Microsoft released the public beta of Office 2010 yesterday

Credit by : Microsoft Office 2010

With Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010, your people get a wide range of powerful new ways to do their best work from more places – whether they’re using a PC, smartphone or web browser. From insightful updates to Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook, to new server integration capabilities that make it easier for everyone to track, report and share vital information, Office Professional Plus 2010 offers the complete package through familiar, intuitive tools.

What's Included

Here’s what you need to have*:

Internet access (to download Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta and get updates)

• 500 MHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor or higher
• 256 MB of system memory or more
• 3 GB of available disk space
• 1024x768 or higher resolution monitor
• DVD-R/W Drive

• Windows XP with Service Pack (SP) 3 (32-bit)
• Windows Vista with SP1 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• Windows Server 2008 with SP2 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)

Get the download

After registering, you will be able to select the version (we recommend 32-bit which runs great on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows) and your software language. Downloading the Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta could take an hour or more. The exact time will depend on your provider, bandwidth, and traffic. The good news is that once you start the download, you won't have to answer any more questions – you can walk away while it finishes. If your download gets interrupted, it will restart where it left off.

Important changes in product activation

We’ve made some important changes to how Microsoft Office products are activated. The new activation method is based on the Software Protection Platform first introduced in Windows Vista and currently used in Windows 7. Please take note of the information provided on the Product Key page that displays during the download process. Follow the instructions on that page for activating your beta software immediately after the setup procedure completes. For more information please see the Release Notes.

Apple tablet < $700, launch timing delayed until the second half of 2010

Credit By : Gizmodo

When most people think of Apple tablet, what comes to mind is usually basic information that's not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there's a lot more to Apple tablet than just the basics.


Whether Apple's tablet launches in early or late 2010 is irrelevant, but a sale price of more than $700 could significantly reduce its potential sales, a new report has predicted.


Munster, however, does not buy the claims also reported Thursday that a high-end tablet with an OLED screen would retail for $2,000. He believes that the strategy is to have the device fit between the $199 iPod touch and the $999 MacBook. Piper Jaffray has forecast that the tablet device will cost between $500 and $700.


The best time to learn about Apple tablet is before you're in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable Apple tablet experience while it's still free.

"As a point of perspective, iSuppli has reported the bill of materials on the iPhone 3GS is $179," the report said. "Backing out the phone functionality, we believe the bill of materials is about $160. Assuming the tablet is 3x the size of the iPod touch implies a bill of materials for the tablet of around $480."


If the hardware were to launch on Sept. 1, 2010, the report projects about 650,000 sales in the calendar year. At an average price of $600, it would equate to about 1 percent of the company's total revenue.


Munster said that though Apple's expected margins for the device are unknown, he believes the hardware will be priced to compete with the growing netbook market, even if it means less revenue for the Mac maker.


The report reiterated the belief that the device will be akin to a larger iPod touch that will run a new version of the iPhone OS. Munster believes the hardware will run iPhone apps, as well as a "new category of larger apps."


I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing--the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

Singapore Only -> Axiotron Modbook 'Mac Tablet'

Credit by : Axiotron

Rumors of an impending Mac Tablet abound on the Net.

Those who cannot wait would be happy to know that a modified MacBook fitted with a Wacom Penabled digitiser is now available in Singapore.

Simply Mac, a local company, can convert older preunibody MacBooks into "Mac Tablets".

Although the Axiotron Modbook is hardly the slim, sexy tablet computer many are expecting Steve Jobs to announce in the near future, the converted tablet works as well as any I have seen.

Both the keyboard and screen of the MacBook have been ripped out and replaced with the Wacom digitiser.

As it is a pen-enabled device, there is no touch input.

The 13.3-inch TFT display is not as responsive as one would like but, nonetheless, it can be mastered with some practice.

The Modbook is well-suited for artists and photographers who would find it most useful to operate Photoshop and other Paint programs with a pen.

As for general users, people who enjoy doodling and scribbling notes may also find the Modbook attractive.

The one thing that's not so good about this tablet is its weight.

The MacBook is not light to begin with and the converted tablet (even after taking away the MacBook keyboard and screen) is even heavier.

The Modbook is, at best, an interim product - assuming that Apple will eventually introduce the long-awaited tablet.

If not, it will be the only "Mac Tablet" available.

