productivity software for free. And Web-based productivity software, including Google Apps and Zoho Office, threatens to subvert the traditional desktop software model altogether.

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[ A public beta of Office 2010 could begin later this year. In the meantime, brush up on the latest features in InfoWorld's Office 2010 screenshot slideshow. ]

But Microsoft is no slouch. Office 2010, the next version of the software suite, is not expected to arrive until next year, but a technology preview shows it to be another solid effort from the Redmond-based giant. With this release, Microsoft has polished and expanded upon the groundwork it laid with Office 2007, while continuing to add new capabilities, particularly in the area of networked collaboration.

Love it or hate it, the Ribbon is here to stay
When Microsoft first unveiled its revamped UI concept for Office 2007, some hailed it as revolutionary. Others complained that the Ribbon was too big and too awkward, and created an unnecessary learning curve by messing around with menus that worked perfectly fine where they were.

I happen to belong to the first camp, but if you count yourself among the Ribbon haters, you'll definitely be disappointed with Office 2010. This time, the Ribbon is pervasive across all components of the Office suite, including those that lacked it in Office 2007 (such as OneNote, Outlook, and Visio). For those of us who feel more productive with the Ribbon, this consistency is a welcome improvement. Sorry, haters.

The Ribbon has undergone a slight revamp in Office 2010, however, which could help win it some new converts. Gone is the big, orb-shaped button in the upper-left corner of the screen that held (or hid) the File menu options. In its place is a more subdued, rectangular button bearing the Office logo, and this time it's aligned with the rest of the tabs on the Ribbon. There's also a button to minimize the Ribbon, which is sure to please everyone who never figured out that double-clicking would do the job in Office 2007.

Clicking the Office button brings up something that Microsoft is calling the "Backstage view," where you'll find file, print, and collaboration options. This is similar to how it worked in Office 2007, but Backstage view is even less like the traditional File menu than the older version. Instead, you can think of it as a new, explicit context for document operations. Printing, in particular, is much improved, offering a wider range of settings alongside a live preview of your document.

First look Microsoft SharePoint 2010 beta spreads the wealth III

A Business Data Connectivity Model is a way of connecting SharePoint to a line-of-business application or an external database through a .Net class. It creates an external content type that can be used like a native SharePoint content type -- for example, in lists and searches.

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Solutions and views
WSP packages, or SharePoint Solution Packages, are a handy way to deploy all of the files of your SharePoint project to your Web servers. They can, for example, be created as prototypes in SharePoint Designer and then into Visual Studio for implementation.

An extensibility API allows developers to create new SharePoint project items. I did not test this facility.

Visual Studio 2010 can view SharePoint sites in its Server Explorer as a giant tree view. This gives the developer a view of all SharePoint settings directly from the IDE. It also allows quick programming access to SharePoint artifacts. The Visual Studio Server Explorer typically pops up in the left-hand column of the window, allowing the programmer to find a server object without obscuring the code in the middle of the window.

SharePoint Designer also has a site dashboard. In keeping with the spirit of Designer, this dashboard expands to full screen and is easy to navigate and understand.

A Developer Dashboard is part of SharePoint itself; it is basically a detailed tracing and performance profiling tool. When active, the developer dashboard displays performance statistics and timings related to the code that executed to produce the page. This display can take you down to the function level and lets you quickly get an idea of everything that happens from the HTTP POST request for the page to the database queries and the rendering event handlers.

APIs and openness
Developers can use Visual Studio 2010 to enhance SharePoint 2010 through numerous APIs. Do you need to pop up a dialog? Use the pop-up dialog framework. Need a fancy widget? Build a Silverlight Web Part and bind it to SharePoint lists. Need to display related data? Use SharePoint lookup fields.

Need to bring in data from your CRM or ERP system? Create a Business Connectivity Service class and use it to populate a SharePoint list or expose it to search. Want to write strongly typed queries against SharePoint data that are tightly integrated with your code? Use LINQ to SharePoint in much the same way as you would use LINQ to SQL or LINQ to XML. Want to create new views of SharePoint data? Create your own XSLT views. Need to hook various SharePoint events as they happen? Write an Event Receiver, using a wizard to help you trap just the events you want.

Can't do what you want on the server? Use the Client Object Model from JavaScript. Need to integrate with another server? Use Web services or REST. Does the other server run PHP on Linux? Not a problem.

I have to compliment Microsoft for this new degree of openness. In the past, the company has hesitated to offer open interfaces to its server products, leaving the impression that it wanted to lock developers and customers into its platform. Now, Microsoft has allowed developers to integrate with SharePoint in whatever way is most convenient for the application at hand, using open, standard methods. Right on.

Google Adds Search App to Windows Phone 7

Google is bringing its search app to Windows Phone 7 in a release that promises faster and more relevant search results.

