PREFACE

Everyday innumerable technologies are invented and developed all over the

world in many fields. Added to this, many technologies have resulted in failure also.

One, who is born, has to die one day. During this short span of life, the thrust for

new technologies and developments have not quenched yet. As a result of this, many

latest technologies were introduced.

This magazine “INFOLINE” was aimed to provide basic necessary

information about the latest technologies developed and it also creates awareness

to the one who is reading this.

Your comments and valuable suggestions for the improvement from the

students, teachers and friends are warmly welcomed and will be gratefully

acknowledged.

Infoline Team

Acknowledgement

We wish to thank Thiru A.Venkatachalam B.Sc., Correspondent, Kongu

Arts And Science College, Erode and our Management for the support to

publish the magazine Dr.N.Raman M.B.A., M.Com., M.Phil., B.Ed., PGDCA.,Ph.D.,

Principal, Kongu Arts And Science College, Erode has provided considerable

support to us during this effort. We proudly thank our Chief Editor, Staff

Advisor, Staff Members and the students of Department of Computer

Technology and Information Technology for their guidance and suggestions to

complete this magazine.

Infoline Team

INFOLINE INFOLINE INFOLINE INFOLINE

TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATORTECHNOLOGY NAVIGATORTECHNOLOGY NAVIGATORTECHNOLOGY NAVIGATOR

Executive Committee

Chief Patron : Thiru A.Venkatachalam B.Sc.,

Patron : Dr. N.Raman M.B.A., M.Com., M.Phil., B.Ed., PGDCA.,Ph.D.,

Editor in Chief : S.Muruganantham M.Sc., M.Phil.,

Staff Advisor:

M.G.Annapoorani M.Sc.,

Assistant Professor, Department of CT & IT.

Staff Editor:

S.Thangamani M.C.A., M.Phil.,

Assistant Professor, Department of CT & IT.

Student Editors:

E.Ananthi III.B.Sc (CT)

R.Karthiga III.B.Sc (CT)

R.Gokul Raju III.B.Sc (CT)

S.Rajesh Kumar III B.Sc (IT)

R.Santhiya III B.Sc (IT)

Organizing Members:

M.Bharani Babu II.B.Sc (CT)

D.Sibiraj II.B.Sc (CT)

M.Satheesh Kumar II B.Sc (CT)

V.Vidhya II.B.Sc (CT)

S.Manivasagam II.B.Sc (IT)

C.Saran Prakash II.B.Sc (IT)

G.Yakavi II B.Sc(IT)

S.Indumathi II B.Sc(IT)

CONTENTS

Preface i

Acknowledgment ii

Executive Committee iii

SIXTH SENSE TECHNOLOGY 1

ANDROID 3

GREEN COMPUTING 5

THE NEW i-PAD 7

MICROSOFT 8

BLUETOOTH 10

TEAM VIEWER 12

INTRODUCING “ASK TECHPHYRE” 13

MATROX DELIVERS THE GOODS AT INFOCOMM-2012 14

MICROSOFT’S NEW OFFICE SOFTWARE 16

THE MACBOOK PRO-RETINA EDITION 18

2012 IT TRENDS 20

SURFACE COMPUTING 22

iPHONE 23

MICROSOFT PERSONAL COMPUTING NETWORK DEVICE 24

ARTICLES

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SIXTH SENSE TECHNOLOGY

Introduction

All of us are aware of the five basic

senses – seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting

and hearing. But there is also another sense

called the sixth sense. It is basically a

connection to something greater than what

their physical senses are able to perceive.

But the invention of sixth sense

technology has completely shocked the

world

Father Of Sixth Sense

Steve Mann is the father of

SixthSense who made a wearable

computer in 1990. The SixthSense

technology was first implemented as the

neckworn projector+ camera system. He

was a media lab student at that time. There

after it was used and implemented by an

Indian who is the man has become very

famous in the recent Pranav Mistry. There

will be a long future rather than the short

period of history for the SixthSense

technology.

Pranav Mistry

Pranav Mistry, 28 year old, of

Indian origin is the mastermind behind the

sixth sense technology. He invented ‘ Sixth

Sense / WUW ( Wear UR World) ‘ which

is a wearable gestural , user friendly

interface which links the physical world

around us with digital information and uses

hand gestures to interact with them. He is a

PhD student at MIT and he won the

‘Invention of the Year 2009 ‘- by Popular

Science.The device brings us closer to

reality and assists us in making right

decisions by providing the relevant

information, thereby, making the entire

world a computer.

Components Used In Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense prototype consists

of a pocket projector, mirror and a camera.

The device is pendant shaped like mobile

wearing devices. Both the projector and

the camera are connected to the mobile

computing device in the user’s pocket. The

software program processes the video

stream data captured by the camera and

tracks the locations of the colored markers

(visual tracking fiducials) at the tip of the

user’s fingers using simple computer-

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vision techniques. It also supports multi

touch and multi user interaction.

Construction And Working

The SixthSense prototype comprises

a pocket projector, a mirror and a camera

contained in a pendant like, wearable

device. Both the projector and the camera

are connected to a mobile computing

device in the user’s pocket. The software

program processes the video stream data

captured by the camera and tracks the

locations of the colored markers (visual

tracking fiducials) at the tips of the user’s

fingers. The movements and arrangements

of these fiducials are interpreted into

gestures that act as interaction instructions

for the projected application interfaces.

