Learn to type faster and with fewer errors using Keybr.com

Have you ever wished that you had a way to practice typing for work or just for fun?

Keybr.com is a web software designed to provide readable text for you to imput. 

The idead is quite straight-forward: Type what you see

There are words, phrases and even quotes emering in the platform for you to type. There is a mode for learning how to type faster and there is also a kind of 'challenge mode' where you can see how fast you can type and keep highscores. Finally, to up the entertainment level of your typing lessons, you can import content from a web site or blog into Keybr.com to type it out.

How long would it take for you to develop a good typing speed? It would probably take you weeks to polish your skills up to a top level, but really decent speed can be achieved in a matter of hours with daily training. 

Keybr.com does not force you to type random characters over and over again; that is simply boring and contributes very little to your learning. Instead, Keybr.com generates readable random words using the phonetic rules of your native language. These words look almost natural, and often they really are. Typing sensible text is much easier than random letters, and it helps you to remember frequent key combinations. For example, it’s almost impossible for the letter ‘W’ to follow the ‘Z’ in English, and you will never type this combination in Keybr.com. Instead, you will type more common words, such as “the,” “that,” “with,” and so on. Keybr.com lets you introduce as few keys as possible to the lesson, adding more keys later when you feel that you are competent and fast enough on the current level. So, if you start with the keys from the Caps Lock row, then add keys form the Tab row, and then from the Shift row, you will eventually end up typing real text with capital letters and punctuation.

Keybr.com is a web–based software that runs directly in your browser. You don’t have to download or install anything! The most recent and up–to–date version is always with you. You can use it from any computer connected to the Internet, and your typing statistics are kept on the web site and available on–demand.

source: keybr.com

Windows 7 Phone 'Mango' : Android and iOS killer??

Microsoft's updated Windows 7 Phone with the code name 'Mango' have been announced last May. Since then, beta users were able to test the operating system and express their opinion. This is what they have come up with:

Mango is not a new operating system for smartphones, it is an upgrade to the former Microsoft's system. It will be released officialy in Autumn 2011 and it will be free of charge for Windows 7 Phone users.

The main feature that has been greatly improved on Mango is multitasking. A user will be able to switch through different applications really quickly just by pressing a single button. The processing of the applicatios has been a lot faster in a more stable environment.

Also, another main feature for Windows Mango is the new Internet Explorer 9 for smartphones. Well, we all feel that IE has been a little old fashioned and overpassed but truth is that according to tests, Internet explorer 9 on smartphones looks quite fast and reliable.

source: pcworld.com

Another aspect in which Microsoft plans on making a difference compared to iOS and Android is the applications functionality and the way they operate in your phone. According to Microsoft, applications on your phone have been very static. They operate on their own and have no interaction with other phone systems in order to be more user-friendly. Think for example an application that deals with music, an Mp3 player. On the upgraded version of Windows (Mango) when typing the name of a song, this name will also be searched on the Internet through Bing's search Engine. As a result, the user will be able to collect information regarding the song, the band, the year of release, reviews etc.

Other 'superior' Apps are also included. Such applications help the user create e-mail contact groups, pin specific mail folders on the main screen so that the user is always connected to their e-mail account, GPS and navigation applications, smart browsing and link RSS feeds to their main screen.

In the end, according to the tests, Windows 7 phone 'Mango' has really been a quite nice ugrade to Microsoft's phone software. Microsoft engineers have surely pinpointed some of the problems of the older version (such as multitasking) and have made quite good work dealing with them. Cleraly Microsoft has taken a promising step to catch up with the popularity that Android and iOS have received.

Of course, the main test for Windows Mango will be in Autumn when it is planned to be released for all Microsoft 7 Phone users. Will Mango be a challenging rival for its competitors? Rumors tend to give a positive answer to this question...

Stuxnet, perhaps the greatest computer virus ever..

How many times yor computer has been infected by a virus that has shut down all your current applications? Perhaps rebooted your system? Even erased your hard drive? And you thought that this is a hardcore virus for computers? Think again....

Stuxnet: Anatomy of a Computer Virus from Patrick Clair on Vimeo.

Ever heard of Stuxnet? Perhaps no. Stuxnet is a complex computer virus discovered in 2008 that has been designed to strike against industrial plants, software and equipment. Imagine a virous that is able to shout down oil pipelines, power plants and even nuclear reactors! To be accurate, as you can see below on the virous' history, uranium enrichment facilities where a prime target for Stuxnet.

The malware has a very sophisticated function that makes it so efficient; it spreads through a network to seperate working stations but does not activate unless the system meets certain requirements. For example, Stuxnet might have intruded your PC as well but would not have activated since its software was designed to attack special features of mostly industrial plants.

The origins and the creator of the virus vary according to different evaluations regarding the history of the software:

The specific malware has been detected in 58,85% of Iran computers according to a Symantec study. There have been different rumors that Stuxnet's original use was targeted in nuclear plants of Iran. And it is fact that Stuxnet has created a lot of discomfort in Iran, with Iranian officials announcing that there has been an electronic war launched against their country.Some say that Israel was behind the making f the virous, other claim that it was the US, others put the credit on Mosad etc. One thing is certain regarding the manufacturing of the virus: it wild require a great deal of suport for its designing, such suport that only a large organisation (a country's government for example) would be able to provide.

Of course, defensive mechanism and detection programms now have been developed and Stuxnet can be removed from a computer in case of infection. But the ability of the worm to mutate has made matters more complicated, creating doubts to the certainty of the virous succesful removal.

The interesting fact about this virous is that now Stuxnet is provided as a freeware on the Internet!

Windows 8

You guys thought that Microsoft Windows 7 is the most recent operating software by Microsoft? Think again. Microsoft has announced the preparation of Windows 8, a new operating system based on the functionality of Windows 7. This new operating will be specially designed to work not only on Desktops and Laptops but on tablets and smartphones as well. In other words, Microsoft is about to create an operating environment that is about to have great consistency with every techological device you can think of.

Microsoft 8 is expected to be equiped with Microsoft Internet explorer 10 as well as the communication software 'Skype' since Microsoft has recently bought the rights to take advantage of this platform as well. It will promote both touch screen use as well as conventional mouse-keyboard use.

The main point of Windows 8 seems to be the fusion of Windows 7 with the functionality and cell phone availability on Windows Phone. All this in order to create a common suitable platform for all the technological gadgets used in everyday life. If this proves to be successfull, it will counter all software incompatibilities between devices and will certainly give new boost to the reputation of the company.

More for this new project of Microsoft are expected to be revealed on mid September.