Playing music and video wirelessly with AirPlay.

Playing music and video wirelessly with 

AirPlay.

Not so long ago, you needed your computer and portable devices to be directly 

connected to the speakers and screens you wanted to play their content on. 

AirPlay frees you from that need, allowing you to stream audio and video via Wi-Fi 

from your iTunes library to AirPlay-enabled devices--like Apple TV, audio 

systems from a variety of manufacturers that have AirPlay built-in, and systems 

connected to an AirPort Express on your Wi-Fi network. iTunes on the computer 

and the Music, Video, and other apps on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch 

automatically detect AirPlay-enabled devices on the local Wi-Fi network and 

present them for you to choose from. Tap or click it and pick the system you want 

to send the stream to. You can even pause while you're in one room, then tap 

AirPlay again to pick a different system in another room and tap Play.

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple has confirmed that the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system will not include an app for accessing Google's YouTube video service by default.

The move represents another step away from Google, after Apple previously announced that Google Maps will be replaced with Apple's own application using mapping technology from Dutch satnav partner TomTom in iOS6, which is due out later this year.

Apple said in a statement: "Our licence to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended. Customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store."

This means YouTube fans will need to download the app as they would for every other service they want access to on their phone.

YouTube said: “We are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users.”

Since Google's Android operating system emerged as a strong rival to iOS, Apple has been seeking to reduce the iPhone's links with its former partner.

With Google Maps and YouTube gone, speculation is now mounting that Apple will remove Google as the default search button on the iPhone's Safari browser, according to the Guardian.

Apple has already dropped Google in China for local firm Baidu, and news of a change elsewhere could come when Apple is expected to unveil the latest iPhone in September, the paper said.

Apple's deal with Facebook to integrate the social network into iPhones and iPads is also being regarded by some analysts as another challenge to Google, according to theTelegraph.

Acer sees sales stall

Acer sees sales stall

Acer saw sales stalll in its second quarter, down 2.2% compared to the first three months of the year.

The Taiwanese company said it didn’t expect revenue to pick up until its fourth quarter.

But Acer will start shipping products for the launch of Microsoft Windows 8 in August and September, therefore anticipates revenues to rebound, and consequently expects third quarter revenues to be about the same as the second quarter, said the company.

The company also said a one-time tax settlement of NT$410m affected its income.

The news follows record sales from Chinese rival Lenovo, which saw a  44% year-over-year in its latest results.

Andrew Buss, service director analyst at Freeform Dynamics said the results reflect a tumultuous last few years at the company.

“Acer had a policy of pile it high and sell it cheap, which worked in the boom time but when the downturn happened it was  left with a lot of stock it had to write off,” he said.

“Also the lower end of the market, which it has typically targeted, has cannibalised by things like iPad, as people look to purchase tablets instead of netbook and lower cost PCs.  

“Alternatively Lenovo has focused on the mid- to upper end of the market and only recently moved into the consumer space.”

Buss said Acer should see an increase in sales with the release of Windows 8, but shouldn’t rely on that as a long-term strategy to improve sales.

Nokia fuels hopes of phone launch ahead of Apple:

Nokia  said on Wednesday it will hold a joint media event with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) in New York on September 5, boosting hopes that it will unveil its long-awaited Windows smartphone upgrade before rival Apple Inc (AAPL.O) rolls out its next iPhone.

The Finnish company gave no details about the September event, but Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said earlier on Wednesday the company would unveil soon a new smartphone using Microsoft's latest smartphone software known as Windows Phone 8.

The joint event with Microsoft will occur a week before Apple is expected to unveil its own hotly anticipated iPhone 5.

Nokia has been fighting for survival after ceding vast ground to rivals Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) in recent years. In 2011 it forged a software alliance with Elop's former employer, Microsoft, which also fell behind in smartphone software.

Both Nokia and Microsoft are pinning their hopes on the next Windows-based phone to challenge Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy smartphone.

Nokia has not commented on specific plans for its Nokia World trade show event in Helsinki on September 5 and 6.