Sixth Sense supports multi-touch and

multi-user interaction.

Application

The device has a huge number of

applications. Firstly, it is portable and

easily to carry as you can wear it in your

neck. The drawing application lets user

draw on any surface by observing the

movement of index finger. The camera

also helps user to take pictures of the scene

he is viewing and later he can arrange them

on any surface. To know the time, all one

has to do is to just gesture drawing circle

on the wrist and there appears a wrist

watch. Currently the prototype of the

device costs around $350 to build.

Motion Capture

The innovative camera is

something that got applauds of the crowd

in the demonstration. Four rubber rings in

the four fingers two in each can be used do

draw a rectangular. It will be the area

covered by the photograph. Then the

photos can be taken to any interface for

editing, managing the galleries and

sharing. When using a surface, the whole

data is taken into that surface and stored in

the device after the editing. And also the

capturing device being so small like 4

rubber rings can be used to capture the

photos of any location.

Many games can be made using

this technology. A car race using an

imaginary steering wheel will be an

attractive application. The player will have

to drive the vehicle as a real one using his

arms. The SixthSense tool kit will be a

good replacement for the XBOX game kit

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and it will not be much expensive as it is

said.

3D Drawing

A pencil that enables users to draw

in 3D is good innovation. It will be a good

tool for the beginners to the 3D modeling

world. Also it will help a lot for the

engineers as well. Another implementation

is the physical Google mapThe map

available on a surface and when you keep

something in it, it detects the place where

the options available. This is much more

advanced because this can take 3D objects

as it appears.

Future Development

It seems to be that there can be a

good future for SixthSense technology

applications. There are several things that

designers must pay their attention. The

digital cameras came into the market with

a promising call. But it did not provide the

real quality for the photographers at a

reasonable price. SixthSense devices are

very much different from the computers,

this will be a new topic for the hackers and

the other people also. Lot of good

technologies came and died due to the

security threats. It allows the user to dial a

number of the phone using the keypad

available on the palm

This will be a significant

market competitor to the SixthSense

technology since it still required

some hardware involvement with the user.

By

S.SANTHIYA

II - B.SC (IT)

ANDRIOD

Android is a Linux-based

operating system for mobile devices such

as smartphones and tablet computers. It is

developed by the Open Handset Alliance,

led by Google. Google financially backed

the initial developer of the software,

Android Inc., and later purchased it in

2005. The unveiling of the Android

distribution in 2007 was announced with

the founding of the Open Handset

Alliance, a consortium of 86 hardware,

software, and telecommunication

companies devoted to advancing open

standards for mobile devices. Google

releases the Android code as open-source,

under the Apache License.

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Android Open Source Project

(AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance

and further development of Android.

Android has a large community of

developers writing applications ("apps")

that extend the functionality of the devices.

In June 2012, there were more than

600,000 apps available for Android, and

the estimated number of applications

downloaded from Google Play was 20

billion. Android became the world’s

leading smartphone platform at the end of

2010.

For the first quarter of 2012, Android

had a 59% smartphone market share

worldwide. At the half of 2012, there were

400 million devices activated and 1 million

activations per day. The main hardware

platform for Android is the ARM

architecture. Android's kernel is based on

the Linux kernel and has further

architecture changes by Google outside the

typical Linux kernel development cycle.

Current Features And Specifications

Handset layouts : The platform is

adaptable to larger, VGA, 2D graphics

library, 3D graphics library based on

OpenGL ES 2.0 specifications, and

traditional smartphone layouts.

Storage :SQLite, a lightweight relational

database, is used for data storage purposes.

Connectivity: Android supports

connectivity technologies including

GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO,

UMTS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, NFC and

WiMAX.

Messaging : SMS and MMS are available

forms of messaging, including threaded

text messaging and Android Cloud To

Device Messaging (C2DM) and now

enhanced version of C2DM, Android

Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) is also a

part of Android Push Messaging service.

Multiple language support : Android

supports multiple languages.

Web browser : The web browser available

in Android is based on the open-source

WebKit layout engine, coupled with

Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. The

browser scores 100/100 on the Acid3 test

on Android 4.0.

Java support : While most Android

applications are written in Java, there is no

Java Virtual Machine in the platform and

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Java byte code is not executed. Java

classes are compiled into Dalvik

executables and run on Dalvik, a

specialized virtual machine designed

specifically for Android and optimized for

battery-powered mobile devices with

limited memory and CPU.

Media support : Android supports the

following audio/video/still media formats:

WebM, H.263, H.264 (in 3GP or MP4

container), MPEG-4 SP, AMR, AMR-WB

(in 3GP container), AAC, HE-AAC (in

MP4 or 3GP container), MP3, MIDI, Ogg

Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF,

BMP, WebP.

Streaming media support : RTP/RTSP

streaming HTML progressive download

Adobe Flash Streaming (RTMP) and

HTTP Dynamic Streaming are supported

by the Flash plugin. Apple HTTP Live

Streaming is supported by RealPlayer for

Android, and by the operating system in

Android 3.0

Additional hardware support : Android

can use video/still cameras, touchscreens,

GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes,

barometers, magnetometers, dedicated

gaming controls, proximity and pressure

sensors, thermometers, accelerated 2D bit

blits (with hardware orientation, scaling,

pixel format conversion) and accelerated

3D graphics.

