Microsoft buying Nokia

Does Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia really mean a serious competitor to Google’s Android and Apple in the Mobile game?

Disclosure: I have long equity interests in Apple, Google Microsoft and Nokia via direct or indirectly managed instruments.

Nokia had to change to survive and Microsoft had the most to lose if it didn’t act.

Microsoft gets great talent that knows a lot about consumers, best-in-class hardware design and manufacturing. It was also a bid  by Microsoft to rescue Nokia, its largest Windows Phone OEM from financial ruin.

It will be interesting now to see how Microsoft will use the Nokia deal to expedite its quest to build an ecosystem that will attract consumers, drive loyalty and create profit, globally.  This will include levering up the right assets and shedding what is not core to that proposition.

If Microsoft is serious about staging a growth trajectory for the company over the next 10 years, there are 6 steps they will need to take to build and grow its brand and become a serious contender in the mobile space.

1. Make big changes in the company’s operating structure. This has to go far beyond the “One Microsoft” reorganization of July 2013 that created functional groups for OS, Apps, Cloud, and Devices, but stopped short of creating an equivalent Mobile engineering group.
2. Fix the internal civil war dilemma. Microsoft must demonstrate that it has finally figured out how to fix its organizational civil wars that pit product teams against product teams, stifling innovation and causing product delays.
3. Invest in consumer analytics/marketing/engagement assets. In an age where consumers continue to drive the notion about the consumerization of IT, the lines between consumers and business users will vanish. Measuring, responding and most importantly, predicting consumer preferences matters most.
4. Spend to Accumulate. While Microsoft has some unique assets compared to many of its enterprise focused counterparts (SAP, Oracle, CA etc.) , the company must start to use its 77$B war chest to buy a hand at the table in consumer analytics, marketing and engagement.
5. Defragment operating systems products. It’s more than a little ironic that after years of Microsoft trying to extend its Windows franchise by pushing its desktop interface to phones, it’ now doing the opposite, pushing its mobile interfaces to the desktop. The problem of course, is that the Windows Mobile interface itself isn’t a consumer-lightening rod, nor is it market tested given its 3.7% share. If you couple that with an already fragmented and incomplete OS development schema consisting of Win8, WinRT, and WP8 (one is too fat, one too thin and one inflexible, Microsoft still has a lot to do on the OS side.
6. Fix the Operating Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) partner model. Microsoft has to either fix the current OEM environment /partner model, or it needs to buy a big OEM like HP, Lenova or Dell. 65% of the total Windows division revenue of $19.2B comes from Windows operating systems purchased by OEM’s and pre-installed on devices they sell. Operating revenues from OEM’s dropped 10%, a decrease of $1.3Bn for FE 2013/2012.

In summary Nokia had to change to survive and Microsoft had the most to lose if it didn’t act. The Nokia devision purchase and license deal is one step forward for Microsoft, but perhaps, one small step back. Microsoft should have made the acquisition 2 years ago and included the Location group in the buy. To prosper in the world of mobility involves continuous evolution and Microsoft now needs to set about becoming a credible leader in the mobility.

Mobility is really just getting started. Maybe, just maybe, we should encourage the new kid re-entering the mobile ring.  Perhaps this tortoise can win the race and shake the existing duopoly of Google and Apple.

V6 engines

A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angleor an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft. It is the second most common engine configuration in modern cars after the inline four.^[1]

The V6 is one of the most compact engine configurations, shorter than the inline-4 and in many designs narrower than the V8. Owing to its compact length, the V6 lends itself well to the widely-used transverse engine front-wheel drive layout. It is becoming more common as the space allowed for engines in modern cars is reduced at the same time as power requirements increase, and has largely replaced theinline-6, which is too long to fit in many modern engine compartments. Although it is more complicated and not as smooth as the inline-6, the V6 is more rigid for a given weight, more compact and less prone to torsional vibrations in the crankshaft for a given displacement^{[citation needed]}. The V6 engine has become widely adopted for medium-sized cars, often as an optional engine where an inline-4 is standard, or as a base engine where a V8 is a higher-cost performance option.

Recent forced induction V6 engines have delivered horsepower and torque output comparable to contemporary larger displacement,naturally aspirated V8 engines, while reducing fuel consumption and emissions, such as the Volkswagen Group's 3.0 TFSI which issupercharged and directly injected, and Ford Motor Company's turbocharged and directly injected EcoBoost V6, both of which have been compared to Volkswagen's 4.2 V8 engine.^[1]

Modern V6 engines commonly range in displacement from 2.5 to 4.0 L (150 to 240 cu in), though larger and smaller examples have been produced.

History

Some of the first V6-cars were built in 1905 by Marmon. Marmon was something of a V-Specialist which began with V2-engines, then built V4's and V6's, later V8's and in the 1930s Marmon was one of the few car-makers of the world which ever built a V16 car.^[2]

From 1908 to 1913 the Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik produced benzene electric trainsets (Hybrid) which used a V6 as generator-engine.^[3]

Another V6-car was designed in 1918 by Leo Goosen for Buick Chief Engineer Walter L. Marr. Only one prototype Buick V6 car was built in 1918 and was long used by the Marr family.

