Samsung Galaxy S II official: dual-core 1GHz CPU, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus

So the successor to Samsung’s most popular smartphone has been just made official at the MWC launch. The Samsung Galaxy S II has a great host of Specs :

• 4.27-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED Plus display
• 8 megapixel primary camera
• 1080p video capture accompanied
• 2 megapixel Front camera
• Gingerbread with TouchWiz 4.0
• NFC support
• 8.49mm thick
• The thinnest smartphone

The size makes the device 0.2mm slimmer than the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc’s thinnest point.

Samsung announces the GALAXY S II, World’s thinnest Smartphone that Will Let You Experience More with Less

Global launch of Samsung’s most powerful smartphone delivers unmatched performance with a Dual-Core application processor and best-in-class viewing experience by Super AMOLED Plus display in sleek and lightweight design

BARCELONA, February 13, 2011 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the Samsung GALAXY S II (Model: GT-I9100), a beautifully thin (8.49mm) and lightweight, dual-core smartphone that combines an unmatched viewing experience with incredible performance.

The Samsung GALAXY S II uses Android™ 2.3 Gingerbread, the latest version of the world’s fastest-growing mobile operating system. The next generation smartphone includes access to Samsung’s four new content and entertainment hubs, seamlessly integrated to provide instant access to music, games, e-reading and social networking services.

“In 2011, we will take Samsung’s leadership in Speed, Screen and Content to a whole new level,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business. “With the GALAXY S II, Samsung wants to set the new standard of quality viewing on mobile, powerful performance, and slim and modern design.”

“GALAXY S II is a natural and powerful evolution of GALAXY S. Building on the phenomenal success of the original Samsung GALAXY S, we are proud to unveil the ultimate smartphone. Consumers no longer have to contain themselves – the Samsung GALAXY S II allows them to design their own smart lives.”

“We’re pleased to see Samsung bring another Android-powered device to market to help grow the Android ecosystem,” said Andy Rubin, Vice President of Engineering at Google.

Powerful Performance

Incorporating a dual-core application processor and advanced wireless network (HSPA+ 21) connectivity, the Samsung GALAXY S II has the speed and power to provide an unrivalled mobile performance. Dual-core application processor delivers compelling features such as fast web browsing, multi-tasking comparable to a PC-like environment, supreme graphics quality and instantly responsive 3D user interface on the large screen. The GALAXY S II also delivers seamless multitasking, switching between applications instantly. Superior 3D hardware performance makes games and video incredibly fast and smooth.

With super-fast HSPA+ connectivity, the GALAXY S II offers rapid mobile download speeds while BlueTooth® 3.0+HS considerably reduces data transfer times.

The Samsung GALAXY S II has been equipped with an 8MP, high-profile camera and camcorder with 1080p full HD recording and playback. With Samsung’s patented AllShare technology, customers can capture, create and then share their experiences hassle-free.

A Next Level of Viewing Experience

The Samsung GALAXY S II has been equipped with Samsung’s new crystal-clear Super AMOLED Plus screen, the most advanced mobile visual display ever created. Setting the standard of quality viewing on mobile, Super AMOLED Plus introduces the best in quality in color gamut, contrast ratio and edge sharpness. Using RealStripe screen technology and a greatly increased sub-pixel count, Super AMOLED Plus complements the mechanics of the human eye to recognize images look clearer and more detailed than ever before. With a wider viewing angle and increased visibility in outdoor, the Samsung GALAXY S II provides a more vibrant viewing experience than any other mobile devices.

Even with its unrivaled performance, the innovative Super AMOLED Plus display does not compromise battery performance. A significant reduction in power consumption from Super AMOLED display means it is also more energy-efficient than other comparably-sized devices, allowing Samsung to minimize device weight.

