Ultrasound gesture control for Windows 8

I caught this over at Engadget and watched the video that they provided. This looks really neat and I hope that it becomes a new addition for our PC’s and notebooks. With the addition of this type of interface you won’t need to touch your screen so it ought to stay much cleaner.Take a look at the video demo below I think you will find it interesting.

Press Release:

Elliptic Labs Launches First Commercial Touchless Gesturing Technology Using Ultrasound, Designed for Electronic Devices and Windows 8

Windows 8 Gesture Suite and SDK Available

PALO ALTO, Calif. – November 13, 2012 – Science fiction and futuristic movies stepped into reality today as a result of powerful new touchless gesturing technology from Elliptic Labs (www.ellipticlabs.com) based on ultrasound. Enabling consumer electronic devices to respond to natural hand movements all around a screen, Elliptic's breakthrough technology is the first of its kind commercially available and has been incorporated in the Windows 8 Gesture Suite, introduced today. See video here.

Elliptic is the leader in ultrasonic touchless gesturing for consumer electronic devices. Its patented, low-power, responsive new technology is superior to the limited, camera-based approaches on the market. The Windows 8 Gesture Suite enables a touchless version of all touchscreen gestures in the new operating system. Combined with Elliptic's SDK, the technology gives OEMs the flexibility to create disruptive new ways to interact with devices.

Elliptic's ultrasound technology uses sound waves and microphones to detect movement, similar to how radar detects objects. The technology is not limited to detecting movement within camera view - it detects natural hand movements that extend beyond the camera, surrounding a device screen.

"Microsoft's new Metro interface changes how consumers interact with the operating system and the design is a perfect fit for touchless gestures. Elliptic's Windows 8 Gesture Suite gives users a touchless version of the gestures they already know from a touchscreen," said Tobias Dahl, CTO and founder of Elliptic Labs.

"The future of technology lies in moving from touchscreen to gesture recognition, but to date, using cameras has proved limiting and unnatural to users," he said. "Ultrasonic gesture technology uses sensors to deliver its capabilities and extends gesture-space to all sides of the screen, ensuring that the technology is robust and - unlike cameras - can be used in dark and bright light. Our Elliptic Windows 8 gestures gives users full control of the new interface by simple intuitive gestures in 3D space, enabling a more natural and efficient way to work."

Ultrasonic touchless technology uses up to 95% less power than current camera image-based gestural systems, making it an attractive option for device manufactures around the world. Elliptic provides a Starter Kit for laptops; an out-of-the box solution that allows customers and partners to get started with ultrasound-based gestures without designing hardware. It also comes with an SDK that incorporates natural gestures into devices and delivers an extensive range of example applications. With the SDK, customer and partners can create disruptive new ways to interact with devices and applications beyond Windows 8. The set of controls allows using gestures for scrolling, selecting, rotating objects and controlling menus.

Elliptic's software is in high demand by large OEM, ODMs and component and chip manufactures that are looking to integrate new capabilities allowing consumers to interact with tablets, ultrabooks and smartphones.

Availability

Elliptic's Windows 8 Gesture Suite, Starter-Kit and SDK are available immediately. For more information, contact sales hello@ellipticlabs.com or visit www.ellipticlabs.com.

New Snagit Tutorial

I really like to talk about the products that are part of my toolbox set of applications. My thought is that if I find it useful that maybe you will also find it useful as well.

TechSmith has released a new tutorial on Snagit 11.1 that I found very useful and discussed quite a few capabilities that I had no idea existed. I use Snagit quite a bit not only during work to drop in information and pictures into my proposals and emails but also when I am creating my blog postings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_LyJljzpfc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

So if you haven't subscribed to TechSmith's YouTube Channel you really should if you have any of their products. I have included the link below for you in case you are interested.

http://m.youtube.com/my_subscriptions?action_manage_subscriptions=1#/user/ChannelTechSmith

Microsoft Surface RT Available Storage Space

Windows RT comes with an overhead that you may not of know about. There is a reason you wouldn’t want a 16GB Surface RT tablet you wouldn’t have any storage space left over to load apps or data. On the 32GB Surface, Microsoft reports that 29GB is available. However, you will need to subtract 5GB‘s for Windows recovery tools and another 8GB’s for Windows RT, Microsoft Office and other built-in apps. That leave only 16GB’s for your use for storing music, pictures, video, documents and more apps…  On the 65GB model you will be left with 48GB that would give you a lot more breathing room.

