WikiLeaks, an open information group, has criticized Google for handing out personal data and emails belonging to three of its employees to the US government.
Google had given away the digital data in response for investigation concerning espionage against three WikiLeaks staff members; Sarah Harrison, Kristinn Hrafnsson and Joseph Farrell to the Justice Department order. This data included emails, IP addresses, metadata and other content. According to Google, the company was unable to say anything as a ‘gag order’ had been imposed which restricts them to reveal information.
Google also stated that it has a policy of informing the users about government requests, “except in limited cases like when a gag order is issued by the court, which sadly happens frequently.”
A letter, written by WikiLeak’s New York based lawyer, Michael Ratner, to Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, to protest that the search engine revealed this scam only a month ago. WikiLeaks says they are ‘astonished and disturbed’ by the fact that Google waited for almost three years to notify its subscribers, possibly robbing them of their rights to privacy.
The letter asks Google to list everything they have provided to the FBI and whether it has yet to reveal any other data demands and as to why Google waited for more than two and a half years to provide any notice.
WikiLeaks was formed by Julian Assange. It came to the public view in 2010 when they published a pile of classified government information, including leaked US diplomatic links.
Education is an essential requirement for the growth of a nation. Especially in a democracy, education matters the most because we are ruled by our ideas, and an illiterate or ignorant population is easy to influence and misdirect. India has a massive population, a considerable percentage of which is illiterate (25.6% according to 2011 Census). It is shameful for a nation with the third biggest economy in the world that a quarter of its population is not capable of becoming informed and empowered citizens. The technology age can provide solutions to this problem and young entrepreneurs across the country are working to take on the problem of illiteracy. One such company is Nayi Disha Studios.
Founded by graduates of BITS-Pilani and Stanford University, Nayi Disha uses motion-sensing technology based games to bring a new approach to the art of teaching. Classroom teaching can get mundane especially for the preschoolers who are not used to sitting at one spot for an extended period of time. Here, Nayi Disha’s game-based education helps them learn while having loads of fun. Their products are currently installed at several prestigious schools and pre-schools in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and many more cities throughout India.
We had a conversation with the Co-founder of Nayi Disha; Mr Kartik Aneja. He walked us through the workings of this innovative new pedagogical experiment.
Founder of Nayi Disha, Kartik Aneja, at work
At present, Nayi Disha caters to preschoolers. What makes their systems special is that there is no keyboard, mouse or touch involved. Using sensors like Leap motion, Intel RealSense, and Microsoft Kinect, these games track and react to the child’s movement.
Kartik says that he had his ‘light bulb’ moment while he was interning at HP Labs. There he came across the Aakash tablet which was yet to arrive in market back then. He says that he was excited at first but after spending thirty minutes with the device he realized that it wasn’t that great, and he had a splitting headache. That’s when he thought that even he can make something better than the tablet and so got into creating his own product.
All the games of Nayi Disha are centered around a character called Kaju. Each game starts with Kaju going on an adventure or getting into trouble, which then transforms into a fun lesson. The games are based on concepts like number line, flying through space, comparisons, heavy and light, water cycles and more.
When asked about the feedback from children, he had just this to say, ”Kids love it, it’s as simple as that.” He further added,“ these kids are sitting all day at one spot and even in the most hands-on class; they are still sitting in a confined place. They have so much energy in them, and they are only waiting for the Kaju period or Nayi Disha period where they can just jump around and do whatever they want.”
Kaju, the lead character of the games.
The games are fun, but what are long term prospects of this kind of education? Kartik replies that it’s evident in research that kids learn at different paces. Some kids learn by looking, some by listening and there are some who learn by moving around. Each class has a category of learners called kinesthetic learners; children who don’t learn in regular classrooms, who are termed the naughty ones. For them, this technology is great.
Research is an important aspect for educational game creation and Nayi Disha pays active attention to it. Kartik’s team regularly interacts with teachers from a lot of different schools. Even before beginning any work on their project, Kartik and his co-founder spent a considerable time at a school in Ahmedabad to gain first-hand experience with the kids. They rode with the kids in the bus to school and then spent the entire day with them. They observed their needs and capabilities through the course of the day.
After that, they returned to conduct focus groups with the teachers. They also checked out curriculums from different parts of the country and different parts of the world for their research. They even hire child psychologists to assist them in designing their courses.
