Windows Phone 8.1 new features

Microsoft officially unveiled the latest revision of its mobile platform - Windows Phone 8.1. The new release brings a lot of new features and improvements to the OS. Most of those you already know from the numerous leaks through the pre-release SDK, but here's the full list.

Cortana – Windows Phone’s personal virtual assistant

Windows Phone 8.1 brings its own virtual personal assistant called Cortana. With Android having Google Now and Apple boasting Siri, it was about time Microsoft also joined the native personal assistant to Windows Phone.
The Bing-powered Cortana plays an important role in WP 8.1 letting you set reminders, calendar events, call people, give you information about places you have or plan to visit. She also knows sports, gives weather info and basically everything you would expect from a virtual assistant. She’s going to be accessible through the Search key and features advanced voice recognition. This allows you to ask Cortana to search the web as well.

Cortana is also able to feed you custom notifications based on your personal information and usage data, should you allow it, much like Google Now. At launch, Bing and Foursquare are going to be feeding Cortana with information for places and events, but more online services will follow soon.
Joe Belfiore confirmed Cortana will be available in the US at first with the UK and China second. Other countries will follow later on.

Action Center

Windows Phone 8.1 finally gets a dedicated notification center called Action Center. It holds customizable quick setting toggles, which include brightness adjustment, location settings, rotation locks, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off among others. Below that you get a notification drawer with a full list of ongoing notifications such as email, text messages, missed calls and even notifications from Cortana.

Updated lockscreen and custom tile backgrounds

Thanks to new open APIs, Windows Phone 8.1 allows applications to take control over the lockscreen and change the theme or alter its functionality altogether.


Joe Belfiore demonstrated a bunch of cool lockscreens, which displayed custom calendar entries with nice designs.
The other great customization feature is the option to set up custom backgrounds for the Start screen tiles. Small, but totally needed feature to make Windows Phone truly personal.
Another UI change means that you will now be able to select whether to have a third live tile column on the Start screen. Previously, this was set only by the phone manufacturer, so it's cool Microsoft lets the user make this decision in WP 8.1.

Internet Explorer 11

Windows Phone 8.1 ships with the latest version of Internet Explorer. IE 11 brings reading view, which grabs websites and extracts their text for easier reading. It also comes with a tuned up password manager, which will sync your passwords across multiple devices.
There’s also an InPrivate mode enabling incognito browsing. It doesn’t make you invisible on the web, but rather disable history storing and cookie information is deleted once an incognito tab is closed.
Users are now able to upload files through IE 11, with the browser also supporting WebGL and YouTube’s HTML5 video player.

Enterprise and security

The latest instalment of Windows Phone comes with VPN support. Now, you can punch in your VPN settings into the phone and surf the way more securely. WP 8.1 also supports S/MIME, which allows you sign and encrypt your email.

Sense apps

Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about its Sense apps and has added a few cool features to them. Battery Power Sense is the familiar app that tracks what software uses the phone’s resources most and gives you a handy overview of how your phone’s battery gets drained. Naturally, you can do something about it thanks to the Battery Saver option, which has app exclusion list.


Data and Wi-Fi Sense will give you greater control over how you use your network. Wi-Fi Sense is a cool new addition that gives you the ability to share the internet connectivity of your secured Wi-Fi networks with your Skype, Facebook and Outlook contacts without having to give the password. It also allows you to find and connect to free open Wi-Fi networks automatically.

Misc features

On-screen keys
Just as a couple leaked screenshots suggested earlier, Windows Phone 8.1 now features on-screen software keys – Search, Start and Back. This means the requirement for hardware keys below the screen is a thing of the past

Quiet hours
Now in Windows Phone 8.1 you can set any period of the day when you want only a certain group of people to be able to reach you. This feature is called Quiet hours and is accessible from the Settings.
Wordflow Keyboard
A new option in the Windows Phone 8.1 keyboard is called Wordflow - a Swype-like input method allowing you to quickly input words by swiping through the letters. Joe Belfiore says it's so good that in fact it has set the new Guinness World Record for fastest writing on a smartphone, dethroning the Galaxy S4.

10 Best Anti-Virus Companies

1. Kaspersky

With the initial release of their product in 2006, Kaspersky Anti-Virus offers real-time protection, detection and removal of viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, adware, keyloggers malicious tools and auto-dialers. Headquartered in Russia, the Kaspersky Labs develops anti-virus that runs on Microsoft Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems. In addition to it the anti-virus company develops products for Internet and Mobile security.

