Bing Vs Google — Don't Bother Comparing

Earlier this month, a Microsoft contest called BingItOn encouraged people to try out Bing vs Google in the same window — and decide which was better. Microsoft's claim was that the overall Bing:Google win ratio is 2:1. Our claim is that a comparison is pointless.
People quite enjoy comparing search results in an "objective" way, then pronouncing "The Best" across parameters. Less objective people simply root for their personal favourite in the same way they root for sports teams — which the folks at Bing noticed, and thought up the BingItOn contest. The event has brought in some PR for Microsoft — good and bad — and it's invited quite a bit of commentary (objective as well as just-for-fun). But here's why (IMHO) there's either no question of, or no need for, a comparison:

#1. "Relevant results" is a subjective matter. You can't have an objective ranking based on subjective judgments. This point is somewhat obvious, but think about it.
#2. The relevance of the phrase "Relevant results" is questionable: Very few of us are looking for one (or two) pages that we want to get to. The search term leads into an area of exploration, so to speak. To elaborate: We place considerable objective emphasis on relevance, but how often do we read the most relevant result page(s) — and stop the search there?
#3. On a results page (on most pages, actually!), we're used to scrolling through. We're close to having perfected the art of spotting what we want to see. Suppose the "best" search engine brings up "the most relevant" result at #5, and the other one puts it at #8. How much time do we typically lose when we scroll down by 3 results? 430 milliseconds?
#4. What we end up reading is guided, to a good extent, by what the search engines show us. This modern-day cyclicality pretty much throws Relevance out the window.
Come to think of it, "relevance in search results" — and results quality — is a hangover from 2001, when search engines sometimes went off track. "Google versus Bing" is, now, more a matter of whose results pages we enjoy.

Microsoft plans to deliver Office 2013 RT starting in November

Company's Office Home & Student 2013 bundle for ARM-based Windows devices, due to begin rolling out later this year, is slightly different from its x86-based counterpart.

Microsoft let slip back in June that the version of Microsoft Office 2013 that would be available to Windows RT tablets and PC customers would be a "preview" test-build. In blog post yesterday, Microsoft confirmed that information and added a few more particulars about the Office Home & Student 2013 RT bundle that will be available to those with ARM-based Windows devices.

Office 2013 RT won't be available for purchase as a separate product. It will be "included" with ARM-based Windows RT tablets and PCs and will function as a desktop app, meaning it won't be available through the Windows Store.

The final version of Office Home & Student 2013 RT will be available to customers between early November through January 2013, with exact timing depending on language, Microsoft officials said. Those who buy Windows RT devices before the final is out will get the preview build, which will be updated to final for free via Windows Update.

(The rumored release to manufacturing date for the final version of Office 2013 for x86/x64 hardware is November 2012, with consumer/general availability in early 2013. Microsoft officials still have not said when Office 2013 will RTM or launch.)
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The Office 2013 RT apps -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote -- are very similar to, but not exactly the same as their Office 2013 counterparts, as they had to be built to run on ARM. Yes, they were built on the same code base as "regular" Office, but the RT apps had to be tweaked to meet the security and battery-life stipulations of ARM-based hardware, Microsoft officials noted in this week's blog post.

Because of these requirements on ARM, Microsoft is dropping support for a number of features with Office 2013 RT that will still be available iin the x86/x64 versions of Office 2013.

    Features that won't be supported/will be limited supported in Office RT, listed in the "Office Next" blog post -- include:
    Macros, add-ins, and features that rely on ActiveX controls or 3rd party code such as the PowerPoint Slide Library ActiveX control and Flash Video Playback
    Certain legacy features such as playing older media formats in PowerPoint (upgrade to modern formats and they will play) and editing equations written in Equation Editor 3.0, which was used in older versions of Office (viewing works fine)
    Certain email sending features, since Windows RT does not support Outlook or other desktop mail applications (opening a mail app, such as the mail app that comes with Windows RT devices, and inserting your Office content works fine)
    Creating a Data Model in Excel 2013 RT (PivotTables, QueryTables, Pivot Charts work fine)
    Recording narrations in PowerPoint 2013 RT
    Searching embedded audio/video files, recording audio/video notes, and importing from an attached scanner with OneNote 2013 RT (inserting audio/video notes or scanned images from another program works fine)

Microsoft officials said to expect a more detailed release schedule for Office 2013 RT on October 26, which is the day Windows 8 and Windows RT devices will be available at retail.

