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Sony unveils ultrathin rollable OLED

Sony's ultrathin OLED prorotype can be bent around a 4mm tube while still producing video.

(Credit: Sony)

Sony on Wednesday unveiled a flexible OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display so thin it can wrap around a 4mm cylinder--roughly the diameter of the average pen or pencil.

The 80 micrometers-thick OLED display (about the width of a human hair) can continuously display moving images even while being rolled up, as Sony demonstrated in a video below.

The working flexibility is possible because engineers have managed to lose the rigid driver IC chips usually used in the substrate of a screen in exchange for a gate-driver circuit with OTFTs (organic thin-film transistors), according to Sony.

The 4.1-inch display, which has a resolution of 432x240 pixels (121 pixels per inch), is not for sale. It's simply a research prototype Sony said it hopes to one day incorporate into products such as screens in mobile devices. Full demonstrations of the screen will be given this week at the SID (Society for Information Display) 2010 International Symposium in Seattle.

The consumer electronics giant has been at the forefront of this technology, showing one of the world's first flexible OLEDs in existence at CES 2009, as CNET has reported. That screen was .2 millimeters thick.

Of course, Sony is not the only one experimenting with thin and flexible screens.

In April 2009, Dai Nippon garnered much attention with its flexible and seemingly animated posters for the Rakuten Eagles, a Japanese baseball team. The screens incorporated both energy-saving OLEDs and LEDs.

GE has also been working on ultrathin OLEDs, but in an effort to apply the technology to its lighting products. In March 2008, GE unveiled thin and flexible lighting OLEDs that can be manufactured in rolls akin to newspapers on a printing press.

New HP monitors, a lot like the old ones

It's been some time since I've reviewed a new HP consumer monitor, but that may be about to change. On Wednesday, HP announced four new consumer monitors; the 2010i, 2210m, 2310, and 2710m. After the jump are specs and features for each monitor, direct from HP.

Last year I tested two of the new monitor's precursors--the 2009m and 2709m--and judging from the initial specs and product shots, these new models don't seem that different. I did notice HP lowered the 2010i's max luminance to 250 candelas per square meter (cd/m2, down from the the 2009m's 300 cd/m2. This may have something to do with the amount of backlight lamps in the 2010i, two, instead of the "usual" four. I can't confirm how many lamps were in the 2009m, though.

All the more reason to get a couple of these guys in and take them for a spin. Look for reviews in the coming weeks. Also, take those dynamic contrast ratios (DCR) with a tub of salt. All monitors should be available onHP's Web site by Thursday. I'll update this post with pricing on the 2710m then.

Barnes & Noble launches iPad app

Grid view of the digital library.

(Credit: Barnes & Noble)

While Amazon had its Kindle for iPad app ready in time for the launch of the iPad, Barnes & Noble decided to take its sweet time before releasing its BN eReader for iPad, which is finally available as a free download in Apple's App Store.

Like Amazon, Barnes & Noble is trying to give its customers access to its e-book store from a wide array of popular mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and next month, Android smartphones. Users can store content in one master digital library and shuffle content between devices.

Barnes & Noble is touting the fact that it's designed this version of its eReader app from the ground up specifically for the iPad. It's also highlighting its e-book lending option, which allows you to lend out certain e-books to friends one time for a 14-day period.

Here's a look at the key features:

• Two options for displaying your library (Library Grid and Library List views)
• Choice of colors for text, pages, highlights, and links
• Eight typefaces and five text sizes
• Variety of margins and customizable spacing options
• LendMe feature (limited lending of certain e-books)
• All e-books and most periodicals purchased through the Barnes & Noble eBookstore are accessible on your iPad
• Built-in dictionary
• Google and Wikipedia integration for quick searches of terms and words

You can sync the last page read of an e-book, magazine, or newspaper opened on your iPad with BN eReader software-enabled PCs. Alas, you'll have to wait for last-page syncing capabilities between your iPad and iPhone (and iPod Touch). Barnes & Noble says it's completely redesigning its iPhone app and will add the syncing feature when it's released later this year.

