Secret Google Wireless Plan in the Works

Posted by David Bernstein
 

It appears that search giant Google may be planning an experimental wireless network at its Mountain View location. This speculation has started because Google has filed an application with the FCC for a radio station for an experimental radio service which will be located at their site.

This is leading people to believe that they are building a super-fast wireless network. The application shows that the system will have 5 to 10 base stations mounted on walls or ceilings and antennas also mounted on walls and directed towards buildings. Google plans to test up to 50 base stations and 200 user devices during a 2 year period.

The wireless experiment will use frequencies allocated to the Educational Broadband Service and the Broadband Radio Service, some of which Clearwire is using for its own mobile broadband service. Google could potentially work with Clearwire to deploy strong indoor coverage without interfering with existing cellular networks. This type of setup could allow people to access the internet on their mobile devices without using their cellular carrier’s signals but it most likely will be some time before we see anything that looks promising for us end users.

Wikimedia launches Wikivoyage travel site

Posted by David Bernstein

 

I’m sure you are familiar with the Wikipedia website where you can find information and statistics about just about anything. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that allows others to collaborate on its over 24 million articles. As of now there are around 100,000 people contributing to the site and keeping things up to date and fresh.

Now the Wikimedia Foundation who runs Wikipedia is starting a travel site to help travelers get information they need about their destinations online. Wikivoyage has been in beta since September and is now going to be released for everyone to use in the near future.

The site will offer information on things such as sightseeing, tourist attractions, lodging, restaurants and shopping. You will also be able to find information about the area and its history. As of now the site supports 8 languages even though all the translations are not completed.

Microsoft Office 2013 pricing and release date

Posted by David Bernstein
 

When it comes to office productivity software such as word processors and spreadsheets, Microsoft has the biggest market share with its Office suite of products. Almost everyone has used Microsoft Word or Excel compared to other software such as WordPerfect or Lotus 1-2-3. And most businesses and home users like to keep their Office software up to date and get the latest version even though it can get quite pricey.

With the anticipated Office 2013 on its way to store shelves soon, Microsoft has announced some pricing for their popular software which comes in a variety of versions depending on your needs. The various versions offer select Office products grouped to meet specific needs such as home users or business users. The release date is not official but it should be at the end of March.

Here is the pricing for the various versions of Office 2013:

• Office 365 Home Premium - $99.99/year 
• Office 365 Small Business Premium - $149.99/year
• Office Home & Student 2013 - $139.99
• Office Home & Business 2013 - $219.99
• Office Professional 2013 - $399.99

Facebook rolls out new privacy controls

Posted by David Bernstein

If you are a regular Facebook user then you most likely have seen all the constant changes that Facebook makes to their site. You may have also heard of the privacy concerns many Facebook users have had over the years and it’s hard to keep track of what data is private and what data is being shared with friends and other people.

On Wednesday Facebook changed its policies again and added some new tools that will make it easier for members to determine who can view photos, comments and other information about them that shows up on different parts of Facebook. Supposedly you can also request that any inappropriate photos that you may be in be removed from your timeline but not from the source.

There will now be easier ways to manage who can contact you as well as whom you want to block from contacting you. There will also be changes in how third party apps get permission to use your data. And with these new privacy changes come controls that are easier to understand and configure to make many  Facebook users more comfortable using the site.

There was some objection from many Facebook users but not enough for the new changes to go through

Microsoft starts its own social network

Posted by David Bernstein

Everyone knows how popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become so Microsoft figured why not start one of their own. They have been working on a beta version of their site which is called Socl for some time now and had been letting their employees as well as college students try it out since May. Now Microsoft plans on letting everyone else try it out starting this Tuesday.

If you have a current Microsoft or Facebook login then you will be able to log into Socl and start sharing your photos and other media with other Socl users. One thing you will notice on the Socl main page is that it shows content from all users and can be a little much even though it offers categorization by tags.

Microsoft stated in a blog: "Socl is an open social network where people connect around posts and choose to follow people, interests, or both. While you may discover some of your Facebook friends on Socl, you will more likely discover new people or topics you'd like to follow. Of course, you can invite your friends to join you on Socl by sharing posts to Facebook, Twitter or email or simply by sending them an invitation. If you choose to sign in using Facebook, your Facebook friends on Socl will also be easily visible from your People View on your Me Page."

Only time will tell if Socl will ever catch on since most people seem to get what they need out of Facebook and Twitter and generally don’t like to change.