5 Fruits for a glowing skin

Pulpy pleasures

That fruits are the best medicine is a wellknown fact.

We also know that a cup of fruit juice a day is sure to guarantee a clear complexion. How about a massage with a fruit pulp or a fruit facial? Fruit facials have been there for at least a decade now. But with people getting more wary of effect of chemicals on the skin, a majority of them are now resorting to using something from their own kitchen. What better way to pamper your skin than with pure stuff which is free of toxins and not harmful to your skin?

Besides the fact that they hydrate and rejuvenate your skin, the very smell of a fruit on your face is quite de-stressing. Unlike the chemical beauty treatments, fruits are cost-effective, natural and also bring a visible difference. Here are a few fruits and their properties, choose what suits you best!

Banana: This is one fruit that's abundantly available in India all through the year. We know it's a good source of iron, magnesium and potassium and helps reduce menstrual cramps. The effect of banana on skin too is not something that can be ignored. Bananas are rich in vitamin A, B and E and hence works as an anti-aging agent. A fresh mashed banana facial can do wonders for your skin.

Lemon: Lemon juice is an important ingredient in most Indian recipes. This is also a fruit of all seasons and almost always finds place on your kitchen shelf or refrigerator. With its vitamin C content, its juice will keep your skin beautiful. A glass of warm water with a tsp of honey and a dash of lemon juice on an empty stomach every morning is a great skin cleanser. With its astringent properties, it can be used to lighten the skin tone and also diminish acne scars. Rub the inside of a lemon peel on your elbow remove dark spots. Mix lemon and honey and use it as a natural bleach on your skin.Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away is cliched, but its health benefits are undisputable. Apple's antioxidant property prevents cell and tissue damage. Studies by nutritionists have shown that apples contain abundant amounts of elastin and collagen that help keep the skin young. Applying a mixture of mashed apple, honey, rose water and oatmeal can act as a great exfoliating mask on your skin.

Orange: Rich in vitamin C that improves skin texture. Like apple, orange too contains collagen that slows skin aging process. Rub the insides of orange on your skin to tighten the skin. Oranges can be dried and powdered and used as a natural scrub. Like lemon, oranges too help clear skin blemishes.

Papaya: The benefits of this fruit on skin have perhaps been talked about since the time of our ancestors. Papaya is rich in antioxidants and contain a special enzyme called papain that can kill dead cells and cure skin impurities. A glass of papaya milk or just applying the flesh of papaya on your skin can do wonders to your skin.

Mango: Rightly called the king of fruits for not just its taste but also for health benefits. The soft pulpy fruit has an amazing effect on skin too. Rich in vitamin-A and rich antioxidants, it fights against skin aging, regenerates skin cells and restores the elasticity of skin.

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Slowdown: Flipkart, Jabong cutting jobs

Online retailers are handing out pink slips in large numbers as they shift attention to controlling costs from acquiring customers.

BANGALORE: Online retailers are handing out pink slips in large numbers as they shift attention to controlling costs from acquiring customers, several industry executives said. Among the companies sacking staff are Flipkart and Jabong, which are among the biggest in the business, illustrating the growing pain in India's e-commerce sector.

Nearly 250 employees, or about one-tenth of Flipkart's workforce, are being shown the door, according to at least three people with direct knowledge of the development. At Jabong, too, a similar number of employees have been sacked, but the company employs fewer than 1,000 staff.

"People are being let off every month," said a Flipkart employee who was sacked in April. Most of the layoffs are from the supply chain, logistics and call centre teams. Flipkart did not reply to emails seeking its comments. A spokesman said asking "non-performers," or the 10% of employees with the lowest ratings, to resign is a general practice during the annual appraisal process. Jabong's co-founder Praveen Sinha, however, admitted to sacking only 20 employees, so far.

Both companies said they continue to hire, but industry executives who spoke on condition of anonymity said it is for the first time that e-commerce firms are sacking staff in such numbers. Inkfruit, an apparel portal acquired by web retailer Zovi.com last year, has also asked several employees to leave.

