Microsoft's Outlook.com scores 1 million users

                                             Outlook.com inbox(Credit: Microsoft)

(CBS News) Microsoft's new email service, Outlook.com, has been hailed a success. The site garnered 1 million users in about six hours, according to a tweet the company sent out on Twitter.
Microsoft launches Outlook.com to rival Gmail
CNET: Microsoft Outlook.com hands-on
"One million people have signed up for a new, modern email experience at Outlook.com. Thanks!" @Outlook tweeted.
Microsoft launched the new email service, which will replace Hotmail, Tuesday. The email service features a clean design, integration with Word, Excel and PowerPoint, a new photo viewer, Skype calls inside the inbox and the ability to pull contacts from Facebook and LinkedIn.
Critics have given the email service mostly positive reviews, but the question remains if Microsoft can chip away at Google's market share. According to the search giant, Gmail has 425 million active users.
While there are many similarities between the Outlook and Gmail, Microsoft has the benefit of owning and partnering with several popular products, like Office Suite, Skype and Facebook.
Users can open Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents from an email, then view and edit documents online. Skype video chats can also be launched from the inbox. However, that feature is not yet live. The company says the feature will be available "soon." Microsoft's cloud storage service, SkyDrive, is also integrated into Outlook.com.
By Chenda Ngak
source-CBS

Workers Spend One-Fourth Of Workday Reading, Responding To Email: Survey

You've got way too much mail.
Office workers spend an average of 2.6 hours per day reading and answering emails, according to a survey conducted by McKinsey Global Institute. That adds up to about 27 days per year.
The findings were based on a survey of "knowledge workers," which McKinsey defines as "managers, salespeople, scientists, and others whose jobs consist primarily of interactions—with other employees, customers, and suppliers—and complex decision making based on knowledge and judgement."
Employees spend about 28 percent of their day interacting with their email accounts, the most time of any daily activity at the workplace. Searching for and gathering information comes in at a distant second by taking up 1.76 hours a day, or 19 percent of the workday.

Karbonn launches India's first Jelly Bean tablet at Rs 6,999

Nilabh Jha, The Mobile Indian

New Delhi: Karbonn has launched the upgraded version of its Smartab 1 Android tablet with the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. The tablet has the same specification as earlier and is available for the same price tag of Rs 6,999.

Karbonn SmartTab 1 comes with a 7 inch capacitive screen, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, 1.2 GHz processor and 3700 mAh battery. It also has a mini HDMI port (to connect it to a TV), a micro SD card slot for storage of up to 32 GB, and also a USB port that can be used for a 3G USB dongle. The tablet, which bears a 2 megapixel camera, has a 3D gravity sensor for better gaming.

Those who already own the Smartab 1 will get the upgrade to Android 4.1 shortly. Currently that latest tablet version can be bought from Karbonn's website but the tablet is expected to hit the retail stores within a couple of days.

Karbonn has plans to launch several tablets and smartphones based on Android 4.1 Jelly bean in the coming months.Source-IBNLIVE

Dropbox confirms it was hacked, offers users help

After a two-week investigation, the online file storage service confirms that usernames and passwords were stolen from third party Web sites and then used to access Dropbox accounts

When a few hundred Dropbox users began receiving spam emails about online casinos and gambling sites two weeks ago, it seemed like something was up. And indeed there was.

The online file storage service confirmed todaythat hackers accessed usernames and passwords from third party sites and then used them to get into Dropbox users' accounts.

"Our investigation found that usernames and passwords recently stolen from other websites were used to sign in to a small number of Dropbox accounts. We've contacted these users and have helped them protect their accounts," the company wrote in a blog post today. "A stolen password was also used to access an employee Dropbox account containing a project document with user email addresses. We believe this improper access is what led to the spam."

Sony Tablet S successor to cost at least $450, report says

                                                                                   Sony's first-generation Tablet S.

                                                                                          (Credit: CBS Interactive)

The device will come with the same 9.4-inch display but include the Tegra 3 processor and offer a 64GB option this time around.

Sony's Tablet S could be nearing a refresh, according to a new report.

German tech site Mobiflip today published slides (Translate) purporting to show information on a second-generation Sony Tablet S. Judging from the images in the slides, the device looks about the same as its predecessor. However, it comes with a host of internal improvements.

According to the slides on the Mobiflip site, the next Tablet S will come with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or later, rather than the Honeycomb running on the first-generation device. In addition, Sony will bundle a quad-core Tegra 3 processor in the device and improve its front and rear cameras with 1-megapixel and 8-megapixel options, respectively. A better battery will deliver 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing time, rather than the 5 hours available now.

In terms of storage, according to the slides, Sony will be offering the same 16GB and 32GB versions it's selling now, but will add a 64GB flavor.

Sony launched the first Tablet S last year. In CNET's review, the device earned 3.5 stars out of a possible 5, winning high marks for its ergonomic design and integrated IR universal remote control. The device's screen brightness proved to be a problem, as well as its proprietary charging adapter, CNET's Donald Bell noted in his review.

Sony sells its Tablet S for $400 and $500 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. According to the slides on Mobiflip, the company plans to start its second-generation model at $449.99 for the 16GB version. The 32GB and 64GB versions will retail for $549.99 and $649.99, respectively.

CNET has contacted Sony for comment on the Mobiflip report. We will update this story when we have more information.

by Don Reisinger

  July 31, 2012 10:03 AM PDT

(Via The Verge)