GMAIL NOW SUPPORTS GOOGLE DRIVE ATTACHMENTS UP TO 10GB

Google is leveraging its Drive online storage tool to make email attachments easier — starting yesterday, Gmail users will have the option to attach files up to 10GB in size that are stored in their Google Drive when sending messages. That's obviously a lot bigger than most standard email attachments, but there are a few handy tools that Drive in Gmail brings in addition to large file sizes.

 Gmail is smart enough to prompt users when they're sending files from Google Drive that might not be shared with all of the intended recipients, so no one you email will get locked out of downloading or accessing a file. Attachments through Drive will also be kept in sync, so if you're collaborating or editing a document, the most recent version will always be available in your email. Just like the normal file-sharing options in Drive, Gmail will let you set permissions — so if you don't want someone making wholesale changes to the document you're sharing, you can mark certain recipients as read-only.

 While it's not a revolutionary addition to Gmail — Sparrow for Mac has long supported Dropbox attachments, for example — it's a nice piece of integration for Gmail users who also may rely heavily on Drive for storing their files. As with nearly all of Google's features, this new integration will roll out gradually over the next few days, but you'll need to be using the recently redesigned compose window. There's no word on when this feature will be available in the Gmail mobile apps, but we'd expect to see it sooner than later.

LATEST FIREFOX 18 BETA COMES WITH RETINA DISPLAY SUPPORT

Mozilla yesterday introduced Firefox 18 beta with support for Mac computers with Retina display.

The update enables MacBook Pro with Retina display owners to use an alternative to Safari or Google Chrome, and enjoy the benefits of retina display rendering.

Mac OS X converts program menus and windows into Retina Display, but the program itself has to be re-written to support retina graphics. In the case of Firefox the new beta enables it to render text and graphics from websites at Retina resolutions, for sharper text and a more visually pleasant viewing experience. To take full advantage of the Retina display, websites still have to render graphics at the Retina level.

The Firefox 18 Beta also has preliminary support for WebRTC, CSS3 Flexbox, @supports, W3C touch events, and a number of fixes and updated algorithms for performance improvements.

CAN A RE-LAUNCHED MYSPACE TAKE ON SPOTIFY AND PANDORA?

Social network MySpace, once one of the biggest social networks on the Ínternet, is in the process of lobbying for $50-million to re-launch the service and serve as a direct competitor to music streaming services Spotify and Pandora next year.

The re-launching plans have been uncovered by Business Insider, who obtained documents detailing their plans to raise funds and re-launch.

News Corp, who owned MySpace, sold the network to Specific Media for $35 million – only six years after buying it for $580 million. Specific Media changed its name to Interactive Media Holdings and received funding and investments from various sources, including pop star Justin Timberlake. After gaining investors, Interactive Media Holdings redesigned the site.

“Specific Media took a hit as ad buyers turned to real-time bidding solutions over traditional ad networks. Revenues declined from $42 million in 2011 to a projected $35 million in 2012 — both down from a high of $60 million in 2010,” Business Insider wrote.

And this is where the $50-million re-launch comes in. In documents obtained by Business Insider, it was revealed that “Interactive plans to use most of the money to re-launch MySpace as an alternative to Pandora and Spotify. Of the $50-million, $10-million will go to marketing, $15–$25 million will go to licensing deals with the music labels, and another $15 to $25-million will be reserved for ‘general working capital’.”

It was also revealed that it plans to launch a music subscription business for mobile in the second quarter of 2013.

MySpace is confident that they will be able to take on music streaming services Spotify and Pandora, as they will be paying labels a lower rate for song plays and 50 percent of the music played on MySpace comes from the 27 million songs from unsigned artists who make use of the service.