On the hardware front, Nayi Disha builds on the available resources in the market. The games don’t require heavy hardware configurations. They recommend PC’s with Intel i3 processors and above, 2 GB plus RAM, and a GPU to run the games optimally. So there is no requirement of expense gaming consoles to run these motion based games.
Nayi Disha’s team is also working on bringing the games directly to the market. They did a small experiment in which they uploaded one of their games on the Microsoft Windows Store, and they got some good responses there. Even though the games cater to a niche platform, they were downloaded all around the world. They are also working on bringing the games on Android and other popular formats.
The path ahead looks good for the studios. They are presently working to introduce more games in their arsenal. Also starting next month (January 2015) the company will be beginning classes in the United States. Nayi Disha Studios shows us that if you have an idea and work diligently towards making it a reality, you can achieve great things. We hope to see more such entrepreneurial initiatives from the young minds of India.
If you or someone you know has an engaging initiative such as this, feel free to tip us on our website.
WhatsApp has all but replaced SMS. The service has gained a massive following and has about 700 million monthly users. The hitch with the service is that you always need the internet to stay connected with your contacts. But a new SIM called WhatSIM will let you access WhatsApp anywhere in the world without the need of the internet.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, this is for real. WhatSIM has been invented by Manuel Zanella, who is also the founder of ZeroMobile, Italy’s first Global Mobile Operator for low-cost roaming. The company offers the SIM for a price of €10 with an additional €5 shipping charge. Once purchased, the SIM can be used for an entire year without any subscription fee.
WhatSIM finds the best network in the region and automatically shifts to it thus giving you non stop connectivity to WhatsApp.
The company claims that WhatSIM can be used anywhere in the world as it connects to the provider with the best coverage and signal wherever you are. If you change your position, it automatically searches for a new provider. If a better one is available, it connects by itself without you even noticing.
The service only takes care of texts. For other features such as videos, images, audio, etc, you would need to buy credits. These credits start from €5. You will require 150 credits to send photos, 600 credits to send videos and 30 credits to send voice texts. The recharge will begin February 26. So if you are a globetrotter or simply living in a land with awful internet connectivity, then WhatSIM may be a good option for you.
The much-awaited consumer preview of Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 10 is here. This is, of course, the best Windows OS yet and tries to repent for Microsoft’s follies in Windows 8. There are a lot of amazing features such as the return of the Start menu, Cortana, a new browser dubbed Spartan and much more. Windows 10 seems like it might also give a boost to Microsoft’s ailing smartphone business that it acquired from Nokia. But the gizmo that won everybody’s heart was the HoloLens, a one of a kind wearable that brings science fiction into reality. We look at this amazing innovation from Microsoft and see if the biggest tech company in the world finally found its winning formula.
HoloLens can make all our displays obsolete as it can conjure a display anywhere you want
A Seamless Interaction between Digital Life and Real Life
Microsoft hits the top podium stand with the HoloLens at least in terms of imagination and innovation. The HoloLens has no match if you consider the manner in which it is presented. There have been previous attempts at making augmented reality based holographic glasses like Meta 1, but they appeared rather rudimentary. Google’s HoloLens gets the power of Windows 10 that will give it a boost above the rest. Also, with this product, Microsoft finally gets to stand up to Apple, whose biggest innovative offering has been the Apple Watch, which suffers from an extreme battery draining problem.
HoloLens bring Holographs into your everyday life.
The demos of the HoloLens were definitely mind blowing. The virtual holographic objects appear as if they are a part of the real world. Interaction with this world also feels like a breeze. Microsoft has also unveiled the Holo Studio that lets you create 3D objects in a 3D environment and then using 3D printers, bring them into the real world. Unlike most of the product demo videos that exaggerate the possibilities of the technology, HoloLens seemed to perform exactly as it was presented. The creation process of the quad copter literally felt as if we were in Tony Stark’s workspace.
The Technology
The HoloLens is a self contained computer on its own and doesn’t require connection to Phone or a PC.
The HoloLens is a self-contained computer. It includes a CPU, a GPU, and a dedicated holographic processor unit (HPU). It neither has wire nor does it require a connection to a phone, PC or any other device. It has 120 by 120 field of view, which is even wider than the Kinect. The wide view lets it see what your hands are doing even while they’re completely outstretched. The device has to process a lot of information that might lead to a lot of heat, to solve the issue; there are air vents on the side that disperse the heat. On the right side of the device are the buttons that let you adjust the volume and contrast of the Holographs.
