Google+ unwrapping new features
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New Google+ features: Customize your streams, and more

Touted in Google’s official blog today, the enhancements are part of an ongoing effort to make Google+ more effective and more user friendly.

One of the tweaks will let you customize your Google+ stream. The more people you follow, the more cluttered your stream can become, increasing the odds of missing important posts. To help unclutter your stream, a slider at the top of a particular circle will let you control how posts from that circle should mesh into the overall stream.

The red notifications button at the top of your Google+ page tells you how many notifications are in the queue. But sometimes you need to click on a specific notification to get the full scoop on it. To reduce the time you spend clicking around, Google is adding “sneak previews” that quickly clue you in on what’s new among your notifications.

Next on Santa’s list for Google+ members are a range of changes to Google+ Pages. Since launching the business-oriented feature in early November, Google has been striving to improve it amidst some users complaints.

Tapping into one of the improvements to Pages, you’ll be able to delegate up to 50 different managers to act as administrators for a certain page. A new “notification flow” will alert the managers to all activity on the page, ensuring that they stay abreast of the latest updates. And Google will show you a combined count of all the users who follow your page or +1 it, so that you can get a better sense of everyone who’s connecting with it.

Finally, Google is tweaking its Google+ Photos feature. Clicking on a photo will display it in the Lightbox viewer, but now with better navigation and usability. A new photo tagging feature will let you more quickly tag individual people.

Google says that the new tweaks to Google+ will roll out over the next couple of days, just in time for the holidays. And the company is promising more in store for Google+ members with some resolutions for 2012.

How to set up an HDTV

cnet.com – 12/12/2011
Geoffrey Morrison

You found your perfect TV. You’ve driven/carried/dragged it home. You have this big cardboard box sitting in your living room. Now what?

Well, after you follow the instructions for getting the TV on its stand (if it isn’t already), the real setup begins. There are countless settings, options, and potential issues between box and beautiful picture. This how-to guide should help you navigate the waters of TV technology.

Cables

If this is your first HDTV, you’ll find that the cables have changed a lot since the last time you hooked up a TV (it also might be worth checking out our HDTV 101 Guide). Even if you’re replacing an older HDTV, it’s important to understand the HDTV cable of choice: HDMI.

HDMI cables carry high-resolution images and sound over one small cable. If you bought your HDTV at a store, you were likely pushed into buying expensive HDMI cables to go with your TV.

Expensive HDMI cables offer no benefit to the average consumer. If you paid more than $10 for your HDMI cables, you should consider returning them. Check out my article on why all HDMI cables are the same for more information. Then there’s the follow-up Why all HDMI cables are the same, part 2.

HDMI cables are, however, vital to the overall performance of your television. There are only two ways to get an HD signal from your cable or satellite box to your TV: HDMI and component. Component cables are three attached cables identified with the colors red, green, and blue. Most are also labeled Y, Pb, and Pr. These only carry video. You’ll need to add more cables for audio, most commonly a matched pair of analog audio cables.

The single yellow cable with white and red audio cables that comes with most products is not HD. Only VHS and the Wii can be hooked up with a yellow “composite” cable. DVD, Blu-ray, or cable or satellite boxes hooked up with a yellow cable will be significantly hampered in their performance.

If you haven’t upgraded your other gear along with your new TV, component video is very common. If you’ve bought a new Blu-ray player or have a new cable/ or satellite box, HDMI may be all you can find.

Which brings us to…

Sources

If you haven’t upgraded your other gear, make sure your DVD player is ready for your new TV. Go into its setup menus and make sure it’s set to output a 16×9-pixel image. If it’s an older player, it could be set to 4×3 pixels (like old TVs). Matching this aspect ratio to your new TV will greatly improve its performance.

The same is true for your cable or satellite box. Make sure you switch this to 16×9. If it’s capable of HD, take this moment to set it to output 1080i.

