It is coming .... Windows 8

MICROSOFT will pull the covers off Windows 8 - a radical rethinking of the operating system that runs most of the world's computers. And it has one clear goal in sight: The iPad.

The software giant will talk about the forthcoming release on that date and hold what is essentially a massive public beta of the next-generation operating system, an overhaul intended to stress the growing importance of tablet computers and smartphones to the overall world of technology, reported Fox News.

Users will most likely be able to download the software for free that day, though Microsoft refused to confirm when it would be available.

The new operating system boasts a completely revamped user interface Microsoft calls "Metro."

It will run on top of the conventional interface and is intended to work not just with the world's hundreds of millions of Windows computers but also with the emerging mobile devices that have taken consumers by storm.

The new interface will display applications as tiles for quick and easy access, while also allowing them to toggle back to a classic Windows look.

Other user interface changes already unveiled include a new "lock screen" for the operating system that gives far more information at a glance than the current iteration of Windows and pervasive touch input controls - yet another a signal that Microsoft will be focused on devices that emphasize touch.

[Source: NewsCore]

On-line advertising not keeping pace with impact

Businesses are still reluctant to advertise on the Internet although its impact in Malaysia has considerably surpassed that of developed countries such as Japan, Hungary and the United States, an international study revealed today.

The Internet accounted for 4.1 percent or US$9.75 billion out of US$238 billion (World Bank estimates) of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010, said the ‘Online and upcoming: The Internet’s impact on aspiring countries’, a joint study carried out by Google and McKinsey & Company and released today.

Despite its significant contribution, only one percent of the country's total business budget is allocated for online advertising, stated the report, comparing the number of businesses that sell products and services online with many other countries with similar wealth.

The report is the first of its kind to measure to the contribution of the Internet to economies.