Applications
HoloLens doesn’t just present an amazing bunch of features it also makes several previous technology such as various displays almost obsolete. With the HoloLens, you can conjure a display anywhere and of any size you desire. It can be used as a teaching tool and would bring a whole new meaning to “learning by doing”. Students can be given lessons in an interactive format where they’ll get the option to manipulate the lessons to see what happens. For e.g.; a holographic globe can be used in the class learning Geography that shows the movement of ocean currents and the formation clouds caused by it. This would be a lot more interactive than a dull map with lines drawn on them.
Lessons get interactive and more engaging with HoloLens.
You can also bid goodbye to the game boards, and the gaming consoles as the entire world becomes a virtual gaming space. As the technology will progress, developers are bound to introduce virtual reality gaming that with the might of HoloLens, will be better than anything we’ve experienced till now.
Designing process gets real easy with real time 3D modelling coupled with 3D printing.
On the enterprise front, the HoloLens will allow for virtual interactions between the entire team even if they are sitting thousands of kilometres away. Industrial designing, when coupled with 3D printing, would make the design process a lot more interactive. A vehicle designer or an architect can have an all-round view of their project and can find deficiencies and solve it after which they can get a 3D model printed.
Mars, just a HoloLens away
Microsoft has partnered with Nasa to create OnSight that lets scientists walk on Mars surface.
The coolest aspect of the HoloLens is how it is useful for the scientists at NASA. Now the researchers can have an immersive view of the Martian surface. To aid the scientists, Nasa and Microsoft have created a software called OnSight. Using the data sent by the Curiosity Rover on Mars, the scientist can have access to the surroundings of the rover to almost the same degree as a geologist on earth. Nasa plans to proactively use the OnSight software for the research. They also plan to integrate the technology in future missions including the next Mars rover expected to launch in 2020.
Microsoft will be opening the platform for developers this spring. The developers will get access to all the information during Microsoft’s Build conference from April 29 to May 1, 2015. Microsoft has said that it will be priced for both enterprise as well as consumer users. With the HoloLens and the successful preview of the Windows 10, Microsoft has finally managed to win our hearts again. With the HoloLens, everybody gets to be Tony Stark. Microsoft has not just pushed boundaries of holography but has also set a technological standard for others to match.
Dear Apple, that Watch just doesn’t cut it anymore, show us something that really blows our minds.
Audio has always been Sony’s strong suit. They are, of course, the creators of the legendary Walkmans that changed the way we listened to music. When the mobile phone era came about, then Sony brought that experience in their line of multimedia phones which sold like hot cakes. Lately the company hasn’t had a good time on the business side of things, but it hasn’t stopped them from bringing new products to the market. Now the company has brought two new products to India that it claims will deliver the best possible audio output.
MDR Z7
First of the new launches is the MDR-Z7 headphones. Sony has installed newly developed 70 mm drivers in these headphones. Sony claims that MDR-Z7 has special silver-coated OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) cable that reduces signal transmission loss. It is said to be capable of critical high frequencies that are “faithfully reproduced right up to 100 kHz”. Sony claims it can recreate studio quality sound.
The second device from the company is the PHA-3 high-resolution sound amplifier. This device takes in audio input from any source and enhances its quality. The PHA-3 can be connected to your smartphone, Walkman, or PC with a USB cable, and digital signals are directly sent to the portable headphone amp. It has a dedicated power source that supplies power lavishly without consuming the smartphone’s battery.
PHA-3
When put together, Sony claims that the two products, establish a unique balanced connection circuit in which the left and right channel signals are transmitted separately to MDR-Z7. This results in minimal cross talk and crystal clear sound.
These are professional grade products and are priced accordingly. The MDR-Z7 headphones are priced at Rs. 41,990 while the PHA-3 audio amplifier has a price tag of Rs. 74,990.
The much-awaited Yu Yureka went on sale but not without some issues. The folks at YU claimed to have sold 10,000 devices in 3 seconds, but some users reported that the company only sold around 3,000 devices. Then a technical glitch at Amazon led to some users getting a price of Rs.12,499 instead of the original price of Rs.8,999. Amazon said that it will compensate for the heightened prices. But the compensation, which was given in the form of Amazon gift certificates, has enraged the buyers.
