There was some talk late last year in August for a possible inclusion of video-chat capabilities on systems compatible with the Windows Live online platform. Now virtually comes the “confirmation” and thank to some official screenshots released by Microsoft on SkyDrive and Windows 8 on the official blog dedicated to the next edition of the operating system: the images show undoubtedly the presence of features hitherto unpublished.

The pictures speak for themselves: between the possibilities offered in a particular section of SkyDrive, where are listed all the personal photographs uploaded to the cloud storage service online, you can notice that next to the username is the symbol of a camera, the same which appeared mysterious icon that gave off a wave of rumors about the month of August. Microsoft was therefore decided to enter a field where the big competitors in the industry are already doing battle, and it is expected that you can video chat not only PC but also on smartphones and Tablet PCs, running Windows 8 in addition to heir to the game console Xbox 360.

To support these rumors, if the picture is not enough, the journalist of Liveside.net, Michael Gillett, who says he recently met with members of the British team of Hotmail, which they would have confirmed the arrival of the future functionality. You should install only a specific application or a plug-in for entitlement.

It is not clear, however, at the time whether it is a simple extension of the browser function of HD video in Windows Live Messenger, or something closely related to Skype. From Redmond right now everything is silent, but the images are sent out to blow on rumor and curiosity.

The debut of Google Drive is fast approaching. A reader of the site GeekWire has in fact saved a screenshot of the cloud storage service that will likely be announced at the Google I/O in June. As you can see from the picture, the Mountain View Company has chosen a clear design, clearly inspired by Google Docs.

The latest rumors about Google Drive arrived last week by the Wall Street Journal that has revealed that the upcoming launch of the expected service. The direct competitor of Google Drive will be obviously SkyDrive, even if its operation will be more similar to Dropbox. It appears that you have been included the possibility to download the client on your PC (the image is the word “Install Google Drive”), so as to synchronize files between desktop, web and Android devices. It may still be an extension for Google Chrome.

The layout of the user interface is very simple. In the left column is the “Create” button, which should refer to the creation of documents or the division of storage space by directories. In the right part lists all the files stored online, which shall contain the name, date of last modification and the owner. The user can set options for sharing for documents and search through the files.

Given the extreme similarity with Google Docs, some comments suggest that the picture is a fake. In any case, Google Drive could become the default storage service for Google Docs, Gmail and Google Music. There is no information about the size of storage space, but it will be free for end users, while businesses will probably be offered an option premium associated with Google Apps.

As anticipated by the previous Friday to the release of the monthly security updates, Microsoft advance notification, a few hours ago Microsoft has released 9 bulletins that address 21 vulnerabilities in various products of the company in Redmond. The users, in particular, must as soon as possible to install the patch that closes a serious bug in versions 7, 8 and 9 of Internet Explorer.

Four of the nine patches were classified as critical, so an attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities to execute code remotely. This is precisely the risk if you run with the latest versions of Internet Explorer, for which Microsoft has released a cumulative patch. The bulletin MS12-20 bug fixes, therefore, which can be exploited if the user is persuaded to visit a web site created for that purpose. The critical update MS12-23 vulnerability discovered in a rather close C Runtime Library. In this case, the user’s PC can be attached through a media file downloaded from a site or an attachment to an e-mail message.

The other two critical bulletins concern vulnerabilities are in Windows (all versions of Windows XP SP3 to Windows 7 SP1), Silverlight and .NET framework. Although these patches block the execution of arbitrary code, when you visit a web site or opened an infected file.

The remaining five bulletins, classified as a major concern for even Windows and Office productivity suite. The vulnerabilities addressed are related to drivers, the Indeo video codec, the color profiles, to Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010. The patch installation will happen automatically if you enabled this option on, or manually via Windows Update from Control Panel.

The European Commission announced its approval for the operation in which Google will own the Motorola Mobility Group. The acquisition was first formalized in the days of August of 2011 on the basis of a transaction from $ 12.5 billion, but the process required the approval of antitrust authorities to ensure that nothing more can lead to blockages anti-competitive market.

The European Commission has turned a green light employing all due caution, explaining that they see no problems in advancing the transaction despite promising full attention to any comment that should come from the competing groups to pin “googlerola”. Specific attention will be placed mainly in the possibility that Google might use the patents acquired by Motorola for its own benefit, but also in this respect the European authorities emphasized that they have checked everything with caution: there is no reason why the operation itself can open up new problems for competition, or at least the picture does not appear to change significantly as a result of the closing of the acquisition.

