Fortunately, Windows 8 & Windows 7 comes with the included encryption system called BitLocker To Go which helps to encrypt data on external drives. BitLocker To Go is inbuilt and very simple to use.  First insert your micro SDXC card in the available card slot at the backside of Surface (behind kickstand). Go to File Explorer in the desktop view and right click on the drive representing storage card to select “Turn on BitLocker” option.

Enable the setting “Use a password to unlock the drive”. Enterprise users also have options to use hardware based encryption using Smart Card & Smart Card reader through USB port. Enter your password twice and  click “Next”

Windows will prompt options to save the recovery key. This is used to regain access to the card data if you tend to forget the password for any reason. Select your best option to securely save the recovery key.

Next select the part of drive to encrypt.

Once this is done, the encryption process actually starts and card is secure and ready to use once the process completes.

BitLocker To Go reader is automatically installed on the card & everytime you insert this card into a different machine or again in same machine, it will prompt for a password to provide access. For using this card on Windows XP/Vista, you will be able to read the files but not directly write. However, copying the files to local machine and putting them back after editing would still serve the purpose.

Please note this process is applicable to encrypt and secure any other USB drive or card to be used in any Windows 8 or Windows 7 machine. I hope you will find this useful to extend your storage options on your Surface & other similar tablets.

1) Find your Facebook Mobile Upload ID.

Goto www.facebook.com/mobile and you will find an email address with    @m.facebook.com

2) Goto Google+ Circle page and then Create a new circle. I created a new one called Facebook Friends & add a new Friend with your facebook mobile upload id.

Now post to your Google+ status as you normally do but remember to include the new circle created for the Facebook for the post. Remember to check the box for notifying through email.

Software Routers

Connectify (http://www.connectify.me) is a software router that lets you wirelessly share your internet connection with friends, colleaques and your other wi-fi enabled mobile devices. All you need is Windows 7 with Wi-Fi card or adaptor. Download the Lite/Pro version of the software from the connectify website.

Once you have configured the hotspot, you can now find it on the available wireless link on your other devices.

TroubleShooting

Although I could connect my iPhone to the newly created Wi-Fi Connection, however the Internet Connection was not enabled for some reason. After doing some troubleshooting, I noticed that the original connection which I chose for sharing the connection was not enabled to allow the other network users to connect through it’s Internet Connection

For Enabling that goto – Control Panel –> Network and Sharing Center –> Chose the Original Connection with Internet Connection (Click on the Connections ) & Open the Connection Properties –> Sharing (as shown below)

 2) Also check your Firewall if that is prohibiting Connection with the Device. Make sure that firewall is not blocking this. To verify quickly, disable your firewall and try connecting from the device again. If it’s connects successfully, it is the firewall which may be blocking the connection. Goto Firewall settings and allow the connection. Check your firewall documentation to check how to do that.

Hardware Routers

Before trying the Software Router, I already had a Portable Wireless Travel Router device which allowed me to plug-in my 3G Data card and create the hotspot to be used with my iPad & other visitors if office and meeting places. There are several devices available from various manufacturers & links below shows some of the ones you can buy from internet.

ZOOM 3G Wireless-N Travel Router – http://www.jr.com/zoom-telephonics/pe/ZTL_45060000F/

ZOOM 3G Wireless-N Travel Router –  http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-4506-Wireless-N-Travel-Router/dp/B003DNYW0U/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_2

XyXEL Mobile Wireless Router 3G/4G Ready – http://www.buy.com/prod/zyxel-mwr211-802-11n-battery-powered-mobile-wireless-router-3g-4g-ready/217630237.html

Please visit product websites for more details.

• HTC Surround
• LG Quantum
• Samsung Focus (Revision Ver 1.3 - Micron only)

However, owners of  HTC HD7S  may have to wait till early Oct to mide October to play around with the new Windows Phone OS.

Windows Mango is one of the most eagerly waited update for Windows 7 Phone Users and has more than 500+ new features being rolled out.