Just because the cable box is capable of HD doesn’t mean youre getting HD. You need to pay your provider for HD channels (unless they’re included in your current package) and you need to tune to the specific HD channels. For example, with my provider, channel 2 is SD, whereas channel 1002 is HD.

As I discuss in my article on whether to upgrade your home theater gear, if you have a new HDTV, you owe it to yourself to get a Blu-ray player. Nothing offers the picture quality of Blu-ray. Even if you have an older HDTV, you won’t believe how good it can look when you watch Blu-ray.

Settings

Once you have everything plugged in (see the slideshow above for images of typical inputs and outputs), take a moment to check your TV’s settings. Most modern TVs will ask you upon initial start-up if the TV is being used in a home or a store. Pick the one most appropriate to your environment (hopefully “home”; I’m not sure why you’d be living in Best Buy).

I go into more detail in my article on HDTV settings, but here’s the CliffsNotes version. The TV will be its most accurate (in other words, most realistic) in its Movie or Cinema picture mode. It will appear brighter in its Sports or Vivid mode. The Contrast control adjusts how bright the bright parts of the image are, and Brightness controls how dark the dark parts of the image are. Also check out CNET’s HDTV setup tips and Five tips for a better HDTV picture.

The initial settings for modern TVs are largely quite good, but none is perfect. Some fine tweaking, either by eye or using one of the great setup Blu-ray discs, will be worth the time spent.

If you want to get every possible amount of performance out of your TV, consider having it calibrated.

Flat panel TVs are also more susceptible to reflections than CRTs.

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Amazon responds to critics with Kindle Fire update
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Amazon responds to critics with Kindle Fire update

msnbc.com – 12/12/2011
Wilson Rothman

The New York Times reported that Amazon will roll out a Kindle Fire update “in less than two weeks,” citing a company spokesman. The cause for the update? Fixes for problems that have concerned many early users.

The update will be pushed to devices over the air, no syncing necessary, and will bring improved performance and multitouch navigation, says the Times. Furthermore, users will be able to erase recent activity for improved privacy. “No more will wives wonder why their husbands were looking at a dating site when they said they were playing Angry Birds,” wrote the Times’ David Streitfield.

Here’s the full text of Amazon’s statement, which we received directly from the company on Monday:

Kindle Fire is the most successful product we’ve ever launched — we’ve already sold millions of units and we’re building more to meet the strong demand. As with all of our products, we continue to make them better for customers with regular software updates — in fact, in less than two weeks, we’re rolling out an over-the-air update to Kindle Fire that will improve performance, touch navigation, and give customers the option to choose what items display on the carousel.

These particular issues are not ones I noticed when I reviewed the Kindle Fire, perhaps in part because I didn’t do anything on the device that I wouldn’t want my wife to see, and in part because I viewed the Kindle Fire as an excellent compromise: It’s not a $500 iPad, but it’s a $200 tablet that brings you the best of Amazon (along with the best non-Google Android apps. It works well in this capacity, and while the $250 Nook Tablet is a better device, what Amazon offers, beyond books, is hard to beat and getting better all the time.

Not all issues have fixes. As I pointed out in my review, there’s a lack of physical volume buttons and an awkwardly placed power button, neither of which can be fixed with software.

There’s one hardware concern that may have a software fix: The battery life on the Kindle Fire is not as good as the Nook Tablet or the iPad. Often, this has to do with how well the OOS can control the various processes of the core system and apps, and how much it can shut down when it goes into sleep mode.

Amazon did not answer my specific query about battery life, nor is it mentioned in the above statement, so it likely will not change with this update.

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Windows 8 Store: 8 Ways It Beats Apple
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Windows 8 Store: 8 Ways It Beats Apple

informationweek.com – 12/8/2011
Thomas Claburn

Microsoft on Tuesday said a public beta of Windows 8 will be released in February 2012 and provided details about its forthcoming Windows 8 Store, the mechanism within Windows 8 by which the company will sell and distribute Windows 8 Metro apps.