Samsung GALAXY S II Goes to Work

Samsung has introduced a new range of enterprise mobility solutions, expanding the business capabilities of the Samsung GALAXY S II and helping enterprise customers empower a flexible and connected mobile workforce. Samsung has partnered with IT industry leaders to offer the most relevant enterprise solutions to the Samsung GALAXY S II, working seamlessly on the Android Gingerbread platform and paying special attention to securing data and network. These solutions include enhanced conferencing and connectivity services from Cisco, the most comprehensive mobile implementation of Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and secure remote device management from Sybase.

A New World of Entertainment and Smarter Interaction

Samsung has selected the Samsung GALAXY S II as its premium mobile product with which to launch Samsung Hubs – integrated mobile applications designed to fit every element of your life. With Samsung Hubs, the Samsung GALAXY S II delivers rich catalogues of books and magazines, music, advanced mobile games and control of your online social life, all from a single device.

• Social Hub Premium: The future of communication – talk to whoever you want, however you want, all from one place – your contact’s list. Communication history, IM status, and updates from social networking sites are all readily available. From here, users can access all types of messages (push e-mail, text, VM and SNS) and respond directly without resorting to individual applications. It truly acts as a hub for entire social life.
• Readers Hub: Carry an enormous library of books, magazines and newspapers on-the-go. Through strategic partnerships, Samsung Readers Hub provides over 2.2 million books and novels, 2,000 global and local newspapers in 49 languages and 2,300 popular magazines in 22 languages.
• Game Hub: The easiest way to download and play best-in-class mobile games. Featuring a 3-axis gyroscopic sensor, the Samsung GALAXY S II unleashes a world of gaming possibilities. Try for free and download premium titles from partners like Gameloft, or ‘enjoy Social Network Games (SNG) powered by mobage including ngmoco’s We Rule and We City’.
• Music Hub: Make Samsung GALAXY S II a personal music manager and access over 12 million tracks from 7digital. Discover what’s hot from top charts, search for favorite music, get recommendations on albums, enjoy previews and download them directly to Samsung GALAXY S II.

The Samsung GALAXY S II gives customers more choice in personalizing their smartphone experience. New for the Samsung GALAXY S II, Samsung has introduced Live Panel, a service that aggregates live web and application contents to a single customizable home-screen. Customers can design the lay-out of their own Live Panel, online services and mobile apps to appear on-screen. SNS feeds, information and many more applications can all be embedded and accessed instantly through the magazine-like layout.

With the enhanced voice technology on the Samsung GALAXY S II, customers will be able to do more with less. From opening the app to controlling the messaging, social media, email and calling, Samsung Voice Solution will recognizes voice and convert it to text and vice versa. Customized Voice Translation application makes the Samsung GALAXY S II the perfect travel companion, translating voice or text into – and from – a range of languages: simply speak a word or phrase into the handset and it will instantly translate it, with audio and text output.

For swift and simple device management, Samsung has introduced Kies Air. With Kies air, consumers can manage their smartphone contents from their PC, via local WiFi connections. download photos taken on the built-in camera, listen to music, check missed calls and send messages in the web browser on their PC. For added connectivity, WiFi Direct allows consumers to connect to wireless-enabled PCs and printers without the need for wireless access points. According to market requirement, the GALAXY S II is able to incorporate Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to support emerging mobile payment service and other services with mobile operators.

The GALAXY S II is exhibited at Hall #8, Mobile World Congress 2011.
For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visit www.samsungunpacked.com/press.

Nokia's open letter to developers

Nokia said it will continue to sell smartphones using its legacy Symbian software for a long time after its first phones using Microsoft's Windows go on sale.

Symbian is due to be replaced by Microsoft's Windows Phone over the coming two years under a plan announced in February, raising concerns Nokia could drop Symbian phones -- which have lost market share, but generate strong profits -- too early.

In a letter addressed to Nokia developers, Purnima Kochikar, Vice President, Forum Nokia, talks about future of Symbian, its strategy for MeeGo and the Microsoft deal.


Dear Nokia Developer,

Much has been said in the last few weeks about Nokia's announced strategy. I've heard from many of you with encouragement, concerns and questions. Please do continue the dialog with me and the Forum Nokia team.