Multi-touch : Android has native support

for multi-touch which was initially made

available in handsets such as the HTC

Hero. The feature was originally disabled

at the kernel level (possibly to avoid

infringing Apple's patents on touch-screen

technology at the time). Google has since

released an update for the Nexus One and

the Motorola Droid which enables multi-

touch natively.

By,

S.GOKULSELVAM

II.B.Sc (CT)

GREEN COMPUTING

Green computing is the term used

to denote efficient use of resources in

computing. This term generally relates to

the use of computing resources in

conjunction with minimizing

environmental impact, maximizing

economic viability and ensuring social

duties. Green computing is very much

related to other similar movements like

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reducing the use of environmentally

hazardous materials like CFCs, promoting

the use of recyclable materials, minimizing

use of non-biodegradable components, and

encouraging use of sustainable resources.

One of the spin-offs of green

computing is EPEAT or Electronic

Products Environmental Assessment Tool.

EPEAT products serve to increase the

efficiency and life of computing products.

Moreover, these products are designed to

minimize energy expenditures, minimize

maintenance activities throughout the life

of the product and allow the re-use or

recycling of some materials.

A Brief History of Green Computing

One of the first manifestations of

the green computing movement was the

launch of the ENERGY STAR program

back in 1992. Energy Star served as a kind

of voluntary label awarded to computing

products that succeeded in minimizing use

of energy while maximizing efficiency.

Energy Star applied to products like

computer monitors, television sets and

temperature control devices like

refrigerators, air conditioners, and similar

items.

One of the first results of green

computing was the Sleep mode function of

computer monitors which places a

consumer's electronic equipment on

standby mode when a pre-set period of

time passes when user activity is not

detected. As the concept developed, green

computing began to encompass thin client

solutions, energy cost accounting,

virtualization practices, eWaste, etc.

Green Computing Groups

Currently, one of the popular green

computing groups is tactical

incrementalists. This group applies and

uses green computing philosophies mainly

to save up on costs rather than save the

environment. This green computing

concept emerged naturally as businesses

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7

find themselves under pressure to

maximize resources in order to compete

effectively in the market. This movement

arose mainly from economic sentiments

rather than political pressure.

Strategic Leaders take into account

the social and environmental impacts of

new and emerging technologies. Aside

from minimizing costs, this particular

movement also takes into account other

factors such as marketing and branding.

Unlike the position held by tactical

incrementalists, strategic leaders recognize

the need to overhaul some existing policies

or structural makeup of the organization.

This can be seen in recent efforts to make

IT personnel directly responsible for

managing, minimizing and ensuring

efficient energy expenditures.

Green Computing Practices

Some common green computing

practices include turning off the monitor

when it's not in use or using more energy

efficient monitors like LCDs instead of the

traditional CRT monitors, volunteer

computing or file sharing practices,

virtualization of servers, using more

energy efficient and less noisy cooling

systems, temperature maintenance and

regulation to reduce thermal shock wear

and tear to computer parts, and increased

online security measures through the use of

firewalls, anti spyware and anti virus

programs to reduce the increasing amount

of eWaste on the Internet and on other

networks.

By

K.HARITHA

II.B.Sc(IT)

THE NEW iPad

While rumor mills are already

abuzz on the new features of iPhone 5, a

report about the features of the latest iPad

has spread like wildfire on the Internet.

However, unlike the iPhone 5's large

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8

screen size, here the small screen size of

the iPad is the most speculated feature.

According to a Bloomberg report,

unnamed sources said that Apple is

working on a smaller, cheaper iPad, which

will most probably be released in

December. The new iPad will have a

screen that's around 7 to 8 inches, which is

much lesser than the current 9.7-inch

version.

The small screen, however, would

allow Apple to keep a check on the pricing

of the tablet. Reports suggest that the 'iPad

mini' will cost around $200 (Rs. 11,000),

which is half the price of the new iPad

($400).

Media reports also suggest that the

smaller iPad will offer tough competition

to Google Nexus and Amazon's Kindle

fire, both of which have 7 inch screens.

"It (smaller iPad) would be the

competitors' worst nightmare," Shaw Wu,

an analyst at Sterne Agee & Leach Inc.,

told Bloomberg in an interview.

Small screen or not, owning an

Apple device is considered a 'style

statement'. The price factor as well, may

play an important role when purchasing

this device. If the price is as less as $200,

would you go for the smaller iPad? Do let

us know.

By

S.BASKER

II.B.Sc (CT)

MICROSOFT

Microsoft is a multinational

computer technology corporation.began on

April 4, 1975, when it was founded by Bill

Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque Its

current best-selling products are the

Microsoft Windows operating system and

the Microsoft Office suite of productivity

software.

Starting in 1980, Microsoft formed

an important partnership with IBM that

allowed them to bundle Microsoft's

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9

operating system with computers that they

sold, paying Microsoft a royalty for every

sale. In 1985, IBM requested that

Microsoft write a new operating system for

their computers called OS/2; Microsoft

wrote the operating system, but also

continued to sell their own alternative,

which proved to be in direct competition

with OS/2. Microsoft Windows eventually

overshadowed OS/2 in terms of sales.

