Microsoft launched its third version of Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio on Monday, with improvements to performance and the developer environment.
Microsoft Robotics Devloper Studio 2008 Standard Edition is available for $499.95 from Microsoft's Web site, the same site the free Express Edition is available from for students.
Microsoft said that the new edition offers 1.5 to three times the performance of the previous edition, with services loading three times faster. Microsoft also improved the Visual Programming Language drag-and-drop tool for defining distributed applications, and added playback and a floor-plan editor for better simulation capabilities. Designers can also import content from DS SolidWorks' CAD program. The new version also includes support for both Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008.
Robotics supplier ABB said that it had created a plug-in for university students to create their own virtual robot controller.
Google released this morning its seventh edition of SketchUp for Windows and Mac systems, the free 3D modeling tool that topped our list of Top 10 Google products you forgot all about. New to this edition are tools for collaborating and sharing models and objects through the 3D Warehouse, automatic tools for beginners, and lots of other tweaks.
Most relevant for Google Earth users is the much tighter integration with the Google 3D Warehouse: You can search the warehouse from within SketchUp and import models directly. Sharing and and giving credit for your work is now also much more granular. SketchUp 7 also introduces Dynamic Components, objects which can be given dynamic attributes and simple physics. For example, you can stretch a table and its legs won't deform but instead will become a longer table. Doors can be made to open and close in a model. And if your objects have metadata, like part numbers or color options, you can track these as well in an associated spreadsheet.
The free version of SketchUp 7 can use premade Dynamic Components (Google has some ready in its 3D Warehouse), but to make them yourself you'll need SketchUp Pro 7, which costs $495.
Now we all love anything to do with One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) because it is all about charity at the end of the day, even though the price is double the $100 target. Europeans will be happy to know that they can have a slice of the pie as well because Amazon say that they will ship outside the U.S.
You can choose from two options, which are “Give one” and “Give One. Get one”, basically you can buy one or you can but one and the second one goes to charity, which is good in my eyes.
27 EU nations and a couple of non-EU countries are now included in this give One, Get One (G1G1) scheme. OLPC and its partnership with Amazon is a great idea. Visit Amazon Site for More Information Amazon.
1. Run a security suite. It isn't good enough anymore to run merely antivirus. You need a software firewall, antispam, antiphishing, antispyware, anti-rootkit, host-based intrusion prevention solution. These will keep you from getting infected with the malware I try to push to your PC. We don't talk much about antispam, as if spam were just an annoyance. But if you don't read my Phishing e-mails, then you'll never visit my fake site, run my buffer overflow exploit, and infect yourself with my malware.
2. Update signatures. I can change my attacks frequently, so you'd better download new signatures or your security suite won't recognize the new ones. Of course, I can stay ahead of signatures, which is why you need the Firewall and HIPS.
3. Be street-smart on the Web. Trust no one. Don't share any more information publicly than you need to. And don't use anything you share as your password. If you write about your dog on Facebook and my app grabs his name, then you can bet I'm going to try all kinds of variations on Toto as your password on the common banking sites and PayPal—and, if I can find it, your PC
4. Use strong passwords. I hate when marks use strong passwords because it really slows me down. Make sure your password is more than six characters long, contains a mix of letters and numbers, and doesn't include a word that can be found in the dictionary.
5. Mix it up. Don't use the same password on every site. If you do, then once I crack one I have access to everything you do online. The same goes for your credit card and ATM card PIN.
6. Be cryptic. When possible, encrypt important data files at rest and in transit. That means clicking on the "Sign in securely" link, even though it's an extra click, and making sure that you see the little lock in your browser that means the site is using SSL to encrypt traffic. Read your application provider's EULA and find out who owns your data stored online (the answer may surprise you), how they isolate your data from other peoples' data (if they do), and the security measures they've enacted to protect you. A free app is nice, but isn't your identity worth more? Cancel services that won't encrypt your files and explain the other security measures they take.
Microsoft has announced the launch of their online store in the US market. The company already operate similar stores in U.K., Korea, and Germany.
This store has on offer Microsoft’s software products like Windows OS, MS Office and games in addition to hardware products like the Xbox 360.Users get the option to download the software products in addition to order them through DVDs.Users would get access to the downloads for a long period of time in case they need it again in the future. Digital downloads are available through their service Electronic Software Download.
A company representative spoke about this storefront: “Lastly, in a world where lighter weight laptops, such as netbooks, are becoming more common, ESD makes things easier when an optical drive isn’t easily accessible. The first thing I do when I setup a new machine at home, is to run Windows update, and download all the freeware I use such as 7-zip. By extending ESD to Microsoft software, we’re able to increase convenience across the board for a variety of customers, regardless of whether they are using a speedy desktop gaming PC, or the latest netbook.”
