Windows 10 may be selling well, how Microsoft are still not satisfied?

Strong demand for Windows 10 surface (also to be the ultimate test of the market) is more the result of its error correction again in the traditional PC market and the value of compromise, rather than a manifestation of the true value, while the market and users for its functionin the mobile space indifference, but also seems to presage Windows 10 in the mobile market than previous Windows 8 will not have too much outstanding performance. Microsoft has been hailed as the mobile market to reverse the decline and transition heavyweight upcoming Windows 10 operating system market. So Windwos 10 can receive favorable for the market, the relationship with Microsoft's future prospects in the mobile market, and "Mobile led the cloud-first" strategy proposed CEO can be implemented. Recently, the results of a recent survey of IT professionals for research institutions Spiceworks released, Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system abnormalities strong potential demand. That plan to install Windows 10 system users in two years the ratio reached 73%, of which about 40% of users plan to install Windows 10 systems within a year. From that perspective, the demand for Windows 10 system is indeed strong, at least compared with its predecessor Windows 8 system is this. It stands to reason such a high market and customer needs, for Microsoft, should be fond of fishes, but in this report we read carefully the user to upgrade or install Windows 10, the main driver ── Strong demand for Microsoft Windows 10 may not be all good, and even worries: In Spiceworks report, Windows 10 system, most attention is the traditional start button return, 64% of respondents believe that, Windows 10 system, the traditional start button back, is one of its most popular feature; secondly, Microsoft for Windows 10 available to Windows 7 andWindows 8 users a free upgrade, got 55 percent of respondents supported, to become the second most popular properties; 51% of respondents believe that the safety performance enhancements, Windows 10 system is the third most popular properties . I do not know the industry see the three main drivers feel? First, from the first drivers to see, so much innovative Windows 10, as it was for the previous generation of Windows 8 errors corrected. Industry know, Windows 8 due to the cancellation of the traditional PC user habits start button and much industry criticism, and become one of the main Windows 8 market performance incompetence. Followed by the so-called free upgrades factors caused. Because smart phones and tablets to the traditional PC and PC impact of highly sophisticated applications, the traditional PC users fromWindows 8 since it has lost the power system upgrade for Windows, so Microsoft on Windows 10 had to take a free market strategy stimulate users to upgrade, so that 55 percent of respondents approved of Microsoft Windows for free, from another perspective, it could be for Windows 10 value (s) of a negative 10. Finally, security.As we all know, security has been paying more attention to the aspects of the Windows system, after all, the majority of enterprises in the current IT system (including PC) running Windows system, so security is a matter of course to do Windows. The above Windows10 upgrade or install three drivers, we believe strong demand for Windows 10 behind, is not a positive driving force for innovation itself due to Windows 10, but for Windows systems prior to correction and change to depreciate the value (from Pay to free) is a market rebound, which is the market and users before the upgrade or install Windows because of its innovative value due to different. It is worth noting that in some innovative features on Windows10 conference was Microsoft deliberately emphasized, such as Cortana, the Edge browser and Continuum drew etc., did not attract the attention of the respondents, that these so-called innovations did not become market and users to upgrade and install Windows 10, the main driving force. Also, I wonder if there is no set term or for other reasons survey, Windows 10 support feature iOS and Android applications, and does not appear in the user is therefore welcomed and select Windows 10, and possession of what proportion of the survey. Perhaps the user does not care about Windows 10 support iOS and Android applications. So the question is, to support iOS and Android applications are Windows10 in the mobile market, the biggest selling point, but gradually marginalized in the PC era, one of the main objectives developed by Microsoft Windows10 is hoping to win the smartphone market, and, ultimately, Microsoft cross-platform, cross-device, unified experience "mobile first" strategy. Industry support for Windows10 iOS and Android applications veiled criticism: First, there will be a "lowest common denominator phenomenon" in the software migration (the most banal metaphor popular product), namely those who are most desirable to use a low-cost means to port software to the people on other platforms, but also the most reluctant in every on a platform that will be the most sophisticated user experience people. The implication is that Windows for iOS and Android compatibility and portability, you can not attract the iOS and Android platforms best software. In addition, compatible Android and iOS versions of software Windows 10, mobile application developers have no reason to think more specially developed Windows versions, which only makes the fragile ecosystems more vulnerable Windows Phone Moreover, if the market and users are more like Android or iOS platform application, then why Windows platform through experience? It seems the market and users do not care for Windows10 compatible Android and iOS applications, or do not become a reason to choose Windows 10 is not unfounded, and this is bound to affect the value and performance of Windows 10 in the mobile market. The above analysis is not difficult to see that the strong demand for Windows10 surface (also to be the ultimate test of the market) is more a result of its error correction again in the traditional PC market and the value of compromise, rather than a manifestation of the true value. While the market and users for their indifference in the mobile space capabilities, but also seems to presage Windows10 have too outstanding performance in the mobile market more compared to the previous Windows 8 will not. It might get higher than the Windows 8 upgrade or install Microsoft is happy to see the amount, but the overall value of Windows and Microsoft cross-platform, cross-device, unified experience "mobile first" strategy from the perspective of Windows 10 in the PC market , it is likely to worry. Because, as may be the last Windows version, in this version of the life cycle of these strategies will be difficult to achieve. Source: Article