I want to take a moment to focus on what these announcements mean to you, how Nokia plans to support your development needs and how this translates into opportunities today and in the future.

First, let's recap what it is we announced; the three main areas of our strategy:

1. Plans for a broad strategic partnership with Microsoft on Windows Phone
2. Connecting the Next Billion
3. Future disruptive technologies

What about Symbian? What about Qt?

Understandably, these are the first questions that come to mind. Although Windows Phone will become our primary smartphone platform, we will continue to deliver a great deal of value from Symbian. We're making investments that will help us to engage and attract existing and new Symbian users and allow us to launch new competitive smartphones.

Over the past weeks we have been evaluating our Symbian roadmap and now feel confident we will have a strong portfolio of new products during our transition period i.e. 2011 and 2012. These devices will take advantage of the strong integration of devices and services as well as our strength in areas such as imaging and location-based services. They will also include improvements in hardware performance such as GHz+ processing capabilities and faster graphics speeds.

To further enhance the competitiveness of these products we will deliver updates to the current Symbian user experience. The first major update will arrive in summer, delivering a new home screen, new flexible widgets, new icons, a faster browser, new Navbar and a fresh look and feel to Ovi Store and Ovi Maps, including integration of social media services in Ovi Maps.

You may have seen some of these updates in the latest product we launched at CTIA Wireless this year, the Nokia C7 Astound. Those plus the rest of the enhancements will be delivered to all users over the air in a simple update available from the Home Screen, and Nokia Astound users will receive the remaining enhancements not already in their device at the same time.

I've been asked many times how long we will support Symbian and I'm sure for many of you it feels we have been avoiding the question. The truth is, it is very difficult to provide a single answer. We hope to bring devices based on Windows Phone to market as quickly as possible, but Windows Phone will not have all language and all localisation capabilities from day one.

In many markets, including markets where Symbian is currently the lead smartphone platform with significant market share such as China, India, Russia and Turkey, we will continue to make our Symbian portfolio as competitive as possible while we work with Microsoft to introduce Windows Phone. For that reason certain markets will play a more significant role in selling the 150 million Symbian devices than others and we will be selling devices long after Windows Phone devices from Nokia have already started to appear in other markets. That is why we cannot give you the date when Symbian will no longer be supported.

What I can promise you is that we will not just abandon Symbian users or developers. As a very minimum, we have a legal obligation, varying in length between countries, to support users for a period of time after the last product has been sold. Our intention is that when users come to the end of the natural lifecycle of their Symbian device they will make the change to a Nokia Windows Phone device and so it would not be in our interests to undermine their Nokia smartphone experience. Operators have also been very supportive in their commitment to help us continue to sell and support Symbian devices while we make the transition to Windows Phone.

We currently stand at 109 operators in 34 countries and no doubt they continue to recognize the opportunities in a platform that has great localization, differentiation and flexible billing services, while we start to build great new devices with Microsoft.

Qt, the development platform for Symbian and future MeeGo technology remains critically important and Nokia is committed to investment in Qt as the best toolset for those platforms and we are focusing on future developments in part by our plan to divest the commercial licensing business, used mainly by developers of embedded and desktop applications beyond the mobile market.

Additionally we are readying app analytics, in-app advertising, in-app purchasing, a new browser and hardware enhancements. There are a lot of new things for developers to take advantage of in these soon-to-be-released APIs. We are continuing to explore Qt for use in other strategic investment areas as well.

So in short, there are some very exciting things happening in Symbian and Qt, lots of new devices and platform improvements and we believe consumers will be downloading great developer apps from these devices. All together, this means your investment in Qt is a safe choice for skill competency, monetization opportunities and brand awareness amongst our millions of users.

The partnership announcement has many of you wondering how Forum Nokia and Microsoft will support you in the future. As we carefully plan this with Microsoft we will be able to share more information. However, we are listening to your concerns and comments. Nokia and Microsoft share a view and commitment to make the transition as smoothly as possible for developers.