Courtesy : news.cnet.com

Microsoft touts touch in Office 2013

To entice potential Windows 8 tablet users, the company has taken to its blogs to explain the touch capabilities in its upcoming Office suite.

Microsoft is aiming Office 2013 at touch-screen devices as well as PCs. So the company is starting to pull out the stops to convince tablet users that the new Office is just right for them.

In a blog post yesterday, Clint Covington, a lead program manager for Microsoft's User Experience team, explained how touch works in the new suite. Products such as OneNote and Lync have been redesigned from the ground up to fully support touch. The other applications in Office have been "touch-enabled," which means they support certain touch features but remain true to their roots as desktop applications.

Designing apps to respond to a finger instead of a mouse can be challenging, so Microsoft had to enlarge certain elements in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Users will find fixed parts of the interface larger, such as the Quick Access toolbar, the ribbon, the status bar, and folders in Outlook. Certain menus will also appear larger.

But the size only increases when touch mode is enabled. You can turn touch mode on and off, depending on what type of device you're using, and the interface adapts. The onscreen keyboard also provides a fuller view of your document by automatically minimizing the ribbon and giving you more room to work.

Drag-and-drop gets an assist in touch mode through the use of selection handles that appear when you try to move or copy an item. Other touch features have been enabled through the suite, and Microsoft says it's still working to polish them up.

Office's new touch features will work onWindows 7 devices, Covington noted. But improvements in Windows 8 mean the experience will run better on tablets running the upcoming new OS.

In supporting touch, Office 2013 seems to be walking the same fine line as Windows 8.

Both have been designed as single products for touch-screen devices and traditional PCs. Such an approach clearly speaks to the challenge that Microsoft faces today. The company knows it must succeed in the growing market for mobile devices in order to stay relevant, yet it can't leave its core desktop users behind.

Of course, that approach is dicey. By designing one single product aimed at all devices, you risk creating a product that's feels just a bit off on any particular device. PC users of Windows 8 have already complained that certain Metro features of the OS can be difficult to use with a mouse and keyboard. With Office 2013, Microsoft erred on the side of caution by borrowing some of the flavors of Metro but maintaining the suite's roots in desktop applications.

Will the redesigned Office suite offer the right features to appeal to both tablet and PC users? With Office one of its bread-and-butter products, Microsoft is counting on it. But we'll have to see how consumers respond when the new suite hits the shelves.

Courtesy : news.cnet.com

iPhone 5 preview

Apple’s next iPhone is official, and despite being the sixth iPhone model (technically), we know it’s officially the iPhone 5.

Over the last year, we've heard a ton of rumors about what it might deliver with LTE, a taller display, and a redesigned connector being the most likely tidbits. Fortunately, we now can put all that speculation to rest as Apple spilled the secrets.

Eyes on Apple's new iPhone 5 (pictures)

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Taller, thinner, and a metal back
As expected, the new iPhone is 18 percent thinner (0.30 inch vs. 0.37 inch thick) than the iPhone 4S. Apple says it's the thinnest handset around, but that's a race that changes often. That means it's also 20 percent lighter for a total of 3.95 ounces. The Retina Display expands from 3.5 inches (its size since the original iPhone) to 4 inches. The total resolution remains the same, though, at 326 pixels per inch. The total pixel count is 1,136x640, and we now have a 16:9 aspect ratio.
To the user, that means a fifth row of icons on the home screen. That's pretty nice since it will let you cut down on the number of home screens. You'll also get a full five-day week view in the calendar, the calendar will show more events, and all iWork apps will take advantage of the bigger display. Third-party apps that haven't been updated will continue to work, but you'll see black borders on each side (so they won't be stretched or scaled). Apple also promises that wide-screen movies will look better, with 44 percent more color saturation than on the iPhone 4S.

Touch sensors are now built into the display itself, which makes it 30 percent thinner as a result and less prone to glare.
The iPhone 5 also fixes a design flaw that we first saw in the iPhone 4. Apple replaced the glass back with one that's mostly metal. Too many people (us included) cracked an iPhone 4 or 4S after dropping it accidentally. We don't think the change negatively affects the iPhone's aesthetics. In fact, many might see it as an improvement. A return to a metal back reminds one of the original iPhone, and the crisp, clean-cut back has a bit of the feel of other Apple devices like the iPad.
All of the design changes result in a new iPhone that's surprisingly light to hold. Think 20 percent lighter isn't a big deal? Pick one of these up and you'll feel the difference: the iPhone 4 may have been dense, but the iPhone 5 is a featherweight.
The screen is big, bright, and crisp, too, not shockingly so, but a subtly improved experience. It's akin to being the extrawide comfy chair of iPhone screens. Stay tuned for more, but this new iPhone has a good hand feel.