We'll have more thoughts on the new app once we play around with it for a few days, but all in all, it seems to match up well against Amazon's Kindle for iPad app and Apple's own iBooks app. Feel free to let us know your thoughts after you download it.

Microsoft Office 2010 Web apps revealed

One of the biggest new additions to Microsoft Office 2010 (review) is the ability to use Web apps to access your work anywhere. Though they're not as feature-rich as their counterparts in the desktop version, we think many will find them useful for edits, changes, and even sketching out ideas while away from the office.

Microsoft made Web versions of the most used apps in the office suite including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote. All offer enough basic features to work on the go, and you can always transfer a document back to your desktop for further tweaks when you return to the office.

Microsoft warns on Windows 7 upgrade tool

Parallels, known for using virtualization to solve consumer problems, thought it had a surefire new use for its technology.

Why not use the same approach it used to put Windows on a Mac to help ease the move from XP to Windows 7. The solution was elegant, helping users both make the move and even run older programs that weren't compatible with the new version of Windows. At first, the signs from Microsoft were encouraging; the company even invited Parallells to a Windows 7 momentum event in Paris to publicly talk about the program, Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7.

There was only one problem: the way the product works runs afoul of Microsoft's license rules, at least for most users. That's because the $50 software puts the user's old Windows XP system into a virtual machine, running alongside Windows 7, a concurrent use not allowed under most Windows licenses.

The company's $50 package uses virtualization to ease the move to Windows 7, but could cause users to be in violation of their Windows licensing restrictions.

(Credit: Parallels)

CNET raised the issue with both Microsoft and Parallels after learning about the product last month. Parallels said it is up to users to make sure they are in compliance with Redmond's terms. Microsoft, meanwhile, said it was talking with Parallels, but declined to publicly call out the company. Until now.

"Microsoft does not endorse moving the user's desktop from a physically loaded OS into a VM as a consumer solution, because the vast majority (more than 90 percent) of consumers do not license Windows under a license that would allow them to transfer Windows into a virtual machine, move Windows to a different machine, or run a secondary virtual machine that is not running XP Mode on the same machine," Microsoft's general manager, Gavriella Schuster, said in a statement to CNET. "Without these license rights, most consumers will not be properly licensing Windows when using the virtualization features of Parallels' product."

Schuster pointed out that enterprise customers with a Software Assurance contract covering Windows could properly use the software. Users who buy a full retail boxed copy of Windows (or possibly of both Windows XP and Windows 7), as opposed to the an upgrade version might also be properly licensed for the Parallels software.

For its part, Parallels continues to say it is up to users to make sure they are properly licensing Windows in conjunction with the upgrade tool.

"We require customers to verify they have the proper license," a Parallels representative said on Tuesday.

Microsoft suggested it is looking for a little more than that.

"Microsoft is working with Parallels to ensure that the Windows licensing requirements are made clear to customers in their product," Schuster said.

Despite the legal issues, Parallels' upgrade tool would appear to address an important need.

Although Windows 7 has proven popular, upgrading can be a hassle, requiring users to back up their data and programs, reinstall software, and then figure out what to do with programs that aren't compatible with the newer Windows.

A Parallels representative said on Tuesday that the product remains available for sale.

"It's out there," the representative said. "We're very excited about the product."

Firefox Home: A not-quite Firefox iPhone app

Well, this is interesting. On Wednesday, Mozilla gave us a heads-up that it was releasing an iPhone app that would "let Firefox users open their favorite Web sites on their iPhones." We assumed this mystery app would be similar to the Opera Mini browser, which dives through a loophole in Apple's notoriously restrictive non-compete clause that keeps developers from supplanting the Safari browser.

Instead of going the proxy browser route, as Opera Mini does, Mozilla's forthcoming app, Firefox Home for iPhone, is based on Mozilla's sync technology. Firefox Sync--previously Weave Sync--lets Web surfers carry over their history, bookmarks, and open tabs across computers and smartphones. The addition of the self-dubbed "Awesome" URL bar in Firefox Home should fast-track the search for sites by remembering your previous and automatically saved searches, even those typed into, say, your desktop browser.