The second pillar of Nokia's strategy, 'Internet for the Next Billion' also highlights our increased focus on opportunities for developers, especially Java developers. Nokia sells over one million features phones a day; a staggering number by any measure. Developers can already distribute Java apps to approximately 600 million Series 40 devices.

We intend to drive more innovation and improvement in Series 40 developer engagement. We are continuing to develop easy-to-use tools and software developer kits to make it simple, easier and more affordable for Java developers to work with us. For example, there is free signing for Java apps; the new SDK for Touch and Type UI is in the market now; plus we have plans for increased proxy browsing capabilities on our device and support for web apps.

Consumers around the world are hungry for apps on Nokia devices.

The disruptive technologies area of our strategy includes our work on MeeGo and Nokia Research Center, Nokia's future looking, global labs. You will hear more from us on MeeGo in coming months.

Finally, there is still $10M up for grabs in the Calling All Innovators contest. The deadline is approaching March 31 so be sure to submit your app. If the content of your app is applicable to consumers in the US and Canada, you could get a piece of the $10M in cash and prizes. Giving out these big checks and seeing your apps get downloaded by millions of consumers is the best part of my job!

In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to update you on our progress with Symbian, Windows Phone and Series 40 and new programs to assist you in building success in Ovi Store. We are excited about working with you in each of these areas. In the meantime, we'll look for your next great Qt or web app in Ovi Store!

Best regards,
Purnima Kochikar
Vice President, Forum Nokia

AirTyme Communications that specializes in integrated supply chain solutions for the wireless industry throughout the United States and China has offi

Nokia is all set to sweep the mobile marketplace with a slew of models. A company official said that Nokia plans to launch as many as 40 mobile phones in 2011. Of these 12 will reportedly be in the smartphone category.

Reasearch firm International Data Corp (IDC) recently forecast the worldwide smartphone market to grow nearly 50 per cent this year and Google's Android to emerge as the leading operating system.

IDC said that smartphone vendors are expected to ship more than 450 million smartphones in 2011 compared to 303.4 million last year.

The research firm said that Android is expected to surpass Nokia's Symbian in 2011 and become the leading smartphone platform.

"Android is poised to take over as the leading smartphone operating system in 2011 after racing into the number two position in 2010," said IDC senior research analyst Ramon Llamas.

IDC also predicted strong growth for Microsoft's Windows Phone platform which has been losing market share but was recently adopted by Finland's Nokia.

"Up until the launch of Windows Phone 7 last year, Microsoft has steadily lost market share while other operating systems have brought forth new and appealing experiences," Llamas said.

"The new alliance brings together Nokia's hardware capabilities and Windows Phone's differentiated platform," he said.

"We expect the first devices to launch in 2012," Llamas said. "By 2015, IDC expects Windows Phone to be number two operating system worldwide behind Android."

Interview With Mike Narula, CEO AirTyme Communications

AirTyme Communications that specializes in integrated supply chain solutions for the wireless industry throughout the United States and China has officially launched their India operations on 10th January 2011 and are already making waves in the Indian telecom industry.

AirTyme is the exclusive distributor of the recently launched MILESTONE XT800 for Motorola Mobility in India.This is the first dual SIM android based handset in India.

Recently Telecom Talk went behind the scenes to have an exclusive ‘talk’ with Mike Narula, CEO AirTyme Communications.

TT : Brief on AirTyme Communication and their journey of more than two decades in USA?

AirTyme Communications is a multi-million dollar international distribution company, specializing in integrated supply chain solutions for the wireless industry throughout the United States, China and India. With over 20 years of extensive distribution experience and strategic partnerships with billion dollar companies, such as Motorola, and PCD, Airtyme is focused to become a leading supplier of mobile wireless devices in India.

