Struggling Logitech Bites Bullet, Lays Off 450

The hammer has finally dropped at Logitech. The struggling peripherals maker said Friday thatit's sacking 450 employees as part of a global restructuring first announced in April. The cuts, which will reduce the company's workforce by about 13 percent, are expected to trim Logitech's annual operating costs by $80 million. And let's face it, after four profit warnings in 12 months, that's something from which the company could certainly benefit. Because of the layoffs, Logitech expects to record pretax charges of about $35 million this fiscal year, with the bulk of that coming in the current quarter. But the company promises that shareholders will see the move's benefits by the second half of its current fiscal year.  
http://techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Struggling-Logitech-Bites-Bullet-Lays-Off-450-12955

Android this week: Toshiba’s small slate; Galaxy S III details; patent wars worsen

Here in the U.S., Android was front and center early in the week as five carriers announced they would be selling Samsung's Galaxy S III. Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular are all prepping pre-orders or hyping their launch dates for Samsung's flagship phone. Some may start selling this month, while others will deliver the goods in July. Either way, this launch differs greatly from last year's Galaxy S model, which first launched overseas in May but didn't arrive in the U.S. until 4 to 6 months later, depending the carrier. Perhaps more interesting is Samsung's "one phone for all" approach. Instead of multiple Galaxy S III models with slight carrier tweaks, Samsung has taking an Apple-like approach and created one singular design for the phone. That means, for example, that the U.S. models will have the same hardware button on the front as the international versions. The only differences for the U.S. are the chip that powers the phone and the amount of memory. Since Samsung's quad-core Exynos processor doesn't yet have LTE integration, the company is using Qualcomm's dual-core Snapdragon S4 for all U.S. Galaxy S III handsets and boosting the RAM from 1 GB to 2 GB. I haven't yet used a U.S. version of the Galaxy S III, but I expect this combo to be similar in performance to the international version. Samsung has been in Apple's sights in the courts lately — Cupertino is already trying to stop the Galaxy S III from being sold in the U.S. — but the bigger target seems to be HTC and its Android phones. Last month, Apple's legal efforts were enough to hold up shipments of various HTC One models in the U.S., which forced HTC to make a change to its software. That change was enough to get shipments flowing again, but this week, Apple said that's still not enough to solve the problem. This entire situation is worth watching because the alleged patent infringement — as I read it, that is — could apply to any Android hardware maker. In some sense, Apple is indirectly fighting with Google by aiming at the smaller targets: The handset makers themselves. Just as the week came to a close, I received a review unit of Toshiba's Excite 7.7 tablet; one of the few that ships with Android 4.0. The device is a Wi-Fi-only model, which may disappoint some, but the positive is that there's no monthly bill for mobile broadband. The Excite 7.7 is physically very similar to the Galaxy Tab 7.7 I purchased earlier this year and has the same 1280 x 800 resolution using what Toshiba calls a "Pixel Pure AMOLED Display". I see little difference between the two screens. Where I can see variance is in the overall experience and performance. Toshiba opted for Nvidia's Tegra 3 chip, which keeps apps, games and video moving quickly. Plus, I find the tablet experience to be improved with Android 4.0; my Galaxy Tab 7.7 is still stuck on Android 3.2. Toshiba didn't hide Android with a skin either; it's generally a pure experience; the only exception being some apps grouped in folders on the home screen. I'll have a full review soon, but the key data point that stands out is the price: $499 which may be too much for a small slate.  
http://techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Android-this-week-Toshiba-s-small-slate-Galaxy-S-III-details-patent-wars-worsen-12979

Linux on Microsoft Azure Platform-as-a-Service: Big Whoop

Here in the U.S., Android was front and center early in the week as five carriers announced they would be selling Samsung's Galaxy S III. Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular are all prepping pre-orders or hyping their launch dates for Samsung's flagship phone. Some may start selling this month, while others will deliver the goods in July. Either way, this launch differs greatly from last year's Galaxy S model, which first launched overseas in May but didn't arrive in the U.S. until 4 to 6 months later, depending the carrier. Perhaps more interesting is Samsung's "one phone for all" approach. Instead of multiple Galaxy S III models with slight carrier tweaks, Samsung has taking an Apple-like approach and created one singular design for the phone. That means, for example, that the U.S. models will have the same hardware button on the front as the international versions. The only differences for the U.S. are the chip that powers the phone and the amount of memory. Since Samsung's quad-core Exynos processor doesn't yet have LTE integration, the company is using Qualcomm's dual-core Snapdragon S4 for all U.S. Galaxy S III handsets and boosting the RAM from 1 GB to 2 GB. I haven't yet used a U.S. version of the Galaxy S III, but I expect this combo to be similar in performance to the international version. Samsung has been in Apple's sights in the courts lately — Cupertino is already trying to stop the Galaxy S III from being sold in the U.S. — but the bigger target seems to be HTC and its Android phones. Last month, Apple's legal efforts were enough to hold up shipments of various HTC One models in the U.S., which forced HTC to make a change to its software. That change was enough to get shipments flowing again, but this week, Apple said that's still not enough to solve the problem. This entire situation is worth watching because the alleged patent infringement — as I read it, that is — could apply to any Android hardware maker. In some sense, Apple is indirectly fighting with Google by aiming at the smaller targets: The handset makers themselves. Just as the week came to a close, I received a review unit of Toshiba's Excite 7.7 tablet; one of the few that ships with Android 4.0. The device is a Wi-Fi-only model, which may disappoint some, but the positive is that there's no monthly bill for mobile broadband. The Excite 7.7 is physically very similar to the Galaxy Tab 7.7 I purchased earlier this year and has the same 1280 x 800 resolution using what Toshiba calls a "Pixel Pure AMOLED Display". I see little difference between the two screens. Where I can see variance is in the overall experience and performance. Toshiba opted for Nvidia's Tegra 3 chip, which keeps apps, games and video moving quickly. Plus, I find the tablet experience to be improved with Android 4.0; my Galaxy Tab 7.7 is still stuck on Android 3.2. Toshiba didn't hide Android with a skin either; it's generally a pure experience; the only exception being some apps grouped in folders on the home screen. I'll have a full review soon, but the key data point that stands out is the price: $499 which may be too much for a small slate.
http://techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Linux-on-Microsoft-Azure-Platform-as-a-Service-Big-Whoop-12980

Who Offers the Cheapest iPhone 4S?