Firefox Home for iPhone presents an intriguing twist on the problem of Apple's SDK. Rather than trying to create an exact replica of the Firefox browser on the iPhone, Mozilla is offering a window to your open Firefox tabs, and an encrypted one at that. A Mozilla spokesperson confirmed that Firefox Home is not a proxy browser. Rather, the app will launch pages in either a Web viewer or Safari.

While Mozilla hasn't yet submitted Firefox Home for iPhone to the App Store, the app's hypothetical acceptance will likely mark the second successful placement in the store of a third-party browser solution that isn't based on Apple's Webkit browser platform.

A day after Opera Mini emerged for iPhone this past April, browser maker Skyfire also announced its intention to follow suit, this time with the promise of streaming Flash video through its proxy servers, but so far we've only seen Skyfire's video-streaming browser operational on Android, and it is Webkit-based at that. There's nothing wrong with that, though the Webkit ties could potentially grease the app's wheels when and if Skyfire submits its browser solution.

Access the Free Windows 7 Hilo Browser with Carousel UI

Hilo is an extremely interesting project designed to showcase what Microsoft refers to as the power of Windows 7, in combination with development resources such as Visual Studio 2010 and Visual C++. Through Hilo, developers can access a collection of articles in concert with sample applications offered free of charge through the MSDN Code Gallery. The initiative is set up to streamline the development of high performance, touch-enabled, responsive rich client applications tailored to Windows 7, according to the Redmond company. Through Hilo, devs can access both the source code and guidance on how to develop applications similar to those offered in the samples. 

The initial release brings to the table the source code set up to enable developers to test the Hilo Browser application. “This application implements an innovative carousel-style navigation user interface. It’s touch-enabled so you can quickly browse and select images using touch gestures,” Microsoft explained. “The Hilo article series, along with the sample application source code, are intended to jumpstart your development and show you how to take advantage of key Windows capabilities in your own applications.”

In order to leverage Hilo, developers will need Visual Studio 2010 and Visual C++, and, in this regard, the Visual C++ 2010 Express editionwill do fine. You will be able to find download links at the bottom of the screen. “Once you have installed Visual C++ 2010 Express, unzip the Hilo Browser source code and double click on the Hilo.sln solution file. Select Rebuild All from the Build menu to compile the Hilo Browser application. Press F5 to run the application in debug mode,” Microsoft explained.

The promise from the software giant is that additional content will be published as a part of the Hilo project in the coming weeks. “Over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing a series of articles on MSDN that describe the design and implementation of a set of touch-enabled Windows applications that allow you to browse, select, and work with photos and images. The articles will cover key Windows 7 technologies, describe how they are used together to create a compelling user experience, and will detail the design and implementation of the applications themselves,” the company added.

Visual Studio 2010 Express is available for download here. 

Visual Studio 2010 Premium is available for download here.
Visual Studio 2010 Professional is available for download here.
Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate is available for download here.
Visual Studio Test Professional 2010 is available for download here.

.NET Framework 4 RTM is available for download here

Facebook Starts Rolling Out Simple Privacy Controls

Facebook has unveiled the simplified privacy settings it has been talking about for the past week. The new settings are easier to understand and it’s easier to get an overview of what you share and with whom. The move is likely to settle the increasingly vocal and mostly warranted criticism of Facebook’s practices regarding user privacy. Facebook says the new settings give users more control over their data to enable them to share as much as they want. 

“The number one thing we've heard is that there just needs to be a simpler way to control your information. We've always offered a lot of controls, but if you find them too hard to use then you won't feel like you have control. Unless you feel in control, then you won't be comfortable sharing and our service will be less useful for you,” Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, announced on the Facebook blog. 

“Today we're starting to roll out some changes that will make all of these controls a lot simpler. We've focused on three things: a single control for your content, more powerful controls for your basic information and an easy control to turn off all applications,” he said.


The new privacy controls page has an easy-to-understand layout. It will display your current privacy settings and you have several options to change them. The easiest way is to choose from one of the three basic options. With one click, you can choose to share all of your data on Facebook with “Everyone,” “Friends of Friends” or “Friends Only.” If you’re comfortable with any of those options, you can leave it at that.

