Thursday, October 18, 2012

Microsoft announces Q1 earnings with $5.31 billion in profit, braces for Windows 8 surge

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/microsoft-announces-q1-earnings-with-5-3-billion-profit/

Steve Ballmer at Microsoft Surface event

It's Microsoft's turn at quiet-before-the-storm quarterly results, and that's evident in the fiscal first quarter earnings it just dropped on our laps. The Redmond team is reporting $16.01 billion in revenue, but a more modest than usual $5.31 billion in profit over the summer -- while it's healthier than the Q4 loss stemming from the aQuantive write-off, it's not as impressive as the $7.2 billion profit from a year ago. While a tough PC market is partly to blame, it's equally hard to say that Microsoft couldn't have done better. There's a real chance that some of its customers have been holding back on purchases in anticipation of the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 launches; it's already setting aside $1.36 billion in revenue for Windows and Office upgrades. The company is unquestionably preparing itself for a giant spike in demand once at least Windows 8 rolls around later this month, so we'd say that the real litmus test will be the results we get after the holidays.

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Microsoft announces Q1 earnings with $5.31 billion in profit, braces for Windows 8 surge originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple says no Java for you, removes plugin from browsers on OS X 10.7 and up

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/apple-removes-java-from-osx/

Apple says no Java for you, removes plugin from browsers on OS X 107 and up

Apple has recently released a Mac update for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion that removes its Java plugin from all OS X browsers. If you install the update, you'll find a region labeled "Missing plug-in" in place of a Java applet; of course, Apple can't stop you from clicking on it to download a Java plug-in directly from Oracle. The Cupertino-based company had previously halted pre-installing Java in OS X partially due to the exploitable factors of the platform, so this update signifies further distancing from Larry Ellison's pride and joy.

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Apple says no Java for you, removes plugin from browsers on OS X 10.7 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubuntu 12.10 launches with web apps and search, Canonical plans for more secretive 13.04 development

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/ubuntu-12-10-launches-with-web-apps-and-search/

Ubuntu 1210 launches with web apps and search, Canonical plans for more secretive 1304 development

An Ubuntu release is always a momentous occasion for a large portion of the Linux community, although it's coming with a mild share of controversy this time around. Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) is finished and brings with it support for pinning web apps to the Launcher as well as search that includes web results, detailed photo results and quick previews. They're all appreciated upgrades -- what's raising hackles is the development strategy for 13.04, or Raring Ringtail. Company head Mark Shuttleworth wants a "skunkworks" approach that will silence pre-release discussion of some features outside of key, trustworthy community members. While there will still be open-source code and only a light layer of secrecy, Ubuntu's progress in the near-term won't be quite as transparent as we're accustomed to with Linux. There's a good chance that most end users won't mind the difference enough to skip the download.

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Ubuntu 12.10 launches with web apps and search, Canonical plans for more secretive 13.04 development originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/jvc-intros-55-inch-blacksapphire-lcd-tv-with-45w-virtual-surround/

JVC intros 55inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer

Every TV maker trying to avoid total commoditization has a special trick to keep its designs unique and worth a higher price. For JVC, that trick is sound. It's launching the BlackSapphire line of LCD-based 3D TVs with the 55-inch, edge LED-lit JLE55SP4400, whose signature is an unusually powerful built-in audio system: the 45W system and 3D processing supposedly produces surround sound without having to line the living room with extra speakers. Odds are that the set won't provide much competition for dedicated speakers, although JVC is promising more integration beyond this with rare built-in SlingPlayer TV streaming, just in case there's a Slingbox in another part of the home. The all-in strategy could make the inaugural BlackSapphire more of a bargain than it looks: that $1,300 you'll pay when the screen ships this month might be all you need to start watching.

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JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire ! LCD TV w ith 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OpenELEC-2.0 Linux distro released, turns your PC into an 'appliance-like' home theater device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/18/openelec-2-0-linux-distro-released/

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If you're itching to park that AMD or Intel PC beside your TV as a dedicated home theater device, OpenELEC would like to offer up the first stable release of its Linux distro, version 2.0, for your consideration. The new build is now available for free (with the option to donate, of course), and the group behind it says that the installation takes less than five minutes and requires "zero Linux experience." Once you've done that, it'll be ready to serve your media needs in less than 10 seconds from a cold start, according to OpenELEC, with only a remote control needed to start surfing. The system updates automatically, including the XBMC V11 media core, and now includes PVR support, improved AMD functionality, CEC adapter compatibility, NFS, AFP, CIFS and SSH shares and Airplay / Airtunes support. If you're already Mac- or Windows-centric, an OpenELEC system will play well with all your existing media, so if you're ready to see how the Linux media crowd rolls, hit the source.

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OpenELEC-2.0 Linux distro released, turns your PC into an 'appliance-like' home theater device originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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