IT

Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 will allow users to create multiple virtual machines on a single computer. It's a feature that's previously only been available on Microsoft's server version of Windows. The tool, which is referred to as ... Microsoft's "Hyper-V," allows users to make virtual copies of PCs -- all within 1 PC (hence, it's "virtualized"). Virtualization, more importantly, addresses major security issues in that it separates the host hardware (your computer) from the operating system (Windows) and the applications which run within Windows. Run 5, 10, 5,000 ... (view more)

A new study suggests that computer data centers might not be using as much power as previously estimated. It appears that power use is still rising, but at a slower pace than in the past. The report comes from Jonathon Koomey, a Stanford University ... professor that works at the Lawrence Berkeley National laboratory. He's put together figures on the growth of data centre electricity use around the world between 2005 and 2010, which follows on from a previous report he produced for the period from 2000 to 2005. A data center is a facility that houses special computers known as servers. Rather ... (view more)

A venture capitalist claims that the Windows operating system is on the decline. However, that doesn't mean it's doom and gloom time for Microsoft; instead, Roger McNamee says the software giant will still thrive thanks to its business services. ... McNamee is co-founder of Elevation Partners, a firm that has invested in corporations including Forbes, Palm and Facebook. It's also a major donor to Wikipedia. Speaking in an interview on CNBC, McNamee says Windows has reached a cycle in which it would stop growing. As a result, he predicts Apple will expand significantly, which will actually wind up ... (view more)

A pair of Masters students at the University of Konstanz in Germany have undertaken a study that uses Microsoft Kinect to give virtual sight to the blind. The study involves a number of strategically-placed tech devices in a given location, with ... Kinect overseeing every movement. Navigation for the Visually Impaired Originally designed for the Xbox 360 as a way for hands-free gaming, the Microsoft Kinect system has taken on new meaning -- now providing what could be virtual sight to the blind. Dubbed NAVI (Navigational Aids for the Visually Impaired), the system works by connecting Kinect to a ... (view more)

A Massachusetts-based research and development facility has created a detection prototype that could determine the driving abilities of someone wishing to operate a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol. While a number of similar systems already ... exist (such as those requiring an individual to blow into a breath-testing device before the automobile can operate), the new system would use cutting-edge, sensory technology never before added to a motor vehicle. Wheel, Door Lock Sensors Measure Blood Alcohol Level The new approach, called "The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety", uses ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced "Avatar Kinect," a new add-on for the Xbox 360 Kinect motion-sensitive video game peripheral. It would allow voice and motion commands to take the place of the traditional remote control, in addition to several other changes ... that would re-define the ways in which we watch television. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer expressed his company's ambition to make television a more social experience. Among the most significant changes would see television viewers conversing with one another as avatars in different virtual ... (view more)

A Chinese "supercomputer" has been confirmed as the fastest in the world, the first time the country has taken the honor. But the United States is currently working on two machines that could be 10 times faster. The ranking comes from the TOP500 ... project, which produces a list twice a year to show how quickly computers have been proven to work for a sustained period. This is usually much lower than the computer's theoretical maximum speed (which is used in the rare case of tiebreak situations). Japanese, American Dominance Ends Since the list began in 1993, only the United States and Japan ... (view more)

Five portable devices have become the first certified as 'WiFi Direct,' a new system designed to rival Bluetooth in making it easy to connect devices without wires. At the moment, most WiFi-enabled devices can only connect through a router. The ... alternative is to use a tool in Windows known as an ad-hoc network connection, but this is difficult to establish and often unstable. While that's fine for home and office environments, it's of little use to business users on the road. It's also tricky to use with devices such as phones and digital cameras. The main solution to that problem has been ... (view more)

Sean Koehl, a man known throughout Intel Labs as a technology guru, has raised a few eyebrows with his recent Nostradamus-like prediction that the Internet will "go three-dimensional" within the next 5 to 10 years. Of all the forthcoming technology ... projects underway at Intel Labs, Koehl said that he is most excited about the work being done on 3D technology and how it will change the way people interact with online information. According to Koehl, the only reason it is taking so long for this technology to evolve (if being 5 years away from a three-dimensional Internet can even be considered ... (view more)

Hewlett Packard has acknowledged a complaint that its webcam technology discriminates against darker-skinned users. But it doesn't address the racism issue directly -- instead, HP points to a technical limitation. Technology Locks onto Faces The ... allegations involve a feature in the webcam which recognizes faces and then "locks on" to them, automatically moving to keep the picture in the shot as a head moves around. The assertion comes shortly after a YouTube user uploaded a clip which appears to show that the feature fails to lock-on his face. (Source: youtube.com ) In a company blog post on ... (view more)