AirTyme is headquartered in the US with offices in Hauppauge, NY and Gurgaon, India. AirTyme offers a full range of benefits and flexible terms that help every agent maximize their sales potential. Our competitive prices and excellent customer service will keep you as an AirTyme customer for years to come

Mike Narula,Chairman & CEO,AirTyme Communications

Mike Narula, founder and Director of Airtyme Communications, Private Limited (“Airtyme”) a highly motivated professional with 15 years of entrepreneurial business experience began his career in the mobile electronics industry in the U.S. at an early age. Mike co-founded Bean Rocket Mobile, a retail sales and wholesale distributor of wireless devices and accessories. Over a period of six years, many business relationships were established at the local and national levels, through aggressive sales and marketing programs.

In 2006 Mike was the sole founder of Reliance Communications, LLC (USA) (“the Company”), one of the nation’s premier wireless distribution companies. Reliance soon acquired Quintex Wireless, further augmenting the business client base and supplier relationships. By 2009 the Company had moved to a 20,000 square foot warehouse and office building, and established close working relationships with the largest suppliers of cellular handsets, including such names as Motorola, Samsung, LG, PCD and RIM. In March of 2010, the company became an Authorized Verizon Wireless Distributor, one of only three in the country.

In 2010 Mike formed Airtyme Communications, Private Limited (“Airtyme”), to leverage his success in the U. S. market and to continue his path of growth in the Republic of India. In just a few months, Airtyme has purchased corporate office space and a warehouse facility, established supplier relationships with PCD and Motorola, and has formed a strategic partnership with a large original equipment designer of handsets

Mike Narual’s keen insight into the mobile electronics distribution business led to growth and success based on exceptional management of product, inventory, sales and customer service; the building of relationships with business owners and decision makers to extract the specific business requirements of clients; aggressive marketing and advertising strategies to help drive clients’ business goals; clearly understanding and monitoring the competition to increase market share.

TT : What challenges do you see as an emerging player in India?

The urban market in India is highly saturated. Rural marketing will be the key to growth strategy. But the factors which are restricting rapid roll out in rural areas are the low ARPU customers and high cost of distributing to these places.

TT : What is your distribution channel like ?

AirTyme and its partners have one common mission: to create the products that customers need, to build these products efficiently and with high quality, and to support their product portfolio throughout its complete lifecycle. Airtyme has accomplished this mission by having the ability to link product development, manufacturing and service processes together as one unit. It’s important to look at how these processes combined support a product’s entire life cycle – from the early design stages, through sourcing, to manufacturing, and then into the product’s service life.

TT: What are your future plans for Indian market?

The immediate future plans of AirTyme in India are as follows:-

Products- AirTyme is a distributor of simple feature handsets, multimedia data devices, smartphones and USB modems. We are working on alignment of promoters and execution to be best targeted customer areas. The list has the top 100 retail outlets and 50 Modern Trade stores.

Service- To ensure consistent quality of service, each of our accounts is assigned a personal account manager who understands their business, who will be their single point of contact, and is dedicated to bringing you the highest quality of customer care.

Production- We have established the strict quality control system for every strategic stage in the production process. Our products and services have been acclaimed as the highest quality and the most trust-worthy in the wireless industry.

Distribution-AirTyme efficiently receives, manages, and ships inventory to retail and online customers across the country. We work hard to support and streamline every purchase and operational interaction.

TT:Are there plans to launch Airtyme mobile handsets?

We plan to brand our own handset. The profile will be a sleek design that has both a touch screen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It also has multimedia features, HSDPA speed, stereo Bluetooth, A-GPS, and a full HTML browser. The difference is the device uses a capacitive touch screen which results in a very intuitive and responsive.

TT:What will be the positioning of these mobiles?

For the Smartphone Users: The MILESTONE XT800 will provide on-the-go information for consumers who want a device that matches the demands of a hectic lifestyle like that of a senior professional.

For the simple feature devices targeted audiences are;

Young Adults (18-24 yrs), busy, sociable and active. Want features and style but are constrained by their financial situation. They use their mobile phone for everything or “almost” (landline, clock, alarm clock, music player, camera etc.

For the 3G multimedia devices targeted audiences are;

Male: 25-40, Female: 20-30: Education background, student, white collar, IT professional, enterprise and the government employees.