Windows 8 is the next version of Microsoft’s operating system for personal computers, laptops, and tablets. It brings with it major changes, such as an integrated software store–similar in concept to Apple’s Mac App Store–and support for ARM chips. Metro is the name of the new touch-centric user interface in Windows 8.

In Windows 8, Microsoft is following the trail blazed by Apple, a path that leads away from freedom and toward convenience and ostensible security. “We have seen the future of the PC and it looks a lot like a smartphone,” said IDC program director of applications development software Al Hilwa in an e-mail.
Hilwa gives Microsoft credit for learning from the competition, notably in its revenue-sharing model and its consideration for enterprise features such as app sideloading and support for management tools. But he is less enthusiastic about the restrictions.

“I lament that the world of the touch PC is a much more controlled walled garden, but the smartphone world has prepared us for it and there are certainly advantages in app discovery and deployment for consumers with an app store model,” he said. “Whether the new model leads to more-secure or higher- quality apps is hard to call because we have seen poorly regulated app stores like Android’s that have had some of the same quality and security issues of the existing PC model.”

At the same time, he sees Microsoft having a lighter touch than Apple with regard to accepting apps in its store.
“In the app approval process, Microsoft is walking the fine line to provide more openness, speed, and predictability than Apple and more control and supervision than Google,” he said. “It will remain to be seen if the execution lives up to this balanced promise, but the formula sounds right.”

Indeed, Microsoft has made its forthcoming platform more appealing than the competition in several ways, at least on paper.

1. Royalties. Microsoft’s revenue share percentage is 30%, as it is in the iTunes App Store, the Mac App Store, Amazon’s App Store, and Google’s Android Market. But once an app reaches $25,000 in revenue, Microsoft drops its revenue share to 20% for all subsequent proceeds.

This revenue scheme will help only the most successful Windows 8 app developers. However, the percentage of Windows 8 developers generating more than $25,000 from their apps–thanks to business customers willing to pay more for apps–presumably will be higher than it is for iOS developers. About 75% of iOS developers have earned less than $25,000 in lifetime revenue, according to one survey of game developers.

The best deal around for revenue sharing, however, remains the Chrome Web Store. Google charges developers only 5% for selling Web apps through its online store.

2. Fees. For those wishing to submit Metro apps, Microsoft is charging individuals $49 a year and companies $99 a year. This is better than the annual $99 Apple charges individuals or companies for membership in its iOS Developer Program and for membership in its Mac Developer program. For companies wishing to create proprietary, in-house iOS apps, Apple charges $299 a year.

Amazon’s App Store developer fee also is $99 a year, same as Apple. Google’s Android Market is the most affordable: It charges developers a one-time $25 fee. It should be noted, however, that Google doesn’t provide much in the way of app screening.

3. Reach. Microsoft’s reach advantage is theoretical at the moment. The company claims to have 1.25 billion Windows users globally, some portion of whom can be expected to upgrade to Windows 8, eventually.

If Windows has 92% of the desktop PC operating system market, then Apple, with about 6% global market share via Mac OS, has an installed base of 80 million Macs. As of the end of the third quarter, Google said that total Android activations had surpassed 190 million. The iOS installed base is estimated to be about 250 million by the end of 2011.

Certainly today, the iOS market is more attractive to a developer than the nonexistent Windows 8 app market. But it’s worth thinking about tomorrow, particularly if the Windows 8 users turn out to be more inclined to pay for apps than, say, Android users.

4. Freedom. Apple, according to the Software Freedom Law Center, uses its control of iOS and Mac OS “to exclude competition, squelch criticism, and censor content.” Microsoft might have done as much in the past, but its trailing position in both the tablet and smartphone markets has translated into an evident effort to have more permissive platform rules. Apple tells iOS developers explicitly, “If you want to criticize a religion, write a book,” and that only “professional satirists and humorists” are exempt from its ban on apps that are “defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited, or likely to place the targeted individual or group in harms way.”