Another option is to select the “Recommended” privacy settings, which strive to find a balance between privacy and openness. Things like photos, status updates and profile data will be available to everyone. Slightly more sensitive things like photos you’ve been tagged with or religious views are only available to friends of friends. Finally, personal data like emails, IMs, phone numbers, and the possibility to comment on your posts can be restricted to friends only. Of course, you can customize all the individual settings like you’ve always been able to.

This is just part of the privacy revamp. Facebook also shares less by default and is giving users the option to make private things that they weren’t able before, the friends list and the pages they’ve liked. There is also more control over what applications get access to which data. And if they don’t like apps at all, they can turn off the Facebook app Platform completely.

Finally, Facebook has also addressed one of the most recent changes and the thing that probably started this new wave of Facebook privacy backlash, the instant personalization feature, which enables third-party sites to access the data you already make public. Now, you can turn off the feature entirely.

The new privacy control settings are being rolled out over the next weeks to everyone. Facebook says these new settings and defaults are here to stay. What’s more, new features that Facebook rolls out will default to the settings you already chose. The social network may tweak them based on feedback, but, for the most part, these options are going to be there for a long time to come.

PCmover Image Assistant Restores XP or Vista Disk Images to Windows 7 PCs

estoring a disk image to a computer generally means that any existing content on the hard drive is wiped out, and the machine is returned to a previous state with a specific OS installation, settings, programs, documents, etc. Essentially, the restoration process “turns back time” on a PC to the exact moment when the restore image was created. With the advent of PCmover Image Assistant, Laplink Software is introducing a new concept when it comes down to restoring a disk image. According to the Bellevue-based company, PCmover Image Assistant brings to the table “operating system independent restore” capabilities. 

This means that an image of a certain computer can be restored to a different PC without the hard drive needing to be wiped out. In fact, the promise from Laplink Software is that PCmover Image Assistant will keep in place the existing operating system on the PC on which the restoration is performed. Specifically, users will be able to restore Windows XP or Windows Vista images to Windows 7 computers. 

“The big misconception about disk imaging software is that once you create an image of your PC, you’re safe,” Laplink CEO Thomas Koll noted. “The idea that you can always restore an image is false. Current disk imaging technology limits restoration so the user is stuck with their existing operating system. They are trapped. But we’re changing that.” By leveraging PCmover Image Assistant, users of Windows 7 computers can restore XP and Vista images right on their machine, while keeping in place the latest version of Windows. Not only this, but Windows 7 will offer access to the same data, files and programs as the operating system contained in the image. “This is a new generation of imaging technology,” Koll added. “With Image Assistant, we are not replacing disk image software currently in use, but rather we are making that software — and existing images — useful in the context of Windows 7.” Of course, customers should be aware of a range of issues that could impact their experience with restoring XP and Vista images on Windows 7 PCs. PCmover Image Assistant is not a cure for software compatibly. XP and Vista that are incompatible with Windows 7 will remain incompatible even if moved with PCmover Image Assistant. At the same time, PCmover Image Assistant doesn’t play nice with some hardware drivers, with DRM protected content, with copy-protected applications, with antivirus and antispyware solutions, or with trial software. “PCmover Image Assistant is currently available for presale at a 50% discount from its suggested retail price of $39.95,” the company indicated, namely for USD 19.97, EUR 15.97, GBP 13.97. This offering is limited to today, May 26, 2010.

Windows XP NTFS Data Recovery Software & Tool by Recover Data

Recover Data offer NTFS data recovery software for Windows XP users. This Windows XP NTFS data recovery software tool to recover lost ntfs data from corrupted or formatted NTFS & NTFS5 file system. 

May 26th 2010 – Mumbai, India - Recover Data has announced the best & eligible Windows XP NTFS Data Recovery Software v2.0

Imagine that you are working on your computer and suddenly you lost your important data due to power surge or virus attack. Now you are thinking that how to recover lost windows XP data? This is the first question comes to your mind.