TOP 10 GADGETS OF 2012

The year has seen many great gadgets being released and as technology grows, electronic devices will become more complex, intricate and exciting. I have compiled a list of our biggest gadgets of the year, including smartphones, notebooks, tablets and gaming consoles. If this year is anything to go by, 2013 is sure to be one of the hottest years for consumer electronics. You can go ahead and add your own gadget that you think should make the list. Here we go: 

1.       Samsung Galaxy SIII

Samsung’s Galaxy SIII smartphone has become the company’s most successful mobile handset to date, managing to sell over 20-million units in its first 100 days of availability.
Just how quickly are the units selling? Samsung estimates it is selling about 200 000 units a day – making it even more popular than Apple’s iPhone 4. A follow-up from the successful Galaxy SII, the phone has a 4.8-inch touchscreen, 8-megapixel rear-facing and 1.9-megapixel forward-facing camera, and runs on the latest version of Android — Ice Cream Sandwich. The smartphone also has NFC technology built into its design, and is equipped with a Super AMOLED HD (1280×720) screen. In terms of computing power, it is powered by a 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 4 Quad processor, resulting in 20% less power usage.

2.       Apple iPhone 5

Not much has changed in the iPhone’s iconic design since the launch of the iPhone 4, and the fifth version is no different. Taking on the same form factor as the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, it is slightly bigger to accommodate the larger screen. Users will now be able to enjoy all the media content on a larger 4-inch screen which sports a 326 PPI Retina display, 1136 by 640 pixel resolution with a 16 x 9 aspect ratio. The bigger screen has also allowed Apple to include a fifth row on the home screen for applications. In terms of computing power, it makes use of an A6 chip, providing twice the CPU and graphic output of previous versions. The chip is also 22% smaller than previous models. But with a stronger chip comes battery issues and Apple has also addressed that – the iPhone 5 exceeds the battery life of the 4S, which will now have 225 hours of standby time.

3.       Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

Lenovo’s is a combination of a tablet and notebook, and runs on Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system – making the screen compatible with a keyboard as well as having full 10-point touchscreen functionality. Yoga 13 is powered by an Intel Chief River platform, using an Ivy Bridge processor, has 8 GB of RAM, and two SSD with 128 GB. The 13.3-inch display has a resolution of 1600 x 900, and the entire unit is only 17mm thick.

4.       Sony 84-inch 4K Bravia

Sony’s 4K Ultra High Definition Bravia with LCD display is the industry’s largest 84-inch class, and display images at four times the resolution of standard High Definition, creating a crisper and clearer image – even from just 1.5 meters away. Pointing towards a growing trend in the home television market with other 4K launches during the year, Sony’s price tag of R276 000 makes the unit only attainable within a niche market, for now.

5.       Apple iPad 4

Apple introduced its highly anticipated new iPad earlier this year and designed it to be 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad. The new device features a 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. Apple has already sold more than three million units in just three days since the launch of its new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad – double the previous first weekend’s milestone of 1.5 million Wi-Fi only models sold for the third generation iPad in March.

6.       Nokia Lumia

Nokia’s Lumia range of smartphones was the world’s first phones to make use of Microsoft’s Windows 8. The Nokia Lumia 920 also comes with Nokia City Lens, the latest addition to the Nokia location suite. By pointing the camera at a city street, City Lens overlays information about restaurants, shops, hotels and more on the surfaces of buildings, for the most intuitive way to explore surroundings. The Nokia Lumia 920 is the flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone, and includes the latest in Nokia PureView imaging innovation.

7.       PlayStation Vita

This is not Sony’s first dip at the handheld console market – they launched the highly-successful PSP (PlayStation Portable) in 2004, and it managed to sell 71.3 million units up until 2011. The PlayStation Vita is definitely one of the best handheld gaming units that we have played around with in a long time. On the inside, the Vita sports a four-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor and a four-core SGX543MP4+ graphics processing unit, making it one of the most powerful handheld gaming devices on the market. Thanks to the powerful GPU, it has the ability to produce really stunning graphics for such a little device.

8.      Samsung Galaxy Camera

The list wouldn't be complete without mentioniong this awesome camera, The camera itself features a 21x optical zoom lens and a 16MP 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS sensor. As for Android, the camera is equipped with Android 4.1 and 3G connectivity. The back of the camera has a 4.8-inch HD Super Clear Touch Display that should result in some fantastic looking photos and apps. 