The European Commission has focused in particular on key licenses to adhere to standards that govern the mobile communications. The specific nature of these patents should be granted on the basis of FRAND licensing (in relation to parameters such as reasonableness and non-discrimination): Despite Google has over Android, the European Commission has not caught a glimpse of possible distortions in the acquisition and therefore has given his clearance as these rulings do not exist to recommend a decision oppositional.

A significant detail is in the final words of communication, where the Commission states that it conducted its own investigation in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The decision announced by the Commission to Google opens the possibility to use at will the assets inherited by Motorola, which could go well beyond the official Android world: the possible landing of the group in the production of devices for the entertainment will clear even for projects, research and intellectual properties of the acquired group.

Microsoft announced in its “Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for February 2012″ that, in the Valentine’s Day, give the love of technology Redmond as nine patches to be installed to correct a total of 21 vulnerabilities in various software of the group.

Four critical patches ready for distribution, five major ones. The patches are most relevant for Microsoft Windows .NET Framework and Internet Explorer: it will probably be a corrective includes more bugs, a strategy that the group has repeatedly reiterated in policy updating the browser.

There are no additional details: the ad is devoted primarily to system administrators, allowing them to plan work in advance without branching news that might facilitate the search for criminals willing to exploit the bug to dangerous exploits.

In the month of January, 7 patches were distributed, one of which is critical and six important. With the update of 14 February (the second Tuesday of the month, as usual) the total will reach five critical patches, about half compared to the previous year.

The Wall Street Journal, it says certain: Google is preparing to launch in the coming weeks, Google Drive, on cloud storage service is not yet officially confirmed, but which has been discussed often in recent months. Google Drive will be something substantially similar to Google Docs, but thought this time also for multimedia files, such as audio and video, to act as a direct competitor of a giant in this market segment, Dropbox.

Not surprisingly, moreover, the fact that Google wants to bet on what will inevitably be the future of convergence between desktop and mobile devices. The only universe weblog big G, through which the user can access the same services on different platforms depending on their needs and a natural evolution of a process already begun with the very great similarities of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich between smartphone and tablet. Not forgetting, of course, the Chromebook.

The details of Google Drive obviously do not have many difficult because there will be something extraordinary to discover: the concept is clear for some time and virtues will be found among the details. The service should offer a limited amount of cloud storage for free; which will account for the increased premium that they need to meet different needs and are willing to spend a certain amount of money within a definite period of time.

Google Drive is clearly not ignoring the ecosystem of Android because there is already talk of a specific application to use the service even on mobile devices, smartphones and tablets. In this context, it will take on iCloud and SkyDrive, each with its peculiarities and its orientation. It is about to open a new market before the fall of Megaupload, however, seems to capture more meaning.

Microsoft does not intend to miss the chance: while the world looks with some concern the new policy for the protection of the privacy offered by Google, the Redmond group intends to cash in their favor by exploiting the situation that has gone creating. Recently the group has purchased a number of advertising on the major U.S. newspapers to promote their different approach to the issue and now, even when the EU started to wonder about the problem, the pressure continues returning once again to the question.

Microsoft puts forward in particular two of its products: Internet Explorer and Bing, however, probably the two greatest difficulties precisely because of competition from Mountain View (that the Chrome has the world of browsers with Google that has always dominated the search). Microsoft sees today in the privacy of a lever that can be used to their advantage: if Google just requires data users to improve their service, Microsoft, instead it can make it less instrumentally, thus claiming their difference, describing it as a special attention devoted to users.

With Internet Explorer for example you can download the appropriate tool to better control their information, thus avoiding the “share” with Google. With Bing instead professed a greater focus on the user (“YOU”) with respect to what Google does: attention to the advertiser does not fail, but the focus would be moved to the user and in this aspect it consumes all the difference professed compared to the other party.

As never before, Microsoft had pushed on the Accelerator for “sting” Google, promoting their products in an attempt to put the users against the rival products. Google has responded in its own way, making clear its intentions to clarify the EU (as explicitly indicated in the letter) all the misunderstandings that some competing groups they would be creating instrumentally. A challenge of the highest level, in short, where privacy is often more competitive than the object is being real careful. The risk of confusing ends and means is always around the corner.

DigSin is a new name in the music world: the case of a record label started by the end of 2011 to serve as an alternative mainly devoted to emerging artists to find the right stepping stone to success. What made it particularly interesting is the list of artists with whom it has previously signed agreements, but the new paradigm that is going to launch, allowing anyone to download music from the web for free.

