Internet Explorer 9 (IE 9) is the latest version released by Microsoft. The way to install and uninstall IE 9 can be easily understood using this article.

To install IE 9, complete the following:

1.    Open Windows Update, using one of the following option:

• Click Start, select All Programs and then click Windows Update.
• Go to the Control Panel, click System and Security, and then click Windows Update.

This displays the Windows Update dialog box.

2. Select Important, and click Windows Internet Explorer 9 for Windows 7.

3. Click OK.

4. After it is downloaded, click Install in the Windows Internet Explorer 9 dialog box.

Note: All programs must be closed before installing IE 9.

Uninstalling Internet Explorer 9 (IE 9) can be a little tricky because IE 9 is not available in Add/Remove Programs (as displayed in most Windows OS), or in Programs and Features (as displayed in Windows Vista).

Note: Microsoft identifies IE 9 as an update rather than a new application.

To uninstall IE 9, complete the following:

1. Click System and Security, select Windows Update, and then click Installer Updates.
2. Select WindowsInternet Explorer 9, and then click Uninstall.
3. After it is uninstalled, the system has to be restarted. When you are prompted, click Restart Now.

First Microsoft surprised us by it’s amazing Windows 8 Login Screen and now reports suggest that the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system Windows 8 will be released in 2012. However, something that is making more news these days is that Windows 8 will actually have a built-in PDF reader.

The PDF reader is rumoured to be called Modern Reader. The Modern Reader, according to the Within Windows, is expected to appear just like PDF with most of the features intact. Meaning, the PDF will be displayed just like it does with the option to zoom in and zoom out, and navigate within the pages. Additionally, it is also rumoured that a back button on the left corner will help users navigate to the previous page.

Needless to say, this definitely means that Microsoft is looking to give its Windows 7 a complete overhaul. Considering in Windows 7 it had its issues with implementing Adobe Reader and ensure has had to download it as a separate add-on. It has come a long way to fix the Windows 8 to that the Modern Reader is more satisfactory while handling PDF files. Reports suggested that the latest native PDF reader will have a .AppX application extension. It is believed that AppX is a packaging application model that will be used for Windows 8 and that it resembles the Windows Phone 7 application packages.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is now available for download from the Microsoft Download Center. With Windows 7 SP1 your personal computer will receive ongoing updates and support, as opposed to getting updates through Windows Update. Additionally, it includes client-side support for RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory, the two virtualization features enabled in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

There are three ways you can download and install the Windows 7 SP1:

• Through Windows Update
• Install it after downloading Windows 7 SP1 from the Microsoft website
• Install it using an installation DVD

However, even before installation, it is important to note that there are some disk space requirements that need to be met to install Windows 7 SP1.

The entire installation is estimated to take 30 minutes, according to the Learn how to install Windows 7 Service Pack 1. Additionally, halfway through the installation, you will have to restart the system.

Once the installation is complete you can check if the latest version has been installed successfully by checking the computer properties. In the Properties dialog box, if Service Pack 1 is listed under Windows edition, it indicates that the installation has been successful.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will help you:

• Keep your PCs supported and up-to-date
• Get ongoing updates to the Windows 7 platform
• Easily deploy cumulative updates at a single time
• Meet your users’ demands for greater business mobility
• Provide a comprehensive set of virtualization innovations
• Provide an easier Service Pack deployment model for better IT efficiency

Microsoft’s Xbox’s Kinect released in November 2010 will see Microsoft attempting to bring more people on board to its Xbox hub. Kinect is the newest motion-gaming product (after Nintendo Wii and Sony’s PlayStation-3). The product lets you control your games, movies, and music, with just hand gestures, body movements and voice commands.  This product aims to lure hardcore gamers to put down a controller and orchestrate action on screen themselves. It is a game system that can recognize your body movements, your voice commands, and even your face; without a traditional video game controller.

Look and Feel

Kinect contains a single sensor bar that contains two depth sensors, and a standard RGB camera. Depth is a very important feature of Kinect, and the cameras track both your movement from side-to-side, as well as front-to-back and up and down. An infrared emitter floods the play space with invisible light. A CMOS sensor looks at how the light is reflected back and passes that data to the console to determine the depth of the scene. Additionally, it reflects the movement in 3D space. This makes the entire range of movements potentially game controls.

Features

The Kinect also features a built-in microphone that allows voice-activated commands, and the vocal feature does pop up in games now and again. Voice recognition is a new form of technological interaction that promises to make its place in the gamer’s living room.

Games on Kinect, as of now, include casual games, fitness games, and party games. Some of the Kinect launch titles include Kinect Adventures (that come with the system), Kinect Sports, Joyride, MTV’s Dance Central, and Ubisoft’s Your Shape. There are close to 17 buyable, games available for Kinect.

After the popularity of broadband, the next-generation gaming console has become a window that also accommodates movies, TV shows and music. Kinect now promises to add more features or assets including video chat capability between you and other Kinect-wielding Xbox users that are Xbox Live Gold members.

Issues with Kinect

One issue with Microsoft’s Kinect is that there is sometimes a delay problem. This is more evident while playing games like boxing, and hurdle jumping. For instance, in boxing the user may have to throw a punch and wait for the effect, before throwing another one. The hurdle jumps have to be more planned too because of the delay is response.

Another issue is that Kinect requires that a player must be at least 7 feet away from the sensor. If the game is played by more than one player, both the players must be 9 feet away from the sensor. This can be an issue with people who do not have that kind of space.

