Microsoft Offering $14.99 Upgrade to Windows 8

Microsoft reportedly will charge $14.99 for an upgrade to Windows 8 for those who buy a PC with Windows 7 on it after June 2, according to a report.

According to Windows Supersite, the $14.99 upgrade offer will be timed at about the release date of the Release Preview of Windows 8, due at about the same time in early June. However, Microsoft will also reportedly offer just a single upgrade for all Windows 7 versions, up to Windows 8 Pro, Windows Supersite reported.

In April, Microsoft revealed that it would ship four versions of Windows 8: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro, a version for bulk purchasers, and Windows 8 on ARM, the flavor of Windows 8 that will appear on tablets and may face Congressional investigation.

Not surprisingly, Microsoft will also retain its practice of offering upgrades from Windows 8 Basic to Windows 8 Pro, Windows SuperSite added. In Windows 7, for example, the Upgrade Anywhere option allows users to unlock Windows 7 Premium content and functionality that coded onto the disc itself.

Microsoft officials hasn't yet responded to requests for comment by press time.

Microsoft also hasn't said, unofficially or officially, whether or not, the handful of Windows Vista users still using that operating system would be able to upgrade directly to Windows 8 or not. Microsoft prevented Windows XP customers from upgrading directly to Windows 7, prompting an outpouring of angst from some. When Vista shipped in January 2007, XP had multiple upgrade paths, but customers using Windows 2000 and its older brethren were left without a direct upgrade path.

Separately, Best Buy said Monday, that from May 13 to June 2, customers could buy a new notebook PC from its Premium Collection and receive a free version of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2010.

India Parenting founder Nirali Sanghi launches social network YippeeClubs

The success of Facebook continues to inspire other entrepreneurs, who are jumping on to the social network bandwagon despite such high profile failures like MySpace and Orkut.

Nirali Sanghi, founder of online parenting site India Parenting, is the latest entrepreneur to launch a social network. Hers is called YippeeClubs and will be focused on common interests.

Unlike other social networks, users on YippeeClubs can choose to become members of clubs based on their interest right when they join. The network claims to have 600 clubs in categories like lifestyle, love and relationships, parenting, health and hobbies.

"In other networks like Facebook it is difficult to find groups that a user might be interested in joining and groups get defunct quickly. In our case the interest group is at the core of the network," said Sanghi, who founded India Parenting in 1999. YippeeClubs has such intriguing groups like, mother-in-law issues, married yet lonely, premature graying in kids and gem therapy.

Users can simultaneously be part of multiple clubs, said Sanghi, who added that the 7 lakh registered users of India Parenting is a ready audience for the new network.

Sanghi admits that social media is a touch space to be in, as success depends on user adoption. "I have faith in the strength of the product and I am sure users will find it useful."

Bangalore-based Nagarjun Palavalli launched a social network for students and educational institutions, called Eduora, in April this year. The network was in pilot mode for over a year and creates hubs for various campuses, where students, teachers and management can interact.

Apple Serious About Photo Sharing With iCloud Update

Apple's Wordwide Developers Conference is still a few weeks away, but as usual, there's no shortage of clues about what to expect. The latest news suggests that Apple is putting more focus on photos and their inherently social nature. The company is expected to push out an update to iCloud that enables users to share and comment on photos. 

Details are sparse, but according to The Wall Street Journal, some are expecting a service akin to Flickr to emerge within iCloud. Whether it's a full-blown social service or something a bit more limited, the importance of photos and how they're shared among people is clearly not lost on Apple. 

The iCloud update will come two months after Facebook agreed toacquire Instagram for $1 billion. The unexpected deal served as the latest - and perhaps most significant - measure of just how valuable social photography can be, especially on mobile devices of the sort that Apple manufactures (and on which Instagram existed exclusively until recently).

Apple has never been known for building its own compelling social products. The most obvious example is Ping. There's no reason this tendency couldn't change, but what the company is likely cooking up will probably be designed to fit nicely into iOS and iCloud and not necessarily cater to a larger public.

Currently, the way photos are handled within iCloud is pretty static. Photostream syncs photos across devices, but that's about it. The new upgrades will not only add sharing functionality but also the ability to sync videos. 

