essays

Essay1 

The new device, the Xbox One, is a big gamble by Microsoft that it can re-establish the living room as the place where people can get the best gaming experience, with the most eye-popping graphics and innovative methods for controlling games. It is also an effort by Microsoft to step up its push to make the Xbox an all-purpose device for getting to online video.To that end, Microsoft announced a plan to develop its own original live-action television series that will be accessible through the Xbox, in partnership with the director Steven Spielberg, based on its Halo video-game franchise. The company is also working with the National Football League to develop an app for Xbox that lets players interact with their fantasy football teams while watching a live sportscast of a game.

Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, said the company's Xbox group was trying with Xbox One to "design and build an all-in-one system to light up a new generation of games and entertainment".One of the crucial features of the new Xbox, which is scheduled to arrive on store shelves in time for Christmas, will be a new generation of Kinect, the camera-based motion control sensor that Microsoft introduced several years ago as an accessory for the previous Xbox.The new Kinect, which will come with every Xbox One, will have a high-resolution camera for conducting Skype videoconference calls through the television set. Microsoft said the device would have sensors capable of measuring a player's heart rate — useful for, say, a fitness game.

Its camera and software will be able to recognise players' face when they step in front of it so that the Xbox One can automatically present them with personalised entertainment options, including links to the last games they played and a menu with their favourite television shows.At an event in a carnival tent on its corporate campus, Microsoft also showed trailers for new games, including one for one of the industry's most popular franchises, Call of Duty, with graphics and battle scenes that were almost indistinguishable at times from movie footage.Microsoft did not say how much the new system would cost or how much publishing partners would charge for games, which today typically start around $80 for high-end game consoles.Traditional retail sales of games have come under pressure in recent years as mobile devices, like the iPhone and iPad, have invaded their turf with free and low-cost games. While many gamers dismiss those offerings as inferior to console games, they have nevertheless tapped into a huge audience of players who, in some cases, have never played an Xbox or PlayStation.

ESSAY 2

Microsoft overhauled its operating system with the release of Windows 8 in OctobeR. The changes are meant to address the growing popularity of smartphones and tablet devices, which are siphoning sales from desktops and laptops – traditional strongholds for Microsoft. The company designed Windows 8 to work with touchscreen controls popular on mobile devices, while also allowing people to use mouse and keyboard commands.

But Windows 8 has confused a lot of users. Gone is the familiar start button that gave people quick access to programs and settings. To change settings, people must pull out a drawer of icons from the side, using a different manoeuvre depending on whether the control is through touch or a mouse. Windows 8 offers a new start screen filled with tiles that link to frequently used programs, but some programs work only in a desktop mode that resemble older versions of Windows – but without the start button. Windows 8 doesn't let people automatically start in that desktop mode.

Leading research firm IDC said Windows 8 contributed to a 14 per cent decline in worldwide PC sales during the first three months of the year – the biggest year-over-year drop ever.

Reller offered few details about Windows 8.1, but she reiterated that it will be better suited for smaller, less expensive tablets with 7- and 8-inch display screens. That could allow Windows 8 devices to compete with Apple's iPad mini and similar-sized tablets from Amazon.com, Samsung and Google.

Reller said the company also hopes some devices will have Windows 8.1 already installed by the time the update is ready. The company didn't offer a specific date, but the update is expected in time for the holiday season. Microsoft plans to make a preview version available next month for anyone to download.

Microsoft said it has sold more than 100 million Windows 8 licences so far. Most of those are to PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell to ship with new machines sold to individuals and businesses. Microsoft also sold upgrades from previous versions.

ESSAY 3

Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone has sold more than 10 million units around the world less than one month after being released, making it the fastest-selling Android phone in history.
The new flagship smartphone, launched globally on April 27, is estimated to have sold at a rate of four units per second, according to the company, and has sold at twice the rate its rival, the HTC One.
The S4's predecessor, the Galaxy S3, previously held the title for the fast-selling Android smartphone after reaching the 10 million mark after 50 days on sale in 2012. Before that, the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S took five and seven months respectively to reach the same goal

Meanwhile, an unnamed HTC executive told The Wall Street Journal that the HTC One, seen by industry commentators as a rival to Samsung's S4, has sold five million units since its launch, which occurred about the same time as the S4, meaning Samsung has doubled the sales of its HTC rival.Both Samsung and HTC have confirmed they will release a version of their new smartphones running the default version of Google's Android mobile operating system, rather than the ones currently customised with Samsung or HTC apps built in.Samsung also confirmed that the Galaxy S4 will be made available in four new colours later this year: red, blue, purple and brown. The smartphone was available in black and white at launch.

ESSAY 4

Microsoft, Google and Facebook already allow two-step verification as an option. Twitter has been criticised for not having this option, especially following recent breaches of Twitter accounts belonging to major news organisations and other companies. Twitter reportedly began testi the security measure in April.

Unlike the other internet companies, though, Twitter will ask users for a verification code each time they log out and log back in, even if it's from the same computer. The others allow you to bypass that if you are using the same computer regularly. Microsoft began offering two-step verification last month. Facebook and Google have offered it longer.

Twitter users can sign up for two-step verification under their account settings. To do this, Twitter will ask for either a confirmed email address associated with the account or a phone number that's been verified.

While Twitter has seen phenomenal growth as a social media outlet, its security has been questioned. Twitter said in February it was hit by a sophisticated cyber attack and that the passwords of about 250,000 users were stolen.

Johnannes Ullrich, a security specialist with the SANS Technology Institute, said two-factor authentication "is the right step forward" but may not thwart the kind of attacks seen on Twitter feeds.

CONCLUSION.

what i think of this bimester its that are show us how to make great thing with tecnologie that its a great invention by men and people its making better change in the world of humanity.