A screenshot of an email received by an Facebook user from Amazon has been doing rounds on social media. It shows the company offering a gift certificate instead of a refund. The gift certificate is said to work across all Amazon services like Kindle eBooks and apps. It seems Amazon doesn’t realize yet that when Indians say they want their money back, they mean they need their ‘money back’. A gift certificate or store credit is just not an option.
Amazon shouldn’t have a lot of issue in refunding back the money. As the monetary transaction was done digitally it, would have been rather easy for the company to return it back to the original account.
It’s not sure as of yet as to how many customers were affected by the glitch and both Yu and Amazon have not commented on it. The phone itself has received some favorable reviews but the glitches in sale can hamper its prospects. A second sale for the Yu Yureka will take place tomorrow, the 22nd of January at 2PM. Hopefully, Amazon is ready to take on the task this time around.
Google Maps Engine is a tool that lets developers create their own maps on top of Google provided maps. The service now faces a shutdown as the engine is supposedly slowing down. Google Maps will remain functional, but the service to create customized maps will be pulled off.
ZDNet reports that the search giant will end the service in the coming year after which users won’t be able to sign into the service. A rival map maker CartoDB is said to be replacing the service.
Google has confirmed the shutdown and said that they will support the clients who use the Maps for Work product by Google through their contract period. Maps for Work gave enterprises and businesses the power to visualize their business on the map and attract more customers using the various features. There aren’t any reasons cited for the shutdown.
CartoDB hopes to be the replacement of this Google Maps engine and is expected to run on the Google Cloud Platform. It can also be engaged with Google sign-in accounts.
These are some of the moments when big corporations have to do the unfavorable thing. The company had given immense tools in the hands of the people in the form of the Maps Engine. The sting of shutdown will be felt by businesses as well as by Google.
Just a few days back, SpaceX chief, Elon Musk was in the news again when he talked about his audacious plan to connect the world through space-based internet. He said that this would not just benefit the internet users around the world; it will also help connect those last 3 Billion people who still don’t have access to the internet. The plan as anyone can expect would be expensive, but seems like Elon may now have a partner with one of the deepest pockets in the business; the search giant Google.
Elon has stated that the cost of setting up the constellation of satellites would be above $10 Billion. He claims that this system of providing internet would be speedier and more convenient to spread around. The satellites are expected to be connected through a laser based system as Elon doesn’t have rights to use radio waves.
Google will be investing $1Billion in Satellite Internet initiative of SpaceX
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is interested in investing $1 Billion into the project to kick off the initial stages of the development of the constellation. This deal would be beneficial for Google too as the internet behemoth would find a massive new user base. Google has been known for investmenting in multiple areas to spread the reach of the internet around the world. Previously the company has invested in Project Loon that is an initiative to provide internet through giant helium balloons circling the globe that are equipped to beam Wi-Fi signals down below. Along with that the company was also planning a massive investment in undersea cables to bring 60 Tbps Internet connectivity for Asia.
The main competition to the SpaceX initiative is Greg Wyler’s OneWeb project backed by Qualcomm and Virgin .
Google was also working with Greg Wyler whose project is almost similar to SpaceX’s plan. Greg left Google last year to form his own satellite company called OneWeb. The company is now backed by Virgin founder Richard Branson and chip maker Qualcomm. Richard had earlier said that Elon doesn’t have the spectrum license, and there isn’t a space for a competing company, so SpaceX should join OneWeb’s initiative. But it seems now that with Google’s blessings on their side, SpaceX can make their plans, a reality. It will also be interesting to see how the company manages to provide the service without access to radio waves. Get ready for some big corporate fights on this issue.
For Google, the initiative, to bring the internet through satellites, will also be cheaper than laying those expensive submarine cables. And the rest of humanity will benefit from the access to the internet. This sounds like a win-win for all. The icing on the cake is Elon’s hopes of setting up a human station on Mars from the revenue of the satellite based internet.
Wireless charging is efficient and convenient but it requires you to keep the phone on a particular surface. Microsoft wants to make your life even easier. The company has created a prototype device that can charge your device without the need of a charging dock or surface.
The technology is called AutoCharge and for now it uses Microsoft’s motion sensor, Kinect. The AutoCharge setup is placed overhead from where it constantly scans the surface of smartphone shaped objects. Once it recognises that the smartphone is in view it, sends out a beam of light on the surface of the phone. The phone surface is made of photovoltaic panel that will absorb the light to generate electricity.