GPS shoes

GTX Corp is known to make the GPS location-reporting platform which consists of a module that measures 2.20 × 1.36 inches. It is made to combine GPS satellite tracking and cellular transmission in a chipset with secure access to a back-end portal.

The GPS chip continuously tracks location and movement history via existing satellite arrays. The information is relayed to a monitoring center through cellular networks using a secure internet interface. The subscriber is able to instantly log on and pinpoint the current location of the targeted user on an interactive map within 37 feet.

The Dual GeoFence feature allows a “boundary” to be set for each wearer, sending alerts by e-mail, telephone and text message if the boundary is breached, or if the device is inactive for a set period.

GTX Corp is also known to make the Personal Location Services (PLS) which delivers remote, continuous real-time oversight and high-value assets. The company’s technology is designed for use by the footwear, medical, military and outdoor sporting industries, among others.

this is the best upcoming device....

Two comets visiting in 2013....

PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has acquired its first images of comet C/2012 S1 (ISON). The images were taken by the spacecraft's Medium-Resolution Imager over a 36-hour period on Jan. 17 and 18, 2013, from a distance of 493 million miles (793 million kilometers). Many scientists anticipate a bright future for comet ISON; the spaceborne conglomeration of dust and ice may put on quite a show as it passes through the inner solar system this fall.

"This is the fourth comet on which we have performed science observations and the farthest point from Earth from which we've tried to transmit data on a comet," said Tim Larson, project manager for the Deep Impact spacecraft at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "The distance limits our bandwidth, so it's a little like communicating through a modem after being used to DSL. But we're going to coordinate our science collection and playback so we maximize our return on this potentially spectacular comet."

Deep Impact has executed close flybys of two comets - Tempel 1 and Hartley 2 - and its mission scientists, led by University of Maryland Astronomer Michael A'Hearn, have performed scientific observations on two more - comet Garradd and now ISON. The ISON imaging campaign is expected to yield infrared data, and light curves (which are used in defining the comet's rotation rate) in addition to visible-light images. A movie of comet ISON was generated from initial data acquired during this campaign. Preliminary results indicate that although the comet is still in the outer solar system, more than 474 million miles (763 million kilometers) from the sun, it is already active. As of Jan. 18, the tail extending from ISON's nucleus was already more than 40,000 miles (64,400 kilometers) long.

Long-period comets like ISON are thought to arrive from the solar system's Oort cloud, a giant spherical cloud of icy bodies surrounding our solar system so far away its outer edge is about a third of the way to the nearest star (other than our sun). Every once in a while, one of these loose conglomerations of ice, rock, dust and organic compounds is disturbed out of its established orbit in the Oort cloud by a passing star or the combined gravitational effects of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy. With these gravitational nudges, so begins a comet's eons-long, arching plunge toward the inner solar system.

ISON was discovered on Sept. 21, 2012, by two Russian astronomers using the International Scientific Optical Network's 16-inch (40-centimeter) telescope near Kislovodsk. NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, based at JPL, has plotted its orbit and determined that the comet is more than likely making it first-ever sweep through the inner solar system. Having not come this way before means the comet's pristine surface has a higher probability of being laden with volatile material just spoiling for some of the sun's energy to heat it up and help it escape. With the exodus of these clean ices could come a boatload of dust, held in check since the beginnings of our solar system. This released gas and dust is what is seen on Earth as comprising a comet's atmosphere (coma) and tail.

ISON will not be a threat to Earth - getting no closer to Earth than about 40 million miles on Dec. 26, 2013. But stargazers will have an opportunity to view the comet's head and tail before and after its closest approach to the sun -- if the comet doesn't fade early or break up before reaching the sun.

Launched in January 2005, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft traveled about 268 million miles (431 million kilometers) to the vicinity of comet Tempel 1. On July 3, 2005, the spacecraft deployed an impactor that was essentially "run over" by the nucleus of Tempel 1 on July 4. Sixteen days after comet encounter, the Deep Impact team placed the spacecraft on a trajectory to fly past Earth in late December 2007. This extended mission of the Deep Impact spacecraft culminated in the successful flyby of comet Hartley 2 on Nov. 4, 2010. In January of 2012, the spacecraft performed, from a distance, an imaging campaign on comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd).

where are the deleted files stored

Short Answer

The simple answer to the question is, the files don't go anywhere. The file is right where it was before the user deleted it. Deleting a file doesn't actually remove the file from the hard drive nor does it "move" the file to the Recycle Bin in Windows (or the Trash in Mac) as many people might think.

Long Answer

When data is stored on a hard drive, the drive puts the information into a memory location. Large files are broken into sections and stored in multiple memory locations. The hard drive then creates pointers for that file that point to the memory location or locations in which the file segments are stored. When the user opens that file, the hard drive follows the pointers to pull up the data.