The retrenchment in India's online retail sector is a consequence of the drive by companies for acquisition of customers at a breakneck pace. Gross margins at many online retailers are in the negative territory.

An estimated 70% of revenue is used to acquire new customers. "The period of land-grabbing is over. Now there is investor pressure to achieve efficiency and positive economics per transaction," said Pearl Uppal, co-founder of early stage investment firm 5Ideas, who was earlier the chief executive of apparel portal FashionandYou.com.

Many ecommerce firms have been under pressure to alter their business models to comply with regulations. At present, online ventures that have received foreign direct investment cannot sell multiple brands directly to customers. Many online retailers have therefore adopted a marketplace model where they aggregate the products of multiple vendors on their sites.

"A marketplace model requires fewer employees, leading to the current spate of lay-offs," said an industry executive.

While bottom lines have been negative, the Indian online retail segment is growing fast, with revenues this year estimated to rise to Rs 10,000 crore from Rs 6,500 crore, according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India.

Investors keen to back such growth are now insisting that companies focus on profitability. "Companies cannot lose money in terms of high direct costs," said Rahul Khanna, managing director of early stage investor Canaan Partners, which has backed firms such as Naaptol and Instacart.

A spate of mergers is also leading to lay-offs in the sector. Inkfruit has asked about 80 employees to put in their papers, according to industry sources. The merger between apparel portals FashionAndYou and UrbanTouch last year led to the exit of 200 employees of UrbanTouch, according to multiple individuals with direct knowledge of the development.
Experts said those seeking a career in ecommerce sector must be clear that these are jobs with a one-year outlook, mostly. "It's best to join an ecom startup which has at least raised two rounds of funding," said WaqarAzmi, founder CEO of SutraHR, a hiring firm that works with top ecommerce portals.

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T20 league season six records 52% viewership growth

The fast-paced, action packed cricket is streamed live by Times Internet Limited (TIL), the official digital partner of the league in partnership with YouTube.

NEW DELHI: The domestic T20 league's sixth season is proving to be a smashing hit online. Cricket fans in India and all over the world are enjoying front seat live action on Internet, contributing to strong growth in online viewership of the exciting tournament. The numbers reflect a new benchmark in online viewership in global and Indian sports history.

The fast-paced, action packed cricket is streamed live by Times Internet Limited (TIL), the official digital partner of the league in partnership with YouTube. As per the viewership numbers recorded at 38 matches, which is fifty percent of the tournament - the www.boxtv.com and www.youtube.com/indiatimes combine recorded a 52% growth viewership over 2012 (75.2M vs 49.3M last year).

Furthermore, the combined viewership of users watching highlights and clips saw a whopping 480% growth in watch hours over 2012. No other live event has ever created this kind of reach in India. In India, Bangalore and Hyderabad lead the viewership with 14 per cent each, with Delhi coming in a close second at 10 percent. The matches that registered the maximum online views were RCB vs PW on April 23 and MI vs RCB on April 25,

"Over the last two years, we have offered IPL fans across the world a superior experience online and steadily grown a loyal viewer base. For IPL 2013, we have worked hard to make the online experience more social and interactive than ever before, and our traffic numbers so far are proof enough that IPL fans are loving it." said Satyan Gajwani, CEO of Times Internet.

Speaking about the response to season 6, Praveen Sharma, head of media sales, Google India, said, "Better streaming experience, increased mobile and tablet device access and growing awareness about the availability of the event online is fueling this growth in viewership. In the past, we usually saw a rise in the first two weeks of the tournament and then it picked up again during the final week. But this year, the growth has been consistent through the tournament. At this rate, we are hopeful of registering strong growth in total viewership by the end of the tournament over last year."

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Rajasthan Royals lose steam to leave Mumbai Indians on top

Mumbai pacers bowled incisive spells to slice through the opposition batting line-up.

MUMBAI: It takes one poor decision to ruin a good contest and that job was done on Wednesday night by umpire Sudhir Asnani.