Complete MODBOOK includes new 2.13GHz MACBOOK Basesystem now only $1649

Droid Sales and the Android Explosion

The Motorola Droid is doing more than just bashing the iPhone -- it's also smashing the ceiling when it comes to mainstream Android appeal. A full 250,000 people snatched up Droids during the phone's first week in stores, some newly released data suggests. That's four times the number of launch-week sales estimated for themyTouch 3G, which had previously been considered the fastest-selling Android device.

Credit by : Motorola Droid

Droid Sales, In Perspective

Before you jump to any conclusions, let's put those numbers into perspective. Yes, the iPhone's sales figure is significantly higher than the Droid's. But don't forget a couple of important factors:

First, the iPhone 3GSwas building upon a massive base of existing iPhone owners, many of whom were guaranteed to be grabbing at Apple's updated model (or, let's be honest, practically anything new Apple offered) the second it hit store shelves. Droid didn't share this advantage; it was a first-generation product without an established fanbase. It's really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Droid, Android, Motorola. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

Second, and equally noteworthy, the iPhone 3GSlaunched in eight countries during its first week. The Droid launched only in America. Taking that into consideration, the difference in sales suddenly doesn't seem quite so overwhelming.

Now, does that make the Droid an "iPhone killer"? As I've stated many times before, that's a phrase I refuse to use in any serious fashion (see here for my thoughts on how anyone who does use it should be punished -- and yes, CNNMoney.com writer who actually employed the term "everything killer" in a title today, that means you).

What I will say is that this data certainly suggests a strong sprint out of the gate for the Droid -- and, perhaps more important, for the Android platform in general.

The Android Explosion

We've been talking about the projected growth of Android for some time now, both as a mobile phone platform and as an operating system for avast array of other types of technology. One analyst predicts a 900-percent increase in Android smartphone adoption over the coming months. Other pundits are calling for Android to surpass the iPhone in worldwide adoption by 2012, with 14 percent of the global smartphone market in its grasp.

The growth, while no overnight sensation, can already be observed. Fresh data from Gartner finds Android adoption reached 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2009, pre-Droid -- up from zilch the year before. The biggest losers in year-to-year change: Symbian, which fell about 5 percent, and Windows Mobile, which saw a 3 percent drop. (I'm telling you, if they'd only have putBALLmer Buster and BSOD4me into the Windows Mobile Marketplace, things might have been different.)

Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on Droid, Android, Motorola.

Leonid Meteor Shower

Credit by: http://www.therenewableplanet.com

In case you missed it last night, the annual Leonid meteor shower continues tonight through to November 20 in the skies over the world. If you plan on doing some meteor gazing, you have three more nights to catch them, and the best time to see the meteor shower is after 1:30am.

Last night from an urban park at midnight, friends and I saw no less than six amazing starburst-esque meteors light up the sky in less than an hour; so imagine what I could have seen in a rural spot even later at night!

For the best show, the meteors can be best appreciated from a higher vantage point with little light pollution. Check out a couple videos of the annual August Perseids meteor shower for a little taste of what you could see tonight.

If you've found yourself wondering why it's called the Leonid meteor shower, it's because the showers appear to be coming from the constellation Leo.

Left 4 Dead 2 Release

Credit by: http://l4d.com/home.html

Be sure to pick up a copy November 17th on Xbox® 360 or Steam®, and discover for yourself how much fun a zombie apocalypse can be:

- Next generation co-op action gaming from the makers of Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress and Counter-Strike.

- Over 20 new weapons & items headlined by over 10 melee weapons – axe, chainsaw, frying pan, baseball bat – allow you to get up close with the zombies

- New survivors. New story. New dialogue.

- Five expansive campaigns for co-operative, Versus and Survival game modes.

- An all new multiplayer mode.

- Uncommon common infected. Each of the five new campaigns contains at least onenew "uncommon common" zombies which are exclusive to that campaign.

- AI Director 2.0: Advanced technology dubbed “The AI Director” drove L4D’s unique gameplay – customizing enemy population, effects, and music, based upon the players’ performance. L4D 2 features “The AI Director 2.0” which expands the Director’s ability to customize level layout, world objects, weather, and lighting to reflect different times of day.

- Stats, rankings, and awards system drives collaborative play

- Support for split screen play (Xbox 360 version only)