Windows 8 Ribbon UI Explorer for Windows 7 - [Better Explorer]

The Windows 8 operating system from Microsoft has an enhanced explorer along with a Ribbon UI from the MS Office. You can try the Windows 8 explorer on Windows 7 with Better Explorer. The application is developed to give you the Ribbon experience on Windows 7. The application is still in development and has bugs but is certainly usable and worth giving a try if you want the Windows 8 Ribbon UI explorer on your system.


Point your browser to Codeplex to download Better Explorer (BExplorer).

After installing the software on your computer open Better Explorer and pin it to the taskbar for easy and quick access. The explorer does not replace the Windows 7 explorer, it is just added as a program.

You can get a minimalist view of the Ribbon by minimizing the explorer to show fewer options. Click on the arrow to the extreme right to minimize the Ribbon.

Minimization

You can also open multiple tabs inside a window, the view tab lets you personalize common viewing options such as extra-large, large, medium, small icons, details, content tiles and list view.

Link: Download Better Explorer.

Indian government's ultra-low cost tablet 'Aakash' to be unveiled today

The much-awaited ultra low-cost tablet produced by the Indian government will be known as “Aakash”. The tablet, slated to be unveiled today, was previously named as “Sakshat”. The Indian government will initially roll out 100,000 units of the Akash tablet in a pilot run. The tablets will be sold to students at the subsidised price of $35. However, the tablet will be available retail stores at a maximum retail price of  Rs. 2,999 (approx. $60).

According to reports, there will be two versions of the Aakash tablet. The tablet available at the retail stores will come with an inbuilt cellular modem and SIM to access Internet. These two features will not be available in the $35 subsidised tablet. “As a business, we need to make a profit, and our distribution channel needs to make a profit, which is all covered in the MRP of Rs 2,999," ET quotes a government official as saying.

The two versions, however, will run on Google's Android operating system, and offer Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, 256MB of RAM, 2GB inbuilt storage, and storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD (2GB microSD card bundled). Check out our previous coverage here.

A prototype of the Aakash tablet, then nicknamed as Sakshat, was unveiled last year by telecom minister Kapil Sibal. The $35 tablet is considered to be a revolutionary gadget as it aims to cater to rural India and connect it with the ongoing technology boom in the country. However, the launch of the Aakash was delayed due to various reasons, including change of the manufacturer.

The Aakash tablet comes days after Amazon's Kindle Fire took the global tablet market by storm. Priced at $199, the Kindle Fire is considered to be a serious threat to Apple's iPad.

Indian government launches Aakash tablet; to be sold for $60 in retail

The Indian government's ultra low-cost tablet, now known as “Aakash”, has been officially launched today. The Aakash tablet, previously nicknamed as Sakshat, looks different from the prototype flaunted by the telecom minister Kapil Sibal last year. However, the specs of the device are same as previously reported.
The Aakash tablet runs on Android 2.2 Froyo OS and offers Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, 256MB of RAM, 2GB inbuilt storage, and storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD (2GB microSD card bundled).
There are two versions of the device. The Aakash tablet, which is scheduled to hit retail stores next month, will be priced at $60. Check out our previous coverage here.

Windows 8 Metro Start Screen for Windows 7 and Vista [Newgen]

Windows 8 developer preview was released by Microsoft a couple of weeks ago and the Metro UI in the operating system is one of the major changes in the Windows 8. If you don't want to play with the developer preview and test drive the Metro user interface on your Windows 7 or Vista then you can easily do so with the Newgen application.

The application is a set of live widgets which shows some content from the web and some content from your PC. Newgen currently supports WPF, HTML5 and HTML widgets. The application has a store where you can add widgets to the start screen. You can customize the look and feel of the start screen from the settings menu. [Note: You must have Microsoft .NET framework installed on your system for the application to work, to download click here.]

Features:

• Support for HTML widgets.
• Launch your favourite apps and webs in one click.
• Customize as you want.
• Switch to your opened apps, in just few clicks.
• Get Windows 8 Metro UI to your desk.
• Play your videos and music, view your pictures without opening them.
• Get your tweets, mails and weather reports in front of your eye.
• Provides easy-to-use API for Widget developers.
• Get updates, without navigating the site.

System Requirements:

• Windows 7, Windows Vista
• Microsoft .Net Framework
• Microsoft Zune (* Optional)
• Access to Internet (* Optional)

Link:Download Newgen.

India Set to Launch the Cheapest 35$ Tablet in the World on October 5

The much awaited tablet code-named "Sakshat" made by HCL is finally set to launch on the 5th of October and is priced 35$. The Indian government had promised that it would launch the tablet long ago. The anticipated 35$ tablet (approx. 1700 RS) initially will be be made available to school students in India.

The tablet came into picture roughly 2 years ago, when India announced that it would launch its own tablet at a very low price, but people are still waiting for it.

 

 

As of now we do not have much details about specifications of the tablet, we only know that the tablet would run on the Android operating system with 2GB RAM, input methods include touch screen and inbuilt keyboard. The device can be used for video conferencing and has WiFi connectivity. The tab uses only 2 watts of power which makes it very energy efficient.

What are your views on the Sakshat tablet ? Do you think it will be released on the 5th of October and become the cheapest tablet in the world ?