The 52-year-old from Bhopal, adjudged Rajasthan Royals' skipper Rahul Dravid out caught behind when he had missed his attempted hook off Mitchell Johnson by a good eight inches in the Indian T20 league game against Mumbai Indians.

The decision incensed Dravid no end and the batsman, known for his calm demeanour, just stood transfixed at the crease, before departing. He also had a real go at Asnani and tried to throw his bat in disgust in the dug out, before better sense prevailed.

Royals, who were chasing a competitive 167 for victory, tried to make a match of it but Lasith Malinga made sure they could not by bowling perfect yorkers at the death. Rajasthan lost by 14 runs to put Mumbai on top of the tally.

Rajasthan also lost James Faulkner, Sanju Samson and Ajinkya Rahane cheaply and were looking wobbly at 58 for 4 at the end of nine overs. Mitchell Johnson (3-0-17-2) and Dhawal Kulkarni (3-0-11-2) had once again bowled incisive spells to slice through the opposition top-order. Shane Watson, Stuart Binny and Brad Hodge played cameos to raise hopes but those were not enough to see the team through.

Dravid's reaction was an indication of how much this match meant to both sides despite them qualifying for the playoffs. It was a turbo-charged humid night and when Watson walked in at No. 5, it reached tipping point. He was sledged by his big-hitting MI counterpart Kieron Pollard and it needed the intervention of umpire Asad Rauf to calm things down.

Earlier, Dravid expectedly put MI in as his side had been in good chasing form. It suited Rohit Sharma, the MI skipper too as his boys have done well whenever they have batted first, especially at home.

It was no different on Wednesday too as they ended with a competitive 166 for 8. The score was possible thanks to a buccaneering innings from season's debutant Aditya Tare 59 (37balls, 8x4, 1 x6) and his 76-run stand for the second wicket off 51 balls with Dinesh Karthik (21). The innings went a bit pear shaped in the end as they lost the wickets of their enforcers Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard just when they were looking threatening.

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BSNL launches loyalty scheme for landline and broadband customers

In a bid to retain loyal customers, state-run BSNL Tuesday said it has launched a scheme for landline and broadband users wherein subscribers above a certain bill amount will get reward points, which can be redeemed to make free calls within its network."Individual customers whose monthly bill amount is Rs. 400 and above or bi-monthly amount is above Rs. 800 and above shall be earning loyalty reward point for every Rs. 50 for invoice paid within pay-by-date," BSNL said in a statement.
The reward points earned can be redeemed for making free calls within BSNL's network. The scheme has been launched with effect from April, 2013.
"BSNL has taken a lead in India by launching the loyalty scheme. The scheme of rewarding a loyal customer for their support to BSNL shall be helpful in retention of customers," BSNL CMD RK Upadhyay said.
BSNL said customers can redeem the points initially after six months from the date of earning loyalty point first time.
"Redemption will be in terms of free MCU (one point is equivalent to one free Metered Call Unit) which will be adjusted for calls made by customers on BSNL network (on-net calls) only," it said.
The redemption can be done in block of minimum 25 points and maximum 500 points, it added.
The scheme, however, would not be available to certain category of customers who are availing concessions in some other form.
As on December 2012, BSNL's landline subscriber base stood at 21.04 million and total internet connections (including broadband and narrowband) were at 13.09 million.

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Micromax Canvas Music A88 smartphone with bundled JBL Tempo headset launched for Rs. 8,499

Indian handset manufacturer Micromax has launched a new Android smartphone, the Canvas Music A88 for Rs. 8,499.

As apparent from its name, the major selling point of the smartphone is its music focused experience. The phone offers consumers unlimited songs download via its MLive! content store. It's not clear at this point if access to unlimited downloads is offered free. In addition to this, Micromax has partnered with audio brand JBL to bundle the JBL Tempo headset with the phone.

