KACHARAGADLA

For the early part of my technology career, keyboards were the only user interface available. Even with early machines like the  Apple   II and the first   IBM   PCs, it was keyboards-only. But in 1984, Apple's Macintosh introduced the graphical user interface and mouse to a wide audience, and a whole new way to interact with a computer was born. Us old-timers took a while to get the hang of digital desktops and mice. But eventually, using them became second nature. Today, pretty much all of our computing devices use some form of graphical user interface with either a mouse, a stylus, or a user's finger as an input device. (Voice-activated gadgets like the  Amazon Echo  aside.) But after over three decades of mouse-and-keyboard computing, we're on the precipice of the next major advancement in user interfaces: Virtual and augmented reality, or VR and AR. Taken together, VR and AR are on track to become the dominant method of computer interaction within the next 10-1

Visakhapatnam:  Following the launch of the pilot in June 2016, that tested a new Sowing Application for farmers combined with a Personalized Village Advisory Dashboard for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, the results show a 30% higher average in yield per hectare. The Sowing App was developed to help farmers achieve optimal harvests by advising on the best time to sow depending on weather conditions, soil and other indicators. The pilot was implemented in Devanakonda Mandal in Kurnool district and the Advisory applied only to the groundnut crop. This was made possible through a partnership between the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Microsoft, and the Andhra Pradesh government. The pioneering digital tools were released as part of the Andhra Pradesh Primary Sector Mission (APPSM) also known as Rythu Kosam. The results of the pilot were announced today at a panel discussion at the 20th National Conference on e-Governance taking place

Microsoft   MSFT +2.61%  has just revealed arguably its biggest Windows 10 upgrade so far and the irony is it is all about making things smaller… Speaking on the  official Windows blog , Windows program manager Bill Karagounis explained that Windows 10 is going to get much smarter about how it downloads updates: “We are announcing the next generation of our delivery technologies incorporated into our latest Insider builds called the Unified Update Platform (UUP). One of the biggest community and customer benefits of UUP is the reduction you’ll see in download size on PCs.” UUP uses differential download technology meaning it will download “only the changes that have been made since the last time you updated your device, rather than a full build”. Karagounis says this should reduce the size of major Windows 10 updates by “approximately 35%”. This is a big deal. UUP will become the universal system used by all versions of Windows 10 – including on smartphones and tablets – an

G oogle on Monday posted to the Internet a previously unpublicized flaw that could pose a security threat to users of the Microsoft Windows operating system. Google notified both Microsoft and Adobe of zero day vulnerabilities in their software on Oct. 21, wrote Neel Mehta and Billy Leonard, members of Google's Threat Analysis Group, in an online post. Google has a policy of making critical vulnerabilities public seven days after it informs a software maker about them. Adobe was able to fix its vulnerability within seven days; Microsoft was not. "This [Windows] vulnerability is particularly serious because we know it is being actively exploited," wrote Mehta and Leonard. However, Google's Chrome browser prevents exploitation of the vulnerability when running in Windows 10, they added. Flaw Not Critical Microsoft challenged Google's analysis of the Windows flaw in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Charlotte Heesacker. &quo

A computer inspired by a desk lamp M icrosoft’s Surface PCs are known for their hinges. From the first, launched alongside Windows 8, to the new Surface Studio, each device has a hinge system that has evolved over time. That’s no accident, as the designers behind the scenes have been tweaking the Surface formula for years now. This latest creation, the Surface Studio, is designed to create an illusion of floating pixels. I met with the Surface Team last week to hear the history of the Surface and its latest Surface Studio hinge. “There is a tradition of us getting funding with pretty crappy prototypes,” admits Ralf Groene, Microsoft's head of industrial design, as he sits proudly next to the Surface Studio during its launch event in New York City last week. Those “crappy prototypes” include the original Surface RT concept, that was an acrylic sheet with a piece of string attached. Microsoft started with the basic concept of propping up a tablet on a table and typing, an

Microsoft Corp ( MSFT.O ) said sales of its flagship cloud product doubled in its first quarter, propelling earnings above analysts' estimates and sending its shares to an all-time high, breaking past a level hit in 1999 at the peak of the tech stock bubble. The company's shares have doubled since August 2013 with Chief Executive Satya Nadella restoring investor confidence by focusing on mobile and cloud computing rather than PCs. Long known for its Windows software, Microsoft has shifted focus to the cloud where it is dueling with larger rival Amazon.com Inc ( AMZN.O ) to control the still fledgling market. Its jump in revenue underscores how businesses around the world are turning to new applications in the cloud and leaving once critical software programs and other hardware in the dust. Shares of Microsoft rose as much as 6.2 percent to $60.79 in after-hours trading. They later pared gains to $60.43, still adding nearly $25 billion to its market value.

When Windows 10 officially launched in 2015, Microsoft gave Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users one year to decide if they wanted to make the switch to the company’s new OS for free. Well, that year has almost passed and with just under a day till the July 29th deadline, you may still be finding yourself sitting on the fence about making the jump to Windows 10. While it is true that the OS has had somewhat of a troubling launch with compatibility issues and severe privacy issues, a year is a long time in computer-land though and during that time Microsoft has been slowly-but-surely tinkering with Windows 10, even prepping a huge Windows 10 Anniversary update that is slated to go live next week. The bottom line is that if you do not upgrade by the 29th of July, Windows 10 will come with a hefty $119 price tag. Personally, I was a staunch proponent of Windows 7 and resisted the change to Windows 10 for many months. However, in the time since switching to Microsoft’s latest OS, the sof