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Microsoft enables developers to add speech recognition to Windows 8 apps Summary:  Microsoft is continuing to flesh out its Bing developer platform with a new speech-recognition control, allowing coders to add speech input to their Windows 8 apps. In July of this year, Microsoft made it official that Bing is more than just a search engine. It also is a dev platform, providing coders with controls, development kits and the back-end services powering these elements. Microsoft execs also announced updates to the existing Bing Optical Character Recognition Control and Bing Translator Controls so that they support Windows 8.1. On October 21, Microsoft added a long-awaited piece to the Bing developer toolbox: A  speech recognition control . This new control allows developers to build Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows RT Metro-Style/Windows Store apps that include speech-recognition as one of their inputs. "If you are a Windows Phone developer, you may already be familiar

Microsoft adds more e-mail, SharePoint integration to Yammer Summary:  Microsoft is continuing to flesh out its Yammer roadmap by adding more e-mail and SharePoint integration to its Yammer enterprise social-networking product. Microsoft is making good on its commitment to add more e-mail and SharePoint integration to its Yammer enterprise social-networking product. Here's what's new/next, according to the Softies: On October 15, as part of its "Working Social Tour" event in San Francisco, Microsoft execs shared more on how the Yammer roadmap is evolving. (This is the update to the Yammer roadmap that Microsoft execs discussed in June 2013.) Redesign of the Yammer iPad app, with a focus on helping users get through messages easily Improvements to the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 Yammer apps, with features such as improved live tiles, toast notifications and better inbox functionality The ability for e-mail users to participate in group discussions th

Microsoft enables CodePlex projects to use GPLv3 license Summary:  Microsoft is now allowing developers hosting open-source projects on its CodePlex site to use the once-dreaded GPLv3 open source license. With little fanfare, Microsoft — or at least one part of it — has gone from considering the GNU General Public License v.3 (GPLv3) "evil" to "acceptable." On October 3, Microsoft announced that, for the first time, it would  allow open-source projects hosted on its CodePlex site to specify use of the GPLv3 license .  CodePlex  is a Microsoft-run site for hosting open-source projects. GPLv3 is now one of the license choices that CodePlex developers see in a drop-down list offering them licensing choices. Other options in the drop-down include Apache 2.0, Simplified BSD, GPLv2, Mozilla Public License 2, and a handful of Microsoft open-source licenses. Individuals interested in hosting an open source project on CodePlex need to select a license at the t

Five Lightweight Linux Distros Summary: We bring you a list of 5 such distros that can run on the bare minimum of RAM space, and have other advantages to boot!  If you are suffering from a PC that is old and therefore has become unusably slow, then you are a victim of an OS that is taking take up more and more resources grinding you to a halt. The good news, however, is that one doesn’t need to throw one’s PC away to get access to the latest software. One can just install a lightweight Linux-based OS that lets the user have the latest web browser and office software, while running smooth as silk in as little as 256MB RAM. Puppy Linux This is the smallest Linux distro at just 132MB download. The distro loads itself entirely into RAM on bootup, so is incredibly quick and responsive. However, if one wishes to use a modern browser, one would need 256MB. This is a truly portable distro, allowing the user to save documents to the same USB drive it boots from. The pr

India developers should look within for mobile opportunities Summary:  Rather than dream of moving to the West, Indian developers should look within their local market for opportunities, especially with the country's mobile apps and games market projected to generate US$433.5 million by 2016. India's mobile apps and gomes market is projected to generate 27 nillion rupees (US$433.5 million) by 2016, driven by strong smartphone growth and an expanding 3G user base. According to a report by Avendus Capital, mobile internet is opening the door to large-scale monetization of digital content through paid apps, with 67 million smartphone users expected to be added this year alone in India. By 2016, the total smartphone population will swell to 382 million, reports  NDTV.com . Similarly, 3G subscriptions are expected to rise from 11 million in 2011 to 56 million this year, and 266 million by 2016. That means almost one quarter of India's population will have 3G. Furt