As I have been playing with Windows Mango beta version for quite sometime now, I am going to write a series of blogs on new features of “Mango” and how-to guides for some of the coool functionalities. Keep following for more details…

Before we start, some pre-requisites for this arrangement to work – 1) iOS 4.3 is required on your i-Device 2) Version 10.2 or abovefor the  iTunes App.

1. First thing you would need is an “Apple ID” . If you don’t have one, please get one by signing up at the following Apple Website – https://appleid.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MyAppleId.woa/

2. After getting your Apple ID, you will need to enable Home Sharing by signing up with your Apple ID/Password.

3. To share your music, video or photo library goto your iTunes application & navigate to Edit -> Preference ->Sharing (From iTunes Top Menu)

4. Now go to the other computer where you want to listen to the streaming of this library & again sign on with the same “Apple ID/Password”.

5. For iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch & other i-devices, you need to enable Home Sharing for the iPod application through -> Settings ->iPod -> Home Sharing

6. To open the shared library on the i-Device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch & iPod), open the iPod application and go to More Menu available on the right hand corner.

7. You will now see a new entry called “Shared” as shown below.

8. Once you click on that you can see all shared libraries from your computer & you can now play the streaming music onto your device.

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Project Manager – PM thinks nine women can deliver a baby in One month.

Developer – Developer thinks it will take 18 months to deliver a Baby.

Onsite Coordinator – Onsite Coordinator thinks single woman can deliver nine babies in one month.

Client – Client is the one who doesn’t know why he wants a baby.

Marketing Manager – Marketing Manager thinks he can deliver a baby even if no man and woman are available.

Resource Optimization Team – They thinks they don’t need a man or woman; they’ll produce a child with zero resources.

Documentation Team – They thinks they don’t care whether the child is delivered, they’ll just document 9 months.

Quality Auditor – QA is the person who is never happy with a delivered baby.

Tester – Tester always tells that this is not the Right baby.

HR Manager – HR Manager thinks that… a Donkey can deliver a Human Baby – if given 9 Months !!!

Legal Counsel – Legal Counsel thinks a baby produced within nine months is Unlimited Liability. In any case, he would want IP protections – for the product and the method!

Some Background

Over last few years, Tablet market has heated up with wide scale adoption of these devices by end consumers. Some of the key influencing factors have been usability &  mobility of these devices. Infact, tablets have been there for so many years now and I myself bought my first Windows XP based Compaq tablet in 2003. However, they had been kind of failures due to the usabiliy, performance & mobility aspects failing to impress the consumers. The tablet I had used to become very hot & even making it difficullt to hold after using for few hours of usage . Even the the performance, usability and the design of these devices was sluggish & eventually led to their extinction.

A new chapter to Tablets market was opened when Apple released it’s iPad. iPad was a spontaneous hit specially because of it’s sleek design & usability. Since then there has been several

Microsoft has been way behind in this journey as it’s Windows releases (including Windows 7) so far had never been touch optimized & designed for a true tablet usage. However, with the shrinking market share of Windows based PCs and exponentially rising market of Tablets, Microsoft needed a new robust OS specifically for Tablets to remain in the game. Unlike Apple, Microsoft still wanted to have a single OS which can double up as an OS for PCs, Laptops & Tablets.  What does that mean for you ? It means that you can actually run the same version of OS on your home PC, Laptops & even on tablets but the underlying OS would be intelligent enough to identify your device and provide you the best available user interface & features optimized for that device.

Let me explain this a bit. Windows 8 is capable of running in two different mode (atleast what I could make of so far) & they are -

1) Classic User Interface (Classic UI)

2) Metro User Interface (Metro UI)

Classic UI - Classic UI  is something which would run on a normal PC, Laptop with very similar interface available currently on Windows 7. Although user interface is similar, there are several new exciting features and improvements. I will try to cover them in subsequent blogs.

Metro UI – Metro UI is something which is a new addition to Windows since Windows Phone. It is actually an interface which has been optimized for touch based devices specially tablets.  It’ is designed to be sleek, quick, modern”and a “refresh” from the icon-based interfaces.

