Microsoft bringing the ribbon to Windows 8 Explorer

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Microsoft, PC / Laptop, Rumors, Software,

Perhaps people are overloaded on Apple rumors because the rumor mill has shifted to Microsoft and its next operating system, now referred to in the blogosphere as Windows 8.

The latest rumor is that Windows 8 will incorporate the "ribbon" interface with Windows Explorer. The feature - which put more functionality front-and-center rather than hidden behind drop-down menus - was first incorporated into Office 2007. With the release of Windows 7, it was also added to Paint and WordPad. A version of the "ribbon" interface is also included in Microsoft Office for Mac 2011.

According to Within Windows, Microsoft is thinking about adding the ribbon to Windows Explorer in the next iteration of the OS, but nothing is set in stone.

"In early builds of Windows 8, this Ribbon UI is only half-finished and, frankly, of dubious value," the blog wrote. "In fact, based on the divergent ways in which various related UI elements are repeated around the window frame, we get the idea that the use of the Ribbon in Explorer is, in fact, quite controversial inside the halls of Microsoft's Redmond campus."

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Next Kevin Rose startup: Milk

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Mobile, Startups,

It hasn't been that long since Kevin Rose left Digg, but early details of his new startup are already coming to light.

The company, a development lab focused on solving problems using the mobile Web, is called Milk. Located in San Francisco's Mission District, it has been described as an incubator, but TechCrunch notes that the philosophy behind it is much different than the approach taken by most other Silicon Valley startups.

Incubators are generally thought of as companies that take a lot of entrepreneurial ideas, fund them and help them get off the ground. Rose says that rather than launch a bunch of smaller ideas, Milk will ideally help give life to between four and six bigger, more ambitious businesses. According to TechCrunch, the Digg co-founder expects most of the ideas to fail, but ideally he hopes to see one or two "become viable companies that have a big impact."

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7th generation iPod nano to bring back camera?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Cameras, Rumors,

The seventh-generation iPod nano might have some new bells and whistles. Apparently, the forthcoming iPod nano could feature a camera.

The report came from a post originally published to Chinese site Apple.pro that said Apple would retain the same compact size of the sixth-generation nano, but would add a camera to the music player.

The fifth-generation iPod nano was larger; it included a video camera, widescreen display, and video playback. For the current sixth generation nano, Apple stripped the device of the aforementioned features, made it smaller, and added a belt clip and a multitouch display.

For the seventh generation device, Apple will maintain the smaller design, but will add a camera again.

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How To: iOS 4.3.1 untethered jailbreak with RedSn0w and PwnageTool

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Mods / Hacks, Software,

iOS jailbreakers have been waiting about a month for the arrival of an untethered jailbreak to be released, since the arrival of iOS 4.3. Well, the day has finally arrived, and you can now safely upgrade to iOS 4.3.1 and jailbreak it with RedSn0w 0.9.6 on Mac and Windows platforms. We've got a step-by-step tutorial for you, explaining the process from start to finish, after the break.

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Read More | Dev Team via Redmond Pie

Weekend Reading: Kirby, Dick Tracy, Godzilla & Jimmy Olsen

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,

Everyone but me is at WonderCon this weekend. And I know this because of all the Facebook updates and Tweets that keep showing up in my inbox.

For those of us not walking the con floor and buying comics and debating the future of comics, let’s see if there’s something we can read:

Superman: Nikki Finke prints the letter that the late Joanne Siegel sent to Warner Bros. regarding the Siegel estate’s ongoing legal battle over Superman.

For those in need of some history about the current incarnation of the Warner empire, it begins with Kinney Parking Company which “was a New Jersey parking lot company owned by Manny Kimmel, Sigmund Dornbusch and mob figure Abner Zwillman. Prior to its public listing in 1960, it merged with a funeral home company, Riverside, and then expanded into car-rentals, office cleaning firms and construction companies."

Kinney National Services, Inc. “which was formed in 1966 when the Kinney Parking Company and the National Cleaning Company merged. The new company was headed by Steve Ross."

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Time Warner removes Fox, Viacom, and Discovery channels from iPad App

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Home Entertainment, Software,

Amidst a controversy over streaming rights, Time Warner Cable has agreed to remove content from Fox Cable Networks, Viacom, and Discovery from its iPad app.

All three networks were "willing to threaten to sue over it," Jeff Simmermon, director of digital communications at Time Warner Cable, wrote in a blog post, so Time Warner has pulled the networks from its iPad streaming for the time being.