2 Avast!

With the name Avast standing as an acronym of "Anti-Virus – Advanced Set" the company develops Freemium anti-virus softwares. Headquarted in Prague, Czech Republic, Avast! provides its support on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux platforms. With over 17.4 percent of the worldwide antivirus vendor market share as on 2012 the anti-virus still remains among the most trusted in the world.

 

3. AVG

With its headquarter in Czech, AVG entered into the market releasing its first product in 1996. The product supports operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. Apart from the internet security AVG develops products for mobile and enterprise security. The software has the ability to repair virus-infected files and report them as quarantine for future use

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4. Symantec

Symantec is an American computer security, backup and availability solutions Software Corporation headquartered in Mountain View, California. Founded in 1982, the major products by the firm include Norton AntiVirus, Norton One, Norton 360, Norton Internet Security, Symantec Endpoint Protection and many others. It is one of the most preferred antivirus providers and one among the Fortune 500 companies.

5. Quick Heal

Headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, Quick Heal develops products for PC Security, Mobile Security, Network Security and Enterprise PC security. Founded by Kailash Katkar and Sanjay Katkar, the company started its function in 1993. The flagship product from Quick heal, named as Quick Heal Total Security, provides core protection, Data Theft Protection, web security, Parental Control, Safe Mode Protection and flash drive protection.

 

6 .ESET

ESET is headquartered in Bratislava, Slovakia and was established in 1992. The company produces a plethora of products including anti-virus, anti spyware, firewall, antitheft, and social media scanner. In addition to Microsoft Windows, the products by ESET supports Linux, Mac OS X, Novell NetWare and Sun Solaris. The NOD32 antivirus is the flagship product from the manufacturer and is highly trustable.

7. Microsoft Security Essentials

Developed by Microsoft the antivirus software provides protection against different types of malware such as computer viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojan horses. The antivirus is available for home users and small enterprises for free and was first released in 2009. Microsoft Security Essentials works with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 however does not support Windows 8.

8. McAfee

McAfee is an American global computer security software company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. With a vast range of products that assists in Data Protection, Database Security, Email and Web Security, Endpoint Protection, Mobile Security and Network Security, McAfee is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. Founded in 1987 the firm is named after its founder John McAfee the company was later acquired by Intel and stands one among the most trusted anti-virus companies in the world of security.

9. Avira

With an estimated 9.6 percent of market share with over 100 million customers, Avira develops products including Antivirus, internet security, firewall and Cloud protection. The company has its headquarters in Germany and was founded in 1986. The free Antivirus from the manufactures supports Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8 platforms.

 

10. Bitdefender

Headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, the company uplifts the security with products like antivirus, anti-spyware, firewall, e-mail spam filtering, backup, tune-up and parental control components. Founded in 2001 the latest products of Bitdefender are Antivirus Plus 2014, Internet Security 2014, Total Security 2014 and Free Antivirus 2014. The Antivirus home edition from the manufacturer runs on Microsoft Windows, Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, Mac OS X, Android and iOS platforms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 5 Free Ethernet Tools You Should Check Out

1)Free 30-day trial of Riverbed's Cascade Shark Virtual Edition packet analyzer. This software is designed to provide continuous packet capture and long-term storage for real-time and back-in-time forensic analysis and reporting of network and security events. It can run standalone or as a component of Riverbed's Cascade line of network performance management products. Cascade Shark VE records all inter-virtual machine traffic crossing a virtual switch on a VMware ESXi hypervisor.

2) LAN Speed Test is a free utility designed to measure file transfer, hard drive, USB Drive, andwired and wireless LAN speeds.  It builds a file in memory, then transfers it both ways while keeping track of the time, and calculates the result. Most tests are less than 1 minute, and the file size is 120KB for Windows and 370KB for Mac. It's compatible with all Windows versions 2000 and up, and will soon be available for Linux.

3)  EtherNet/IP Scanner Software is source code that enables developers of PC-based or embedded products to add scanner functionality to a product's feature set. The software is delivered as a developer's kit, or as dynamic link library for Microsoft Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 -- 32 and 64 bit. It is offered as royalty-free company site license.

4) Free Intel Ethernet controller drivers can be found here, on SourceForge, an open source community resource owned by Slashdot Media. This e1000 open source project contains Linux kernel drivers for all Intel Ethernet adapters and LAN On Motherboard.

5) Finally, here's a free tool for estimating the amount of bandwidth you use on an Ethernet/IP network. Rockwell's Ethernet/IP Capacity Tool is designed to allow the user to select a platform, add different types of I/O and network devices, and then calculate how many Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and TCP connections are processed in addition to packet- per-second performance requirements.