Micromax Canvas Music A88 is powered by a 1GHz Mediatek dual-core processor (MT 6577) and has 512MB of RAM. The dual-SIM phone features a 4.5-inch display that sports a resolution of 480x854 pixels. The phone runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Speaking about the new launch, Ajay Sharma, Country Head Smartphone Division, Micromax said "At Micromax, we are continuously channelizing our energies to innovate finest devices that are relevant to our customers. Canvas Music A88 coupled with JBL headset and unlimited songs download via MLive! Application serves as a perfect offering to the youth echoing our vision of providing a fulfilling entertainment experience to all the music and multimedia lovers. Through our latest device, we aim to further build the Canvas success story to unprecedented heights."

The phone has a 5-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and a VGA front facing camera. It has an internal storage of 4GB expandable up to 32GB via microSD card and an 1,800mAh battery.

Commenting on the launch, Shubhodip Pal, CMO, Micromax said, "One of the key focus areas for Micromax is to build a strong connect with the consumers by bringing alive brand experiences through our innovative product line up. The launch of Canvas Music A88 reflects the same. We have created an entire music ecosystem by powering the Smartphone with a JBL headset and also giving the end consumers an access to download unlimited music via MLive! Thus, resonating the Indian youth pulse and passion, mirroring their preference for music."

The Canvas Music A88 will be available in Black and White colour variants across all leading retail outlets in India starting May 16, 2013.


Mobiles launched in May 2013
Micromax Canvas Music A88 technical specifications

• 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 480x854 pixels
• 1GHZ Mediatek dual-core processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal storage, 1.93GB user accessible, expandable by up to 32GB via microSD card
• 5-megapixel rear camera, VGA front camera
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G
• Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 1,800mAH battery

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How to get the Start menu back in Windows 8

Several third-party utilities can serve as Start menu replacements for Windows 8 users who aren't as keen on the new Start screen.

 

Still miss the classic Start menu in Windows 8? Never fear, alternatives are here.
Microsoft lopped off the Start menu in Windows 8 to force people to use the Start screen. And I'll admit it, the Start screen does offers several benefits.
Live Tiles can clue you in to the latest e-mails, appointments, news, and other information. You can easily search for any app, setting, or file just by typing its name.
But I still find the folder-structured Start menu the quickest and easiest way to launch any application when I'm already working in the desktop.
Those of you who'd like the old menu back, at least as an option, can choose from a range of Start menu replacements. Most are free or at least offer a free version. Many go beyond just replicating the Start menu by letting you customize their look and feel.
Here's a rundown of several Windows 8 Start menu replacements that you can take for a spin.

Classic Shell

Classic Shell
Classic Shell bills itself as a "collection of features that were available in older versions of Windows but were later removed." Topping the list for this free open-source program is a new but familiar take on the classic Start menu.
Clicking on the Windows orb after installation lets you choose between displaying all settings in the Start menu, or just the basics. You can also select between a simple single-paned menu or the more modern dual-paned menu.
The Classic Shell menu displays shortcuts to all of your programs, documents, and settings. The familiar Run command and Search field are visible. Clicking on the Shut Down icon brings up choices for Shut Down, Restart, Hibernate, Lock, and Switch User. The Help command even calls up the new Windows 8 Help and Support page.
The latest version of Classic Shell lets you bypass the Start screen even faster. It also adds jump lists to the main menu. And you can now search for and launch Windows Store apps directly from the program's submenu.
Classic Shell lends itself to customization. The program offers an array of basic and advanced settings that you can tweak all you want. You can even back up your tweaks as an XML file in case you ever need to restore them or transfer them to another PC running Classic Shell.
You can learn more through the program's detailed FAQ page. Windows 8 users in search of a free, simple, and flexible Start menu program will find all of that and more in Classic Shell.

