Do Consumers Really Want Touch?
It’s a blip: a Russian Microsoft portal aptly named MicrosoftPortal discovered a boolean setting called “CanSuppressStartScreen” that suggests that users of the upcoming version of Windows, thus far called “Blue,” will be able to bypass the start screen and drop right into the classic Windows environment? While this sounds like a boon to some, it marks a distinct step backward for the dream of an all-touch Windows machine. But, as Hexus notes, it also means that Microsoft could be aiming at a different demographic, a demographic that doesn’t want or cannot afford a true touchscreen experience on their PCs. First, consider the cost of touch. A standard 22-inch monitor costs about $149 although you can get cheaper models if you hunt. A standard touchscreen monitor costs $300. Depending on configuration, a touchscreen laptop can cost double a non-touchscreen model. The same goes for components – a 12-inch WXGA screen costs $90 while a touchscreen costs $240. In short, touchscreen ...
applications
blue
cansuppressstartscreen
chris
compatibility
configuration
devices
edition
engadget
environment
experience
hexus
interaction
microsoft
microsoftportal
pcs
pirillo
redmond
russian
version
windows
wxga
Box Updates Its Outlook Plugin And Makes It Available For Users With Free Accounts, Too
Desktop-based email clients aren’t exactly a hot topic these days, but millions of users still rely on their trusty Outlook client. To bridge the gap between Outlook on the desktop and the web, the popular online content-sharing and management service Box has long offered an add-on that allows Outlook users to use Box for managing email attachments. Until today, this add-on was only available for paying Business and Enterprise customers, but starting now, even users with free Box accounts can install this plugin. Using Box instead of traditional email attachments, the company argues, allows users to ensure that the size of an attachment is “no longer an issue since you can replace them with shared links to Box.” In addition, using Box allows users to manage permissions and track who has accessed a file. All of this, Box says, happens inside the native Outlook experience and the system will ask users if they want to use Box whenever they attach a document to an email directly. Users ...
addition
attachments
business
chinese
documents
dutch
experience
french
german
italian
japanese
management service
million
permission
portuguese
russian
spanish
swedish
Facebook Brings Down The Hammer Again: Cuts Off MessageMe's Access To Its Social Graph
MessageMe, an app that launched last week and raced up the charts to the #2 spot in social networking in the U.S., is confronting Facebook’s touchiness around access to its social graph. The app’s integration with Facebook stopped functioning earlier today (see left), the result of the company’s decision to cut MessageMe off from its “Find Friends” functionality, according to sources familiar with decision. MessageMe CEO Arjun Sethi declined to comment in this story and Facebook didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The move resembles Facebook’s decision last month to shut off Voxer’s access to the graph, even though Voxer connected to Facebook for well over a year. Voxer is another communications app that supports calling and voice chat. Facebook cut the app off around the same time that it launched competing functionality with free voice calling to other users. In that decision, Facebook cited Section 10 of its platform policy (which is the same one it’s ...
api
apis
arjun
back
ceo
comments
communications
decision
enforcement
experience
facebook
functionality
gmail
google
integration
messageme
messenger
permission
policy
reciprocity
russian
section
service
sethi
then-ceo
touchiness
twitter
unwillingness
vine
voxer
williams
Wonder No More. Yandex Says Facebook Closed Door On Graph API Use, Will Pull Its Social App
Some closure on the story of how Yandex — the Russian search giant — built a social discovery app that relied on Facebook interconnection to gather data, and then found Facebook blocking its service within hours of launching. Today Yandex said that after discussions with the social network, Facebook has finally, terminally said that the app violates its Platform Policies, specifically on the point of Wonder being a competing search engine. Facebook will not reinstate the ability to use Facebook’s Graph API, so as a result, Yandex is planning to pulll the app from the app store and put it on hold for now. The full statement from Yandex: “We discussed the issue with Facebook and it was confirmed that Facebook views the application Wonder as something that violates the Facebook Platform Policies (section I.12) and that the access to Facebook’s Graph API will not be restored. “According to Section I.12, no data obtained from Facebook can be used in any search engine or directory ...
ability
api
applications
bay
decision
discussion
emergence
experience
facebook
fayfer
functionality
grinev
grineva
interconnection
labs
maria
maxim
opportunity
palo alto
partnership
permission
policy
quality
russian
section
sergey
service
statement
voxer
yandex
Polaroid’s Android-Based Mirrorless Camera Supposedly Leaked
Is this a new Polaroid camera? That’s what Photorumors is reporting, backed up by a leak from Russian social networking site VK. The camera is a mirrorless interchangeable lens system, which marks a considerable departure from the company’s flagship instant film-based models, which were finally discontinued a few years back. Polaroid has actually run into a couple different bankruptcy situations, but in 2009 signed an agreement with Summit Global Group to produce Polaroid-branded digital still cameras. It’s possible this is the product of that ongoing partnership, but the origin of these rumors suggest exercising caution before putting too much stock in them. The original leak detailed an Android 4-powered device with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, an 18.1 MP sensor, pop-up flash, Wi-Fi and HDMI/headphone out. It features a rounded edge design that looks strikingly similar to the Nikon 1 J2 mirrorless camera. Later, a “press release” from VK provided more detail to Photorumors, including ...
agreement
android
android-based
bankruptcy
caution
devices
dslrs
experience
flagship
hdmi
information
microsd
nikon
partnership
photorumors
polaroid
polaroid-branded
quality
relevance
russian
samsung
situation
wi-fi