LTE and carriers
Not a shocker either, but the iPhone 5 will support 4G LTE networks. That's in addition to the current support for GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, and HSPA data networks. LTE has a single chip for voice and data, a single radio chip, and a "dynamic antenna" that will switch connections between different networks automatically.
So which carriers will support an LTE iPhone 5? Well, in the United States that means AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless. So again, T-Mobile loses out. In Canada it's Bell, Telus, Fido, Virgin, and Kudo. In Asia the providers will be SoftBank, SmarTone, SingTel, and SK Telecom. For Australia there's Telstra, Optus, and Virgin Mobile, and in Europe it will go to Deutsche Telekom and EE. On carriers without LTE, the iPhone 5 will run on dual-band 3.5G HDPA+.

A faster chip
The iPhone 5 will offer an A6 chip, which is two times faster than the current A5 chip. Graphics will get faster speeds, as well. Yet, despite the speedier performance, the new chip will be 22 percent smaller than the A5. According to Apple's specs, users will see Web pages load 2.1 times faster, and the Music app with songs will load 1.9 times faster.
More battery life
LTE tends to be a power hog, but the iPhone 5 is set to deliver respectable battery life. Of course, the real story may differ, but here's what Apple is promising for now. We're supposed to get 8 hours of 3G talk time, 8 hours of 3G browsing, 8 hours of LTE browsing, 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hours of video playback, 40 hours of music playback, and 225 hours of standby time. You can be sure that CNET will put these promises to the test when we get a device in our hands.

Apple promises respectable battery life, though the iPhone 5 has a larger display and LTE.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Camera
The main shooter, or the "iSight" camera, stays at 8 megapixels (with the best resolution being 3,264x2,448 pixels) with a feature list that includes backside illumination, a hybrid IR filter, a five-element lens, and a f2.4 aperture. A dynamic light mode is new, and you should be able to launch photography apps up to 2.1 times faster. Another addition is an image signal processor in the A6 chip. That will bring spatial noise reduction and a "smart filter" that produces better low-light performance and captures photos faster. Finally, there's a built-in panorama mode that stitches shots together for one large 28-megapixel photo.

The secondary front camera now can shoot 720p HD video and it gets a backside illuminated sensor. And as we heard at the announcement of iOS 6 back in June, FaceTime will work over 3G cellular networks. Some carriers like AT&T have already announced restrictions for that feature, so be sure to check with your provider first.

Video resolution remains at 1080p HD, though image stabilization has been improved and face detection is now available in clips for up to 10 people. And in a nice move, you can take photos while you're shooting video.
Audio
The iPhone 5 gets an additional microphone for a total of three. You'll find one on the bottom, one on the handset's front face, and one on its rear side. What's more, the speaker now has five magnets (so up from two), which is apparently better and it's supposed to use 20 percent less space. The noise-canceling feature should be improved, as well, and there's a new wideband audio feature that promises more-natural-sounding voices. Twenty percent of carriers will support wideband audio, but so far we only know that Orange in the United Kingdom will be among them.
Smaller dock connector, smaller SIM card
On the bottom of the iPhone 5, there's that new and long-anticipated smaller dock connector. Called "Lightning," it has an all-digital, eight-signal design and an "adaptive interface" (we're not quite sure what that means yet). It's 80 percent smaller, and since it's reversible, both ends will be the same (that's kind of nice).

Apple says the iPhone 5 is the thinnest smartphone around. We'll see how long that record lasts.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

By all means, it's bound to annoy owners of current speaker docks, accessories, and charger/syncing cables since it will render them obsolete. Apple will offer an adapter and adapter cables (of course it will), which range from $19 to $39. We imagine, though, that the adapter may be awkward to use with some current accessories like a bedside alarm clock/music player. For new accessories, Apple says that manufacturers like Bose, JBL, and Bowers are working on new products.
Though we welcome the idea of a smaller connector, we're miffed that Apple couldn't just adopt the semi-industry standard of Micro-USB. That would make things easier for smartphone users across the globe. Yet, even so, the smaller connector may be a smart move for the future. The 30-pin connector has been around since 2003, long before the iPhone even existed: frankly, it's a dust magnet. A smaller connector helps shave extra space to achieve a smaller phone with perhaps a bigger battery. The new connector cable will mainly be used for syncing and charging by most people who own an Apple TV or Bluetooth/AirPlay accessories.