Elop did not deny a September launch when he spoke to reporters earlier on Wednesday. He said only that Windows Phone 8 smartphones would be released in the "relatively near term."

Nokia shares, which have been trading near all-time lows, rose sharply in Helsinki after Elop's comments and gained 3.4 percent to close at 2.0760 euros in Helsinki on Wednesday. Its U.S. shares closed up 6 percent at $2.64 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Also on Wednesday, Standard & Poor's downgraded Nokia's credit rating to BB- with a "negative" outlook.

Elop, who was brought in from Microsoft two years ago to lead Nokia's fight against Apple and Samsung, said he was sticking to his strategy of using Microsoft software despite the limited success of Windows phones so far.

Nokia decided in early 2011 to ditch its home-grown Symbian software in favor of software from Microsoft.

"I don't think about rewinding the clock and thinking about competing elsewhere," he told reporters in Oslo.

"In today's war ... (between) Android, Apple and Windows, we are very clear, we are fighting that with the Windows phone," said Elop, who was in Oslo for a meeting with Telenor ASA (TEL.OL) Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas.

Nokia lost 1.53 billion euros in the second quarter and sold just 4 million Windows phones in the period, well short of Apple's sales of 26 million iPhones and Samsung's 50 million smartphones.

Nokia shrugged off S&P's downgrade, saying it had sufficient liquidity and was saving money. S&P cut Nokia's rating in April to BB+ -- junk status -- meaning conservative investors like pension funds will consider it too risky to hold.

Cisco boosts sales and income in 2012

Cisco boosts sales and income in 2012

Cisco today announced its fourth quarter and fiscal year results for 2012, showing a rise in both sales and the resulting income.

Sales for the quarter rose a modest 4% year-on-year to reach $11.7bn, but over the entire year Cisco recorded a 7% increase from 2011 to hit $46.1bn.

This equated to net income of $1.8bn for the fourth quarter – up 56% from the same quarter in 2011, but down from $2.2bn in the previous three months – and $8bn for the year – a rise of 24% year-on-year.

Cisco CEO John Chambers claimed the company’s strategy of providing network and datacentre solutions on integrated products had seen the company through tough economic times and was the right path for the long term.

However, he said he knew the firm needed to keep up with the pace if it was to continue to compete.

“There is no question that our industry and our world are evolving quickly, [but] Cisco is squarely at the centre of major technology market transitions – cloud, mobile, visual, virtual and social,” said Chambers.

Cisco completed two acquisitions over the year. First was ClearAccess, which provides software to service providers for managing home networks and mobile devices. Second was Truviso, which enables analysis of network data. It also signed an agreement with Citrix to join forces in their channel strategies.

In Cisco’s last results filing, Chambers claimed the Euro crisis would affect figures for the year. "We are still in an uncertain environment economically," he said during the results call, blaming European economic issues and fears around a lack of growth in India for the climate.

He tried to reassure those listening to the call, however, adding it would "muddle through" with a few "bumps on the road”.

16% of UK adults have never used the internet:

Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that 7.82 million adults in the UK – 16% of the total adult population – have never used the internet.

The ONS statistics for the second quarter of 2012 show a 10% decline in the number of adults who have not used the internet.

Almost all 16 to 24 year olds (99%) have used the internet but only 29% of adults aged 75 years and over have used the internet.

A total of 87% of men have used the internet compared to 82% of women, said the ONS.

The research revealed that disabled people are three times more likely never to have used the internet than people without a disability.

London and south-east England have the  highest rate of internet use with 88% of adults, while Northern Ireland had the lowest proportion of internet users, at 77%.

Solar shades Concept

Solar shades Concept 
(by designers Hyun-Joong Kim and Kwang-Seok Jeong)

It is called Infinite Energy: SIG, the sunglasses are designed to turn the rays that it blocks out into electrical energy, providing protection and power all at the same time. The sunglasses have a wire sticking out of them that you can plug into your gadgets....!!!!