What we'll see at the WWDC is, as always, the subject of widespread rumor and speculation, but the next iteration of iOS is a safe bet. In addition to these iCloud updates, Apple is expected to unveil its own proprietary, notably non-Google mobile maps application.  We may also learn more about Mountain Lion, the next version of Mac OS X, and see a hardware refresh or two.  

Samsung galaxy S3 Designed For Humans: Review

Samsung GALAXY S III’s is a joy to hold and behold. Simple elegance marked by natural design.
With maximized processing power and seamless performance.

Intelligence

S Voice

Why not get a response from your phone? Tell it to wake up! Even better, you can tell Samsung GALAXY S III to turn off the alarm for a few minutes and let yourself sleep a bit more.
Answer your phone (or reject a call), turn your music up (or down), and even tell the camera when to shoot.

4.8 HD Super AMOLED Screen

This is what we call seeing reality. 4.8 inches of high definition display and vivid viewing experience. With true colors and ultrafast response times, HD video playback is outrageously sharp. It’s also incredibly energy efficient and amazingly thin.

Pop up play

Doing things simultaneously on Samsung GALAXY S III’s 4.8” HD Super AMOLED screen is easy and fun. With Pop up play and the powerful Quad-Core Processor, you can watch an HD video in another window while sending an email or text simultaneously. Resize the video, drag it to where you want on the screen, and chat with your friends or surf the web. Don’t miss any of the action.

Smart stay

With the innovative smart stay feature, Samsung GALAXY S III automatically recognizes when you are looking at the phone, whether it is to read an e-book or browse the web. The front camera looks deep into your eyes and maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure. What a bright idea.

Smart alert

When you pick up your phone, wouldn’t it be nice if it let you know what has been happening since you’ve been gone? Samsung GALAXY S III knows you came back and gives you a brief vibrating nudge to inform you about missed calls and new messages. How thoughtful is that?

Social tag

Now it’s even easier to keep track of friends and loved ones. Social tag lets you link the faces in your photo album with their social media streams. Once it’s set, all you have to do is look at their pictures and you’ll see their current status appear

Design

Whether it’s the ocean’s horizon or a majestic forest of Nordic firs, one thing is apparent: there

are no straight lines in nature. The Samsung  GALAXY S III’s minimal and organic design is 

reflected in its smooth and non-linear lines. Its human-centric nature provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience with enhanced usability. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves and platinum organic form deliver a natural look and feel.

Sharing

S Beam

Sharing your content with friends nearby should be easy, quick, and even fun. S Beam lets you bond instantly so you can transfer documents, contacts, pictures, music, videos, you name it. Just put the backs of your phones together, connect, share and enjoy.

Buddy photo share

It couldn’t be easier to manage and share your photos. The phone recognizes faces and links those for you, using your group profiles for guidance. Now you’re once touch away from sharing with everyone instantly.

AllShare Cast

Wouldn’t it be nice to mirror your phone display onto a big screen wirelessly? Now you can. AllShare Cast lets you do it, and it’s perfect for gamers. After the game you are playing appears on the screen, you can even use your phone’s buttons as a controller with gestures. No wires, no fuss.

Facebook starts testing an option to promote your personal status updates… for a price

A small number of Facebook users have recently been handed a weapon that enables them to post status updates that stand out from the crowd. It's called Highlight, and it guarantees that most of your friends will see your post by displaying it high up in their news feeds for a longer span of time than usual. The catch? You may have to pony up some cash to give your update its time in the spotlight.

We say may because the feature is at its early testing phase, and Facebook reportedly slapped different price tags on it, from free to a couple of bucks. In an interview with Stuff.co.nz, one of the first to report the feature's initial rollout, Facebook spokesperson Mia Garlick said: "This particular test is simply to gauge people's interest in this method of sharing with their friends."

While it may end up as a free service, Highlight could very well become one the ways Facebook earns money directly from its 900 million users, which is something that would benefit the social network in the long run. According to an amendment to its IPO filing, Facebook's advertising model is in jeopardy because people are starting to use mobile internet more and more, and its mobile website isn't serving up as many ads.

There's no doubt that Highlight will be a great way to bring attention to extremely important status updates. Know someone who's gravely ill and needs help? Want to raise funds for an animal shelter? Looking for lost relatives or pets? In those cases, having the capacity to highlight your post will help tremendously. But we also know that some people might end up abusing the privilege and flooding your news feeds with as many highlighted posts as they can afford.