Here is a roundup of the latest news this week from the technology world.
Microsoft CEO says Windows 8 will be like a rebirth
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft has told a delegation at the Seoul Digital Forum in South Korea that their new operating system Windows 8 could be used by as many as 500 million users by the end of 2013, which is the number of Windows 7 devices that can be potentially upgraded.
Ballmer had said he sees this new operating system as the "rebirth of MS Windows" and not another upgrade. He said that Windows 8 will offer the “deepest, broadest and most impactful" experience to its users. With the SkyDrive Cloud integration, Ballmer believe that many users will take up the chance to change to Windows 8.
He went on to predict that the new OS will be among a small amount of cloud-connecting systems that developers will want to support as he said, "The number of core [cloud] platforms, around which software developers will do their innovation, is not ever-broadening."
He added, "It's really a quite smaller and focused number - Windows, various forms of Linux, the Apple ecosystem. There will be just a few ecosystems that really can get the critical mass."
Windows 8 will be launched later this year with the company set to release a second preview version in June.
Toshiba unveils AT300 tablet
Toshiba has revealed a new Android tablet that aims to pack a punch in terms of power with its quad-core processor. The AT300 will have a 10.1-inch display with a 1280 by 800 pixel resolution and has multi-touch capabilities. The screen design is Corning Gorilla Glass making it scratch resistant.
It will be launched with the latest operating system from Android – Ice Cream Sandwich. Inside the tablet itself, it will have a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with a fifth processor that deals with the more day-to-day tasks such as web browsing. Toshiba are pushing the multimedia aspects of the tablet with particular reference to the gaming and the playback of HD videos.
The storage for the AT300 tablet is available in two options – a 16GB or 32GB. The tablet will have dual cameras with a 5-megapixel on the back and a 2-megapixel camera on the front for making video calls and both cameras will have LED Flash.
You will be able to download apps via the Google Play store but it will come with Toshiba Places pre-installed providing an alternative for your music, movies and books. The device will have a micro-HDMI port allowing to show content such as videos or photos on the bigger screen.
The AT300 measures in at 8.8mm thick and weighs just 590g. The Toshiba AT300 is set to be released towards the end of June.
Acer reveals the TravelMate P243
Acer has unveiled a new Ivy Bridge laptop in its TravelMate series in form of the P243. This laptops will be running the Intel i5 Ivy Bridge processor with Turbo Boost technology. The display screen will be 14 inches and have a 1366 by 768 pixel resolution. It will have 8GB of RAM and comes with NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M graphics card with support for DirectX 11.
Additional extras include a USB 3.0 port and a HD webcam for chatting with work colleagues, friends and family. The TravelMate P243 will have Acer’s suite of professional software, which includes ProShield Security that offers pre-boot authentication, secure drive encryption, and file shredder utility. Other software will include backup and recovery and tools to check and handle IT assets.
The TravelMate P243 is set be released to be released in the UK only but have yet to reveal when this will be.
-------------------------------------
Other News:
Windows 8 to drop Aero UI for desktop
http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/windows-8-to-drop-aero-ui-for-desktop-1081981
Microsoft Office coming to iPad and Android tablets this November
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/45781/microsoft-office-coming-to-ipad-android-tablets
Apple tries to ban Galaxy Tab in US days before peace talks
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/apple-tries-to-ban-galaxy-tab-in-us-days-before-peace-talks-50007999/