Microsoft users say goodbye to Hotmail, hello to new Outlook.com

Microsoft has announced that its new webmail service, Outlook.com, is now set to replace Hotmail.com. The software giant said that Outlook.com is coming out of beta testing and is now ready for primetime. The service, which was announced last July, now has 60 million users and will now replace Microsoft’s older webmail system. Microsoft”s Hotmail, which was originally MSN Hotmail, has been online since 1997. Hotmail users will still keep their Hotmail.com email addresses and their contacts and emails will all be moved over, they will just now get a new user interface and all the new features of Outlook.com, ABC News reports. According to the report, Outlook.com was designed with a similar aesthetic to Microsoft”s Windows 8 operating system.

It also includes new social features and a sorting option called Sweep, the report said. The Sweep feature moves newsletters, promotional messages and other recurring emails into their own folders or to the trash, it added.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/microsoft-users-say-goodbye-to-hotmail-hello-to-new-outlook.com/1076963/

Dell launches Inspiron 15z for Rs 41,990

Dell launched a new laptop, Inspiron 15z, for Rs 41,990. The ultrabook comes with a 15.6-inch LED display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels. The aluminium chassis is 2.1 cm thick and the laptop weighs 2.17 kg. Another model, which is 2.3 cm thick and weighs 2.46 kg, comes with a touchscreen.

Inspiron 15z runs Windows 8 and comes with a 1-MP web camera.

The laptop has Intel’s third generation Core-series processor and Nvidia GeForce GT630M 2GB graphics card and 500 GB storage (HDD), but users can also opt for faster solid state drives (up to 256GB). The keyboard has backlighting and is water resistant. The touchpad is optimised for Windows 8.

Connectivity options on the Dell Inspiron 15z are Intel WiDi, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, ethernet, HDMI and a slot for various memory cards. It has Skullcandy speakers.

Shishir Singh, Director, Product Marketing, Dell India said, “We at Dell always strive to come up with something innovative which addresses all the needs of our consumers. The Inspiron 15z combines upscale style and features in a sleek and glamorous design with best-in-class technology.”

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dell-launches-inspiron-15z-for-rs-41990/1072635/

Microsoft testing Outlook app for Windows RT devices: Report

Teams within Microsoft are reportedly debating whether the company should release a native version of Outlook for Windows RT devices or not. The company has reportedly completed and testing a final version of Outlook for Windows RT devices.

Microsoft is reportedly testing a native version of MS Outlook for Windows RT-based devices. Dubbed as Outlook RT, the e-mail client would run on Microsoft’s ARM-based Surface RT devices as well as any ARM-based Windows RT slates and PCs.

According to CNET, Microsoft hasn’t yet decided the date for commercial availability of Outlook RT, as odds are the company may never release it. The teams within Microsoft are still debating whether the company should release the app or not.

The report further quotes sources at Microsoft claims some people at the Windows unit want to retain the Mail/Calendar/People app as it bundles currently. There are some other people who want to simply rename the existing Mail app in Windows RT as Outlook. There are also suggestions to launch Outlook as a separate native app.

“Microsoft currently has its own Mail client for Windows 8 and Windows RT — a product that is not seen as very robust or solid by many of us Surface RT/Windows RT users. The Windows RT Mail client is not even as good as the Mail client that’s part of Windows Phone, many of us feel,” writes Mary Jo Foley in the report.

“Quite a few of us would rather have the option to run Outlook on our Surface RTs and other Windows RT devices. But for now, Microsoft doesn’t include Outlook as part of the Office Home & Student 2013 RT suite that it bundles with the Windows RT operating system. Only Word RT, Excel RT, PowerPoint RT and OneNote RT are included. (It’s worth noting that these four apps are Desktop apps, not “Metro-Style”/Windows Store apps. There are only two members of the Office suite that currently exist in Metro-Style form: OneNote and Lync.),” she adds.

Microsoft is yet to comment on the rumours of a native Outlook app for Windows RT.

 

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Apps/Microsoft-testing-Outlook-app-for-Windows-RT_13224.html

Indian Made eTouch Pen Converts Old Monitors Into Touch Screens

Bangalore: Touch screen devices relish the digital era, and the demand for the same has increased especially after the introduction of the touch centric Microsoft Windows 8 operating system in the market. Majority of the PC/ laptop users are in a state of dilemma thinking of how to make the best use of Windows 8 system. In an attempt to make use of the growing demand, Bangalore- based Jeswill Hi-Tech Solutions has come up with an innovative stylus ‘e-touch Pen’ to facilitate the conversion  of non-touch based PC or laptop into a touch screen devices.

The e-Touch Pen is designed for the Windows 8 with non-touch devices, as the new Microsoft operating system provides the ultimate user experience on touch devices. The device can also be used on PC’s running on Windows 7.

The device works based on a combination of ultrasound infrared technology and doesn’t require drivers for installation. It includes components like a cordless electronic pen and a detachable base unit with a USB cable connector. It has a receiver that can be clipped on to a screen and a stylus pen that acts as a transmitter. Apart from that, a small magnetic strip is stuck onto the side of a screen.

The receiver is clipped on to the magnetic strip and connected to the computer through a USB port. Since the clipped on receiver is an infrared device, it helps in positioning the stylus. The stylus transmitter is a battery- operated, ultrasonic device which has few brushes at its tip which attracts the vibrations when the pen is moved on the screen. The signals are subsequently transmitted to the receiver. The receiver transmits the input to the PC which completes the action accordingly.

There lies a price gap between a touch screen PC and a non-touch PC which is more than 10, 000 in market, but the new i-Touch pen can bridge the gap as it costs around to 5,000.  It works on a maximum screen size of 22-inch with a resolution of 100 DPI.

According to Mr. Sylvester P. Moorthy, Chairman, Hi-Tech Solutions, the e-Touch pen was designed especially for Windows 8. He also said that users will be able to write, draw, and edit pictures on the screen as well as perform certain other functions using this device.