Pokki for Windows 8

Pokki for Windows 8
Developed by the folks at SweetLabs, Pokki for Windows 8 offers a slick and well-designed Start menu. From that menu, you can access all of your programs and open specific folders, such as Documents, Music, and Pictures. A search field lets you track down any program. And a Shut Down menu includes several options, such as Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate.
The developers of Pokki aren't standing still either. The latest update to the program ties in more heavily with the Windows 8 UI. A new folder called Windows 8 Apps displays links to all of your Windows Store (formerly Metro) apps. And when you search from the Pokki menu, Windows Store apps are now included in the results.
Pokki for Windows 8 is one of my favorite Start menu programs, both for its design and its host of customizable features.

Power8

Power8
Billed as "yet another Start menu replacer for Windows 8," the free Power8 displays a Start button in the usual spot on the desktop. Clicking on that button brings up the familiar two-pane menu. From the left pane, you can pin your favorite applications and access all your programs via the Programs menu. From the right pane, you can open specific folders, such as Computer, Libraries, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and Network.
A handy search field at the bottom can track down any application, file, or other item on your PC. The familiar Run command lets you type the name of a program, folder, or file to open it. The menu offers easy access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, Hibernate, Log off, Screensaver, and Lock PC commands.
Right-clicking on Power8's Start button triggers a pop-up menu with several options. The Settings command lets you customize the software's behavior. You can set it to auto start each time you log in to Windows 8. You can also resize the button or change its image.
You can block all Windows 8 UI, aka Metro, aka Modern, features, which means your mouse will no longer trigger the Start screen thumbnail or the Charms bar. Even with that option enabled, you can still click on the Windows key to get to the Start screen or press Win+C to activate the Charms bar.
Created by a team of developers in Ukraine, Power8 is a simple but effective Start menu replacement.

RetroUI Pro

RetroUI Pro
Created by the folks at Thinix, RetroUI Pro tries to bring together the two worlds of the Windows 8 UI and the standard desktop, so you get a slick blending of both.
Right off the bat, the program's Start menu looks and feels different than the Start menus offered by other programs. Clicking on the Start orb brings up a menu filled with tiles and blocks in a nod to the Windows 8 Start screen UI.
The left pane displays square icons for both standard desktop applications and Windows 8, aka Metro, apps, while the right pane offers access to your library folders, Control Panel, programs, and your user folder. You can pin any right-pane folder or other item to the left pane so that it's more easily accessible. You can also easily right-click on any left-pane item and select the delete command to remove its icon from the pane.
You'll find dedicated buttons to launch the Start screen, Charms bar, Task Switcher, and Windows 8 search screen. A shutdown button offers links to sleep, lock, log off, restart, and shut down your PC. And the familiar Run command is handily available.
Thinix designed RetroUI Pro so it's equally at home on a Windows 8 tablet as well as a PC. A TabletView button at the top of the menu transforms it into a tiled screen displaying all of the programs and other items from the left pane. You can then click or tap on any tile to open the item.
RetroUI Pro also provides a twist on Windows 8 apps that Microsoft never bothered to implement. Thanks to a feature called Enforce, you can launch a Windows 8 app from the program's Start menu, and it opens in its own resizable window directly on the desktop. You can shrink the window by dragging any of its sides or corners. You can move the smaller window around the desktop by dragging it from its title bar. You can also close the app by clicking on the familiar X in the upper right corner.
The desktop taskbar also remains visible when you switch to the Windows 8 Start screen or All Apps screen, so you can easily return to the RetroUI Pro menu from anywhere in Windows. The RetroUI menu is itself a taskbar toolbar that can be turned on and off.
Thininx provides a variety of ways to customize the program. Clicking on a desktop icon called RetroUI Settings offers several sections of options to configure. You can choose to open the RetroUI menu by pressing the Windows key, bypass the Windows 8 Start screen after logging in, and even hide the Windows 8 hot corners.
You can change the size of the TabletView screen and display its icon in the taskbar. Another section lets you control the Enforce feature to control if and how Windows 8 apps open in their own resizable windows. Other options allow you to set the default language, change the color of the Start menu, and disable all Windows 8 feature.
Finally, a desktop icon called RetroUI Pro tutorial displays a series of slideshows to fully explain all the ins and outs of the program.
You can download a free 7-day trial version of the program. A single PC license sells for $4.95 while a 3-PC license costs $9.95. RetroUI Pro offers a novel and clean way of uniting the Start menu with the Windows 8 environment and is well worth the price.