Press Release: Visioneer Announces Windows 8 Compatibility for its Entire Document Scanner Line

So just if you were worried if you scanner investment would be for not when you moved to Windows 8 here is a message from Visioneer to assuage that fear:

Scanner drivers passed Microsoft standards of compatibility, reliability and performance
PLEASANTON, Calif., Oct. 30, 2012 – Visioneer®, Inc., a leader in intelligent imaging solutions and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, announced today that through its development relationship with Microsoft Corp., Visioneer scanner drivers have all been tested and deemed fully compatible with the new Windows 8 operating system and are available for immediate download. Visioneer has updated the drivers for their most popular professional and consumer scanners so users can take advantage of the enhanced productivity of Windows 8.
“Visioneer is committed to giving our customers a favorable scanner experience with full operating system compatibility and our engineering team has worked diligently to ensure that our products are compatible with the new Windows 8 OS,” said Walter Thinfen, Chief Information Officer and vice president of support and services at Visioneer. “With Windows 8, Microsoft is delivering a foundation for advanced customer experiences across applications, services and devices.”
Availability of Drivers
Windows 8 drivers for Visioneer scanners are available immediately on Visioneer’s web site at support.visioneer.com. Driver support for other Microsoft operating systems can also be found at this web site.
About Visioneer
Visioneer provides a broad range of scanning solutions for the desktop, distributed and departmental document imaging markets as well as the mobile and remote business scanning segments. In 2003, Visioneer combined its leading scanner technology with the Xerox brand recognition to develop the Xerox® DocuMate® product line. Visioneer and Xerox DocuMate high-performance business scanners and imaging software solutions offer users speed, image quality, advanced paper handling and ease-of-use with exclusive Visioneer OneTouch® technology. For additional information on Visioneer and Xerox scanning solutions, visit www.visioneer.com, www.visioneer.com/company/news or www.xeroxscanners.com. For open commentary and industry perspectives visit http://www.facebook.com/visioneerinc, http://twitter.com/visioneerinc.
NOTE TO EDITORS: XEROX® and DocuMate are trademarks of XEROX CORPORATION in the United States and/or other countries. Visioneer® and Visioneer OneTouch® are registered trademarks of Visioneer Inc. All other companies and products mentioned may be trademarks of their respective holdings and are hereby recognized. Prices, features, specifications, capabilities, appearance and availability of Visioneer and Xerox products and services are subject to change without notice. © 2012 All rights reserved.

Tablets–Which do I find most useful?

It is funny that even after my bad experience last week with the Nexus 7 failing for me, I am back to using it more than I am my iPad. Each device has its own characteristics that make it more useful in different ways.

When it comes to videos and podcasts I find my iPad is a better choice most often because I have it in a nice case that holds it up at a great angle  and makes for easy viewing. I tend to use my Nexus 7 for gathering emails, working on my grocery list, calendar entries, and reading my RSS seeds while I am listening to podcasts on my iPad. It makes a great one-two punch.

Because I like the dictation functions on my Nexus 7, I use it quite a bit for doing my entry level work. It is humorous sometimes with the mistakes it makes but I can get you basic ideas down in print quickly and I can come back later to make any changes that need made.

It makes it very easy for me to sit here and discuss my thoughts and discuss my opinions quickly and easily without having to type them with my single finger typing skills that I have adopted with all of these glass keyboards. I have found that being a touch typist does not help me in this kind of situation.

I just can't find myself typing with my thumbs as I see many of my younger colleagues doing. I don't know it's my lack of motion with my thumbs or if it is just my lack of dexterity from years of typing. I do find myself massaging my hands a lot these days.

I keep looking at some of the new tablets now available and I find myself wanting to acquire them. The Microsoft Surface is very appealing but I wonder if I really need to have another tablet with a different interface and I hesitate because I am not sure I can run it through all of the functions that I would need to, to fully  evaluate  its full potential.

I think that if one doesn't make a product your primary device while you are testing it, I don't know how you can fully learn all of it's potential usefulness. I am still waiting for the Pro version of Surface to be released before I decide on which unit I will get. One of our current projects that Ken is working on is to set up a Windows 2012 server and create a VDI host for thin clients to access. The Microsoft Surface RT tablet would be a good example of a thin client for use in this case. Hence, the reason for Ken acquiring one for testing purposes.

Activating Windows 7

I know this is simple and easy but here it is in case you don’t know where to go.

Nexus 7 Update

Last week I had an issue with my new Nexus 7 but this week all is right with the world. I was able to get a taste of Google's support for Nexus 7 and the short of it is I am very impressed!