9.       HP Compaq Elite 8300 All-In-One

All-In-One (AIO) computers are not as popular as they should be. For any business that relies on having the fastest equipment and office-bound staff, an AIO is a great option to save space and funds. HP’s Compaq Elite All-in-One is probably as good as AIO can get, as the machine has everything a user could possible want – while looking incredibly stylish. It features a stunning 23-inch diagonal TN widescreen WLED backlit LCD screen and has a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, while there is the optional integrated 2.0 MP webcam and dual microphone array as well.

10.   Dell’s XPS 13 Ultrabook

Ultrabooks proved to be the latest trend in notebooks this year, with a number of manufacturers releasing their own versions of the sleek laptops.  Dell’s XPS 13 falls squarely into the Ultrabook mould, and provides a quick and easy computing experience – with a 13-inch screen that neatly occupies the room an 11-inch normally would. The inner workings of this little machine pack a rather heavy punch. It features a Intel QS67 i5 or i7 chipset, 1.3MP webcam with dual array digital microphones, Intel Centrino Advanced-N Wi-Fi adapter and the 47WHr battery will provide just under 9 hours’ worth of power. Issues such as RAM need to be determined when purchasing the XPS, as several configurations exist.

*primary source*- charles fripp for IT news africa

MICROSOFT HAS SOLD 40 MILLION WINDOWS 8 LICENSES SO FAR

Microsoft revealed today that the company has sold 40 million licences of Windows 8 to date. Tami Reller, the Windows Chief Marketing and Financial Officer, revealed the figure during a speech at Credit Suisse 2012 Annual Technology Conference. The sales numbers come shortly after Microsoft revealed it had sold four million upgrade copies of Windows 8 in the first few days of sales in October. Microsoft claims "Windows 8 is outpacing Windows 7 in terms of upgrades."

Recent reports have suggested that Windows 8 PC sales are "well below Microsoft's internal projections," but these latest figures appear to suggest that Windows 8 licences are fairing ok. Promotions on Windows 8 upgrade copies appear to be helping along early sales. In comparison, Microsoft sold 60 million licences of Windows 7 after just over two months of sales. Microsoft did not discuss Microsoft's Windows RT sales or any figures for the company's recently launched Surface RT tablet.

GLOBACOM RELEASES THE NEW GLO BOLT INTERNET PLAN

In an effort to increase its customer satisfaction and user base, Nigeria’s Globacom has announced a new series of data plans aimed at increasing their customers’ ability to get online and send SMS messages.

 

Nigeria’s Globacom has introduced Glo Bolt, a new Internet service to enhance data services for consumers. 

According to the telecom operator, the company has introduced Glo Bolt, a new Internet service based on HSPA, which should assist for better online connectivity and increase users’ ability to maintain data coverage across the West African country.

Glo said the service is “backed by the company’s international submarine link Glo 1.”

With the telecom sector facing a backlash from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over poor services and customer relations, operators are hoping that by adding infrastructure and new opportunities for customers to use new services at better speeds, they can help to curtail the customer services downturn in recent months.

“Glo is also introducing new features that allow customers to share their data plan with another subscriber or ‘gift’ the data plan to someone else,” said the company. 

 
Glo BOLT comes with the following features:

Sharing
This is exactly one of the features of Glo Bolt. Glo customers can now share their BOLT subscriptions with their friends, family and loved ones. A customer with wife and 2 kids buys a subscription plan and rather than buy 4 subscriptions, he buys only one plan and shares it with his 3 loved ones. The loved ones will be notified via SMS from the network of the shared plan. Isn't that sweet?

Gifting
Just as you can share your subscription with your loved ones, you can equally buy a subscription and send it to friends, family and loved ones as ‘gifts’ using Glo Bolt. This feature is especially useful when the person buying the gift (or ‘gifter’) doesn’t want to share his subscription with the intended recipient (giftee). The gift recipient will be notified via customized SMS from the sender (and the network).