Keeping your problem in the mind Recover Data launched the best Windows XP NTFS Data Recovery Software using advance data recovery methods for solving all your data loss problems. Windows XP NTFS Recovery Software is specially intended to recover windows xp data from corrupted and formatted windows hdd. XP data recovery software for NTFS can successfully retrieve lost ntfs data when data loss due to bad sector on hard drive, software & hardware malfunction, unwanted accidental shutdown, file system corruption.

Recover Data has announced with major upgrade Windows XP Data Recovery Software for NTFS partition users. Software recovers ntfs deleted files and folder from windows xp ntfs partition instantly. Recover Data - Windows XP ntfs file recovery software is cost competent ntfs data recovery software tool to get back windows xp data when virus attacks, corruption of your operating system, power surges or boot failure, files system damaged. Advanced windows xp ntfs data recovery tool provide the best graphics at the recovery time process to make your recovery more easy and simple. Recover Data offer NTFS data recovery software specially intended for recovering encrypted compressed files. It’s easily support long file names to recover lost data. Windows NTFS Partition Recovery Software is also known as most powerful windows xp ntfs data recovery software. NTFS file recovery tool easily recovers lost ntfs data pen drive, floppy disk, memory card, flash memory, zip drives, iPods, mobile communicators, memory card and many more storage media. Windows xp file recovery tool is fully able to restore all types of audio files, video files, multimedia files, compressed zip files and all MS Office files which has been corrupted by any major data loss reasons. Recover Data present some reliable source of all kinds of hard drive data recovery software and tools. So you can find inexpensive and reasonable data recovery solutions at visit our website http://www.ntfsdiskrecovery.com/windows-xp-ntfs-data-recovery and if you get your full satisfaction then go with our full version software. NTFS data recovery software supports Windows NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista & Windows 7.




LINK TO DOWNLOAD

Run older programs in Windows XP Mode

Following an upgrade to Windows 7, you may find some of the programs you use are incompatible. Rather than dual-booting with an older operating system to get them to run, use Windows XP Mode. This functionality is in essence a virtualised copy of XP that's built into Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate or available from Microsoft's website.

Step 1. If you don't already have Windows XP Mode on your machine, download it fromMicrosoft's website. If you installed the software when it first launched and don't have Automatic Upgrades switched on, you may need to upgrade the program. Select the OS you're running and language.

Step 3. You may find you need to restart your PC following validation; otherwise, press Continue. The Windows XP Mode download will automatically begin. Save and run this file, then follow the instructions to choose where the software should be installed. Repeat this process for all the downloads.Step 2. The site will offer you three downloads: Windows XP Mode, Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode update. These must be downloaded in the order displayed. Click on the first download and press Continue. Follow the instructions to validate your copy of Windows and then save and run the software.

Step 4. Once all three downloads have installed, go to Start, Programs and choose Windows Virtual PC, Windows XP Mode. Accept the licence agreement and enter a password. Click 'Start setup'. A virtual Windows XP desktop will appear onscreen, within which you can use software that won't run in Windows 7
.

Sprint U301 3G/4G USB Modem (Franklin Wireless): Good Speeds, Lots of Potential

I need to be able to create and send content from wherever I am. For that, I need my laptop, and it has to be connected to the Internet at high speed. Connecting over Wi-Fi usually does the job--but when I?m on the road, locating a Wi-Fi connection can be a challenge. I find myself using (or wishing I could use) cellular data service. Franklin?s U301 USB modem allows you to do that, and adds the possibility of connecting to faster 4G networks where they are available.

Though the unit has a list price of $300 (as of May 25, 2010), Sprint's current online rebates make the item free if the purchase is tied to a two-year contract with unlimited 4G data ($60 per month).

In general, 3G cellular service is around half as fast as the DSL-like speeds (downloads at about 1 megabit per second) of a typical Starbucks Wi-Fi connection. But 4G service (in our experience) can pump out download speeds in the 2 to 4 mbps range, with bursts of up to 8 mbps.

During the 2010 wireless performance tests that my firm, Novarum, conducted with PCWorld, I tested the speed of the Clearwire/Sprint 4G network from numerous locations in Baltimore, Portland, and Seattle, using the U301 3G/4G modem to connect a Windows 7 laptop.

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