"The Google Search app for Windows Phone 7 provides quick and convenient access to a rich set of search results, allowing you to search the Web, images, local, news, and more," Google wrote in a blog post. "The initial release of the Google Search app includes several features that help you to search faster – suggestions appear automatically as you type, you can choose to repeat a query from your search history, and your current location is used to provide more relevant results."

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The app is available now in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace for all languages supported by the OS.

Microsoft launched the first three Windows Phone 7 devices on Monday. The Samsung Focus and HTC Surround are available on AT&T and the HTC HD7 is supported on T-Mobile. All three phones are $199 with a two-year contract. More devices on the Windows Phone 7 platform will be released soon, including the Dell Venue Pro for T-Mobile and the LG Quantum for AT&T. The HTC 7 Pro will be available on Sprint next year.

Google's search app is one of the growing number of apps available in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, which reached 1,000 apps just three weeks after it opened. Last month, Twitter unveiled its official app for Windows Phone 7.

In other Google mobile news, the company this week also added "new usability and visual enhancements" to Google News for the iPhone, Palm Pre, and Android-based devices. Arun Prasath, tech lead for Google Mobile News, said in a blog post that Google has made "make tapping on articles easier and more accurate." Default view is also collapsed to show fewer results, but by tapping on "more sources," users can see more stories.

Microsoft Retaliates: Mozilla, You Don’t Get It

Someone should make a soap opera about this, Tim Sneath vs. Paul Rouget, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) vs. Mozilla. A battle of words to figure out whose new browser is the real modern browser. The current chapter: Microsoft steps up for a lecture on what a modern browser really should look like. The message: Firefox has just a pretty facade but is a scam beneath.

Last week, it was Mozilla’s Paul Rouget who took silly potshots at IE9, rhetorically questioning Microsoft’s claim that Internet Explorer 9 is a modern browser (actually, Mozilla questioned whether IE9 is a modern browser or not.) We were presented the usual array of pretty charts that were designed to embarrass IE9, including the results from the HTML5test. Of course, the value of these charts was very low and the content even a bit shallow, and the carefully crafted picture may have done more damage to Firefox’s credibility than improved it.

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Our opinion is that it was an unnecessary shot below the belt line that Mozilla may want to avoid in the future. That kind of negativity may work in political elections, but it is a walk on thin ice in a product category that has many loyal followers, but an even greater share of fence sitters who are willing to jump to either side at any given moment. Of course, Mozilla’s broadside was a field-goal invitation for Microsoft. Tim Sneath, Microsoft’s Web evangelist, did not waste any time to explain to Rouget what a modern browser really looks like. The post doesn’t match the fancy graphics, but it remains positive and focused on IE9, even if the deeper meaning is taking potshots at Mozilla as well. From Sneath’s post:

* “Modern browsers are fast. They take full advantage of the underlying platform to render graphics with the GPU, compile and execute JavaScript across multiple CPU cores, and ensure that web applications run as close as possible to the same speed as native applications.
* “Modern browsers enable rich, immersive experiences that could hitherto only be delivered through a plug-in or native application. They can blend video, vector and raster graphics, audio, and text seamlessly without sacrificing performance.
* “Modern browsers implement features when they are ready, providing predictable patterns that developers can rely on rather than suddenly breaking or removing specifications. They don’t check off support based on a half-completed implementation written to pass a synthetic test, but validate against a test suite that confirms interoperability.
* “Modern browsers do adopt standards at an early stage of readiness so developers can experiment and validate the specification, but clearly delineate unstable prototypes as such.”

Sneath’s post is as much an invitation to reply as Rouget’s was, and for the pure purpose of entertainment, we hope that Mozilla will answer. The bottom line, however, is that neither Firefox nor IE9 benefit from this discussion. Neither Mozilla nor Microsoft knows what a modern browser really is, because the last time we checked, the user determines what a modern browser needs to do and what not. Both browsers have substantial weaknesses, and we have yet to see a piece of software that is perfect, which underlines the silly character of this discussion.

Mozilla, Microsoft — both of you are discussing browsers that aren’t available in final form yet. Why don’t we get them out the door first and continue the discussions then? It seems that IE9 is due on March 14 and there is — no surprises here — no date for Firefox 4 yet. But it is clear that Mozilla can hardly sit still anymore, as it launched the website canweshipyet.com, which currently states “No.”

Tim Sneath closes with these words: “To our friends at Mozilla, we admire your passion for the open Web, and we look forward to continued competition.” That may be a bit of an overstatement, since Microsoft has simply refused to compete over the past seven years. Internet Explorer 7 and 8 could hardly be considered competitive Web browsers, but much more an attempt to ride the wave of success of old times. IE9 is the first truly competitive browser that Mozilla has to consider a threat from Microsoft to its market share — even if Microsoft has already shot itself in the foot by not extending IE9 to Windows XP users.