Below diagram explains the above concept. In a Classic UI, when you click on the “Start Icon” on your windows you see a expanded Start Menu popping up from the bottom left hand corner of the screen.  This has always worked for normal PC based devices. With Windows 8 and advent of Metro UI, this start menu has changed considerably. In the Metro UI world, “Start” menu is  full screen configurable list of applications based on users’ needs, tailored for touch interaction, and tailored to the Windows user interface.  Idea is that your “Start” menu is something which you can define yourself by organizing things based on your usage & preference.  Also, there is a new concept of Metro Stype Apps which I will explain in detail in my next blog. The below diagram explains the concept little better.

When you press “Start” icon in the Metro UI mode on Windows 8, you don’t see the classic menu but you are immediately taken to the Start Menu shown in the right hand side of the above diagram.

In  my next blogs in this series, I will be talking about the cool new features which have been introduced with Windows 8 & also talk about “Metro Style Apps”

On a lighter note, my niece who is very fond of iPad got hold of my Windows Tablet & asked me “What is this ?” & I said “iPad ka Papa” (meaning iPad’s Daddy) & she immediately reverted back saying “iPad ka Papa is so nice” . Although I said that jokingly, but time itself will prove in next few years that it is indeed going to give Apple it’s run of money as in old PC days. No offense meant for iPad lovers as I am one of those too.

Facebook -  http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=5039

LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/outlook

Windows Live Messanger – http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=8810

XING – http://outlook.xing.com/index_en.html

Once you have downloaded,  you can easily configure it by providing your credentials for the social sites you wish to connect.

Once it is successfully configured you can now check on the “People Pane” available at the bottom of the Outlook window to chose a particular contact (automatically shown from the “to, cc, bcc” list) and add (if not already added) or view their profiles and updates on these networks.

Please note that these screenshots are taken from Outlook 2010 but most of these connectors works with Outlook 2007 & 2003.

1) Free YouTube Downloader

Link – http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/products/dvd/Free-YouTube-Download.htm

Apart from downloading a particular video, this tool can allows users to download either a single YouTube video or any of the following options -
- complete YouTube playlists and show lists;
- all video from YouTube charts;
- all video responses to a YouTube video;
- all videos of a selected YouTube user or a channel;
- all video from the user favorites.

2) Easy YouTube Video Downloader

Link – https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/easy-youtube-video-downl-10137/

If you are an ardent Firefox user, this add-on is for you to directly download the YouTube videos with just few clicks directly within the YouTube.This adds button to download YouTube videos in FLV, MP3, AAC, MP4 and 720p HD and 1080p. Just click the download button under the video and chose the format you want for the downloaded video.

3) YouTube Downloader

Link – http://youtubedownload.altervista.org/

http://download.cnet.com/YouTube-Downloader/3000-2071_4-10647340.html

This software that allows you to download videos from YouTube, Facebook, Google Video, Yahoo Video, and many others and convert them to other video formats. Simply enter the URL of the video to save & select the desired quality.  This also include software to converts video for Ipod, Iphone, PSP, Cell Phone, Windows Media, XVid and MP3 This is one of the most popular one on CNET downloads and is tested to be malware free.

Enjoy downloading !! I love this as I use this very handy to download & include some real cool  free  videos as part my presentations sometimes.

* This site doesn’t takes any responsibilty of any damage you might incur due to installation of unsafe/malicious versions of these softwares.

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Next week a high-ranking Microsoft executive will stand on stage and show off a new version of Windows on a tablet computer.

It won’t be the first time. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer did it last year. Co-founder Bill Gates did it 10 years ago.

This time, when Windows chief Steven Sinofsky shows off an early version of its next touch-enabled, tablet-friendly operating system — code-named Windows 8 — to independent developers at their annual conference in Anaheim next Tuesday, there is a sense that it really matters.

“It’s a big deal,” said Todd Lowenstein, portfolio manager at HighMark Capital Management, which holds Microsoft shares. (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBCUniversal.)

“Investors are hungry to see how they are going to join where the market’s going. They’ve been lagging and they need to catch up and surpass what’s going on, to demonstrate they truly are an innovative company.”

For Complete News, please visit the Source Site @ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44434079/