1. • When the user deletes the file, the memory locations still hold the data. The pointers that show the hard drive where the data is stored are "deleted" but are still not erased. The file pointers are in the Recycle Bin and can still be retrieved if the user doesn't wait too long.
   • The deleted file stored in the memory locations isn't actually erased unless the user does a deep hard drive reformat. The data in the memory locations will, however, eventually be overwritten by new data since the hard drive doesn't have a pointer for that memory location and it views the location as available to receive new data. Once the data is overwritten, even retrieving the file pointers from the Recycle Bin won't recover it.
     

     
     

When you’re using Windows 8 on a tablet, it’s easy enough to navigate the new OS. But if you don’t have a touch screen, there’s no need to mouse around to make key functions appear. If you know the correct keyboard shortcuts, you can work faster and more efficiently, no matter the type of Windows 8 PC.

1. Windows Key + C: Displays Charms menu.

2. Windows Key + X: Brings up a menu of advanced system options, including Windows Control Panel, Command Prompt, Task Manager and File Explorer.

3. Windows Key + I: Displays the Settings menu for the current app. For example, if you’re in Internet Explorer 10, this key shows Internet options. If you’re on the Start menu, it shows general OS settings. 

4. Windows Key + Q: Brings up the apps search menu that allows you to search your list of installed programs.

5. Windows Key + D: Activates desktop mode.

6. Windows Key + Tab: Brings up the Task Switcher and toggles between Windows 8-style apps.

7. Windows Key + H: Brings up Share menu for the current app. For example, hitting Windows Key + H in Bing Maps, lets you email or share map information on social networks.

8. Windows Key + M: Opens desktop mode and minimizes all windows.

9. Windows Key + W: Opens universal search menu and sets it to search settings.

10. Windows Key + F: Opens universal search menu and sets it to search files.

11. Windows Key + R: Opens Run menu where you can launch programs by typing in their executable file names.

12. Windows Key + E: Opens File Explorer to the “My Computer” view which shows all your drives.

13. Windows Key +Number Key (1-9): Switch to desktop mode and make the Nth application on the task bar active where N is the number key you hit and 1 is the furthest taskbar icon to the left.

14. Windows Key + . (period key): Docks the current Windows 8-style application to the right or left, depending on how many times you hit it.

15. Windows Key + Z: Brings up app menu, which shows contextual options for the active app.

WHAT IS GAGAN(GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation)

The GPS aided geo augmented navigation or GPS and geo-augmented navigation system (GAGAN) is a planned implementation of a regional satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) by the Indian government. It is a system to improve the accuracy of a GNSS receiver by providing reference signals.^[2] The AAI’s efforts towards implementation of operational SBAS can be viewed as the first step towards introduction of modern communication, navigation, surveillance/Air Traffic Management system over Indian airspace.^[3]

The project involves establishment of 15 Indian Reference Stations, three Indian Navigation Land Uplink Stations, three Indian Mission Control Centers and installation of all associated software and communication links. GAGAN is planned to get into operation by the year 2014. It will be able to help pilots to navigate in the Indian airspace by an accuracy of 3 m. This will be helpful for landing aircraft in tough weather and terrain like Mangalore airport and Leh.

The 774 crore (US$146 million) project is being implemented in three phases through 2008 by the Airport Authority of India with the help of the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) technology and space support.^[4] The goal is to provide navigation system for all phases of flight over the Indian airspace and in the adjoining area. It is applicable to safety-to-life operations, and meets the performance requirements of international civil aviation regulatory bodies.

The space component will become available after the GAGAN payload on the GSAT-8 communication satellite, which was launched recently, is switched on. This payload was also on the GSAT-4 satellite that was lost when the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) failed during launch in April 2010. Final System Acceptance Test will be conducted during June 2012 followed by system certification during July 2013.

A national plan for satellite navigation including implementation of Technology Demonstration System (TDS) over the Indian air space as a proof of concept had been prepared jointly by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and ISRO. TDS was successfully completed during 2007 by installing eight Indian Reference Stations (INRESs) at eight Indian airports and linked to the Master Control Center (MCC) located near Bangalore. Preliminary System Acceptance Testing has been successfully completed in December 2010.^[4] The ground segment for GAGAN, which has been put up by the Raytheon, has 15 reference stations scattered across the country. Two mission control centres, along with associated uplink stations, have been set up at Kundalahalli in Bangalore. One more control centre and uplink station are to come up at Delhi. As a part of the programme, a network of 18 total electron content (TEC) monitoring stations were installed at various locations in India to study and analyse the behaviour of the ionosphere over the Indian region.

GAGAN's TDS signal in space provides a three-metre accuracy as against the requirement of 7.6 metres. Flight inspection of GAGAN signal is being carried out at Kozhikode, Hyderabad, Nagpurand Bangalore airports and the results have been satisfactory so far.