Data Rollover
This is something that has never been done in the history of Nigerian Telecoms. The Glo Bolt Offer gives the Customers the privilege of having their unused subscription volume carried over when their subscriptions expire and volume not exhausted. Hence no worries about loosing your data volume should you not be chanced to finish it as at when due!

30% Instant Bonus
Customers get 30% instant bonus added to every plan they subscribe to – no conditions. Just subscribe and get 30% added instantly! The following is a quick run down of the new offer, you will get:

click here to get the full tariff

==> 13MB for Instant Surf (N100 plan) instead of 10MB

==> 65MB for This Week (N400 plan) instead of 50MB

==> 260MB for Always Micro (N1000 plan) instead of 200MB

==> 1.5G for Always Macro(N3000 plan) instead of 1GB

==> 4GB for Always Min (N5000 plan) instead of 3GB

==> 8GB for Always Max (N7500 plan) instead of 6GB

Free Internet for 6 months
New modem activations will get 500MB data free of charge INSTANTLY and free internet access for 6 months. Free internet is available to customers who subscribe to a plan of N1,000 or more. They will get an additional 200MB added to their subscription volumes free of charge for 6 months!

Other features
Customers can also view their transaction history on the portal, generate invoices of their transactions and view status of all their plans among other things.

How To Get Started with Glo Bolt

Visit any of the Glo shops or 3G Dealers and buy the new Glo Bolt Modem for just N3,999. Upon activation of the new modem you will get 500MB data free of charge INSTANTLY and free internet access for 6 months. Free internet is available to customers who subscribe to a Glo data plan of N1,000 or more. They will get an additional 200MB added to their subscription volumes free of charge for 6 months! Existing customers can only be getting 30% instant bonus on their data plans.

SONY UNVEILS 84-INCH 4K BRAVIA TELEVISION

Electronics manufacturer Sony unveiled its latest high-performance television in the form of the 4K Ultra High Definition Bravia with LCD display – the industry’s largest 84-inch class. The 4K technology allows it to display images at four times the resolution of standard High Definition, creating a crisper and clearer image – even from just 1.5 meters away.

“This television re-defines image quality. The super-high resolution and large screen size ensure a picture experience that is close to reality, 4K is a massive jump in resolution and image quality even when compared to so-called full high definition displays,” Andrew Fraser, senior brand manager for Sony South Africa, said at the unveiling.

“Viewers will not be bothered by the pixels, and notice instead that images are breathtakingly realistic and beautifully clear with the wide 60° viewing angle, even if they sit as much as half the distance to the screen, as compared to when viewing full HD,” added Fraser.

Available in South Africa at the end of the year, the Bravia’s 4K LCD panel comprises approximately 8.29 megapixels, and incorporates “4K X-Reality PRO”, Sony’s super-resolution high picture quality engine optimised for the 4K TV.

This engine is capable of reproducing a variety of content with different resolutions, such as HD digital broadcasts or Blu-ray discs content, into stunningly crisp, high-quality images with 4K resolution.

SECRET WORLD WAR II MESSAGE BAFFLES INTELLIGENCE EXPERTS

Despite all our advancements in military intelligence, it turns out a simple coded message can still prove indecipherable. That's what British officials have learned after coming across a secret document from World War II that was attached to a pigeon courier — the skeletal remains of which were recently found in England. The message contains 27 blocks of five letters that would appear totally randomized to most people. Experts at intelligence agency GCHQ don't doubt there's real correspondence hidden within the text, yet translation is all but impossible without the accompanying codebook that would have been held by the message's intended recipient. Just who that was also remains a mystery; the document, written by a "Sjt W Stot," lists only "X02" in the "to" column.
 

Pigeons were frequently dispatched with sensitive messages during World War II, with the British ultimately using them to carry thousands of notes during the war. Clearly those responsible for crafting these codes knew just what they were doing. Even with the technological resources available to intelligence workers today, we're essentially left clueless as to what this piece of paper was meant to say all those years ago. 

Can u try?