Microsoft has released new and updated Zune HD apps‎

When we think the mass of the seventh day has passed, Microsoft has the Zune HD to survival. The media player that Microsoft dropped the hand last year received no less than nine new applications this week. It has long been the MP3 player does not see the launch of many titles produced specifically for it at the same time. And perhaps the last time that happens, who knows.


The Zunited says that nine of the applications, the vast majority are games. Given that media players are becoming portable consoles (keep in mind the iPod Touch), it is only natural that new games are released for this kind of gadget. Weird is the same re-launch MS apps dying for a device that seems to have stopped in time, while its competitors (or competing) continued to improve.

I know two Brazilians who have a Zune HD. The first one is an employee of Microsoft Brazil, so do not count. The other is Rodrigo Ghedin, former editor of WinAjuda. As far as I know, Ghedin have already disposed of his loyal media player designed by Microsoft staff.

Some applications, like email, also received updates.


Zune HD: dying
We well know that Microsoft is trying to win the battle of the smartphones with your Windows Phone 7 (RTM's "Mango" came out last week). We also know that the mobile platform is based on the successful experiences that the company had with the Zune HD. Why continue selling the device when, in fact, its focus is now on something else? This attitude is something that Microsoft does not make any sense in my head.

Below is a list of new apps for the Zune HD:

Calendar
ColorSpill
Decoder Ring
Finger Paint
slider Puzzle
Bug Splatter
Throw Trash
Tug-O-War
Vine Climb
And those that were updated: Echoes, Email, Echoes Penalty!, Flick Soccer Reader and Zune.

RIM launches new BlackBerry models Torch and Bold

Although the Android and iPhone have had a devastating effect on the results of Canada's RIM (Research In Motion) in recent times, the maker of BlackBerry devices seems determined to make a comeback - or at least die fighting. On Wednesday the company announced the launch of two new BlackBerry models Torch and a new model of BlackBerry Bold.


All models are equipped with a processor that runs at 1.2 GHz It is used in making the latest version of the company's operating system, BlackBerry OS 7 (BBOS 7).

The Bold 9900/9930 is "the finest ever produced by the company", with its aluminum body displaying a figure of only 10.5 mm thick, with reasonable weight of 130g. The model exhibits the classic design of the brand smartphones, with a large physical keyboard occupying part of his face and has 8 GB of storage capacity.

The 9810 Torch is a device with 3.7 inch screen touch screen with a resolution of 640 × 480 pixels with the right to a vertical slider. The unit also has a 5 megapixel camera capable of carrying out shooting in 720p and will reach U.S. stores later this month.

In turn, the Torch 9850 and 9860 (which are the same device, the difference between the numbers used to indicate that they work on different networks) and require no physical keyboards are basically the same specs as the 9810, complete with extras such as sensor GPS and digital compass.

Skype adopts VP8

The Skype VoIP service that is recently bought by Microsoft, is assuming the position of VP8 encoder supporter, filed by Google last year. Must be the first time the technology is used in mass by a large software manufacturer. Maybe you're taking advantage of the VP8 without knowing even as the encoder is present in the latest version of Skype.


Put simply, the VP8 is the technology used to compress the images captured with the webcam on the computer. The smaller the file transmitted packets, the better the coder (encoder). However, one must take into account the quality of transmitted images - no point in not having an encoder that delivers super powerful images that look like blobs created with the Blur tool in Photoshop.

VP8 Skype is version 5.5 of the application is available for those who have Windows on your PC. Its use is automatic, but depends on the speaker (or speakers) also have Skype 5.5 for Windows installed. VP8 works in video call to a single person or video conference, when more than one contact involved. In this case, it is necessary that all the contacts connected to the chat using the latest version of Skype.

Gaining weight as a backer of Skype, it may be that Google has found a way to take off your decoder. VP8 is part of the WebM, led by the search giant, which aims to create protocols and technologies that make the web faster and more open. The pattern of images. WebP is their creation.

Skype video call comes to Android phones and tablets

Previously restricted to a few models of Sony Ericsson and Google's own Nexus S, the ability to make video calls on Skype now been expanded to other devices with the update program. The vast majority of Android version 2.2 of the system should already have support for video calling, according to Skype, but those who are not in this version can still use the front camera, if it is present.


Among the devices that are the Galaxy won support S, and S II Galaxy Galaxy Tab Samsung, the Flyer, Sensation and Incredible S, HTC, Acer and A5 of the Xperia Play Mini Pro and Ray. On the Skype update also delivered performance and security fixes that should improve stability.