AutoCharge uses Kinect to detect the phone that needs to be charged.
To make sure that AutoCharge recognises the smartphone and assess if the device needs charge, the device is provided with a microcontroller and a LED light. The light blinks in a specific pattern to indicate the amount of charge in the device. Once the device is all juiced up the LED, blinks in a different pattern and tells AutoCharge to cease charging.
The team behind the project has agreed in their paper that this technology will take a while to reach the hands of the consumer. There aren’t many devices either which have photovoltaic films on them yet. The biggest disadvantage of wireless charging is that you need to keep it on the specific surface. A system that lets you use the device however you choose, while charging, would really help the customers. But you have to agree that the good old wired charger works great. Wireless charging has a long way to go before it matches up to the convenience like that.
Michio Kaku is one of the most famous physicist and futurist in the world. He has for years given us the ‘vision of the future’. We look at this interview he gave in 2004 for the show ‘Screen Savers’ about the future of technology, computers and artificial intelligence. Most of what he predicted seems to be coming true.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”Wikipedia”]
Moore’s law is the observation that, over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. The observation is named after Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of the Intel Corporation, who described the trend in his 1965 paper.
[/quote]
Mr. Kaku predicted 11 years back that processing technology would get so shrunk down that it would reach its limit. We are already looking at beginning of that collapse. The processing might of our phones and computers are fast becoming static or have reached maturity. This is the reason why companies are investing in new product families such as wearables and the Internet of Things. Our present gadgets though, still have a few years before they become obsolete, so don’t worry yet.
Quantum Computing is still in its infancy, but we have seen some results that are encouraging. At present, Google and NASA possess a quantum computer capable of handling 512 qubits and is known as the D-Wave system.
Artificial Intelligence is also a major topic of discussion and we have heard concerns raised by famous tech personalities. Dr.Kaku says that there may be a time when the robots might want to take over human masters, but he also presents a solution to it using an Asimov chip.
Watch the whole video for some exciting nerdgasms:
The long wait for Xiaomi’s Indian fans is coming to an end. For those who were anxiously waiting for the Mi3 to make a return for a Flipkart flash sale, this might be a bit disappointing. But for those who were eyeing the Mi4, it’s time of a happy dance.
In an exclusive interview with Indian Express, Xiaomi’s India Head Manu Jain, said that the company would be bringing the Mi4 to India on the 28th of January.
The Xiaomi Mi4 flaunts a 5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display. Its processing might comes from a 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and possesses 3 GB of RAM. The device is available in 16 and 64 GB variants. It is powered by a 3080 mAh battery.
The Mi4 sports a 13 MP main camera and an 8 MP front camera and the device runs on Android 4.4.3 KitKat operating system.
The price of the device is expected to be around Rs 20,000. So if you were waiting for the Mi3 and had saved for it, you have about nine days to gather the rest of the money before the stampede begins.
China is doing everything in its power to excite foreign investors to come invest their resources in their country. The government of China has now allowed foreign investors to hold 100% stake in e-commerce companies in Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone.
This new policy comes from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Previously the investors needed to partner with a Chinese company to conduct business. They were also only allowed to own 55 percent stake in the company. China aims to gather more access to retailers and consumers outside the country.
The Shanghai Free Trade Zone (SFTZ) was established in 2013. It is the first free trade zone in mainland China and spans across 29 square kilometers. The intention is for the SFTZ to expand gradually to cover the entire 1,210 square kilometres.
Chinese E-Commerce company Alibaba made history by offering a $25 Billion IPO.
At present, there are more than 12,000 companies operating in the SFTZ. This number also includes 1,677 foreign-funded firms. This decision today will help the foreign companies such as Amazon to infiltrate into the Chinese e-commerce space.
The Chinese e-commerce market is profitable and growing at a rapid rate. At present, there are about 330 million online shoppers in the country, which, for perspective, is more than the entire population of the United States. Chinese e-commerce company, Alibaba.com had also shown its might on the NYSE when if offered the biggest IPO in history worth US$ 25 Billion. Alibaba is planning to enter India and was in talks with Snapdeal in September 2014.
When Facebook acquired Oculus Rift for a price of $2 Billion, we had a feeling it has something big planned for it. Virtual Reality(VR) is a budding market that is growing at a slow and steady pace. Facebook sees huge potential for these devices and is now on a hiring spree to get Oculus Rift up and running in the consumer space.
