Every week, as part of my duties running the PMI blog, I come across many more interesting items than I have room to post during the week. So on the weekends, I compile a list of a few my favorites; click on the links in each quote to see the entire article. Here is this weeks list:
Microsoft slates Windows 8 ‘release preview’ for early June
Microsoft’s top Windows executive said this week that the company will ship an almost-complete version of Windows 8 the first week of June.
Stephen Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live division, announced the timing Tuesday at a developers event in Tokyo, according to a Twitter message by the company.
Although Microsoft has traditionally dubbed such milestones “release candidate,” or RC, to describe nearly-finished software, the Windows 8 build will be labeled “Release Preview,” a nod to the naming of the earlier editions, Developer Preview and Consumer Preview. (via ComputerWorld)
How to Pick the Perfect Laptop
Here’s a nice buyer’s guide for finding the perfect laptop for your needs from LifeHacker:
When you buy a desktop computer, you can customize everything to fit your exact needs—from choosing the perfect mouse and keyboard to making the most of your case to selecting even the guts that keep your computer running. Laptop users aren’t quite so lucky. Since laptops are rarely upgradable, you need to buy a machine that has everything you need off the bat. If you’re in the market for a new laptop, here are all the things you’ll want to look for—and stay away from.
How HP Recycles Its Ink Cartridges
PCMag got to take a behind the scenes look at how HP recycles ink cartridges:
HP invited PCMag to tour the biggest of its global recycling plants, located in Smyrna, Tennessee (a suburb of Nashville), which is responsible for tearing down empty ink cartridges into the component pieces that can then be used to construct new ones. And it was a fascinating education into one ubiquitous tech company solves a problem most of us don’t think about.
My tour of the 80,000-square-foot plant, which opened in 2001 and received a major expansion in 2009, revealed the three stages through which cartridges pass as they’re de-transformed into useful raw materials again. Though humans are involved at every step along the line, most of what happens is highly automated—and because these techniques are proprietary, there’s a lot of information my tour guide, Plant Manager Jeff Wirick, wouldn’t give me, and I was only allowed to take a limited number of photos. (You can see the approved snapshots in the slideshow.)
How Cloud Apps Can Help Your Small Business Run Better
Small business blogger Ramon Ray has an interesting look at the pros and cons of the cloud for your business:
As the cloud becomes a more popular option for small business, your choices for accomplishing what you need done expand.
Here’s a look at a couple of examples on how the cloud can be used and what are the pros and cons of working in the cloud.
That’s all for this week, have a great weekend, and thank you for reading. Please stay tuned to the PMI blog next week for more information to help your business save money and keep up with the latest Information Technology news and trends.
Also, please check out a few of PMI’s most recent blog posts:
*photo credit: DijutalTim