When Microsoft launched several versions

of Microsoft Windows in the 1990s, they

had captured over 90% market share of the

world's personal computers.

The company has now become

largely successful. As of 2008, Microsoft

has a global annual revenue of US$ 60.42

billion and nearly 90,000 employees in 105

countries.

On May 22, 1990 Microsoft

launched Windows 3.0.The new version of

Microsoft's operating system boasted such

new features as streamlined graphic user

interface GUI and improved protected

mode ability for the Intel 386 processor; it

sold over 100,000 copies in two

weeks.Windows at the time generated

more revenue for Microsoft than OS/2, and

the company decided to move more

resources from OS/2 to Windows.In an

internal memo to Microsoft employees on

May 16, 1991, Bill Gates announced that

the OS/2 partnership was over, and that

Microsoft would henceforth focus its

platform efforts on Windows and the

Windows NT kernel. Some people,

especially developers who had ignored

Windows and committed most of their

resources to OS/2, were taken by surprise,

and accused Microsoft of deception. This

changeover from OS/2 was frequently

referred to in the industry as "the head-

fake".In the ensuing years, the popularity

of OS/2 declined, and Windows quickly

became the favored PC platform. 1991 also

marked the founding of Microsoft

Research, an organization in Microsoft for

researching computer science subjects, and

Microsoft Visual Basic

By

S.PRAVEENKUMAR

II.B.Sc(CT)

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BLUETOOTH

Introduction

Bluetooth wireless technology is a

cable replacement technology that provides

wireless communication between portable

devices, desktop devices and peripherals. It

is used to swap data and synchronize files

between devices without having to connect

each other with cable.

The Bluetooth transceiver operates

in the globally available

unlicensed ISM radio band of 2.4GHz. The

ISM bands include frequency range at

902MHz to 928MHz and 2.4GHz to

2.484GHZ which do not require operator

license from a regulatory agency. This

means that Bluetooth technology can be

used virtually anywhere in the world.

Origin of Bluetooth

In 1994, Ericsson Mobile

Communication initiated a study to

investigate the feasibility of

a low power, low cost radio interface

between mobile phones and their

accessories. The aim of the study was to

find a way to eliminate cables between

mobile phones and PC cards, headsets,

desktops and other devices. The study was

part of a large project investigating how

different communication devices could be

connected to the cellular network via a

mobile phone. Ericsson’s work in this area

caught the attention of IBM, Intel, Nokia,

and Toshiba. The companies formed the

special interest group (SIG) in May 1998,

which grew to over 1500 member

companies by April 2000. The company

jointly developed the Bluethooth 1.0

specifications, which was released in July

1999.

Fig. Bluetooth Symbol

The Bluetooth Advantage

Bluetooth technology is embedded

in microchips so that they can be

connected by turning them on. Card slots

can be available for other use in PC.

Bluetooth wireless technology uses

the globally available unlicensed ISM

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radio band of 2.4GHz. The ISM

(Industrial, Scientific and Medical) bands

include the frequency range of 902MHz to

928MHz and 2.4GHz to 2.484GHz. These

frequencies do not require an operator’s

license from the Federal Communications

Commission (FCC) or any international

regulatory authority. The use of common

frequency band means that you can bring

devises using Bluetooth specification

virtually anywhere in the world and they

will be able to link up with other such

devices, regardless of what country you

happen to be visiting.

Wireless To Wireline

An important feature of Bluetooth

is the ability to forge wireless connection

between portable and a wired network.

Because there is no line of sight

requirement from Bluetooth devices,

however, it is better suited for this type of

application because with it users have

more flexibility in placing the LAN access

point within the premises than users of

infrared possess. An access point is a

transceiver that accepts wireless signals

from other devices and provides a wired

connection to the LAN.

Safety

Radiation emissions from the

devices using Bluetooth wireless

technology are no greater than emissions

from industry- standard cordless phones.

The Bluetooth module will not cause harm

to public or private telecommunication

network equipment, nor jeopardize the

safety of the consumer using the

equipment or those who come within the

operating distance of Bluetooth devices.

Conclusion

The Bluetooth specification will

open up new applications to extend the

role of mobile phones far beyond today’s

conventional phone service. In fact, the

commercial viability of the new

developments may very well depend on the

success of Bluetooth wireless technology

in supporting wireless delivery mechanism

such as cellular telephony.

By

M.DHINAKARAN

II.B.Sc(IT)

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TEAM VIEWER

TeamViewer is a proprietary

computer software package for remote

control, desktop sharing, online meetings,

web conferencing and file transfer between

computers. The software operates with the

Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux,

iOS, Android Operating . It is possible to

access a machine running TeamViewer

with a web browser while the main focus

of the application is remote control of

computers, collaboration and presentation

features are included.

TeamViewer may be installed with

an installation procedure , although the

'Quick Support' version will run without

installation. To connect to another

computer, TeamViewer has to be running

on both machines. To install TeamViewer

administer access is required, but once

installed it can be run by any user. When

TeamViewer is started on a computer, it

generates a partner ID and password To

establish a connection from a local client

to a remote host machine, the local

operator must communicate with the

remote operator, request the ID and

password, then enter these into the local

TeamViewer.