A little over 10 days ago I began having some lock up problems, deletion issues, and when I tried to do a factory reset I was unable to reset the Nexus 7 back to its factory defaults.

So I called up the 855-836-3987 support line to get some suggestions on what I should do. This is the Google Play device support team number and it is available 24/7. Two things impressed me. First I did not have a long wait for someone to pick up the phone and talk to me and second it was someone speaking to me in my Native American English!

After speaking to two separate technicians over a half hour period, we determined that this was a very strange failure and proceeded to process the RMA. I have to give them a credit card but 2 days later I had a new Nexus in my hands and I should the other one back to them. Except for the fact that the unit failed, it was quite painless to get this turned around. It took me about an hour and a half to reload my applications and to reenter my logins to my online accounts, but I seem to be getting really good at this.

Pro's: Nexus 7 Support
Con's: Nexus 7, and I broke you in just one month! Not good...

TechSmith Snagit Volume Purchase/Upgrade Promotion

Create eye-catching images and videos with Snagit

Multi-user licenses are an easy and efficient way to get everyone communicating and on the same page. Add visuals to presentations, create quick how-to videos, embed images into Microsoft Office projects—whatever you need—and instantly share the content across your entire team or with just a few people.

This is a product that I couldn’t live without. If you are a Windows 7 user and use the built-in Snipping Tool, you will just love the ease of use and flexibility of this program. It has totally replaced my use of the Jing application which is also written by TechSmith. Try the free trial and you will be getting it for everyone that creates content in your office.

A year of maintenance is typically priced at 25% of the new license purchase price, but will be offered for FREE with any 5- 99 volume purchase from 11/1/2012 – 12/14/2012.

The 12 month Maintenance Agreement provides you with:
-Free major release upgrades as well as the standard minor release upgrades
-Unlimited priority technical support, including phone web and e-mail support
-The ability to purchase additional licenses at your overall volume discount level.

Call us at 1-800-640-7506 to place your order and don’t forget to mention the promo code SNAGMAINTFREE in order to receive one year free maintenance.

But don’t wait – this offer ends December 14, 2012.

SSL Certificates - What’s changing for October 2016

We are seeing some issues in renewing SSL Cert’s for a 3 year period because of some changes that will come into effect as of October 1, 2016. See the excerpt from one of our suppliers below:

Using Intranet and Reserved IP Addresses as the Primary Domain or Subject Alternative Name in SSLs

The Internet security community is phasing out the use of intranet and reserved IP addresses as the Primary Domain Name or the Subject Alternative Name in SSL certificates.

This is an industry-wide decision, not one specific to our company.

An intranet name is any name that is not in the public Internet DNS (e.g.'server1', 'mail', 'www', 'server2.local', etc.). A reserved IP address is any address designated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) as being reserved.

To create a safer online environment, members of the Certificate Authorities Browser Forum (CA/Browser Forum) worked to define the guidelines and means of implementation of SSL Certificates. As a result of these meetings, effective on October 1, 2016, Certification Authorities (CAs) must revoke any SSL certificates that use intranet names or reserved IP Addresses.

As a result of this decision, on July 1, 2012, we no longer accept new requests, process rekeys or renewals, or allow any management of Subject Alternative Names for certificates that contain intranet names or reserved IP addresses, and are valid beyond November 1, 2015. If you have an existing certificate that contains an intranet name and/or a reserved IP address, you can continue to use that certificate until it expires or until October 1, 2016, whichever comes first.

To read CA/Browser Forum guidelines, go here.

For more information on which IPv4 addresses are reserved, go here. Some addresses are mentioned only in the footnotes. We do not support any certificates using IPv6.

Interesting Note sent to us from one our distributors…

Win 8 units will have Win 8 as the OS at the time of load. You will have access to Win 8 restore media via USB recovery BYOM (Bring Your Own Media) option. USB only, does not support CD/DVDs, 8GB USB recommended.

Also, in case you missed it:

For Win7 systems purchased between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013, the Windows 8 Promotional Upgrade program will be managed and fulfilled by Microsoft. Promotional Upgrade is available at: www.windowsupgradeoffer.com

Xbox Music: Free streaming music on Windows 8 and RT PCs and Tablets

Xbox has officially announced Xbox Music tonight which begins rolling out to Xbox consoles on October 16^th. Starting on October 26^th, Xbox Music will deliver free streaming music on Windows 8 and Windows RT PCs and tablets.

