Windows 10 Countdown: How And Why To Reserve Your Free Copy

It’s just over a 20 days till Microsoft makes Windows 10 available in its final form to the masses and as you may already know, it’s free and can be downloaded using Windows Update.

More information is being revealed every week about how the OS will take shape on your system in terms of downloading and installing it, but in the last couple of weeks, a small icon has been appearing on up-to-date copies of Windows 7 and Windows 8. This allows you to reserve your download and be notified the instant Windows 10 is released.

The reason for adding reservations is two-fold. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, Microsoft is spreading the load on its servers, by allowing the 3gb Windows 10 download to be installed gradually beforehand by users that opt-in to the reservation scheme.

By opting into the reservation now, you’re essentially allowing Microsoft to begin downloading (but not installing) the OS to your PC prior to the release on 29th July so it can be installed instantly.

At the very least, the bulk of the download will hopefully have been completed. Otherwise, you’ll be joining the queue to download on the day and with such a big, popular download hitting Windows Update, this has the potential to massively overload Microsoft’s servers as millions hit the download button.

It’s certainly one of the biggest download events Microsoft has attempted – far bigger than any previous service pack. The release happens on a Wednesday so it’s unlikely that everyone would choose to perform such a massive upgrade to their systems midweek – personally I’ll be waiting till the weekend for most of my systems but I’ll be covering the roll out first hand on at least one.

Secondly, it will allow users who aren’t that fussed about the new OS to be notified of its launch and jump on the bandwagon the instant the OS is available. This does make sense, although it will also add to the launch date download figures for Microsoft to trumpet forever more.

Mobiles, cloud shake up Silicon Valley power structure

Smartphones, tablets and other gadgets aren't just changing the way we live and work. They are shaking up Silicon Valley's balance of power and splitting up businesses. Long-established companies such as hp and eBay are scrambling to regain their footing to better compete against mobile-savvy trend-setters like Apple and Google, as well as rising technology stars that have built businesses around cloud computing.

That term covers a swath of internet-driven services that shifted technology from the days software users paid a one-time fee to buy and install programs on individual machines where they also stored all their data on hard drives. But with the advent of the "cloud,'' people can now rent software to use over the internet. This enables customers to access documents, pictures and other vital information from any kind of internet-connected device, a convenience that's become a necessity during the past few years as people increasingly rely on smartphones and tablets instead of laptop and desktop computers.

Business software makers such as Salesforce.com, VMware and Workday built their entire business models around the cloud. All have delivered impressive revenue growth that turned their stocks into hot commodities. Online storage services Dropbox and Box have yet to go public. But they have been minted with big valuations from venture capitalists who believe they will thrive amid the increased usage of mobile devices and cloud-computing services.

Nationwide mobile number portability from July 3

Mobile number portability (MNP) is all set to go nationwide, starting July 3. 

According to a report in Hindu quoting Rakesh Garg, chairman, telecom commission and secretary, Department of Telecommunications, mobile service providers will roll out on July 3. MNP allows mobile subscribers to retain their existing mobile phone number even when they change service provider. 

At present, mobile subscribers can switch their service provider within the same telecom circle. The pan-India MNP will allow customers to keep their existing mobile phone numbers while shifting between States and circles. 

The earlier deadline (May 3) to roll out full MNP was delayed by two months after the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) sought extension from DoT as telecom operators needed to make some technical changes to their networks to implement the service. 

Announcing its readiness, country's No. 1, telecommunications service provider, Bharti Airtel, said in a statement, "With our complete readiness to launch national mobile mumber portability, we aim to empower customers enabling them to retain this identity as they move across anywhere in the country." 
The company has also introduced other services such as faster processing porting requests, free incoming on roaming, balance transfers and carry forward options, which mark as the country's firsts.

Digital India

Yesterday Mr PM launched the Digital India Project.
Digital Technologies which include Cloud Computing and Mobile Applications have emerged as catalysts for rapid economic growth and citizen empowerment across the globe. Digital technologies are being increasingly used by us in everyday lives from retail stores to government offices. They help us to connect with each other and also to share information on issues and concerns faced by us. In some cases they also enable resolution of those issues in near real time.
The objective of the Digital India Group is to come out with innovative ideas and practical solutions to realise Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a digital India. Prime Minister Modi envisions transforming our nation and creating opportunities for all citizens by harnessing digital technologies. His vision is to empower every citizen with access to digital services, knowledge and information. This Group will come up with policies and best practices from around the world to make this vision of a digital India a reality.

Under this the following task will acomplished:-

      Using Mobile Phones as Instruments for Digital Identity

Providing a digital identity to all individuals is crucial to facilitate electronic authentication for delivery of online public services. The digital identity must be unique. This help easy authentication . Help in completion of more secure process.

Shareable Private Space on a Public Cloud

Providing citizens with easy access to a shareable private space on a public cloud can greatly facilitate process reengineering through paperless processes. Citizens can digitally store their documents, certificates, etc. and share them with public agencies or others without the need to physically submit them.  Such a ‘digital locker’ will greatly improve citizen convenience and usher in paperless transactions across the entire ecosystem of public services. The access to the private space could be through an online authentication mechanism.

Universally Accessible Digital Resources

Government documents, records, certificates, etc. especially those belonging to citizens, should be digitized and made universally accessible through mandating use of standards and protocols. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) should be published in conformance with an Open API policy so that data and services are exposed to the outside system for its efficient use. Easy access to the digital resources will help in developing mobile apps and other online applications as value added services by developers and users. Two or more data sets representing similar data may be provided as a linkable data set. Citizens should not be asked to provide government documents or certificates, which are already available with some department/institution of the government, in physical form. Portability of all electronic documents should also be ensured. As an example, the educational institutions should ensure that all their past degrees and certificates are digitized can kept in their data-centres/cloud with appropriate access protocols. The citizen, while filling some application form should not be asked to submit the certified copies of his/her educational certificates but should provide details of these certificates which can be seen by the concerned agency using the pointer provided by the citizen.

Support local communities with digital training

This task requires you to invest time with the local community in explaining how they can access digital technology and services for their benefit. E.g., banking services, government services, training programs, use of social media, etc.

Digital disparity is a stark reality in our country. We have to educate our fellow citizens on how to access and use digital technologies and services for their personal benefit and for the greater good of society. This task will require you to impart digital knowledge and to understand what it takes to make digital services usable and useful to the common man.

 Strengthening Optical Fibre Networks

In the last decade it was the road network that gave an impetus to India’s development. Today the need of the hour is to set up optical fibre networks across India that will empower people. This task invites your ideas on setting up a grid of high speed networks with the potential to transform India.