Over the last week, no-contract carriersCricket and Virgin Mobile announced upcoming sales of the iPhone.  If you can swing the initial expense of purchasing an iPhone for $500 or $650, you may be surprised at how much you will save over the course of 2 years compared to AT&T, Sprint or Verizon Wireless. We know we were when creating this chart. We've calculated the cost for all of the carriers over 2 years of service. The cheapest option possible is the $35 monthly plan with Virgin Mobile–even though the initial cost for a 16GB iPhone 4S is $650. The $35 Virgin Mobile plan offers 300 min of talk time, 2.5GB of data, and unlimited text. This plan is even cheaper if you sign up for automatic bill payment with a credit card or PayPal–the price drops to $30 per month.  For those who need more than 300 minutes and 2.5 GB of data, Cricket is least expensive.  The initial cost of the 16GB iPhone 4S is $500. The monthly plan is $55, and that includes unlimited text and talk time. Data is also unlimited, but only 1GB is promised at 3G speeds. Virgin Mobile also offers a $55 unlimited plan with 4G internet speeds. The only difference in total price for 2 years is that you have to pay $150 more initially to purchase the iPhone through Virgin.  It might be worth it for faster internet.  Don't want to spend $500 or $650 upfront for a phone? You'll want to go with either AT&T, Sprint or Verizon. Sprint might seem a little bit more expensive in the 450 Min level but it includes unlimited texting and data– where as AT&T and Verizon only includes 300MB and 2GB respectively. There are many ways to text for free on a iPhone with iMessage or 3rd party apps but if you want texting, you will have to add $20 to the AT&T and Verizon prices.  At the end, if you are a big data and text user, Sprint is no doubt the best option for you. 
http://techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Who-Offers-the-Cheapest-iPhone-4S--12985

How Much Money Can You Save With Tech Deal Sites?

Where there is tech to buy, there is money to save. Whether you're looking for a new tablet, smartphone, laptop or set of speakers, buying directly from a big-box retailer or Amazon is hardly the only option. Sites such as Newegg.com and LogicBuy promise huge discounts and will send deals straight to your inbox. But are you really getting a steal, or are you better off comparison-shopping elsewhere? We tracked the offers from four top deals sites—Ben's Bargains, LogicBuy, Newegg.com and Woot!—to determine whether they're worth your while.  Deals or Duds? It goes without saying that these sites offer you discounts, but are we talking about bare-bones configurations or top-of-the-line specs? In our research, we found that most sites are selling middle-of-the-road models, but the discounts are pretty solid. For example, Woot! recently offered the HP Pavilion G7 notebook for $449, while the same configuration (with the same one-year warranty) went for $500 to $600 at sites such as Fry and TigerDirect's Electronics. While there's no shortage of laptop discounts to be found on these sites, some deals on high-profile gadgets are pretty outstanding. In late March, Newegg.com offered the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Note unlocked for $599, a full $200 less than the list price. We found the same smartphone available for $50 less, but that was on eBay, which many consumers prefer to avoid when making important electronics purchases.   Staying in the Know Deal sites are the way to go if you're in the market for a new piece of tech, but they can also keep you in the loop when you don't have time to visit a store in person. Most sites allow you to configure deal notifications to your liking, so you'll want to tweak the settings so you only get news on the tech that interests you. The second thing you'll have to consider if you go down the deals-site road is which sites you'd like to follow. While Newegg.com is all about original deals, LogicBuy and Ben's Bargains aggregate offers from several sources, including Amazon and Buy.com along with actual brands such as Dell and HP. If you can deal—har, har—with the deluge of emails, we recommend following sites of both sorts, since you can never predict where a good bargain will turn up.  Bottom Line Don't expect to be blown away with each new tech deal that lands in your inbox or makes the home page of your site of choice. For every discount on a hot product (such as the 8 percent discount for the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch that we found on LogicBuy), there are many more we would ignore. But provided you have some patience for combing through scores of offers, we say, get to it! Your wallet can thank us later.
http://techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/How-Much-Money-Can-You-Save-With-Tech-Deal-Sites--12986

[Windows 8 Review] What’s New in Windows 8 Release Preview (RC Build)?

UPDATE: This article has been updated with new information and screenshots to review recently released Windows 8 Release Preview. As we all know Microsoft has released Release Preview (RC) build of Windows 8 to public which can be downloaded using following link: Windows 8 Release Preview (RC Build) Released, Download Now This Release Preview... Read rest of this article at AskVG.com
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Transform Windows XP into Windows 8 Using “Windows 8 Release Preview Kit”

NOTE: Also check out XP to Windows Vista and XP to Windows 7 tutorials. We all know that Microsoft is providing Windows 8 Release Preview build free to download for public which can be downloaded using following link: Windows 8 Release Preview (RC Build) Released, Download Now Windows 8 comes with lots of new features [...] Read rest of this article at AskVG.com
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