TT:What will be your strategy for 2011-2012 For 3G and 4G:

Operational flexibility is not an easy or cheap option. It requires a company to establish the right balance between adaptability (changing according to circumstances) and stability. The wireless supply chain processes can leverage flexibility through sustainable cost reductions, cash management and tax benefits.

Moving into new markets has a profound impact on the supply chain (i.e., new import regulations, local country legislation, new customs processes, and customers). Respond quickly to consumers’ needs, extending their market reach by exploring new technologies, new channels and new geographical markets.Have the flexibility to re-evaluate our business model due to sustainability pressures and understanding the impact of the changes to the supply chain.Through a high-performing supply chain, businesses will be able to increase the response to the market.

Mobile Broadband: Enabling Last Mile Connectivity

The government and the RBI have made efforts to facilitate provision of financial services to the hitherto unbanked / underbanked areas.

The RBI used the term financial inclusion for the first time in its annual policy statement of 2005-06, Since then the banks have taken several measures for promoting financial inclusion such as advising banks to open ‘no frill’ accounts, introduction of business correspondence (BC)/Banking Facilitators (BF) model, promotion of financial literacy, and adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) solution for greater outreach.

Despite these efforts the current National sample survey data reveals that 51.4% of nearly 89.3 Million farmers households do not have access to any credit either from institutional or non institutional sources. Only 27% of farm household are indebted by formal sources.

Recently RBI has issued guidelines for mobile banking. As we move to the future, I wanted to know the root cause for the failure of earlier efforts and as part of my search I interacted with few stakeholders. Here are some of my InCights from the same.

Small Transaction Size: I found out that the average balance which is maintained in these accounts is just around Rs. 20-30. Now any one who understands how does a bank earn profit would say that this an unprofitable business. With this kind of float in the no frill bank accounts, banks have started considering it as a Corporate Social Responsibility. Most of them operate in rural areas just because RBI has given a mandate. The cost per No frill account is approximately Rs. 160. Banks as well as the BCs have incurred huge losses by adopting this model. The viability of the business is an issue.

Cash Management: Almost all BC transactions are cash based. Handling large volumes of cash leads to increased transactional and operational costs. Technology is other issue. This model works on online or an offline model. According to the RBI guidelines, transactions done by the BCs should reflect in the banks CBS by the end of the day. This is practically not possible. There are areas where there is no or limited connectivity like North eastern regions.

Financial Education: helping the masses to understand these products, and the benefits of saving and investing, RBI as part of its initiative has not done enough to educate the prospective customers through the use of media channels and the same has been left to the BCs/BFs.

Grievance Handling:There is no grievance redressal machinery present in any of the BANKS including SBI for complaints related to BCs. Another problem is that most of the areas have a lot of migrants who come, work and go back. BCs face a problem in these cases too.

Will Mobile Banking be able to deliver on its promises:

Mobile Banking is seen as solution to make of the problems highlighted Above. Globally mobile banking has helped bridge digital divide in countries like kenya, Philippines, Brazil, etc. Moreover usage of mobile based solution reduce both operational and capital costs associated with Brick and Morter Model of setting up physical infrastructure, yet provide any time connectivity to its consumers.

In India according to RBI guidelines the mobile banking has to be a bank led model, where services provider would have to tie up with banks and cannot enjoy luxury of earning revenue by managing daily float. Moreover TRAI is still to address the issue of pricing and business modeling between Banks, Service Providers and technology enablers.

Though based on international experience we can safely assume that mobile banking would be able to reduce costs in terms of availability and time for providing the banking services. but what would matter most is the trust and customer experience of using those services and that would decide the future of m-commerce in India.

Microsoft's Windows 8 Could Include Ribbon, Mobile Unlock Screen

Microsoft's next version of Windows could include an Office-style ribbon, and an unlock screen reminiscent of Windows Phone's, according to a new report and screenshots.

