o2 Network Problems
As I write this, many o2 mobile customers have been experiencing network connectivity problems. There seems to be no particular pattern as to who is affected. Random users will lose their o2 signal for a time whilst others will be unaffected.
Authenticating to masts in certain areas seems to be the issue with many users finding that their signal was OK at home, but they lost it when they got to work. o2 have updated their network status advising that their 2G network is back up and running - and that affected users should turn off 3G on their handsets for the time being. This worked for me. They hope to have the issue completely resolved at some point today.
Windows 8 Release Date
Microsoft has revealed that Windows 8 will be released this October. Many of us have already been trying out Windows 8 in its Consumer and Release preview formats of course - but what this means is that the product will be released to manufacturer, and XP, Vista, and Windows 7 users will have the option (for a limited time) to upgrade to Windows 8 for a reduced price, which is believed to be $39.99 (so hopefully around £25.00 in the UK).
If you are tempted to upgrade however - I would advise caution. Check your hardware is going to be good enough to run Windows 8. In my own tests, I have been quite amazed at the variety of older hardware that is capable of running Windows 8 quite well, but I do suggest that you look into your options very carefully when the time comes.
A major part of the full Windows 8 launch will be the App Store. At this time, the limited amount of Apps available are completely free for users to try. This will change of course and Windows 8 App developers will be able to start charging to download their Apps.
No announcement as yet from Microsoft as to when their Surface Tablet will be released, but I would expect this to appear around the same time as it is designed specifically for the Windows 8 platform.
Samsung are also expected to announce their own Windows 8 Tablet device at some point, with the other OEMs such as Acer and ASUS very likely to follow, so there will be many hardware options to choose from when Windows 8 finally lands on the shelves!
Google+ for iPad
Google+ now has a full iPad App. Up until now, iPad users could install the Google+ iPhone App, or use the service through the iPads Safari Browser. This offered a limited user experience however, and the addition of this iPad friendly App will be welcome news to Google+ fans. Facebook users also had to wait a very long time for an iPad specific App - and to be honest it isn't that great. Time will tell whether Google have done better!
Is Apple cooler than Samsung?
Apple suffered another patent war defeat last week here in the UK with a high court judge ruling that Samsung did not copy Apples iPad design when they introduced the Galaxy Tab. Apple can claim something of a moral victory here however, with the judge going on to explain that he arrived at this decision due to fact that the Galaxy Tab is just simply not as "cool" as the iPad. I don't know who will be happier with this ruling, but no doubt it will be far from the end of these patent squabbles between the two parties.
Microsoft urges Windows Vista, 7 users to disable desktop gadgets
And finally, Microsoft has issued a "security advisory" this week urging all Windows Vista and Windows 7 users to download a tool that will disable any desktop gadgets they may have installed.
It seems that vulnerabilities in Gadgets have been identified that could allow remote code execution. You can view the advisory here
And that's about it for another Tech Thursday!
Peter
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