 

Start8
Available from Stardock, Start8 offers several options depending on how fond you are of the new Start screen. You can set up the orb to display the traditional Start menu or the Start screen. You can also select the menu style, themes, and a variety of other features.
The Start menu appears in the traditional two-pane format with shortcuts to your programs and folders on the left and links to Documents, Pictures, Control Panel, and other areas on the right. A Shut Down command offers options to Restart, Sign Out, Sleep, Hibernate, and more. As in Windows 7, you can control which items appear on the Start menu, which ones appear as links, and which ones as menus.
You can also still retain access to the new Windows 8 features. For example, you can set the Windows key and the Start screen hot corner to open the Start screen. If you want to avoid the Windows 8 UI instead, you can disable the Charms bar and hot corners to stay fully in the desktop.
Start8 sells for $4.99, though the company offers a full 30-day trial version. Other free and equally good Start menu replacements are available, but Start8 is still worth considering.

StartMenuPlus8

StartMenuPlus8
StartMenuPlus8 offers the usual Start menu replacement but throws in a Task Menu, albeit at an extra price.
After installation, the program asks if you want to run it as a basic, standard, standard plus, or professional user. Each increase in level offers more features. You can start off as a basic user and then upgrade later on if you wish.
As a basic user, you can click on the familiar Start button orb to display the program's Start menu. Shortcuts to various programs and certain folders appear on the left pane, while links to Documents, Pictures, Music, Control Panel, and other familiar spots appear on the right. You can also switch the left pane to display a list of recently used applications.
A search bar at the bottom of the menu lets you locate and open applications, folders, and files. A Shutdown link calls up a menu to common commands, such as Restart, Sleep, Hibernate, and Log off. There's even an option to easily run a program or file as an administrator.
You can customize and configure the program directly from the Start menu. This lets you add or remove shortcuts that appear in the menu and on the Windows desktop. A more detailed configuration screen allows you to change the commands and standard folders that display on the menu as well as the font, icon size, background image, column width, and a variety of other options.
If you opt to run the program as a professional user, you can also create Task menus, which give you direct access to specific applications, Web sites, documents, and other content.
You can download a free 30-day trial copy of StartMenuPlus8. The standard version, which includes all features except the Task menus, costs $4.99. The professional version, which throws in the Task menus, runs $9.99.
StartMenuPlus8 offers an array of features and options, almost too many. I found the program a bit confusing, not so much using it as configuring it. Having to choose from among four different user roles just to launch the software was unnecessarily cumbersome. And the more detailed configuration screen seemed cluttered with too many options facing you all at once.
If you're looking for a simple, no-frills Start menu, there are better choices here. But if you're willing to spend the time learning and customizing StartMenuPlus8, you may want to give the trial version a spin.