Microsoft states that Xbox Music has a catalog that is on par with iTunes and will give you access to millions of songs and albums that you can subscribe to or purchase through their online store. You can also purchase an Xbox Music Pass for $9.99/month to give you access to ad-free, unlimited playback of any song in their catalog.

Check out this press release with all the details

Supporting our Client Network Systems

This is the service model that Computer Connections has always focused on and is continually providing the support your company needs every day. Many of you have already taken advantage of our Managed Services Products that provides 24 x7 support for you networked servers but in the last six months we have added a new product line that we think is a great solution for your workstations as well. Our CCI Desktop Plus Security Suite is a great addition to our product line that provides around the clock support for your workstation with Virus Protection (Vipre Enterprise), Malware Protection (Malwarebytes), Remote Access/Management (LogMeIn Pro) and Patch Management for just $5/month per PC.

VIPRE Enterprise combines antivirus, antispyware, anti-rootkit and other technologies into a seamless, tightly-integrated product. Starting with a blank slate, Sunbelt architected VIPRE to incorporate the best ideas for dealing with malware in the most comprehensive, highly efficient manner. The result is a clean, fast, and powerful anti-malware solution designed "by admins for admins".

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software provides an essential layer of protection that works alongside antivirus programs and is renowned in the industry for its unparalleled ability to detect the behaviors of today's malware and effectively stop it at its source. Malware, also known as malicious software, is one of the fastest-growing and most disruptive threats on the Internet today. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware uses advanced heuristic and behavioral scanning to monitor every process in order to detect, destroy, and prevent malicious processes before they start injecting viruses, spyware, trojans, keyloggers, password stealers, dialers and more. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is available as part of Continuum’s RMM platform and free of charge to Continuum partners.

LogMeIn provides us with a quick method of accessing your system for support and training. It can also be setup for your use to access your machine from home or out of the office as well. This has been a great tool that allows us to quickly connect and perform simple diagnostics and fixes to systems from our offices. This cuts down on the cost of travel, and actual support time that is charged to you for these services.

Patch Management provides security updates that have been tested and approved before they are implemented on your computer. This service along with all of the other updates are done behind the scenes without your intervention. Because these are all script based functions they can be performed in the off-peak hours when you are not using your machines. You have little to no interruption to keep you computer healthy and functioning at its best capability.

Accessing our Client Portal

I have put together a short video demonstrating how you access your client portal screen. This portal provides you with access to your service tickets, both past and present, the ability to add comments and provide additional information to our service department on open service tickets and to create new service tickets. Please feel free to use this to help us better server you.

If you haven’t received your login and password to access your system please contact us to set this up for you.

IOS received updated Dropbox app this week

If you are a big user of Dropbox as a note taking application, and you use it on an iOS device, then this may be of interest to you. There are several new features that allow you post a file now directly to Facebook and Twitter.  It also now supports iOS AirPrint as well. So now you have the options of emailing a file, text messaging a file, message through Facebook, post to Facebook, Tweet and copying the link to a clipboard. If you post to Facebook the file link will be posted and can then be found on your timeline.

I’m not a big Facebook or Twitter poster so these two things don’t hold much interest to me but the AirPrint capability makes sharing a file much simpler. If you haven’t downloaded take a trip to the iTunes store and get your updated copy.

Lexar Multi-Card 25-in-1 USB 3.0 Reader

Lexmar has released a press release on this new product and we don’t have it in distribution yet as of this posting. Nor do we have an idea of how it will be priced but it should retail around $30 or less. If you have just purchased a new laptop or workstation in the past few months you may want to consider one of these devices when they come out. I have many different devices that I work with in photography and my memory cards keep getting bigger and bigger as I move along. What this device will do for you is to speed up the data transfer from your memory card to your computer for you to backup, process and share from your devices.

It has a pop up type of design that allows you to close it when not in use. This helps to protect it from dirt and other types of damage that might occur from being carried in your camera or computer bag. So when used as part of your portable arsenal it will cut down on carrying multiple devices to give you the maximum flexibility.The reader comes with a 1 year warranty and comes from a memory card vendor that we know and trust.

This memory card reader supports the following formats:

CompactFlash® Type I and Type II, SD™, SDHC™, SDXC™, miniSD™, miniSDHC™, MMC™, MMCplus™, RS-MMC™, microSD™, microSDHC™, Memory Stick™, Memory Stick (with MagicGate™), Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick PRO Duo™, Memory Stick Duo (with MagicGate), Memory Stick PRO Duo Mark 2, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo™, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo “HX”, Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™), xD-Picture Card™, xD-Picture Card Type-M, xD-Picture Card Type-M+, and xD-Picture Card Type-H.