Read More........→July 13, 2015

Nearly half of US jobs could be at risk of computerisation within 20 years

A study by the Oxford Martin School shows that nearly half of US jobs could be at risk of computerisation within 20 years. Transport, logistics and office roles are most likely to come under threat. The new study, a collaboration between Dr Carl Benedikt Frey (Oxford Martin School) and Dr Michael A. Osborne (Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford), found that jobs in transportation, logistics, as well as office and administrative support, are at "high risk" of automation. More surprisingly, occupations within the service industry are also highly susceptible, despite recent job growth in this sector. "We identified several key bottlenecks currently preventing occupations being automated," says Dr. Osborne. "As big data helps to overcome these obstacles, a great number of jobs will be put at risk." The study examined over 700 detailed occupation types, noting the types of tasks workers perform and the skills required. By weighting these factors, as well as the engineering obstacles currently preventing computerisation, the researchers assessed the degree to which these occupations may be automated in

the coming decades. "Our findings imply that as technology races ahead, low-skilled workers will move to tasks that are not susceptible to computerisation – i.e., tasks that require creative and social intelligence," the paper states. "For workers to win the race, however, they will have to acquire creative and social skills." "While computerisation has been historically confined to routine tasks involving explicit rule-based activities, algorithms for big data are now rapidly entering domains reliant upon pattern recognition and can readily substitute for labour in a wide range of non-routine cognitive tasks. In addition, advanced robots are gaining enhanced senses and dexterity, allowing them to perform a broader scope of manual tasks. This is likely to change the nature of work across industries and occupations." The low susceptibility of engineering and science occupations to computerisation, on the other hand, is largely due to the high degree of creative intelligence they require. However, even these occupations could be taken over by computers in the longer term. Dr Frey said the United Kingdom is expected to face a similar challenge to the US. "While our analysis was based on detailed datasets relating to US occupations, the implications are likely to extend to employment in the UK and other developed countries," he said. Full version of the paper: http://www.futuretech.ox.ac.uk/files/The_Future_of_Employment_OMS_Working_Paper_1.pdfSource: Article

Read More........→March 13, 2014

Mind Reading Computer Could Communicate With Coma Patients

Western researchers have used neuroimaging to read human thought via brain activity when they are conveying specific ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Their findings were published in The Journal of Neuroscience in a study titled, The Brain's Silent Messenger: Using Selective Attention to Decode Human Thought for Brain-Based Communication. According to lead researcher Lorina Naci, the interpretation of human thought from brain activity – without depending on speech or action – is one of the most provoking and challenging frontiers of modern neuroscience. Specifically, patients who are fully conscious and awake, yet, due to brain damage, are unable to show any behavioral responsivity, expose the limits of the neuromuscular system and the necessity for alternate forms of communication. Participants were asked to concentrate on a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response to questions like “Are you married?” or “Do you have brothers and sisters?” and only think their response, not speak it. “This novel method allowed healthy individuals to answers questions asked in the scanner, simply by paying attention to the word they wanted to convey. By looking at their brain activity we were able to correctly decode the correct answers for each individual,” said Naci, a postdoctoral fellow at Western's Brain and Mind Institute. “The majority of volunteers conveyed their answers within three minutes of scanning, a time window that is well-suited for communication with brain-computer interfaces.” Naci and her Western colleagues Rhodri Cusack, Vivian Z. Jia and Adrian Owen are now utilizing this method to communicate with behaviorally non-responsive patients, who may be misdiagnosed as being in a vegetative state. “The strengths of this technique, especially its ease of use, robustness, and rapid detection, may maximize the chances that any such patient will be able to achieve brain-based communication,” Naci said. Contacts and sources: University of Western Ontario, Source: Nanopatents And Innovations, Reference-Image: flickr.com