Starting from today, in fact, DigSin will provide its users to download and listen to some songs for free, without breaking any law in copyright. Meanwhile, the same songs will be available for purchase on iTunes or for streaming via services such as Spotify, the free version which, according to the company, will offer the same revenue mainly from advertising content displayed on pages containing the download link.

This paradigm emphasizes the founder Jay Frank, do not offer large profit margins, but will allow the label to collect information of the audience, on their musical tastes, on the average age of those who listen to distributed songs and other useful information, especially in optical future. It is a model, whose goodness is still to be proved, but that could be effective if it were to revolutionize the way of conceiving music distribution in digital format on the web.

In addition to representing an interesting novelty for the approach with which to dive into the online music sector, the subsidiary initiative comes from DigSin at a particularly hot period in copyright law, with proposals that are emerging throughout the world to impose new stakes in the fight against piracy and the closure of Megaupload bench takes several days. The model proposed by DigSin could therefore represent one of the most important pieces in the mosaic that will shape the future of digital music, which could then lead a revolution which gives greater protection to the majors, and more opportunities for users.

The market of Internet in the global economy will reach a value of about 4.2 billion by 2016, due to the increase in the number of people accessing the web.

According to the “Digital Manifesto” by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in four years 50% of the world population have access to the network, so that will be connected about three billion people.

The consultant said that understanding the economic potential of the web is crucial, especially with the economic challenges now facing Europe and can be an important factor for the growth of a country.

In this regard, BCG said that in October 2010 Internet contributed 100,000 million pounds to the UK economy, representing 7.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of that country, and predicted that figure will rise to 10% of GDP in 2015.

The study presented in Davos, in the framework of the World Economic Forum (WEF) refers to that web businesses benefit not only to the developed world, but to all; that contributes on average 1.9% of GDP in 30 developing countries.

The manifesto, with McKinsey & Co, points out that only in Hungary, Malaysia, Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey, and Vietnam, the industry generated 1.9 million jobs.

It also exhibits that companies need to increase their assets and reduce technological liabilities that limit their ability to seize the opportunities of wealth which represents Internet.

Many companies require a digital transformation. Most people will have to improve their processes and organizational structures to adapt to the digital world. Given the rapid pace of change and the intensity of competition will have to move away from the long term planning cycles and to the establishment of strategies of adaptation.

It also states that governments must help to change policies that encourage investment, innovation, education, consumer protection and privacy.

Up to now were not disclosed terms of agreement that led to the handshake between Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia, and Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. Details emerge in the context of the quarterly communication of the European group and set the framework of a composite partnership and structured around the patent and the incentive that Microsoft has turned to the other party to convince the use of Windows Phone on their devices.

According to the statement, Nokia stood at 250 million dollars that Microsoft has provided the incentive for the group to accept the great leap from Symbian to Windows Phone. This figure, however, worthy of further study: Nokia explains that this is due to the incentive in the reference quarter, which seems to foreshadow additional payments in the coming months, up to an amount equal to 1 billion per year (720 million euros). If so, it would be curious to read this figure as a transfer process involving the licensing agreements collected by the use of Android and the stimulus offered by Microsoft to Nokia.

The sum is part of a deal, however, much more complex, in which both parties have staked their assets first to arrive at an agreement that rewards the product. Both Nokia and Microsoft have strong interest in creating a value proposition that carve out a role in the world of smartphones before the Apple/Google duopoly can close down the road to any proposed competitor. As indicated by Stephen Elop, patents put in by Nokia enable the group to check a license fee to Microsoft for Windows Phone lower than the competition, putting the team in Europe to compete more effectively against Samsung, HTC and the other big players in the parallel market already in partnership with Redmond.

So far Nokia have sold over 1 million Lumia devices, the group prepared to launch its own series in new countries since the early months of 2012, but the news does not seem to be sufficient to compensate for the free fall of the numbers recorded by Company: -31% on the devices sold, -21% in revenues. This is the cost of the jump from the platform, something that Stephen Elop had widely expected and led already well ahead of analysts lowered their estimates.

The choice will be judged Nokia a few months, as the first Lumia 900 U.S. will be in the hands of users and the series has brought to Europe something more than just Lumia 800. Meanwhile, shares jump by about 7 percentage points, thus rewarding the steps taken and how the transaction taking place.