India handset manufacturer partners telcom to drive data growth Summary:  Micromax inks strategic partnership with Aircel to drive data growth in India, which the telco believes will showcase the benefits of 3G to smartphone buyers and drive adoption. Micromax, India's leading handset manufacturer, has entered into a strategic partnership with Aircel to drive data growth in the country. Under the new agreement, both companies will share their channel and retail networks, sales resources, and run an integrated device sales activation program. From left to right: Aircel CMO Anupam Vasudev, Micromax co-founder Vikas Jain, Micromax's vice president of marketing Sunil Kuttam With the alliance, Micromax introduced Reverse Bundling handset offers worth 12,000 rupee (US$200) per month for every new customer of Aircel. The operator has positioned itself as a data-led telecom player and aimed to make 3G affordable to the masses by launching its Pocket Internet Smart se

India needs to manage youth access to electronic devices Summary:  A recent survey indicates nearly 82 percent of kids in India's metropolitan cities, aged 5 to 12, have electronic devices and this is leading to negative consequences like insomnia and social isolation. Who's to blame? Nearly 82 percent of kids living in India's metropolitan cities, aged 5 to 12, have electronic devices and this is leading to negative consequences such as depression, insomnia, and social isolation, indicates a survey. The study was conducted in 10 major metropolitan cities across India, polling 2,500 tech-savvy boys and girls. In addition to having access to computers, internet, and home entertainment systems at home, about 25 percent of these kids admitted their use of electronic devices was also effecting their quality of sleep, reported  The Times of India . Does a 5-year-old kid really need a mobile phone? That's an obvious conclusion, in my view. While I don't d

Free SMS news service launched by All India Radio Summary:  On Monday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari launched All India Radio’s free SMS news service, providing news updates, for subscribers. The service which started as a pilot project 6 months ago and has 200,000 subscribers was officially launched to the public on Monday, with plans to increase the number of subscribers to 500,000 by the end of the month, reports  The New Indian Express . Upon subscription, All India Radio will send both free news and even public utility messages, to all registered subscribers. To subscribe, all mobile users need to do is SMS ‘AIRNEWS’ ‘their name’ to 08082080820 or give a missed call to the same number. All India Radio plans to recover the costs of sending the free messages from the departments and ministries who want to use their service to send messages. A novel idea, but it appears to be more geared for Indian government messages instead, if you ask me. Mo

Nokia is dead, Newkia rises from its ashes Summary:  Singapore-based Newkia was formed the day the US$7.2 billion Microsoft-Nokia deal was announced, with the sole aim of acquiring Nokia employees and know-how but focusing on the Android platform. SINGAPORE--Nokia's fate would have been a lot different today if it had taken the Android route, and this is what freshly minted company--aptly named Newkia--plans to do by acquiring as much of Nokia's know-how as possible. "Nokia, which only three years ago was the world's runaway market leader in mobile phones, is today a small and insignificant brand," he said, noting that the purchase price announced yesterday represented just 2 percent of Nokia's market cap over 10 years ago. Speaking  in an interview Thursday, Thomas Zilliacus, executive chairman and founder of Mobile FutureWorks, did not mince his words when asked about his views on Microsoft's US$7.2 billion deal to buy out Nokia's devices 

Microsoft opens door for ValueAct to join its board Summary:  Microsoft may be getting a new board member, investment firm ValueAct's President Mason Morfit. Microsoft and San Francisco-based investment firm ValueAct Group signed a pact on August 30 that opens the door for ValueAct President Mason Morfit join Microsoft's board of directors. ValueAct had been rumored to be lobbying to join Microsoft's board for the past few months. Some said  ValueAct officials wanted to see Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer step down  -- something which Microsoft announced earlier this month would be happening some time in the next 12 months. (For what it's worth, Ballmer told The Seattle Times that  his retirement had nothing to do with ValueAct .) ValueACt owned as of late July 66,865,530 shares of Microsoft stock , representing 0.8 percent of Microsoft's issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock. According to Reuters, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and CEo Ballmer o