Office 2013 vs. Office 365 Pricing… a comparison

Microsoft Office 365 news release

The differences between Microsoft’s cloud offering with Office 365 and boxed product with traditional Office licenses. Office 2013 is the successor to Office 2010. But Microsoft has confused the discussion just a bit by mixing in chatter about Office 365. Office 365 supports SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Lync Online and other cloud services. Microsoft also has an option that includes desktop productivity capabilities. Here’s a sampling of Microsoft’s Office suite pricing, subscription services and product lineup:

Office 365 Home Premium: This $99.99 per year subscription offering covers an entire household. It’s not tied to a single person, or account, and each person that uses the service and applications can sign in to their own Microsoft account with its custom online document store, settings sync, and more. You can use Office on up to 5 PCs (or Macs), and switch which devices are activated on the fly. PC-based subscribers get Office 2013 Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, and Publisher, while Mac users get Office:Mac (whatever the current version is).

Office 365 Home Premium subscriptions come with a number of benefits. The software installs are delivered via Click-to-Run, which takes just a few minutes. But more important, the software is always kept up-to-date, not just with bug and security fixes, but also with the latest new features and services: Microsoft says that it will add new capabilities to Office 2013 “multiple times per year,” as it would with any service.

Additional benefits include 20 GB of additional SkyDrive-based storage (for a total of 27 GB), which I assume applies only to the account that signs up for the subscription, and not for all accounts that access the software installs from that subscription. (That is, the 20 GB of additional storage is for one account, not for up to five accounts.) You also get 60 minutes of Skype-based world calling per month. And you can access the Office on Demand service to temporarily stream any of the supported Office applications temporarily to any PC in the world (assuming it’s online).

Office 365 Small Business: This $149.99 per year subscription offering is licensed per user, but also covers up to 5 PCs and/or Macs. Aimed at small businesses with 1 to 10 employees, Office 365 Small Business utilizes Office 365 backend services—Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync Online—rather than the SkyDrive-based services used by the Home Premium subscription. So while you basically get all the benefits of the Home Premium subscription, there are additional benefits and features as well.

On the client front, Small Business subscribers gain access to the same Office 2013 applications as Home Premium—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, and Publisher—but also get Lync and InfoPath, or, of course, Office:Mac.

In the cloud, you get a 25 GB Exchange Online mailbox with shared calendaring, contacts, scheduling, and task list, and 10 GB of SharePoint Online-based cloud storage for the organization with an addition 500 MB per user account. You can host online meetings with audio, video, screen sharing, and HD video conferencing using Lync Online, and can set up, build, and maintain a public-facing web site with custom domain for no additional fee.

Traditional Office 2013 Single User Licenses: Prices start at $139.99 for Office Home and Student 2013 (which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote). Office Home and Business 2013 ($219.99) includes all the applications in Home and Student plus Outlook. Office Professional 2013 ($399.99) includes the applications in Home and Business plus Access and Publisher. With the boxed product you have a onetime fee which allows you to use the product on that one machine. You can uninstall/reinstall as you change out your equipment.

The comparison: If you were to purchase Office Home and Student for five machines it would cost you $699.95 compared to $99.99 for a one year subscription. It would take seven years for the payback on the boxed product and by then you would probably want to have already upgrade to the newest version well before that time is up. With the subscription model you will always be up to date. If you don’t need the extra home licenses and you don’t use Outlook than you may be better off with the boxed version. But in a multi-license scenario you may want to consider the subscription.

Compared with Small Business Premium and compared with Office Professional, you are getting a whole host of extras with the subscription model per user that you are not getting with the boxed product. While the cost between the Home and Small Business version of the boxed product would be much closer, you are missing a few of the products that are included in the subscription model. There is a $70 difference in cost for the first year but halfway through the second you are saving money with the boxed version. But you don’t get the updates and you don’t get the full product or cloud services. So in my mind you are much better off in the long run with the subscription service.

Let me know your thoughts.

Lenovo buys Stoneware

Lenovo has purchase Stoneware, apparently to acquire their cloud computing and classroom management software products. Stoneware’s product lineup includes webNetwork, LanSchool and webRDP.