Linux port

TeamViewer for Linux is based

upon the Windows version using

Wine.Additionally,

/opt/teamviewer/teamviewer/$tv_ver/bin/te

an viewer contains links to a wrapper of a

Windows executable:

export

TV_BINDIR=/opt/teamviewer/tea

mviewer/$tv_ver/bin

exec "$TV_BINDIR"/wrapper

"c:\Program

Files\TeamViewer\Version$tv_ver

\TeamViewer.exe" "$@"

Security

TeamViewer uses RSA

private/public key exchange(1024-bit) and

ASE (256-bit) session encoding. In the

default configuration, TeamViewer uses

one of the servers of TeamViewer.com to

start the connection and the routing of

traffic between the local client and the

remote host machine. However in 70% of

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the cases after the handshake a direct

connection via UDP or TCP is established.

All TeamViewer versions use full

encryption. Encryption is based on 1024bit

RSA private/public key exchange and 256

Bit AES session encoding. This uses the

same security level as https/SSL and is

considered completely safe by today's

standards. The key exchange also

guarantees that the data channel is

completely encoded from client to client

and that any routers or servers in between

(including our routers) are unable to read

or analyze the data stream. Security and

privacy have always been a top priority

during development.

Remotely control your computer

with TeamViewer Free while you are on

the road!Easily support friends and family

when they have computer problems - no

matter where you are. You can also benefit

from gaining access to your private home

computer to edit documents or use

particular software while you are on the

road.

By

V.NIVETHA

II.B.Sc(IT)

INTRODUCING:“ASK TECHPHYRE!”

Computer based- internet tv:

If you live in cramped quarters,

such as a dorm or say, New York City; try

an all-in-one media aggregator such as

Boxee, or Hulu Desktop to access Internet

television on a PC.

Boxee: This free media center

application is easy to use, compatible with

most computer remotes, and provides a

large print interface for cross-room

viewing. Boxee allows you to add virtual

“channels” such as Food Network, or

CNN, and also connects fast-growing,

web-only television networks, and CNET.

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Hulu Desktop: Hulu is an online

collection of major network television

shows and is jointly owned by NBC

Universal, News Corp (Fox), and Disney

(ABC). The free “Hulu Desktop”

application is a media center that allows a

users to subscribe to new episodes of

shows such as “Modern Family”, and

“Greys Anatomy”. The latest episodes of

these shows are then automatically placed

in the user’s queue when opening the Hulu

Desktop application.

Television Based – Internet TV:

For a majority of users who want to

still make use of a standard television, the

answer lies with low-cost “set-top” boxes

from Apple and Roku.

Apple TV: Consider the Apple TV an

extension of your iTunes library. For $99,

this box brings your existing iTunes music

and movies to the television and allows

content to stream from an existing Netflix

movie account. This device is limited – but

is tops for ease of use.

Roku: Roku currently makes a full line

of streaming set-top boxes, but their $59

Roku HD is the best value. The Roku

allows you to play back content from a

USB drive, and functions similarly to the

Boxee in allowing you to add channels for

content from partners such as MLB,

Netflix, and Revision.

By

M.POORNIMADEVI

II.B.Sc(IT)

MATROX DELIVERS THE

GOODS AT INFOCOMM 2012:

Matrox Maevex Series was an

undeniable highlight at the show, which

was attended by over 34,000 people.

Maevex Series debuted to much fanfare as

visitors to the Matrox Graphics booth were

left in awe of the new twist on video

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15

distribution over IP technology. It

promises to be a much-sought-after cost-

effective solution with applications in

digital signage, security & surveillance,

and military & defence.

The IP extension encoder/decoder pair

delivers either one-to-one unicast or one-

to-many multicast H.264 encoded video

over standard TCP/IP networks via

standard wired CATX and/or wireless (Wi-

Fi) connectivity. The end result is

exceptional extended video at Full 1080p

HD.

Another crowd-gatherer was Matrox

Mura MPX Series video wall controller

boards. Along with a Matrox Avio KVM

extender, Mura drove a collaborative 2x2

video wall designed for visualization

environments and was made up of four

new Mitsubishi 55-inch super-narrow-

bezel LCD monitors.

Mura features both HD-resolution

outputs and inputs on the same board,

yielding maximum flexibility for AV

integrators, seeking to drive for example

4K x 2K LCD monitors and experience the

largest resolutions possible across a video

wall. Mura inputs at InfoComm included a

digital media receiver, an IP camera taking

live video of the Matrox booth, and a Blu-

ray Disc™ player, which demonstrated

Mura's new High-bandwidth Digital

Content Protection compliance. Avio,

which also acted as an input, delivers

uncompressed dual-DVI video on a remote

desktop via fiber-optic cable up to 2000

meters from a host system without any

added latency.

Matrox Director of Sales - Americas

and Asia Pacific Sam Recine delivered a

presentation as part of InfoComm

Manufacturer's Training and discussed in

brief much the same subject, classical local

KVM extenders operating in tandem with a

video wall controller. The presentation,

Display Wall Visualization and

Collaboration, also covered the use of

multi-monitor and USB PCI-Express® bus

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extension, OS and workstation

virtualization, and mission-critical process

control software, among other topics.