Oculus can be credit for bringing Virtual Reality back from the dead. Using the increased processing might of this generation chipset has helped these device give an authentic VR experience. The graphics quality has gotten better and there are now multiple headset options in the market that promise an immersive experience. While devices like Gear VR from Samsung are already in the market, Oculus Rift’s consumer version is still in the development stage.
Facebook acquired Oculus last year for a sum of $2 Billion
Facebook has listed 54 jobs on its website that seem to directly focus on it VR division. The jobs listed include managers to oversee logistics, procurement and global supply chain planning. Analysts believe this hints that the company is ready to bring the consumer version in the market.
If you want to test out the Oculus Rift, the company offers a Developers Kit that supports over 188 game titles. Other players in the VR market include Sony with its Project Morpheus, Google with the low-cost headset called the Cardboard project and Avegant Glyph. There are also some start-up projects working on their VR headsets too, like ANTVR.
We hope the wait for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift is coming to an end. It may be only a while before VR would be the way to game because of its immersive advantage.
If you ever hear an audacious, game-changing technology initiative, there is a high possibility it’s the brainchild of Elon Musk. After taking on spaceships and electric cars, Elon plans to create a vast network of satellites which will provide high-speed internet, that will benefit the rural folks untouched by the internet.
Elon spoke of his plans at a SpaceX conference in Seattle where the company is starting a new office. He said that he wants to establish his space internet system as a rival to fibre optics. Light waves travel 40% faster in the vacuum of space than through optical fibre cables. Musk will be opening a new office in Seattle and he plans to go on a hiring spree for space and aeronautics professionals to boost his efforts.
Elon’s Space X is the most successful private space enterprise.
These internet beaming satellites will be placed in an orbit 750 miles (1207 km) above the Earth’s surface. The traditional communication satellites are placed in a geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of up to 22000 miles (35400 km). Elon says that by placing the satellites closer to the earth’s surface, the electromagnetic waves would have to travel a smaller distance and hence provide faster internet. He adds that with his technique, instead of sending data packets over long terrestrial networks like undersea cables, they can be bounced off various satellites. The data packets would be sent directly to satellites where they will bounce off multiple satellites before reaching the one closest to the destination.
There are many efforts, currently being undertaken to connect the last three billion who are still oblivious to the internet. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet.org and Google’s Project Loon are some of those initiatives. The Internet is making us globally connected and will help boost global cooperation.
The plan is to create a vast network of satellites which beam internet directly to the consumers
As of now, this project sounds too audacious, even for Elon Musk. He says that this initiative will cost about $10 Billion, but once established, his company will use it as a revenue source to build a city on Mars. He also doesn’t have the rights to the spectrum to build the service as of yet. So it remains to be seen how he takes this plan forward.
Elon’s bold connectivity plans doesn’t end at connecting everyone on Earth. He wants to set up a communications infrastructure on Mars too. His company is actively working on prospects of establishing a Martian colony in the coming future. You have to give credit to Elon Musk; he wants to make sure that even though people would be living in a settlement on Mars, they would not be devoid of their favorite websites.
Microsoft’s Xbox One had a good holiday season last year where it outsold its arch nemesis, the Sony Playstation. The trick Microsoft used was selling the Kinect motion sensor as a separate device and slashing down the cost of the gaming console by $50. But the company has bigger plans for its gaming ecosystem, and it will be unveiling them real soon.
Microsoft will be holding a consumer preview of its next operating system, Windows 10 on the 21st of January. It has already held a developer’s preview where it showcased several new features along with the return of the trusty old Start Menu that it unceremoniously pulled out in Windows 8. The new OS also comes with features like multiple desktops and a Task View for multitasking.
Microsoft will be presenting a consumer preview of Windows 10 on January 21
During the event, Xbox’s Head, Phil Spencer will unveil the company’s plans for increasing the gaming ability of the desktop systems. In a post on the Xbox Weblog page, the company has said, “Our goal is to help PC gaming flourish, and we’re excited to be helping shape the future of Windows. Phil Spencer will be sharing on the Windows consumer experience at a Windows event on January 21, including the role that gaming will play.”
We are eagerly waiting for the new Windows operating system. Also, prospects of additional gaming support would really make hardcore PC gamer’s brains’ tingle.
