Technology

Apple has finally granted the MacBook and MacBook Pro with an upgrade of Intel Core 2 Duo processors as well as larger hard drives and a memory expansion. Along with this upgrades they will also receive iSight video camera, Apple’s MagSafe power adapter, multi-touch trackpads, and 802.11n WiFi capabilities. The multi-touch trackpad was first revealed earlier in the year on the new MacBook Air. It allows the user to use gestures in order to get into programs and files on their computers with the touch of a button on their screen.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 wasn’t supposed to be ready for download until the middle of March – but thanks to a glitch in the system it was made available this week to those who needed it and were excited to see it. The update wasn’t released through the usual Windows’ Automatic Update feature – but was discovered by owners of the 64-bit Vista version who decided to check manually.

1394 Trade Association announced that it would be instilling its new S32 specification – which will work by using the existing cables and connectors that are already in use for FireWire 800 products to work towards a better transition into higher speeds.

FireWire’s data transfer will be reaching 3.2 gigabits per second – which is higher than their normal 90 megabytes per second. The S3200 specification brings FireWire to this new performance level without compromising existing features. For example, FireWire provides much more electrical power than any other interface, freeing users from inconvenient AC power adapters.

This week Google has released the new programming tools for the Android mobile phone alliance for download. This will give developers the ability to start writing personal software for their phones.

The software development kit (SDK), an open-source package available for download for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X machines, shows that Java is indeed the programming language for software running on the Linux-based phones. Accompanying the SDK is a raft of details that wasn’t available when Google and its partners announced the Open Handset Alliance a week ago.

Microsoft usually keeps things hush hush - so you can imagine how surprised we were to get some information about the new Windows 7. The new operating system is still being planned out at this time - but it seems that Microsoft is too excited to keep this underwraps.

Microsoft has posted a video of a recent university lecture given by Distinguished Engineer Eric Traut in which he talks about, among other things, a new, slimmed down kernel known as MinWin that was created as part of the Windows 7 development process.

It seems that Google has gotten itself in trouble with a UK civil liberties group. Privacy International stated that Google tried to discredit a report that showed the company to be below Microsoft and Apple. Google also allegedly labeled the group as “hostile to privacy”. “Your representative, or representatives, made particular reference to one member of our 70-member international advisory board. This man is a current employee of Microsoft,” said the Privacy International director, Simon Davies.

Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, released a test version of its new Silverlight online media program. This program is said to be a rival to Adobe Systems Inc.’s  dominant Flash player. At Microsoft’s MIX ‘07 conference for Web developers and designers, the company said it will also offer a companion service that allows streaming video for Silverlight.

Bill Gates, the co-founder and chairman of the leading Microsoft company, and one of the world’s richest man, will be the principal speaker at this year’s commencement ceremony on June 7 at Harvard University. It is a known fact that Microsoft makes over $44 billion in revenue a year.

To most of us computers are not that old. After all they were invented in the 60’s or 70’s right? Wrong, the first actual computer was created in 1936! Of course they were not as sophisticated as the ones that we use today and they are not as small either. Still it is hard to beleive that they are that old.