Microsoft has a similar prohibition, against apps that are “defamatory, libelous or slanderous, or threatening,” but the wording of what’s disallowed suggests more tolerance for apps that push the content envelope. A mean-spirited app that’s not defamatory would be allowed by Microsoft but not Apple, or so the written rules suggest.

But really, there’s no way to tell: Microsoft could turn out to be just as cautious and restrictive as Apple. The wording of rules also isn’t nearly as important as how each company implements its rules. We will have to wait for an app that Apple rejects and Microsoft accepts to really weigh the restrictiveness of the rules imposed on developers by the two companies.

If freedom really matters, Android is even less burdened by rules. Defame away.

5. Transactions. If Microsoft’s content rules look only slightly more flexible than Apple’s, the company’s position on payment systems is significantly better. Apple requires iOS and Mac OS X apps that sell content within the app to use its In App Purchase API, for which Apple collects 30% of in-app revenue.

Microsoft will provide Windows 8 developers with an in-app purchase system, but will also allow them to use their own in-app payment system. “We don’t mandate a specific transaction engine and developers can use their own,” explained Ted Dworkin, Microsoft partner program manager for the Windows 8 Store, in a blog post.

Android’s terms suggest developers can use any authorized payment processor. But Google doesn’t provide a list of authorized payment processors and there’s a reason why: “Currently, Google Wallet is the only authorized payment option for Android,” a Google spokesperson said in an email.

Nevertheless, there are Android apps that use PayPal for in-app purchasing. Developers that do this are asking for trouble, but asking Google anything can take a while owing to the company’s limited support options.

6. Trials. Apple doesn’t presently support free app trials, a feature that’s particularly useful for apps that cost more than a dollar or two. Microsoft will support free app trials, though developers will have to use its transaction system to implement in-app upgrades.

7. Enterprise. Faced with the explosive popularity of the iPhone and iPad, Apple only recently has decided to cater to enterprise customers. The slack, to date, has been taken up by companies such as Aperian, Good Technology, and MobileIron.

For Microsoft, the enterprise market is more familiar. The company’s Metro app store should be business friendly out of the gate. Microsoft plans to offer companies three ways to manage Metro style line-of-business apps: Group Policy, App Locker, and sideloading. These three technologies will help IT departments deploy and manage Metro apps in ways that are similar to how Windows 7 applications are managed.

8. Marketing. Microsoft has reduced the friction of Metro app installation, making it as easy as installing a Web app from the Chrome Web Store. Through Internet Explorer 10, Windows 8 users will be able to view Windows 8 Store pages on the Web and install those apps with a single click. Apple customers don’t quite have it as easy. iPad apps found on the Web using a Mac require the user to launch iTunes, due to the separation between Mac OS X and iOS.

It’s too early to tell whether Microsoft’s concessions to the developer community will make Windows more relevant in the tablet market. But Microsoft’s opening gambit–more comfortable handcuffs–looks like a good move.

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Changing Outlook’s Navigation Pane
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Changing Outlook’s Navigation Pane

Changing Outlook’s Navigation Pane

nytimes.com – 12/6/2011
J.D. BIERSDORFER

That column full of buttons (officially known as the Navigation Pane) on the left side of the Microsoft Outlook 2007 and 2010 window makes it easy to jump around among Mail, Contacts, Calendar and the other parts of the program. You are not stuck with the default version of the Navigation Pane, though, and if you like to put the buttons in your own preferred order, you can customize it.

To change the order, go to the bottom of the Navigation Pane, click the small black triangle and choose Navigation Pane Options from the menu. In the list for “Display buttons in this order,” click the button you want to move, and click Move Up or Move Down to reposition it accordingly. You can tweak things further, by adding or removing buttons, changing the Navigation Pane’s font, or resizing the pane itself. Microsoft has full instructions on their website.

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aming with young kids? Here’s where to start
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