Back at the Matrox booth, the 2x2

Mura video wall was not only controlled

by the free-to-download Matrox

MuraControl for iPad app, but also a

Crestron CP3 3-Series Control System and

a Crestron TPMC-V12 tabletop touch-

screen panel, products of a technological

partnership with the automation solutions

leader, which will lead to Mura

compatibility with the entire line of

Crestron touch-panel control systems.

Elsewhere, a Trenton TVC4502 bundled

video wall controller, which houses a

single Mura MPX-4/4 board, was on hand,

attracting interest from many visitors

seeking a turnkey, all-in-one solution.

The recently launched DualHead2Go

Digital SE external multi-display adapter

also made an appearance, its first ever.

Visitors and passers-by were subsequently

treated to dynamic content spread across

two external monitors hooked up to a

single PC. The DualHead2Go Digital SE

enhances efficiency in general by

extending one's desktop space and helps to

captivate audiences during presentations or

as a digital signage solution.

Following a successful showing for

Matrox at InfoComm 2012, it's clear, in no

small part due to the DualHead2Go Digital

SE and all the other Matrox graphics

solutions displayed, there was no shortage

of captivated audiences at booth #N1331.

By

P.PRIYADHARSHINI

II.B.Sc(IT)

MICROSOFT'S NEW OFFICE

SOFTWARE

TO USE CLOUD COMPUTING,

ADAPT FOR MOBILE APPS

AND DEVICES

On Tuesday, July 17th, Microsoft

Corporation (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer

announced a new version of its Office

software. The new version is being

developed to embrace cloud computing

and has been designed to fully integrate

with all types of mobile devices.

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17

– Office will now respond to

traditional keyboards, a mouse, and touch

screen methods, including those that the

company is expected to introduce in

Windows 8.

– Devices running Office will now

use as their default storage drive

Microsoft's new "SkyDrive" cloud storage

service. SkyDrive will enable users to use,

save, and share documents across various

platforms, including mobile phones and

tablets which run on competing operating

systems.

– The new Office will be fully

integrated with Skype video calling and

will enable the Office user to sign in and

restrict access to documents through the

use of visual passwords.

– Microsoft will also update Office

for Mac 2011 later this year so that Apple

users can have access to all the features of

the new software available to them.

Microsoft has designed the new

Office to easily run on its newly

introduced tablet computer Microsoft

Surface. Microsoft worked closely with

Arm Holdings, PLC (AMRC) in the design

of special low-power chips to run Surface

that would not compromise the

performance of Office. In additional

preparation for the introduction of the new

Office and Windows 8, Microsoft

purchased the enterprise-based social

network Yammer for US$1.2 billion just

three weeks ago. Through Windows 8,

Yammer will be fully integrated into

Office.

The company is also demonstrating

through the new Windows 8 and Microsoft

Surface, that it is willing to move away

from traditional mouse and keyboard entry

and make a commitment to touch entry. In

the third quarter of this fiscal year,

Microsoft reported that revenue from the

Business Division grew by 9.1% to US$5.8

billion, largely due to the strength of sales

of its Office software. The company -

which is expected to release recently

closed fourth quarter earnings on July 19th

- is expecting the new version of Office to

significantly expand this growth further, as

it believes the demand for functional

business applications in cloud computing

and integrated mobile devices will

continue to experience strong growth.

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Microsoft shares closed today at

US$29.66, up US$0.22 over closing

yesterday. The stock has increased in value

by 13% since the start of 2012.

By

E.MOHANA

II B.Sc(IT)

THE MACBOOK PRO RETINA

EDITION

Apple and Microsoft are largely on

the same page when it comes to the

hardware that people want. Microsoft is

being more aggressive with regard to UI

design, but you could argue that this is

because it didn't make the big change

Apple did a decade ago. Neither company

likes to make big changes. But faced with

an iPad tsunami, Microsoft figured out it

had better step up, and Windows 8 is the

result.

The Perfect Windows 8 Laptop

Most of the existing laptops in

market suck with Windows 8, with or

without touchscreens. This is because

Windows 8 really pushes three things: It

pushes touch (of course); it pushes

graphics performance; and it pushes

resolution.

Most existing laptops don't even

have multitouch touchpads on them, and

those that do often make them too small or

put a border around them so you can't use

the edges effectively. Windows 8 uses the

edges and corners to bring up critical

menus and aggressively uses gestures, so

you need a large, multitouch touchpad that

is set flush into the wrist rest.

MacBook Pro Retina

Edition

What really drove this home was

that one of the Microsoft executives

briefing me last week was running

Windows on a MacBook Pro on top of

Boot Camp, and he loved it. The MacBook

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19

Pro has a large multitouch touchpad that is

mounted flush to the wrist rest; that's one

check. It has an Nvidia GeForce GT 650

GPU based on Nvidia's new top-of-the-line

Kepler technology; that's another check.

Wrapping Up: What Does This Mean?

It means that Apple and Microsoft

are largely on the same page when it

comes to the hardware that people want.

Microsoft is being more aggressive with

regard to UI design, but you could argue

that this is because it didn't make the big

change Apple did a decade ago.