How to Use the iPad 2 Onscreen Keyboard

There's a slight learning curve with iPad because its keyboard is displayed onscreen; you use it by pressing the screen, rather than pressing actual keys. This is different from other computers you may have used (though if you own an iPhone or iPod touch, you've got a head start).

1. The built-in iPad keyboard appears whenever you're in a text-entry location, such as a search field or an e-mail message. Tap the Notes icon on the Home screen to open this easy-to-use notepad and try out the keyboard.
2. Tap the note page, or if you've already entered notes, tap one to display the page; then tap anywhere on the note. The onscreen keyboard appears.
3. Type a few words, using the keyboard. To make the keyboard display as wide as possible, rotate your iPad to landscape (horizontal) orientation, as shown in this figure.
   
4. If you make a mistake while using the keyboard — and you will when you first use it — press the Delete key (it's in the top-right corner, with the little x on it) to delete text to the left of the insertion point.
5. To create a new paragraph, press the Return key just as you would on a regular computer keyboard.
6. To type numbers and symbols, press the number key (labeled .?123) on either side of the spacebar (refer to the previous figure). The characters on the keyboard change.
   If you type a number and then tap the spacebar, the keyboard returns to the letter keyboard automatically. To return to the letter keyboard at any time, simply tap one of the letter keys (labeled ABC) on either side of the spacebar.
7. Use the Shift keys (thick upward-pointing arrows in the bottom-left and bottom-right corners of the keyboard) just as you would on a regular keyboard to type uppercase letters or alternative characters. Tapping a Shift key once causes just the next letter you type to be capitalized.
8. Double-tap the Shift key to turn on the Caps Lock feature so that all letters you type are capitalized until you turn the feature off. Tap the Shift key once to turn off Caps Lock. (You have to turn this feature on by opening iPad Settings and under General settings, tapping Keyboard.)
9. To type a variation on a symbol (such as to see alternative currency symbols when you press the dollar sign on the numeric keyboard), hold down the key; a set of alternative symbols appears (see the following figure). Note that this trick works only with certain symbols.
   
10. Tap the Dictation key (refer to the figure just above) to activate the Dictation feature (not available on the original iPad and the iPad 2) and then speak your input. Tap the Dictation key again (or tap in a note) to turn off the Dictation feature. (This feature works in several apps, such as Mail, Notes, and Maps.)
11. To hide the keyboard, press the Keyboard key in the bottom-right corner.
12. Press the Home button to return to the Home screen.

You can undock the keyboard to move it around the screen. To do this, press and hold the Keyboard key on the keyboard, and from the pop-up menu that appears, choose Undock. Now, by pressing the Keyboard key and swiping up or down, you can move the keyboard up and down on the screen. To dock the keyboard at the bottom of the screen again, press and hold the Keyboard key, and choose Dock from the pop-up menu.

To type a period and space, just double-tap the spacebar.

WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING

Cloud computing is a type of computing that relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications.

In cloud computing, the word cloud (also phrased as "the cloud") is used as a metaphor for "the Internet," so the phrase cloud computing means "a type of Internet-based computing," where different services — such as servers, storage and applications —are delivered to an organization's computers and devices through the Internet.

to know more about cloud computing

Best Cloud Storage Service for You

Cloud Storage

The internet hasn't just changed how we work, Cloud storage services now enable us to securely store and access our important data online so that we can start working on a laptop or desktop PC and continue on a tablet or a smartphone. This device independence means that we can choose how, when and where we work, confident that we can access our documents and data anytime. We can choose cloud storage services based on what we need and what systems we currently use. The four tech giants - Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple - all have their own cloud storage services for storing and backing up your files online. And Dropbox has long been a popular solution that works just about everywhere.

Here, we take a look at what each solution offers in terms of features and capabilities.Many other similar tools are available too...

Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/)

    Free space: 2GB (plus up to 16GB for referrals)

    Premium space: US$99 per year for 100GB

    File size limit: Unlimited (via desktop app)

    Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, BlackBerry

  Best for: Seamless document syncing 

Microsoft SkyDrive (https://skydrive.live.com)

    Free space: 7GB

    Premium space: £32/US$50 per year for 100GB

    File size limit: 2GB

    Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Phone

    Best for: Windows/MS Office integration

Google Drive (https://drive.google.com)

   Free space: 15GB

   Premium space: $59.88 per year for 100GB

   File size limit: 10GB

   Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

   Best for: Storage space and web apps

Apple iCloud (www.apple.com/in/icloud)