Read More........→June 03, 2013

Projectors to double brightness with polarisation breakthrough

Liquid crystal (LC) based projectors could become almost twice as energy efficient and much cheaper as researchers from North Carolina State University in the USA and ImagineOptix Corporation reveal a revolutionary polarising technology. The breakthrough means projectors that rely on batteries will be able to run for almost twice as long and all LC projectors can be made twice as bright.

All LC projectors utilise polarised light. However, researchers say that efficient light sources, such as LEDs, produce unpolarised light. As a result, the light generated by LEDs has to be converted into polarised light before it can be used. According to NC State researchers, the most common method of polarising light involves passing the unpolarised light through a polarizing filter. They claim that this process wastes more than 50% of the originally generated light, with the bulk of the "lost" light being turned into heat. This is a major reason that projectors get hot and have noisy cooling fans. The new technology, demonstrated in a small pico projector and developed at NC State, allows approximately 90 percent of the unpolarised light to be polarised and, therefore, used by the projector "This technology, which we call a polarisation grating-polarisation conversion system (PGPCS), will significantly improve the energy efficiency of LC projectors," said Dr. Michael Escuti, co-author of a paper describing the research and an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State. "The commercial implications are broad reaching. Projectors that rely on batteries will be able to run for almost twice as long. And LC projectors of all kinds can be made twice as bright but use the same amount of power that they do now." Because only approximately 10 percent of the unpolarised light is converted into heat – as opposed to the more than 50 percent light loss that stems from using conventional polarisation filters – the new technology will also reduce the need for loud cooling fans and enable more compact designs. The technology is a small single-unit assembly composed of four immobile parts. A beam of unpolarised light first passes through an array of lenses, which focus the light into a grid of spots. The light then passes through a polarisation grating, which consists of a thin layer of liquid crystal material on a glass plate. The polarisation grating separates the spots of light into pairs, which have opposite polarisations. The light then passes through a louvered wave plate, which is a collection of clear, patterned plates that gives the beams of light the same polarisation. Finally, a second array of lenses focuses the spots of light back into a single, uniform beam of light.The paper, "Efficient and monolithic polarization conversion system based on a polarization grating," was published July 10 in Applied Optics. The paper was co-authored by Drs. Jihwan Kim and Ravi Komanduri, postdoctoral researchers at NC State; Kristopher Lawler, a research associate at NC State; Jason Kekas, of ImagineOptix Corp.; and Escuti. The research was funded by ImagineOptix, a start-up company co-founded by Escuti and Kekas. Source: InAVate

Read More........→May 14, 2013

Tech startup 3Gear doubles up on cameras for mm-sensitive gesture control

3Gear, a technology start up in San Francisco, has developed a SDK (software development kit), which uses two 3D cameras taking top down images to accurately track the movements of a user’s hand allowing for much more precise gesture control applications. The current demo system uses a pair of Kinect cameras mounted above a work station on a metal structure, but it is anticipated in future that they could be integrated into a computer display or mounted on it.

The SDK is being released in the hope that third party developers will extend the capabilities of the company’s hand tracking algorithm’s which are an essential part of accurate gesture control.3Gear's system uses two depth cameras (the same type used with Kinect) that capture 30 frames per second. The position of a user's hands and fingers are matched to a database of 30,000 potential hand and finger configurations. The process of identifying and matching to the database—a well-known approach in the gesture-recognition field—occurs within 33 milliseconds, co-founder Robert Wang says, so it feels like the computer can see and respond to even a millimeter finger movement almost instantly. Source: InAVate

Read More........→March 31, 2013