Start Menu Reviver

Start Menu Reviver
The free Start Menu Reviver attempts to bridge the "Modern" world with the familiar desktop world and pulls off the feat quite nicely. Clicking on the program's Start Button brings up a menu chock full of goodies with access to all of your Windows 8 applications, settings, and files.
Icons on the left side of the menu point you to your apps, Windows settings, the Windows 8 Search tool, the Run command, and recently-accessed files. Clicking on the Apps icon lets you choose to see all of your apps, only desktop apps, or just Modern apps. You can view your Start Menu folder, My Documents folder, recent items, or even a random folder of your choice.
A Tasks icon easily brings up the Windows 8 task switcher so you can jump from one Modern app to another. The Settings icon offers access to the Control Panel, Command Prompt, Device Manager, Services, System Properties, and Windows Updates.
Icons running down the middle of the menu link to the My Computer folder, browser, the Windows 8 Start screen, your e-mail, calendar, and a host of other apps. You can also search for an app directly by typing its name in the search field.
Start Menu Reviver lends itself to customization. You can remove icons for apps that you don't need and add icons for apps that you use more frequently. You can also add Web site icons and sort each menu of icons in alphabetical order.
The program offers a quick but helpful series of tutorials explaining how to use its features. Video clips show you how to navigate the menu via either mouse or gestures, a useful idea since the menu itself works equally well on a traditional PC or a touch-screen device.
Start Menu Reviver acts as your gateway to pretty much anywhere you want to go in Windows 8 without having to fiddle with screens, tiles, or charms. It's hard to think of a feature the menu left out, yet it manages to pull it off without feeling too cluttered. For those reasons and more, it gets my thumb's up.
StartW8
StartW8 is a basic but free program that replicates the classic Start menu look and feel. Clicking on the orb triggers the traditional two-pane Start menu with your shortcuts on the left and access to specific folders and other areas on the right.
A Shut Down button offers links to Restart, Sleep, Hibernate, Switch Users, Sign Out, or Lock the PC. You can also right-click on the orb to display several commands, including Run, Command Prompt, and all of the various shutdown options.
You can choose which items you want to appear in the Start menu, such as your personal folders, documents, Control Panel, Devices and printers, and the Run command. You can also tell the program to automatically bring you to the desktop after you log into Windows.
StartW8 doesn't offer much in the way of customization or advanced features. But that's fine if all you need it a simple Start menu.

StartMenu7

StartMenu7
Also known as StartMenuX, this utility lets you customize the look, feel, and functionality of its flexible Start Menu.
You can resize the menu to take up as much or as little room as you want. You can right click on any folder or shortcut to access a pop-up menu of commands. You can change the Windows orb between the classic Windows 7 look and the newer Windows 8 logo. There's even an option to set up virtual groups to organize your shortcuts.
The traditional Run and Search commands are available. And a Power Control panel displays options to Shut Down, Restart, Hibernate, Sleep, and even Undock.
You can even skip the Windows Start screen entirely and boot directly into the desktop. The program supports traditional PCs and touch-screen devices, so you can further alter its behavior depending on which device you use.
StartMenu7 is available as both a free version and a $20 Pro edition that offers even more features and customizations.

ViStart

ViStart
Published by Lee-Soft, ViStart displays the familiar Windows 7 orb. Click on the orb, and up pops ViStart's Start menu with your folders and shortcuts on the left pane and links to popular Windows features and locations on the right.
The search field lets you find the name of any application or file. A dedicated shutdown button offers access to Shut Down, Restart, Log off, and Hibernate commands. And ViStart plays nicely with the new hot corner -- you can still access the lower-right thumbnail to switch between your last two open Windows 8 apps.
You can opt to bypass the Windows 8 Start screen if you wish.
ViStart presents one obstacle, though. I couldn't find a way to organize my Start menu. Right-clicking on a folder or other item had no effect. And I couldn't locate a folder where ViStart stores its menu shortcuts. So there seems no way to customize the menu. The ViStart FAQ confirms that no right-click support is available, but that the feature is on the drawing board for a future version.
ViStart is a simple and quick way to get back the Start menu, as long as you don't mind the inability to customize the menu.

Win8 StartButton

Win8 StartButton

Win8 StartButton's menu looks just like the one offered by Classic Shell. But that's no coincidence. This program is simply a recompiled take on the open-source Classic Shell, which the developer acknowledges.
Like Classic Shell, Win8 StartButton lets you tweak the look and feel of the Start menu with several customizable features. Clicking on the program's Start orb displays the usual two-pane menu with access to your programs and folders and commands for search, run, and help. You'll also find options to Shut Down, Restart, or Hibernate your PC.
Right-clicking on the orb leads you to a Settings window where you can change the layout of the menu and a variety of other features. For example, you can disable Windows 8 hot corners if you wish, add or remove commands in the menu, and change its skin.
Win8 StartButton is a handy program with a basic Start menu and several ways to customize advanced features. But you might as well stick with Classic Shell.