If you install the new version of the application and still can not see the option of video calling, Skype says "Haha, if chipped." Okay, I'm paraphrasing. In fact they say their Android has the minimum hardware required for this ability to work, but the effect of the two phrases is relatively the same.

Facebook Planning To Change News Feed

Not long ago Twitter announced that Twitter ads would bring in the timeline. Not to scare users too, the social network has ensured that it would so not too intrusive, empowering the user to carry away the ad. Facebook seems to have liked this model and can implement it on the site, but with one thing: without the option of the ad disappear.

According to sources in the Wall Street Journal, Facebook's engineers are committed to creating a news feed "without filters" that will show all your friends to give companies a "Like", all achievements in games and a variety of other interactions .

Currently appearing in the news feed is regulated by an algorithm of Facebook, who knows how to show every interaction is through an absurd idea and that may end up removing more than bringing users. But according to some advertisers who use the network of Mark Zuckerberg as a way of promoting your brand, it is also "wasted potential".

More details about this sensational news for advertising agencies and incredibly exciting for users will be announced during the conference for Facebook developers, called F8, and that should happen later this year. Hopefully, then.

Instagram: 150 million and climbing photos

In less than one year of existence, Instagram has a very nice brand to celebrate: the millions of pictures published through the service. In fact, they reached 150 million photos on Wednesday. It looks like the faded look of photographs taken with the latest technology even liked (also counted in the millions) Instagram users.


He was curious to see the photo number 150 million? It is this down here, a carousel.

Interestingly, the photo was made by a Brazilian, known as janefot service. She titled the image of "Carousel of life !!!!". The map shows the location where the photo was taken suggests that the record happened in the state of São Paulo, although the exact town is not disclosed.

The Instagram was created on October 6, 2010 by two guys - one is a Brazilian living in the United States. At first pass this year, joined a community of 7 million users, inevitably called instagrammers (a word of absolute simplicity, as you can see). There are 15 pictures published every second through the platform. Doing the math, it gives 54 000 per hour (or 1.3 million per day).

Although the service is growing before our eyes, showed he's not ready for high traffic as last month, when the Canadian singer Justin Bieber posted a picture there. Moments later, the flood of requests the server has made the Instagram off the air. Effect Bieber, as it is called, strikes again.

Personally, I do not see the least bit funny in the photos digitally modified with Instagram. Also dislike the square proportion with which images are placed on the network. But it does not matter, because the service shows which has its captive audience.

The Instagram works through a unique application for iPhone and iPod Touch. Your free download is done in Apple's App Store.

Android “openness” is a myth

By launching Android, Google has promised that it would be an open-source project in a community that normally helps to improve it over time. A market research company called VisionMobile decided to study this in depth and promise, when comparing eight major projects with other known open-source, Android is realized that most of them closed.


The company notes assigned to each project according to certain criteria such as type of license used, access and availability of the latest source code, the ability of developers to influence the project, among other things. The projects were analyzed WebKit, Symbian (before becoming closed), Qt, MeeGo, Firefox, Eclipse, Android and the Linux kernel. And after all the bills was made the mobile OS from Google that got the lowest score, with 23%.


The main reasons cited by VisionMobile for the low score of the system were the model of closed process of contribution and the fact that Google make all decisions unilaterally Android. They also say that there is a script for the future of publicly available and that Android Open Handset Alliance does not contribute almost nothing to the project that resulted.

As for the other projects that could well above notes. The more open is the Eclipse development environment multi-language, 84%, followed by the Linux kernel with 71% and 68% with WebKit.

Google consumes 0.01% of all electricity in the world

A survey conducted by Jonathan G. Koomey, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, USA, shows that electricity consumption of data centers around the world was contained by new electricity-saving technologies and "the recession of 2008," making they spent less electricity than expected by industry analysts.


In 2007, the National Security Agency U.S. Environmental predicted that increased demand for web services would cause the power consumption of datacenters doubled between the years 2005 and 2010. But according to Koomey's study, that number grew "only" 56% worldwide in the period and 36% in the U.S..

"Mainly because of the recession, but also because of some changes in how data centers are designed and operated, the growth of electricity consumption was lower than expected. And that's a great story, "Koomey said the New York Times.

Known for making investments in alternative energy sources, Google currently has 900,000 servers responsible for hosting your services search, Gmail and YouTube - that every minute of video takes 48 hours of its users.

According to the data, the giant web consumes 0.01% of global electricity, or 1% of the energy used by data centers around the world. Together, they use 1.5% of all electricity generated in the planet.