Engadget's Chris Ziegler interviews Nokia's new Man

Tiles to replace your Windows - Windows 8

At first instance, it looks like an improved version of Windows Phone 7 with the sole purpose of energizing tablets. But behold, its the next version of our beloved Desktop OS. Windows 8 that is and this is just a preview of what we will be able to get our hands on, in 2012.

I wonder why they are not naming their versions after the calendar years as is the norm in the industry. Its seems that they have not reset theirs counters and are using the number of actual releases for this purpose. This will be the 8th major iteration of Windows OS if we ignore the CE, Mobile & Server editions. 

From the looks of it, we will have a completely revamped user interface now based on tiles just like in Windows Phone 7. While in my recent post on WP7, I criticized this (Atari age) tile based interface being the reason for its demise; I am afraid that it will also do no good to Windows 8. Apart from the rugged tile interface, Windows 8 promises the Instant-On Applications feature which has been missed for ages. Almost all the fun features are built for tablet users while owners of non touch screen devices are likely to get bored easily.

Nonetheless, lets hope this really is just a preview and theres more good stuff cooking up for the final release. In the mean time, check out this first look video of Windows 8. 

Develop & Publish a Mobile App in just a snap

For newbies interested in (duly hyped-up) mobile application development, this is good news. OVI has launched a designated website for the very purpose.  

Anyone with basic knowledge of web and no knowledge of development tools or programming languages can develop and publish a REAL mobile application in less then 5 minutes. However, every good news comes a bad news. This service only allows for a very simple application to be developed. A web feed reader to be exact which would only be beneficial  for bloggers or webmasters. Here are a few snapshots of this service.

Turns out that the good news is actually not that good. But then, we shouldn't be complaining because its from Nokia which is not in its best form these days.

So long Nokia OVI - Nokia to rebrand OVI

I have been using Nokia's Cell Phones since 2002. Nokia PC Suite had fulfilled all my transfer data, install apps, connect to internet through mobile, etc. needs. Sometime around 2008, I was instructed to download the OVI Suite while realizing too late that this was intended to replace Nokia PC Suite. 

First public beta was released in Aug 2008

Nokia actually intended to integrate the power of internet in their household application and involve 3rd Party Vendors for service provisioning on their devices. This could also have been their answer to Apple's App Store, an unfulfilled ambition nonetheless. I personally liked the idea but would rather they didn't use the sophisticated codename from Finnish language meaning "doors". Also I was disappointed by the shortcomings of OVI store, it was not able to 

• Recognize mobile devices that easily
• Allow convenient offline management and synchronization of contacts, messages, notes and calendar
• Properly integrate maps into the devices
• Allow effortless applications management and installation on devices   

Now, hardly 3 years after its launch, as they were learning from their mistakes and refining the product, Nokia decided to take OVI down and re-brand it simply as Nokia Services. This transition will start from July 2011 and is expected to complete by the end of 2012. Heres an explanation from a Nokia's Official

"We have made the decision to change our service branding from Ovi to Nokia. By centralizing our services identity under one brand, not two, we will reinforce the powerful master brand of Nokia and unify our brand architecture – while continuing to deliver compellingopportunities and experiences for partners and consumers alike.

The reasons for this decision includes the fact that Nokia is a well-known and highly-loved brand the world over. Our mobile experiences are tightly integrated with our devices – there is no longer a differentiation. For example, if consumers want the best mobile navigation experience, they know it’s a Nokia that they can rely on. These last few years, and moving forward, our mission remains unchanged: we will continue our work to deliver compelling, unified mobile service offerings and next-generation, disruptive technologies."

Shouldn't you have one? (Windows Phone 7)

Talking about Windows Phone 7?

Yes! Why not....

Because I like staring at just a bunch of tiles with Atari age icons, appreciating that they display the count of my missed calls or emails and can even act like buttons. I can sync my Zune with it (only if I was crazy enough to buy one). I can also read my office documents (with a magnifier) and play my Xbox live games (because my Xbox is broken). 

After all, I have my Android or iOS phone for all the cool stuff.

Dynamic Views of Blog

Learnt about this feature a while ago and loved it. Blogger.com automatically sets up intuitive dynamic views of any blog hosted on their domain. All the visitor has to do is to add the /View keyword ahead of blog's web address to browse them.

http://drivebytech.blogspot.com/view/mosaic

http://drivebytech.blogspot.com/view/sidebar

Quad Core Mobile Processor is upon us (almost)

While we are getting excited about dual core CPUs in Cell Phones, Nvidia went ahead and showcased the next gen Quad Core CPU code named Kal-El which is expected to be released in Aug 2011. This will be the first quad core mobile CPU in the market, while being bundled with a 12 core Geforce GPU featuring extreme HD video up to 2560x1600 resolution similar to that of Blue Ray. This platform will be 5x faster than the current Nvidia Tegra 2 Dual Core and almost closer to that of a Intel Core2Duo. For the sake of knowledge, Kal-El is the birth name of our very own Super Man (Clark Kent is his earthly name). Nvidia is apparently naming its Mobile Processor series after super heroes as the following projects will be named Wayne, Logan and Stark. Take a look at these amazing demos to have an idea of Kal-El's power. 

Here is an overview of its specs

• Processor: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore, up to 1.5 GHz
• GPU: 12-Core Nvidia Geforce with 3D stereo (12 unified shaders)
• Video: output up to 2560x1600, 1080p H.264 High Profile video decode

WindScreen of Future

I thought AutoGlass is a company expert only in Windscreen repairs. But they're more than that. They are actually inventing stuff in their field. First it was self repairing glass 

and now its their vision for intuitive future windscreen technology expected to arrive in 2020.