Google Nexus launch event delayed by Hurricane Sandy

Google's Android event planned for New York yesterday afternoon has been cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy but Microsoft will launch Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco this evening. 

 The event was expected to be the announcement of a new Google Android handset, the LG-made 'Nexus 4', as well as at least one new Android tablet and, possibly, an update to the Android operating system.

 The event was due to be held on the west side of Manhattan at 10am local time but with Hurricane Sandy approaching the east coast of the United States, Google has been forced to cancel the event. In a statement, it said: "We are cancelling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more. Stay safe and dry, The Android Team.”  

The cancellation gives Microsoft the opportunity to focus all attention on its Windows Phone 8 launch event in San Francisco this evening. Though some manufacturers have shown off Windows Phone 8 handsets already, details of the operating system have not been fully revealed. Microsoft is expected to do that this evening. 

 Some details of Google's planned announcements appear to have leaked over the weekend. On Friday, Carphone Warehouse published a page on its website that gave details of the Google Nexus 4 handset.  

Google was also expected to have planned to announce a new, 10-inch Nexus tablet at today's event. Over the weekend, pictures were published online purporting to show a Samsung-manufactured 10-inch tablet. The tablet would join the Asus-made Nexus 7 tablet that Google launched in the summer. 

 For the full article read it here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/9640311/Google-Nexus-launch-event-delayed-by-Hurricane-Sandy.html

For more information about tablets, cloud technology and IT Support Glasgow visit the Click Networks website: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk 

Windows 8 and the Surface tablets

Windows 8 has prompted the launch of new hybrid computers which can function as a standalone tablet or be connected to a keyboard to act as a touch-enabled laptop.

Windows 8 marks what is arguably the most radical tech launch of the year.

Microsoft aims to leapfrog the competition by offering a touch-based, dynamic, futuristic-looking interface which can run on processors designed for both high-spec computers, and chips more commonly associated with smartphones.

Its market-leading status is at stake.

More than 1.5 billion devices currently use a version of Windows, making it by far the most installed operating system, according to tech research firm Gartner.

But investors are more concerned about the firm's growth prospects amidst growing competition for customers' cash.

"We think the industry changed with the iPad launch because the tablet is effectively a PC - it doesn't need to be connected to a network to work and runs third-party applications," Steve Brazier, chief executive of research firm Canalys, says.Windows 8 introduces a new user interface designed to be operated via a touchscreen "Once you segment the market that way, Windows share of the global PC market has fallen to 72%. Three years ago that would have been over 95%.

"If you add the PC market together to the smartphone market - which we call the intelligent device sector - Windows share falls to 32%."

Windows 8 and its close relation Windows Phone 8 are designed to reverse that trend. One thing is certain: Microsoft's efforts will have industry-wide ramifications.

A study by Gartner indicates worldwide PC shipments were 8.3% lower than the previous year in the July-to-September quarter. That spells trouble for companies including HP, Dell and Acer which have seen sales decline as a consequence.

A successful launch might recharge demand, but first they must face the prospect of a challenge from Microsoft's own tablet, Surface.

Read the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20044887

The hidden cost of online shopping 'free' postage!

If you've spotted a £47.97 charge or similar on your bank statement or credit card bill with the words "Prime Member Fee" next to it and don't know where it's from, then it's likely you've inadvertently signed up for online retailer's paid service such as Amazon's One Month free trial of Amazon Prime.

Check back to see if you bought something from Amazon in the months prior to the charge. If at the time you ticked to get "free" delivery then by doing so you were taking up the free trial. If you're unsure check your past emails, you should have received reminder emails letting you know the trial was ending and how to cancel if you wished.

Once the month's up the annual fee is £47.98 so that sum will have been taken from your account. To ensure you don't pay a penny you need to cancel the service. 

Provided you or any registered guests on the membership haven't made any eligible purchases then you can cancel at any time once the trial's finished and the full amount will be refunded.

To cancel, the quickest and easiest way is to go to the "Prime Settings" section of your Amazon account page and click the "Cancel membership" button. If you'd prefer to speak to someone in person to do it you can call Amazon's freephone customer service number on 0800 496 1081.

The refund should be in your account within two days.

If you're still within the trial period and want to cancel just click the "do not upgrade" button in your account's Prime Settings.

Read the full independant advice at: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

Talk about double standards for business???

US auction site eBay has paid only £1.2m in tax in the UK, according to an investigation by the Sunday Times.

The newspaper said that its tax bill in 2010 comes despite eBay's UK subsidiaries generating sales of £800m.

The auction site - which also owns PayPal - responded that it "complies fully with all applicable tax laws". 

The report comes after coffee giant Starbucks was also accused of paying just £8.6m in corporation tax in the UK over 14 years.

According to the Sunday Times, eBay had sales of £789m during 2010 in the UK at its four British subsidiaries. Using its worldwide profit margin of 23%, it would have made a profit in the UK of £181m, leading to corporation tax owed of £51m.

Instead, it paid £1.2m, the report said.

Read the full article here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20022365

Google: A Look Inside its data centers

As part of an effort to build appreciation for how it actually runs online services like search, Google is showing off its massive computing resources.

Google only rarely gives outsiders a look at its data centers, but today it's trying to make up for lost time with a large online photo gallery and Street View tour of the computing hardware.

The company launched a new site, "Where the Internet Lives" with a lot of eye candy for people who enjoy racks of computer gear, raised-floor ventilation systems, multicolored cables, and massive air-conditioning chillers. Urs Hoelzle, Google's senior vice president for technical infrastructure, announced the site in a blog post today.

It's short on details for those who want to eye Google's servers up close, but there are some glimpses in the accompanying video about Google's data centers and in a view from last year.
But to a certain extent, Google's individual servers are beside the point. They may be a fundamental computing unit to ordinary people, but Google thinks at much larger scale. Several jewels in the company's software crown -- MapReduce, the Google File System, and Spanner, for example -- are designed specifically to run on massive clusters of machines and to keep on running even when individual servers fail.

Superficially, Google's custom-built servers look similar to the one unveiled in 2009, though: computing components bolted or strapped to an open-topped piece of sheet metal. Steve Jobs might have cared about the aesthetics of his computers' innards, but for Google, the highest calling is the most purely economical and functional object.

Showing off the data center is smart move for a couple reasons. First, it could help outsiders value an operation at Google that's under increasing scrutiny for consuming tremendous electrical power in an era when enlightened companies are supposed to minimize their impact on the environment. Second, it could trigger some ooh-aahs among people who've begun to take Google's truly impressive computing achievements for granted.

It's something Google can genuinely brag about. The company gets grief for alleged privacy invasions and monopoly abuse, but the company has earned respect when it comes to running a colossal computing operation. Not for nothing do people joke that Skynet is most likely to become conscious within Google's infrastructure.

 Article via c|net

HOW SAFE IS YOUR DATA?

This was a very hard lesson to learn for a Police Force.

Don't scrimp when it comes to protecting your valuable company data, or you could be very sorry.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-19960966

Contact Click Networks to ensure you are doing all you can to keep your data secure and away from the wrong people.

Regards
The Click Team.

The IT projects keep coming in thick and fast at Click Networks.

We have recently completed another excellent new Website for a brand new Financial advisers client of ours, Rimmington Thomson based at Charring Cross in Glasgow.  

http://www.rimmingtonthomson.com/ 

They are very pleased with our work and as a result we have been commissioned to help with other projects, such as Microsoft Office 365 implementation, IT support and we have even implemented a social media strategy for them too.

If we can help with designing your Website, or offer any of our other excellent IT services, we would be delighted to hear from you too.

Thanks from all at the Click team.