The smaller dock and cable connector is in the usual place on the phone's bottom.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

iOS 6
Inside, the iPhone 5 will debut with iOS 6 already onboard. Highlights include the new Apple Maps app, Passbook, shared photo streams, Siri updates, and the aforementioned FaceTime over 3G. For more on Apple's newest mobile OS update, check out our iOS 6 First Take. iOS 6 will be available for download next Wednesday, September 19.
Release date and pricing
The iPhone 5 will be available in three capacity models, all of which will come in black and white versions. The 16GB is $199, the 32GB $299, and the 64GB $399. On September 21, it will go on sale in nine countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Anyone in that first batch of countries can preorder starting September 14. More countries will follow by the end of this month, and by the end of the year, the iPhone 5 will land at 240 carriers in 100 countries. As a reminder, the U.S. carriers are the Big Three: Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.
Is this the iPhone you've been looking for?
During very brief hands-on time with the iPhone 5, this much is clear: it's the weight you'll remember more than its thinner profile. The iPhone 4S is already a svelte device: most people probably won't spot the difference if they see the new iPhone from the side.
The screen size, also, is more of a subtle improvement. This isn't a jaw-dropping leap from the iPhone 4S: it's a gradual increase, done almost so cleverly that the front face of the iPhone 5 might, with the screen turned off, look very much like the iPhone 4S. The proof will be in the pudding for how app developers and iOS 6 take full advantage of that extra screen real estate, but the bottom line is this: more screen size and more pixels are good things.
The real killer app on this phone -- no surprise -- might be the iPhone's 4G LTE, as well as the promised battery life. If data speeds and battery life can live up to the promises, those alone will make many want to upgrade.
VIA : news.cnet.com

Here's now much data we generate every minute

How much data do you use in a minute? Uploading a photo to Facebook, tweeting, and browsing the Web on your mobile device -- it all adds up. Have a look!

Each and every minute of the day, vast amounts of data is generated from ordinary activities: from online shopping to phone calls, bog-standard Web browsing and accessing social media outlets.

The next time you perform a Google search, you are one in about two-million users who are doing the very same thing at that same moment. Google handles this every second of the day, as does Facebook with more than four billion things shared daily and Twitter with its 340 million tweets per day -- yesterday's outage notwithstanding.

Perhaps a more daunting figure: we spend more than $1 million in online stores every five minutes. Who said we were in back a recession?

In that same amount of time, brands are propped up by close to a quarter-million 'likes' on Facebook, and more than a billion emails are exchanged.

The stats are baffling, and downright crazy. Here are the numbers you need to know.

• Email users send more than 204 million messages;
• Mobile Web receives 217 new users;
• Google receives over 2 million search queries;
• YouTube users upload 48 hours of new video;
• Facebook users share 684,000 bits of content;
• Twitter users send more than 100,000 tweets;
• Consumers spend $272,000 on Web shopping;
• Apple receives around 47,000 application downloads;
• Brands receive more than 34,000 Facebook 'likes';
• Tumblr blog owners publish 27,000 new posts;
• Instagram users share 3,600 new photos;
• Flickr users, on the other hand, add 3,125 new photos;
• Foursquare users perform 2,000 check-ins;
• WordPress users publish close to 350 new blog posts.

VIA: news.cnet.com

iPhone 5 versus Samsung Galaxy S3: Wait or buy now?

You're hearing great things about the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3), but can it stand up to fall's iPhone 5? We'll help you suss it out.

(Credit: CNET)

"The Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) is a great phone, but should I wait for the iPhone 5 instead?"

This is the kind of question we CNET editors are asked all the time, and with good reason. Given the breakneck pace of the smartphone world, there's always something good now, but something better around the corner -- and you want your investment to last.

In some ways, the answers are obvious if you prefer one OS over another, have a Mac at home, or need a phone right now. However, if not, there's a lot to like about each platform's superphone (we surmise; one of them hasn't even been announced yet), and we can't make your decision for you. So here's what we'll do. We're going to break it down by some of the phone features that we think could sway your decision.

Design
When it comes to first-class materials, Apple has Samsung beat. That is, if you like glass on both sides of your handset, and an industrial look and feel. With the Galaxy S3, Samsung unabashedly sticks to its plastic preference, but has managed to make it look and feel sleeker and more desirable than on past Galaxy S devices. The GS3 also features a Gorilla Glass 2 cover, which we expect Apple to announce as well on its mystery iPhone.