Neither company likes to make big

changes. But faced with what has become

an iPad tsunami, Microsoft figured out it

had better step up, and Windows 8 is the

result. In the end, although both firms

clearly aren't in agreement on software, on

hardware -- at least laptop hardware -- they

are in lockstep

Product of the Week: Samsung Series 7

Slate

The Samsung Series 7 Slate (700T1A) was

the showcase product at TechEd, and it

really drove home why current Windows

tablets suck and showcased the limitations

Microsoft is targeting with the iPad.

A lot of people want more, though.

In fact, I heard from three large company

IT managers who raved about this tablet

running Windows 8 and plan to deploy it

instead of iPad or Google tablets because

their users want to work not just play.

By

C.GOWSALYA

II.B.Sc(IT)

INFOLINE

20

2012 INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

What's really going on in IT in 2012?

Publishing lists of 2012

information technology trends is so cliché

that it's almost cliché to write about how

cliché it is.

But we can't get enough of them. Why?

Because it's far more fun to dream about

the year ahead, than look back on 2011.

Because while the past 12 months were

most likely full of transition, budget

restraints and other challenges, 2012 is the

"future" - a bright beacon of hope

promising to finally bring us the flying cars

and robot maids we dreamed of as kids.

Well, we're halfway through month

one of 2012 and here's what I see: more

transition, more budget restraints, and

more challenges ahead as a result. Don't

mistake my realism for negativity. I don't

doubt that we'll be talking a lot about

cloud, virtualization, context-aware

computing, big data management and

mobility in 2012 - but how many of us are

moving toward execution on any of

these?

Asset management issues:

Planning for how to re-use, re-sell

or recycle old IT equipment is a pesky job

that doesn't exactly rate high on the "fun"

factor - but eventually, someone's going to

come up with a better use for that storage

closet where you've been hiding

everything, and you'll be stuck with

figuring out how to empty it.

BYOD and consumer product overload :

Everyone and their mother got an iPad

for Christmas - and your team is being

inundated with requests to help set them

up. IT departments would be smart to draft,

approve and publish an end-user policy for

consumer electronic helpdesk requests as

soon as possible.

Increased security risks:

Organizations are liable for securing the

data they store - whether it's on the hard

drives of old CPUs or customer

information that can be accessed through

the CRM. The Computer Security

Institute's 2010/2011 Computer Crime and

Security Survey reported that of the

approximately half of respondents who

experienced at least one security incident

last year, 45.6 percent of them reported

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21

they'd been the subject of at least one

targeted attack.

Business-drivenIT:

Who else is sick of the phrase, "Do

less with more"? There's a reason for that -

the Great Recession is causing many

companies to look at their organizational

structure and question how it can be

improved and optimized. CIOs aren't

immune to this - but they can determine

how that's done, whether it's through

technology (like moving to a virtual

environment to reduce workloads) or

people (reallocating or eliminating

positions).

FUTURE OF INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

Information technology is a highly

important aspect today. Having the ability

to transfer data, store data and keep it safe

is crucial in many ways. Without

information technology many medical

facilities and corporations would find it

difficult to keep information stored

securely.

Computers allow users now to do

many things such as writing much faster

than a traditional typewriter or pen and

paper would do. They also make it very

possible to keep track of people, conduct

business globally much easier than before

and organize and store multiple files.

The future of information

technology may very well involve using

computers to enhance the human brain.

Common computers are expected to

possess the same or nearly the same

capabilities as the human brain in the

future.

Medical science has come a long way

since the turn of the twentieth century.

Many things have come into play that were

never believed to be possible.

The computers in question will have

the ability to hold images, videos and

anything else that the memory retains

within the human brain. Information will

be kept forever, which will make it much

easier to conduct personal and professional

business. Keeping your personal life

information and history safely stored in a

computer may seem like a reach beyond

belief but it very well may happen in the

foreseeable future.

By

S.SWETHA

II.B.Sc (IT)

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22

SURFACE COMPUTING

Milan or The Surface is a Multi

Touch Surface Computer from Microsoft.

Just see the images below to know what is

it all about It's just amazing!!!

Mark Bolger, director of marketing

for Microsoft's surface computing effort,

shows off the company's new "Milan" at a

briefing in San Francisco. The tabletop

computer, for which Microsoft has created

both the hardware and the software, is

entirely driven by touch-there is no mouse

or keyboard.

For now, Microsoft is focusing on

getting the products into public spaces in

the hospitality arena--hotel lobbies,

restaurants and casinos, to name a few.

Customers will be able to touch the

computer's surface to order food and

drinks.

Milan can function as a public

jukebox, as well. Consumers can add their

own music selections to the public playlist

with the touch of a finger. Five infrared

cameras sense fingers or other objects that

touch the surface, while a DLP projector

turned on its side generates the screen

image people see.

Milan, five years in the making, is

the first of what Microsoft hopes will be a

long line of "surface computers." It has a

price tag approaching $10,000, not exactly

consumer-friendly just yet.

Milan's touch-screen capabilities

present all sorts of possibilities for visual

effects.

By

M.PAVITHRA

II.B.Sc(IT)

INFOLINE

23

Iphone

(1) InternetPhone See IP phone and

Softphone.

(2) A smartphone from Apple that

integrates cellphone, iPod, camera, text

messaging, e-mail and Web browsing. Data

and applications can be sent to the phone

wireless or via Apple's iTunes software,

which is used to organize music, videos,

photos and applications (see iTunes).

iPhone and iPhone 3G:

Introduced in the U.S. in mid-2007,

and available in the U.S. exclusively from

AT&T until 2011, the iPhone was

superseded by the iPhone 3G in July 2008.

