Microsoft’s 234-inch touchscreen puts your iPad to shame

Microsoft is a company that enjoys to use its vast wealth as a weapon. The company has a bigger advertising budget than other company’s entire budget. Today, we bring you a new Microsoft toy.

Yes, Microsoft has a new tool, er, toy, that it is using at conferences as part of its never-ending PR process. But this is no ordinary toy, it is a 234 inch touch screen display. Not a 23.4 inch screen, a two hundred and thirty-four inch screen.

Yes, we know that you want one, and so do we. However, this is not the first time that Microsoft has built such a large display. In fact, if you mange to get a tour of Microsoft’s Redmond offices, you might be led through the company’s ‘future room,’ in which they have a truly massive touch interface.

Sadly, we don’t think that you can buy one of these. All that aside, the screen is awesome, and you need to check it out From Here

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Kinect Used to Teach Kids in South Africa

Microsoft’s Kinect is taking the world by storm. Not only have 10 million Kinect’s been sold, but its also gained a slew of unofficial hacks that move it beyond a gaming peripheral. Take for example, Microsoft’s new trial at the Lakeside Park Primary school in Vyrheid, South Africa that is using Kinect to stimulate and encourage school kids to learn English by engaging them in motion-controlled games. The trial is a small case study, but the teachers at Lakeside are already seeing positive results. Lakeside’s Deputy Principal, Karen Kirsten said, “Shy learners, who take months to speak up in class in their mother tongue – let alone in English, were already shouting out to classmates to ‘jump’ and ‘duck’ with no inhibition.” In Japan, Nintendo’s DS has been used to teach children and in the U.S. iPads in the classroom are all the rage, so why not Kinect? Should Microsoft’s project be a success, we wouldn’t be shocked to see Kinect spring up in classrooms across the world.

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Microsoft to Windows Phone owners: ‘We can’t guarantee anything’

Prior to the release of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft made a lot of noises about things like updates that sounded to many like guarantees. Noises such as Microsoft would be handling the updates and not carriers, and that users would be getting a regular drip feed of updates and improvements. How times change when a product is released.

In an attempt to offer up some degree of transparency over the update fiasco that the Redmond giant has created for itself with Windows Phone, the company posted up charts outlining when WP owners in the US and internationally would be seeing their updates. The charts are somewhat vague and while not offering a timeline measured in geological terms, it does use the phrase ’several weeks’ at one point. But still, it’s something that should give WP handset owners hope. Right?

Maybe not.

Ars Technica’s Peter Bright asked Microsoft Windows Phone support a simple question via Twitter:

“Is there any guarantee that the carriers will authorize the update before the next one is released?”

Simple question, to which Bright got a simple answer:

“We can’t guarantee anything.”

There you have it folks. Microsoft didn’t sell you the handset (someone else did), and it’s not making you any promises beyond what you’ve already got. Microsoft’s not calling the shots with either the handset partners or carriers. Microsoft made the OS, sold an OEM license to manufacturers.

In other words, you get the updates if/when you get it.

End of story.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

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Did Microsoft use the “Firefox’ keyword on Twitter to promote IE9?

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology — whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include “Build the Ultimate Custom PC”, “Beginning Programming” and “The PC Doctor’s Fix It Yourself Guide”. He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics — from security to repairing and upgrading.

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Power in Motion: Increase your productivity with the new VAIO S series

Sleek, stylish laptop 13 "Sony packs more power with fewer side effects

* Slim, lightweight, stylish new "full meal" for better mobility and greater robustness
* Work and play with the concept of the new smart battery
* 13.3-inch VAIO More
* Dynamic Hybrid Graphic System for strength and balance performance
* Rapid onset and rapid access to the Web to increase productivity
* Light sensor, backlit keyboard and ambient
* VAIO "Everywair" 3G WWAN (select models)

Energy, design and mobility come together perfectly with the new VAIO ® S Series Notebook 13.3 "Slim from Sony.

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