In a nutshell

Kinect sets the imagination on fire with its ease of use in some respects like playing soccer by kicking your feet, as opposed to pressing a button or swinging your arm. This is definitely a feature that has taken gaming to the next level. However, the technology at large and the Kinect in particular have a lot of untapped potential. There is however hope that Microsoft will definitely explore them in its future versions.

It’s been quite a long time since we’ve been hearing those calls of the death of the internet’s most favorite browser, IE6 but it looks like they’ve never been heard. While most of the end users never understand the difference between an IE6 or IE7 or an opera or a firefox, the developer community has had am awful time supporting or making applications or write code that support IE6.

Youtube stops IE6 Support

Well, no doubt it was a very good browser, but the point is it WAS. As we develop new technology and embrace it gracefully, the love for old ones should die. Sometime ago we saw Ben Parr write something on Mashable regarding same and showed snapshots of facebook recommending to upgrade or switch to a different browser on an internal page, I guess it’s the first time a website as famous as YouTube has come up openly and stop the support to the, sorry to say but, Pathetic browser.
It’s high time now and probably the world should take a note of it and probably understand what the perils of using IE6 are. The developers around the world are seen writing new hacks every time they want to write some good piece of code and end up with doing an enormous amount of extra work just to support an old piece of software. Moreover it even has curbed the creativity of designers and developers around the world as more often than not customers ask for IE6 supported applications and design. How can we evolve in such a scenario.

Internet Explorer 6 - Must DIE

But if the trend that YouTube has set, continues, more and more people/websites/portals will/should stop supporting the still most widely used browser and in the end what we will have is better I-World. Hope we soon see this day. To support the “Death of IE6″, please add a twibbon to your twitter avatar.
And yes, if you still support that trash, you may join this. Also, check out this brilliant guide on YouTube tips and tools.

After a few unsuccessful attempts of MSN Search and then Live search, Microsoft comes up with another effort to relaunch and get into into the search space which has been occupied by Google and Yahoo for years now. “Bing”, as they named their new engine will be live on June 3. After codenaming it KIMO since the past few months, Microsoft had to really work hard in order to reach to the name Bing.

Bing Homepage

With Wolframalpha being launched last month, it seems that the internet search space is again getting hotter with noew technologies and ways to vie for customers are being introduced. While Wolframalpha named their search engine “knowledge engine”, Microsoft calls Bing as “Decision Engine”. “We are introducing a new level of organisation to search results, and our differentiator will be the best results for query,” Satya Nadella, senior vice- president (R&D , online services division) Microsoft told mediapersons in a press conference on Friday. He also said, “Bing would initially focus on four key areas: “making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business”.

Although they claim that Bing would give customer service center numbers apart from the best product deals for any company, my test for HP and British Airways had all the 3 : Bing, Yahoo and Google give the same result, including the sponsored links, the only difference being the no of search results and the time it took them to answer. Though I would like to add that Google and Yahoo did concentrate on Hindustan Petroleum apart from Hewlett Packard which Bing did not.  Also Y and G showed some local results as well. So as a matter of fact I could not find anything different, probably I need to conduct some more searches in order to find out Bing’s real power, if any.

Well I hope it has something different from the rest or else Mr.Ballmer, with due respect, the Bing camppaign would just reamain as successful as the previous editions of the MS engines.

Well lots to discuss and to explore Microsoft’s, hopefully, last effort to get that search space pie back, I’ll leave you with a Bing video tour posted at Labnol.

Last weekend I had a chance to use a Microsoft Windows 7 machine.First impressions:: TRULY AWESOME. You must be thinking why do I say that. The explanation comes straight from the heart, as a computer fantaic how long its been since we have been wanting an intelligent machine? I guess since the time we started using it. Time and again we came across softwares that did what we “spoke”, that too had to be in a perfect American accent, but what if something is reading ur mind?

Yes the Windows7 interface is so easy to use that even an infact can use. Computers need to be easy to learn especially  for the beginners. Linux hasn’t been so popular among the common masses, even though it costs 50 INR less than the Microsoft thing, not because it doesn’t advertise but because it has never been so easy to use. The latest microsoft operating system makes life simpler for all of us. Less number of clicks to do anything, for example ,presently we use atleast two keys to minimize all windows (windows+d or windows+m), in the latest avatear you can do it with a SINGLE key. There are a lot of other features like this.

Apart from those, if all you people wonder “why does windows ask me so many questions?” Probably you’ll be relieved of that, the alert boxes wont popup each time you try to do something. The control panel has veen some major changes and it is much easier for the not so techie people also to make changes and feel great about it.

The next fearure is the one that I loved the most, the GRAPHICS. Some of you might say that even Vista had the most amazing graphics but if you’d see the latest avatar, you will have to definitely change your mind. I have never seen so many features through the graphical interface.

I guess enough features to have a look. If not then find more here or maybe have a look at the videos.

Now comes the question where do get to use it? The beta version is though now not available for download. Well all you Americans will have to wait for the release, Indains can easily find it somewhere and the released version in 50 bucks.

Update : Microsoft will deliver a release candidate of Windows 7 to the public in late May, according to a report from a noted Windows Web site.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Yes its quite true that Yahoo announced late on Monday that Jerry Yang, would step down from his role as soon as the board finds a replacement with a new CEO.Yahoo has hired executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles for evaluating best candidates for the top post.The most probable reasons for this big change is the shareholders his failure to agree to a deal with Microsoft.

Do you really know that Yahoo decided to step down Jerry Yang as Yahoo CEO?

What is the role of Jerry Yang as a CEO in Yahoo?

Jefferies & Co analyst Youssef Squali in a research note says that

“Jerry’s resignation as CEO reflects failed promises he made while fighting off Microsoft’s offers, and the board’s displeasure with his go-it-alone strategy”