Specifically, Time Warner will remove streaming access to 11 channels: Animal Planet, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, FX, MTV, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, Spike, and VH1.

Time Warner still maintains that it has "every right" to stream content from these channels via its iPad app, but said it will focus its iPad efforts "on those enlightened programmers who understand the benefit and importance of allowing our subscribers - and their viewers - to watch their programming on any screen in their homes."

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The best of April Fool’s Day 2011 from around the web

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Google, Internet,

April Fool's Day is upon us, and that means that you can never be too sure if anything you read today is true or bogus. Everyone from Google and Hulu to Funny or Die and Groupon have come up with their own gags, and here's a look at some of the ones circulating this morning. If you see any other notable April Fool's Day jokes, let us know in the comments.

GOOGLE

Chromercise: In a throw-back to Jane Fonda and the Jazzercise era, Google is helping you get your fingers limbered up for some searching with Chromercise. Strap on your most flattering 80s fingerwarmers and Google-fied headbands, and feel the burn.

YouTube: While you might think that YouTube was founded in the last decade, it actually dates back to 1911, when videos of horse and buggy crashes and pre-talkie fruit conversations dominated the airwaves. And of course, pets were still able to play instruments with ease; trumpet cat ftw.

Autocompleter: You thought those auto-completes on Google were done by an algorithm? Nah, it's just Michael, an auto-completer at Google. He started out as a spell checker, but now provides users with suggestions as they type. Michael averages about 34,000 words per minute and goes through a keyboard every eight days.

Comic Sans for Everyone: As we all know, comic sans is everyone's favorite font. As a result, Google will roll it out as its default fonts across all Google products, effective April 4. It's live for a few lucky people in the Google Labs Trusted Tester Beta Preview Sandbox program, so check it out.

Gmail Motion: Typing and using a mouse to write emails? Blech. With Gmail Motion, you can use your Webcam and simple movements to tell Gmail what to write. To open an email, move your hands like your opening an envelope. To reply, point your thumb behind you; use both hands to reply all.

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Marvel Reboots The Avengers Movie For 2013!

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Marvel Comics,

HOLLYWOOD, CA - Call it "Avengers Reassembled!"

Marvel Comics today announced that even though their new all-star superhero movie The Avengers won't debut in theaters until 2012, they will reboot it for 2013.

Said Avengers executive producer Avi Arad, "It's important to get an early jump and stake out our release dates." He added that the easiest way to do that and guarantee another hit movie for for the company is to remake a movie that's almost certain to be a hit.

Marvel's rationale is borne out by the facts of movie production and audience tracking. "Word of mouth on the first Avengers movie is Snakes On A Plane huge," Arad said. "But we've got superheroes."

Arad added that by the time the first Avengers film debuts in theaters and appears on DVD, enough people will have seen it that they will be clamoring for something new. But they'll also want something that's familiar and reliable so they don't feel like they've wasted the price of a movie ticket.

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April Fools: Boom!, DC, Marvel and Captain America

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, TokyoPop,

It’s April 1, and I think we all know what that means:

Because of the declining sales of single issue comics, “Floppies” will now be referred to as “Limpies.”

Boom! Studios has announced another new title for Kaboom! their kids imprint: The Kardashikins, the wacky adventures of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe when they were children.

Based on its recent cutbacks, cancellations and layoffs, L.A.’s largest manga publisher will change its name to Tokyoplop.

Marvel is so concerned about piracy that for the new Thor movie, they’ve banned The Recorder from the premiere.

To take advantage of product placement in the new Captain America movie, the Red Skull will be called Red Bull.

Image Comics has announced a spin-off to last year’s Officer Downe: Officer Downe Syndrome.

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Samsung starts mass producing transparent LCD panels

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Displays, HDTV,

Samsung announced today that it has become the first company to begin mass production of transparent LCD panels.

The panels, which measure 22 inches across the diagonal, support resolutions up to 1,680-by-1,050, have 500:1 contrast ratios, and are available in both color and black-and-white models.

Samsung claims that the panels offer the world's highest transparency rate: over 20 percent for the black-and-white variety, and over 15 percent for color. (The company says that conventional LCD panels with a backlight unit have only 5 percent transparency.)

According to Samsung, because panels with higher transparency rates are better able to utilize ambient light, the company's new panels consume up to 90 percent less electricity compared to traditional LCD monitors.

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