Microsoft’s next version of Windows could include a version of the ribbon interface already present in later versions of Office, according to an early build of the operating system, which two prominent bloggers supposedly previewed. Their postings also include images from that build, including a lock screen whose elements suggest Microsoft is taking a page from its mobile efforts in developing its next traditional OS.

“This is based, quite clearly, on the Windows Phone 7 lock screen, and is just as attractive,” Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, two bloggers with a track record of delving into Microsoft’s proprietary code base, wrote in a pair of connected postings on Rivera’s Within Windows blog. “The display includes the time, day of week, the date (month and day), and icons for power management (for portable machines only) and ease of access.”

Nothing in the two April postings indicates how Rivera and Thurrott accessed this alleged early build of “Windows 8.” Although Microsoft has stayed adamantly tight-lipped about a possible release date for the next version of Windows, a growing amount of online chatter suggests it could make an appearance sometime in late 2012. As such, the elements discussed by the two bloggers could undergo radical changes in the interim—should this early build even represent the main thrust of Microsoft’s thinking and development, as opposed to a test or secondary prototype.

Chief among the (possible) new elements is the addition of Microsoft’s ribbon interface to Windows Explorer. “If Microsoft goes through with this change, the Ribbon will replace the menu and toolbar in today’s Explorer windows,” Rivera and Thurrott wrote, “and as in Office, it will make many more features visibly discoverable, albeit at the expense of on-screen real estate and, we think, attractiveness.”

The Windows 8 ribbon apparently includes an “extensive” file menu, as well as tools for viewing libraries, manipulating images and managing drive assets.

“In the current pre-release builds we’ve seen, the Ribbon is a serious work in progress and is quite unattractive,” the two bloggers added. “It’s unclear whether Microsoft intends to move forward with this UI as-is, or whether it will appear only in certain UI types.” There are indications that, if Microsoft holds to something approximating this design, users will have the option of disabling the ribbon.

While the exact form of Windows 8 software remains nebulous, Microsoft has made it clear for months that the next version of the operating system will support SoC (system-on-a-chip) architecture, in particular ARM-based systems from partners such as Qualcomm, Nvidia and Texas Instruments. In turn, that would give Microsoft increased leverage for porting Windows onto tablets and more mobile form-factors, currently the prime market for ARM offerings.

Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division, suggested during this January’s Consumer Electronics Show that “under the hood there are a ton of differences that need to be worked through” with regard to SoC-supported Windows. Nonetheless, he added, “Windows has proven remarkably flexible at this under-the-hood sort of stuff.”

A new version of Windows optimized for touch interface would allow Microsoft to make a more substantial play for the tablet market, currently dominated by Apple’s iPad and a growing number of Google Android devices. The glimpse of a Windows Phone 7-influenced lock screen, if eventually proven accurate, hints that Microsoft is indeed considering ways of altering Windows that are more conducive to mobile devices, but given the distant date of a possible Windows 8 release, anything could change.

Microsoft Windows 8: 10 Reasons It Will Shatter Windows 7

Microsoft’s Windows 8 likely won’t be available until next year, but based on what’s known so far, the operating system could very well be better than Windows 7.

When it comes to operating systems, there’s no more important company than Microsoft. For years now, the software giant has been dominating the OS landscape around the world. And with nearly every release of its operating system, it has been able to improve upon its preceding launches. If nothing else, Microsoft understands the operating system space, and knows how to be successful in that market.

But Microsoft Windows 7 was arguably one of the most important launches in Microsoft’s long and storied history. After launching Windows Vista, the market rebelled against Microsoft. Vendors allowed for "downgrade rights" to revert a computer back to Windows XP. Consumers didn’t opt for Vista as much as the software giant would have liked. In addition, the enterprise practically ignored Windows Vista. It was bad all around.

With Windows 7, Microsoft fixed that. The operating system is what Vista should have been in the first place. And now that Microsoft has confirmed it’s the fastest-selling version of Windows ever released, it’s clear that consumers are happy with what they’ve found this time.

Even so, Windows 8 is just around the corner, and rumors are swirling about the upcoming operating system and what it will feature when it’s likely released next year. Although details are relatively slim for now, one thing is for certain: Windows 8 will be even better than Windows 7.