Stoneware’s webNetwork simplifies your life by enabling you to create a Unified Cloud. A unified cloud delivers private data center, public cloud and local device resources through a common webDesktop. With webNetwork you can simplify your user’s life by providing a common HTML5 webDesktop. The webDesktop, accessed through the Unified Cloud, delivers all files, applications and reports through a single user id and password on any device. They suggest that this product will make IT costs go down and simplify the user’s online access. See Brochure. Business – K12 – Higher Ed. So whether you are using a phone, tablet, notebook or workstation you will have the same basic look and feel through their web browser interface

Lenovo certainly has a strong Educational presence and this new product offering can only help with giving them more focus.

Peter Hortensius, Lenovo senior vice president and product group president, said that the Stoneware acquisition furthers the vendor’s PC Plus initiative, its strategy to branch out beyond PCs to the interplay of multiple devices, the central point of which is enabling client devices such as notebooks, tablets and smartphones to communicate through the cloud.

“Adding Stoneware cloud computing into the Lenovo line up presents a significant opportunity to leverage their success, and enhance our PC+ offerings, all to the benefit of our customers,” he said.

Rick German, Stoneware chief executive, seemed to enjoy the prospect of talking to a worldwide audience, in what, for the small developer, must be rarefied air. “Lenovo is one of the largest and fastest growing technology companies in the world and for Stoneware, a small company with roots in the heartland of the United States, we are delighted to be given the opportunity to deliver real benefit to customers on a global stage,” he said.

More on these product offerings as we get news from Lenovo directly.

iLounge Article: Removing an iOS device from an iTunes account

By Jesse Hollington

Applications Editor, iLounge (Google+)
Published: Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Good show and tell how to remove an iOS device from your iTunes account. I like to earmark these for future use.

Remember that you can only have only a maximum of 10 devices per iTunes account and this is probably the main reason to get in and manage your device list.

Intel’s Next Unit of Computing-Things just keep getting smaller!

Talk about small and still powerful, this 4x4 core i3 System is being targeted at just $399, including case, power supply and a solid state disk. The system being label the NUC isn’t yet a standard form factor but it is going to be a great size for some of space constraining projects. This product should become available in October this year. Looks like October is going to be a busy month.

Loyd Case wrote for PCWorld the following:

NUC is an Intel-developed program, with the goal of shrinking a full performance desktop PC into as small a form factor as possible. While it might seem to compete with Via's Pico ITX, the performance is substantially better than the Via Centaur CPU on those boards. The 4-by-4-inch format was chosen as the smallest board capable of supporting an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU with supporting core logic and expansion.

NUC is aimed at OEMs that may need the small form factor for embedded applications as well as hobbyists looking to build tiny computers into cards, home theater systems or tiny servers. The dedicated video block inside Intel's HD 4000 GPU can handle two HD video streams at full frame rate. Intel isn't planning on selling complete systems, but will source a small case and external power supply for buyers who want to experiment with building a system.

Intel will offer two boards, with the key difference being connectivity. One will include a Thunderbolt port, while the other will have a wired Ethernet connector instead of Thunderbolt. Both will still have WiFi options, similar to those used in many laptops, which will take up the lone mini-PCI slot. OEMs can feel free to use the mini-PCI slot for other purposes if they don't need WiFi. Intel will also offer a chassis just big enough for the board plus an external power supply with the units, so hobbyists and OEMs can experiment with these tiny PCs. The case itself is barely bigger than the 4-by-4-inch board, though the power brick is an external unit. The cases will even have VESA mounts, so can be attached easily to the backs of LCD displays or wall mounted.

Kindle/Audible-New WhisperSync Capability

WhisperSync will now link an Audible audio book with it’s Kindle counterpart file. You can try if for free on the link list to the left. You will need a Kindle and the free audible app. You can listen on audible for iPhone, Android or on the Kindle Fire and read with any Kindle E Ink Reader, Kindle Tablet or Kindle reading app. If you have the latest generation Kindle you can read and listen on that device at the same time.

The free trial is for some of the old classics that you probably remember from when you were growing up.

It appears that the cost for this is only going to be about $3.95 or less to add the audio book to your library. Both files show up in their respective libraries so you can listen or read individually or together. Your choice. This will go over big in my house because I am an avid audible book listener while my wife would rather read it on the kindle. Now we can have the best of both worlds.

Amazon also announced 3 new kindle fire’s in 7inch, 8.9 inch and an 8.9 inch with LTE priced from $199, $299 and $499 respectively. All of these devices will allow you to use the new Whispersync voice option and kindle book at the same time on the same device.