Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect

Select Microsoft Connect partners -- major players like HP -- have been given their first taste of Windows 8. According to various sources, the build string currently sits at 7971.0.110324-1900, which is the third milestone build of the successor to Windows 7.

So far, there haven't been many details revealed about Windows 8. An actual System Restore -- which is being referred to as History Vault -- has been reported, and the feature will allow users and administrators to completely roll back a system to a previous state. A factory reset option is also said to be included.

We've also seen Windows Live integration taking shape on the desktop. It's believed that you'll be able to log in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live credentials, not just a traditional offline Windows username and password.

All that's left now is for a leaked Windows 8 build to show up on a torrent site. Feel free to tip us if you see that happen.

Windows 8 now available to OEMs via Microsoft Connect originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/windows-8-now-available-to-oems-via-microsoft-connect/

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Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game

Sticks is another one of those rare games where the intro is actually worth watching. It introduces you to office worker Bob, who is basically a wage slave fantasizing about a better existence.

Then, on his way back home from another grueling day at the office, he passes a huge sign which says "Sticks." This is where the game starts.

Each level has a number of coins hovering in mid-air, and your goal is to place sticks that lead those coins to Bob -- but you only have a limited amount of wood to play with. As soon as you're done placing your sticks strategically, hit the big Play button and let nature, or rather gravity, run its course. The coins will drop down, and if you place your sticks correctly, they will roll all the way to Bob.

The soundtrack is soothing and playful, and didn't get on my nerves even after playing for quite a while. All in all, a very cute game, especially for a day at the office.

Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/18/help-bob-make-money-in-sticks-a-fun-physics-game/

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Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls

Nortel, once one of the biggest telecoms company in the world but now in the death throes of bankruptcy, has selected Google's $900 million bid for its patent portfolio as the stalking horse bid. This doesn't mean that Google will automatically win Nortel's massive array of telecoms patents, but it does mean that Google is the preferred buyer.

Google, which has a history of lobbying for patent law reform, has been the target of many patent litigation suits. Google's relative infancy means that it has a lot less patents in the vault than big-hitters like Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, and buying Nortel's portfolio of 6,000 patents could provide better protection against patent litigation in the future. It's worth noting that both Apple and RIM have showed interested in the portfolio, too.

Mashable speculates that the patents -- which are nearly all telecoms-related -- will be used to defend against Oracle's attacks on Android's use of Java. We reckon that Google is simply looking to cover its future endeavors in the world of networking. In the absence of patent law reform, and continued threats to net neutrality, owning a bunch of telecoms patents sounds like a very sensible move.

Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/google-bids-900-million-for-nortels-patents-to-protect-from-li/

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Firefox 4 rockets to 5% global usage share, IE9 wallows at 1.5%

Using some early numbers from both StatCounter and Net Applications, Mozilla's noisiest hominid, Asa Dotzler, has illustrated Firefox 4's meteoric rise to around 5% of Web browser global usage share. Internet Explorer 9, which launched two weeks ago, seems to be enjoying a much more casual stroll in the park with just 1.5% of the global Web usage share.

Interestingly, we can see IE9 dipping between March 20 and 21, just before the 'Important' Windows Update rolled out. It's hard to say whether IE9 is only growing because of the installed-by-default Windows Update, but that small dip definitely sticks out -- did excitement peter out? Did people download IE9, try it out, and summarily uninstall it? Perhaps, given their close proximity, the stats show an attention shift from Microsoft to Mozilla?

Numbers-wise, if the bottom left corner of the graph shows 2.3 million downloads for IE9, we can guesstimate that that it has now been downloaded 5 million times. Firefox is clocking in at 37 million downloads after five days of public availability.

We wonder whether Microsoft knew its release schedule would coincide so closely with Firefox 4. Internet Explorer 9 -- a great browser by almost every metric -- was never going to do well against anything emanating from the maws of Mozilla. The main thing, though, is that Microsoft has now shown that it's serious when it comes to the Open Web. If Internet Explorer 10 is good, and 11 and 12, then we might finally see it compete with the zealous Mozillan horde.

Firefox 4 rockets to 5% global usage share, IE9 wallows at 1.5% originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/firefox-4-rockets-to-5-global-usage-share-ie9-wallows-at-1-5/

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Verizon's 4G Jetpack Hotspot Gets Prepaid Treatment [Verizon]

Beginning May 1st Verizon will offer a new prepaid version of its Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4510L with three different prepaid plans. For $15, you'll get 250 MB of data a week. For $60 you'll get a monthly allotment of 3 GB, and for $90 you'll get 10 GB of data. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Ij27tFQdBqI/verizons-4g-jetpack-hotspot-gets-prepaid-treatment

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Groupon's board adopts some financial discipline

After a major blunder that led to a fourth quarter net loss of $22.6 million, the daily deals company appoints new board members with strong banking and accounting backgrounds.

by Dara Kerr April 30, 2012 11:42 PM PDT

Embroiled in shareholder lawsuits, its stock plunging, and still headed by a CEO criticized as unpredictable, Groupon has found things a bit hectic recently. Which may explain a minor board shakeup that looks a lot like an attempt to put some grownups in control of things.

Financial veterans American Express CFO Daniel Henry and Deloitte vice chairman Robert Bass are to join Groupon's board.

"With their deep financial, accounting, and operational experience, Dan and Bob will provide invaluable expertise to the Board going forward," Groupon Chairman Eric Lefkofsky said in a statement.

Henry joined the board April 26, replacing Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who resigned from the board on April 24, well before the end of his term and just over a month ahead of the vesting date for 30,000 of his Groupon stock options. Bass is set to replace Kevin Efrusy from Accel Partners at the company's June 19 board meeting.

This focus on new blood from the finance world may be an indication that Groupon is looking to regain investor confidence. The daily deals company went public just six months ago, but has faced a handful of upsets that paralleled some of its pre-IPO accounting controversies -- specifically, a high-profile accounting slip-up that revealed its fourth-quarter results were worse than previously stated because of higher refunds to merchants.

That blunder increased Groupon's net loss for the fourth quarter by $22.6 million and reduced revenue for the quarter by $14.3 million to $492.2 million. It also led to two lawsuits filed by shareholders and a possible SEC investigation.

Groupon went public in November at $20 a share, and its stock peaked at $31.14 in early February before beginning a downhill slide over the past couple of months. Shares closed at $10.71 today but its stock price is trading up about 2 percent in after-hours trading since the announcement of Henry and Bass joining the board.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/tcoc/~3/IfvDiIEOs3k/

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Online Video Content Pioneer Revision3 In Acquisition Talks With The Discovery Channel

Seven years in, Revision3 and its stable of web stars have more than survived the tough early days of building a video content business on the web. The San Francisco company is now bringing in a respectable 100 million video views per month, following a big 2011 -- and it may be about to cash in.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/97gpMBlFC0c/

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