Here’s why:

1. It improves upon a nice operating system.

Windows 8 will not be a major update. Instead, the operating system will simply improve upon Windows 7. As mentioned, Windows 7 has been a hit among consumers and enterprise customers. From what’s known about Windows 8 so far, it’s clear that Microsoft doesn’t want to fix what isn’t broken. Windows 8 will look awfully similar to its predecessor and boast many of the same features. It will simply be an improvement over an operating system that already appeals to customers.

2. The security keeps improving.

With each subsequent operating system release from Microsoft, the company has improved security. After Service Pack 2 was released, Windows XP was quite secure. And although Vista faced some pitfalls at first, Service Packs helped secure that OS, as well. Windows 7 is arguably the most secure version of the operating system yet. As long as Microsoft continues along that path—and it will—expect Windows 8 to be even more secure than its predecessor.

3. The ARM compatibility is key.

At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the next version of Windows would support ARM-based devices. That is extremely important. Now companies that want to sell products using an ARM chip have the opportunity to use Windows. Not only could this move help Microsoft and its vendor partners, but it might also deliver more options for customers who want to use Windows. It’s a win-win.

4. An application store, perhaps?

Speculation abounds that Microsoft plans to release an application store with Windows 8. If it does so, it will put its operating system on an even playing field against Mac OS X Snow Leopard and the upcoming “Lion,” which will ship with the App Store built in. The future of desktop operating systems will include applications marketplaces. And it’s nice to hear that Microsoft is willing to acknowledge this.

5. Instant-on is what’s needed.

One of the biggest issues some users have with Windows is that it can take a long time to boot up the operating system. According to recent rumors, the software giant is working on a solution for that that could deliver near-instant-on functionality. It might not seem major, but considering how annoying it can be to wait for Windows to boot up, having much faster startup times sounds awfully nice.

6. It might be more suitable for tablets.

Microsoft has been saying for years now that its operating system is ready for tablets. But as vendors have shown, they’re more likely to invest in an Android-based tablet than try their luck with Windows 7. Thanks to support for ARM-based devices, and the likelihood that Microsoft is working hard on making Windows 8 more tablet-friendly, consumers should expect many more mobile devices running the software giant’s next OS.

7. Better power consumption

One of the issues with Windows 7 is that it doesn’t deliver the kind of efficient functionality that consumers and especially enterprise customers are after. However, leaks surrounding Windows 8 development suggest that Microsoft is working on a vastly improved power-saving feature in its operating system that should drastically improve battery life on mobile devices running the software. If that’s true, there will be many happy customers out there.

8. What’s with History Vault?

Windows 8 might have a new feature, called “History Vault.” According to Winrumors, the feature is similar to Apple’s Time Machine, which provides a simple backup interface to users of Mac OS X. Microsoft’s option will let users restore individual file, edit old documents and much more. Microsoft hasn’t confirmed the feature, but if a robust backup utility like that comes to Windows, it would be quite nice.

9. A better interface

Windows 7 comes with a solid user interface that doesn’t take much time to get used to after coming off Windows XP. And although Microsoft hasn’t said much about its upcoming operating system, it’s becoming clearer that Windows 8 will feature a similar interface. However, this time around, those who follow Microsoft believe the interface will be a bit more streamlined and slightly easier to use. If Microsoft can follow through on that, it might just have a winner on its hands.

10. Microsoft’s lesson learned

Aside from the operating system itself, Windows 8 will likely be better than Windows 7 for one main reason: Microsoft doesn’t want to repeat the embarrassment of Windows Vista. Microsoft’s last operating system before Windows 7 was a nightmare for the company. The software giant became complacent and thought it could coast, but instead failed miserably. The result was a loss of trust from vendors, customers, and investors. It was a bad time for Microsoft, and the company doesn’t want to relive it. So expect the company to do something special with Windows 8. At this point, it has no other choice but to deliver an even better operating system.