   Free space: 5GB

   Premium space: £70/US$100 per year for 50GB

   File size limit: 25MB free/250MB paid

   Platforms: Mac, iOS, Windows

   Best for: Heavy iTunes/Mac users

Amazon Cloud Drive (https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive‎)

  Free space: 5GB

  Premium space: £32 per year for 100GB

  File size limit: 2GB per file

  Platforms: Mac, iOS, Android, Windows

 Best for: Photos and music

Box (https://www.box.com/)

  Free space: 10GB

  Premium space: $5 per user/Month for 100GB

  File size limit: 250 MB per file

  Platforms:iOS,Android, Windows, Mac Windows Phone, Blackberry, 

 Best for: document syncing

Wireless Network Configuration

Access point Configuration

A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is a computer network that transmits and receives data with radio signals instead of wires. WLANs are used increasingly in both home and office environments, and public areas such as airports, coffee shops and universities. Innovative ways to utilize WLAN technology are helping people to work and communicate more efficiently. Increased mobility and the absence of cabling and other fixed infrastructure have proven to be beneficial for many users. 

Wireless users can use the same applications they use on a wired network. Wireless adapter cards used on laptop and desktop systems support the same protocols as Ethernet adapter cards. 

                        

In computer networking, a wireless access point (WAP) is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, or related standards. The AP usually connects to a switch / Router via a wired network. To communicate a wireless device to wired network we need to first setup a wireless network, for that we need Access Point to communicate between wired and wireless devices. below explaining the configuration for D-Link DWL-2100 to access LAN and sharing my internet connection to use it on wireless devices in my network, like Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops etc to access internet without the help of a physical cable.

Access Point configuration steps

1. Connect the Access Point to the LAN via the Ethernet port on the back of Access point (AP).

2. To share internet on your wireless devices you need broadband internet connection configured Modem.

3. Connect the modem to Network switch.

4.Connect the Access Point to Network Switch.

5.Open the Web browser type in the IP address of the DWL-2100AP ( It will provided on the product manual)

6.After typing the IP address you will get a prompt to type username and a password(Default username is : admin and leave the password block as blank.

7.This setup wizard will guide you through the configuration of the DWL-2100AP. The DWL-2100AP's easy setup will allow you to have wireless access within minutes. Please follow the setup wizard step by step to configure the DWL-2100AP.       

Click on the wireless tab on left side

Here Mode is selected as Access Point from the list box, then you need to enter the SSID.Service Set Identifier(SSID)is the name designated for a specific wireless local area network(WLAN).The SSID can be easily changed to connect to an existing network or to establish a new wireless network.SSID Broadcast-Enable or Disable SSID Broadcast. Enabling this feature broadcasts the SSID across the network. 

Channel 6 is the default channel. All devices on the network must share the same channel.Auto Channel Scan-Select Enable or Disable.(Enable this feature to auto-select the channel for best wireless performance.),

on the Authentication field Select Open System  from the list box to communicate the key across the network. Enable Encryption, select the Key type as Hex (Hexa Decimal). Type on the First key field a password that you want enter at the time of connecting to your wireless network.Radio Select On or Off. Super G is a group of performance enhancement features that increase end user application throughput in an 802.11g network.

Super G is backward compatible to standard 802.11g devices. For top performance, all wireless devices on the network should be Super G capable. Select either Disabled, Super G without Turbo, or Super G with Dynamic Turbo.

Disabled: Standard 802.11g support, no enhanced capabilities.

Super G without Turbo: Capable of Packet Bursting, Fast Frames, Compression, and no Turbo mode.

Super G with Dynamic Turbo: Capable of Packet Bursting, Fast Frames, Compression, and Dynamic Turbo mode.This setting is backwards compatible with non-Turbo (legacy) devices. Dynamic Turbo mode is only enabled when all devices on the wireless network are configured with Super G with Dynamic Turbo enabled.

WMM Select Enable or Disable, Disable is selected by default. WMM stands for Wi-Fi Multimedia, by enabling this feature it will improve the user experience for audio and video applications over a Wi-Fi network. Apply the settings to Access Point.

8. Configur DHCP server to assign IP address automatically to woreless devices. For that select the Advanced tab from the Home window.

Select the DHCP server tab

Enable the DHCP Server Function, Configure the Dynamic pool settings based on your LAN, here i assigned IP address starting from 192.168.1.30 to 192.168.1.50 (total 20 address, in my network only 20 wireless device can get ip address automatically), enter the Subnet Mask for the IP address, Gateway ( IP address of your Modem or Router) and last DNS server IP addres that provided by your ISP. set Status ON.