The 3G added higher data speed (the 3G),

GPS and an application platform that turned

the iPhone into a general-purpose mobile

computer. With the 3G, the iPhone was

finally introduced in Canada by Rogers

Communications and its Fido subsidiary. It

was also made available in many other parts

of the world

iPhone 3G S and iPhone 4:

In June 2009, the 3G S was

introduced with a faster processor, video

camera, voice phone dialer and improved

battery life. The iPhone 4, which debuted in

June 2010, added multitasking, much

higher resolution and video calling Version

4 of the OS also added multitasking to the

3G S, but not previous models.

Quite a Frenzy:

The iPhone's touch screen interface

was greatly anticipated, and no phone in the

history of the cellular industry ever created

so much buzz. People actually camped out

overnight to be first in line. AT&T stores

closed early Friday, June 29, 2007 to set up

the displays, reopening at 6pm and staying

late to accommodate customers.

Considering more than 20 million iPhones

were purchased in the following two years,

the enthusiasm was justified.

Specifications and Network Speeds:

The iPhone is a quad-band GSM

phone with music and video playback,

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and still and video

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24

cameras. Powered by an ARM processor, it

uses a custom version of the Mac OS X

operating system. The maximum flash

storage started out at 8GB, increasing to

16GB and 32GB in subsequent models.

Often called the "2G," the first

iPhone used only the EDGE cellular

network, while the iPhone 3G, 3G S and 4

support both EDGE and the higher-speed

HSDPA 3G network. For example, HSDPA

downloads are 200-1000 Kbps compared to

70-150 Kbps for EDGE. Although

EDGE/HSDPA service is generally always

available and Wi-Fi hotspots are not, Wi-Fi

still provides the fastest data transfer.

One inconvenience is that, like the

iPod, the iPhone has a sealed battery and

must be sent to Apple or to a third-party

company for replacement if not under

warranty. There is also no memory card slot

for expansion.

By

K.MURALIPRASAD

II.B.Sc(IT)

MICROSOFT PERSONAL

COMPUTING HARDWARE

DEVICES

Microsoft is committed to

protecting your privacy, while delivering

software for use with Microsoft branded

personal computing hardware devices. This

privacy statement explains many of the

data collection and use practices of

Microsoft Hardware Devices and related

software (“Hardware Device”). It focuses

on features that communicate with the

Internet. It does not apply to other online

or offline Microsoft sites, products, or

services. This privacy statement applies to

Hardware Devices that display or link to

this privacy statement.

Collection and Use of Your Information

The information we collect from

you will be used by Microsoft and its

controlled subsidiaries and affiliates to

enable the features you are using and

provide the services or carry out the

transactions you have requested or

authorized. It may also be used to analyze

and improve Microsoft products and

services.

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25

Microsoft may access or disclose

information about you, including the

content of your communications, in order

to:

(a) comply with the law or respond

to lawful requests or legal process;

(b) protect the rights or property of

Microsoft or our customers, including the

enforcement of our agreements or policies

governing your use of the services; or

(c) act on a good faith belief that

such access or disclosure is necessary to

protect the personal safety of Microsoft

employees, customers, or the public.

Collection and Use of Information about

Your Computer

Standard computer information

typically includes information such as your

IP address, operating system version,

browser version, and regional and

language settings. In some cases, standard

computer information may also include

hardware ID, which indicates the device

manufacturer, device name, and version. If

a particular feature or service sends

information to Microsoft, standard

computer information will be sent as well.

Security of your information

Microsoft is committed to helping

protect the security of your information.

We use a variety of security technologies

and procedures to help protect your

information from unauthorized access, use,

or disclosure. For example, we store the

information you provide on computer

systems with limited access, which are

located in controlled facilities.

Changes to this privacy statement

We will occasionally update this

privacy statement to reflect changes in our

products, services, and customer feedback.

When we post changes, we will revise the

"last updated" date at the top of this

statement. If there are material changes to

this statement or in how Microsoft will use

your personal information, we will notify

you either by posting a notice of such

changes prior to implementing the change

or by directly sending you a notification.

We encourage you to periodically review

this statement to be informed of how

Microsoft is protecting your information.

Specific features:

• Customer Experience Improvement

Program

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26

• Microsoft Error Reporting

• Microsoft Hardware Automatic

Updates

LifeCam/LifeChat Software Installation

What This Feature Does:

It is necessary for your computer to

be able to access the Internet during the

installation procedure of the

LifeCam/LifeChat software. Information

about your computer configuration will be

sent to Microsoft to determine the latest

version of software to download and

install.

Information Collected, Processed, or

Transmitted:

When you first install

LifeCam/LifeChat, the LifeCam/LifeChat

software will send information about your

computer configuration to Microsoft to

determine the Microsoft download

location.

Use of Information:

LifeCam/LifeChat Installation uses

computer configuration information to

ensure that the latest version of the

LifeCam/LifeChat software that matches

your system configuration is downloaded.

Although the IP address you use to access

the Internet is sent to Microsoft, it will not

be used to identify or contact you.

By

D.KIRUTHIKA

II.B.Sc(IT)