Microsoft releases Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 for low-cost smartphones

Microsoft has released Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1, which allows developers to customize their apps for cheaper Windows Phones with less memory and also run the development kit on Windows 8 machines, the company said in a blog post on Monday.
Initially, all Windows Phone devices had 512MB of RAM. The first to ship with just 256MB will be Nokia's Lumia 610, which will cost $252 and be available in the second quarter, Nokia said when the phone was announced at Mobile World Congress in February.
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But the downgrade comes with a cost as well as a saving: Microsoft has identified that 5 percent of existing applications will not run properly on devices with 256MB of RAM, it said in February.
To see how applications perform, the new SDK has two emulators: one for phones with 512MB of memory and one for phones with 256MB of memory, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft has also blogged about what to think about when developing apps for the phones.
Developers that don't want their application made available on phones with 256MB of memory can indicate this in the manifest file describing the app's properties, Microsoft said. The company has already blocked the apps it determined wouldn't run well on low-memory phones.
The Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 can also run on the Windows 8 Consumer Preview release. That will allow them to develop mobile apps using the Windows Phone SDK and Windows 8 apps using Visual Studio 11, with both development environments running side by side on the same PC.
Visual Studio 11 is also under development, and Microsoft released a beta version in February.
While the SDK runs on the consumer preview of Windows 8, it won't be officially supported until the final version of the operating system is released, Microsoft said. It also warned that developers are likely to see a performance degradation in the emulator if they have enabled Hyper-V.
Officially, Microsoft isn't commenting on when Windows 8 will arrive, but the operating system is expected to be released this year.
The development kit is available for download now from Microsoft's Download Center. Developers can choose between 10 languages including English, Spanish, Chinese (both traditional and simplified), and Russian.

Senators seek probe of employers seeking Facebook info

Two U.S. senators are calling for a federal investigation into the growing trend of employers seeking access to the social network pages of job applicants.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Charles E. Schumer posted an open letter on Monday, asking the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to weigh in on the growing debate on personal privacy and the use of social networks to learn about job seekers.
It's been reported in recent weeks that an increasing number of employers are asking job applicants to hand over their social network user names and passwords to peruse personal information posted on sites like Facebook and Google+ .

Windows 7 – Vista – XP

As some of you may of heard the next new kid on the block is going to be windows 7……So it looks like maybe Microsoft realized that Vista is not the wave of the future. Personally I run a few Vista pc’s and have no problem at all. I do see how some people could have issues especially if they were just now familiar with Windows XP.
For new computers we sell they only come with Windows XP. We do not sell any Vista pc’s unless the customer specifically request that operating system.
We will keep listening and try to find out the latest on the new OS from Micro

Computer Repair: Things you should know whenever using your Computer

Computers have become an indispensable part of our lives. You need to use it for work, studies and even shopping over the web. There are few things though that you will do well to know so as to ensure that your experience of working on a computer remains a pleasant one without the hassles that can throw your work off schedule and require you to spend on computer repairs. Some precautions can make it a smooth sail for you. Let’s look at a few points to remember for the purpose.