Size is the other issue. Rumors point to an iPhone 5 with a larger screen, but an only slightly taller profile. Apple's phone would still fit in the hand about the same way. Compare this with the Galaxy S3, which dwarfs the iPhone 4S. We like its smooth, comfortable feel, but some people will simply find it too large.

Screen
Apple has made it abundantly clear that it's obsessed with screen quality. And now that the MacBook Pro is sporting a Retina Display, it's safe to assume the next iPhone will be equipped with the same technlogy. Though the iPhone 4S has the brighter and sharper display of the two phones, the Galaxy S3's HD Super AMOLED display has richer color contrast. Some argue that the S3's AMOLED screen technology oversaturates, and in some cases we do find that to be true.

However, the human eye can only register so much. As displays get sharper in high-end devices, getting into the minutia of screen comparisons won't say as much about user experience as size does. And as we previously stated, the Galaxy S3's 4.8-inch screen may seem like overkill for some, but it'll definitely feel less cramped than the iPhone, even if the iPhone 5 does get the expected 4-inch screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S3's screen is dimmer than the HTC One X's (above) and the iPhone 4S' (below.)

(Credit: Josh MIller/CNET)

Camera
If the camera specs for the new iPhone remain in line with the current model (as in it'll still have an 8-megapixel lens and an A5 chip), then we'll let our shoot-out shots between the S3, the iPhone 4S, and the HTC One X speak for themselves. We found that the cameras had their specific strengths and weaknesses under certain conditions.

However, Apple is never one to pass up a chance to lift smartphone camera standards and some rumors about an interchangeable lens and a high-definition front-facing camera would call for another camera showdown.

For now, the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 4S offer the same amount of megapixels, high dynamic range, and zero shutter lag. But if you want something featured-packed, the GS3 has a lot of options. True, we don't know what sort of services the new iPhone will offer, but the GS3 already has panoramic shooting, burst shot, two sharing modes, and other fun shooting settings like "cartoon" (a la "A Scanner Darkly") and "beauty" (a la this-is-not-real-life).

Related stories

• Samsung Galaxy S III review (T-Mobile)
• Samsung Galaxy S III camera versus HTC One X, iPhone 4S
• iPhone 5 rumor roundup

Processor
Samsung and Qualcomm teamed up to put a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor in the Galaxy S3, which makes it one of the fastest phones in the U.S. Apple is all about advancing its processors with each succeeding model. Rumor is that Apple will promote the 4S' A5 chip to a fasterA5X chip. We'd expect the same quad-core graphics processor that's in the iPad 3. However, don't get too caught up in processor specs (after all, quad-core prowess is still shrouded in myth). Both phones' internals will impress.

Data speeds
The Samsung Galaxy S3 and Apple iPhone 5 will be evenly matched once the iPhone comes along with its expected (and anticipated!) 4G LTE support. Just keep in mind that not every carrier supports LTE (like Sprint and T-Mobile), and some networks are faster than others.

Availability
Both the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 will be easy to get. The Galaxy S3 will be available on T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, U.S. Cellular, and even C Spire (a regional carrier.) Apple will surely let its carrier-partner gravy train keep rolling with the Big Four, and (way later) down the line, it could also pass the iPhone 5 to Cricket and Virgin Mobile, following by taking the iPhone 4 and 4S prepaid.

Price
In the U.S., the Samsung Galaxy S3 is starting on-contract at $199.99 for the 16GB and $249.99 for the 32GB model (it'll differ by carrier.) As for the iPhone, the 4S on a designated network has a retail price of $199.99 for the 16GB model, $299.99 for the 32GB model, and $399.99 for its 64GB model. And, if the rumors prove true, the newest generation won't be any cheaper. With luck, Apple will remain steady on price, which would make a 32GB Samsung SG3 more cost-effective.

Conclusion
Whether or not a phone is right for you depends on a whole bushel of personal values, but the bottom line is that when you compare the main features and specs, the Galaxy S3 is good enough to recommend on its own against the iPhone 4S.

However, if you're open to either OS (as we are) and you're in no rush to buy a phone, here's what we'd do. We'd go ahead and wait until Apple's announcement this autumn. If the iPhone 5 fails to impress you, the Galaxy S3 has proven itself a worthwhile device with plenty of bells and whistles. And if in your estimation it falls before Apple's charms, you'll be fully informed and clear from any pangs of buyer's remorse.

VIA:news.cnet.com