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Google Now voice search arriving on the desktop

Google Now-like voice search will be available on the desktop via Chrome and the Chrome OS, and add new cards for public transit commute times and movies, tv shows and video games.

Google Search chief Amit Singhal wants to build the Star Trek computer, which answers any question you ask.

Google spent most of the Google I/O keynote on Android, Chrome and Google+, but the cash cow -- Google Search -- was given some time on stage. Google search chief Amit Singhal announced that voice search would become available on the desktop via Chrome and the Chrome OS, and Google Now would gain new cards for public transit commute times and movies, TV shows and video games.
To answers many kinds of queries, Google Now present "cards," boxes with information on traffic, weather, sports, stocks, flights, events, shipments, appointments, and other data. You can ask questions, such as "What time does the San Francisco Giants game start?" or "What will the weather in New York be like next week?," and it offers an info card and audio response when appropriate.

Google voice-enabled search on the Chrome desktop.

Chrome will enable "conversational search" with voice recognition and natural language understanding similar to the way Google Now works on mobile device -- just say "Google" to activate voice search. However, Chrome won't yet have the full Google Now card user experience.
In addition, Google Now is adding the capability to set reminders. Google Now, which launched last year on Android and last month on Apple's iOS, allows for natural language questions via voice or text and can generates spoken or text results. Apple's Siri, a competitor to Google Now, is not available for the Mac OS or Android.
Read: The future of Google Search is Now

Google Now includes new cards for public transit data.

Singhal also announced that Google's Knowledge Graph will have more statistical data available to assemble answers, and add language support for Polish, Turkish and simplified and traditional Chinese. Knowledge Graph gives Google Now and Google's overall search the ability to deliver more precise answers to queries based on its database of more than 570 million entities and billions of relationships among them.

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Google demands shutdown of Microsoft's new YouTube app

Google is seeking to block Microsoft's new YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 because it blocks ads and allows downloading of videos from YouTube's site, in violation of its terms of service.

Microsoft's new YouTube app for Windows Phone 8.

Google has sent Microsoft a cease-and-desist letter demanding Microsoft withdraw its redesigned YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 because it violates Google's Terms of Service.
The Verge first reported news of the letter, dated May 15, and included a copy of it on its Web site.
The TOS that the Microsoft YouTube app violates has to do with it blocking ads and allowing downloads of videos from Google's YouTube site.
From the letter:

"YouTube's agreements with creators give them choices inhow their content is presented and distributed, and your application takes away that control.The YouTube Terms of Service and API Terms of Service, posted at http://www.youtube.com/t/terms and https://developers.google.com/youtube/terms, were written to protect content creators from this type of abuse. They clearly prohibit downloads of videos from the site and prohibit accessing any portion of YouTube videos by any means other than through the use of an authorized YouTube player. They also bar applications that modify, replace, interfere with or block advertisements placed by YouTube in videos."

Google is requesting that Microsoft immediately withdraw the app from the Windows Phone Store and disable existing downloads of it by May 22.
Microsoft built the new YouTube app itself, after complaining that Google was blocking access to required metadata. When I asked Microsoft officials recently if something had changed from a policy/API standpoint that allowed Microsoft to deliver this much more robust YouTube app, a Microsoft spokesperson sent the following statement:

"Windows Phone invested additional engineering resources against existing APIs to re-architect a Windows Phone app that delivers a great YouTube experience, including support for unique Windows Phone 8 features such Live Tiles and Kids Corner. Microsoft did not receive any additional technical support to create the Windows Phone YouTube app."

I reached out to both Microsoft and Google for comment on the letter. A Google spokesperson said the company was not offering any comment. No word from Microsoft so far.
The timing of The Verge's report is interesting. Just minutes before it went live, Google's CEO Larry Page, during a Q&A session at the company's annual Google I/O developer conference, criticized Microsoft for taking advantage of Google by interoperating with its Google Talk messaging service and not reciprocating by providing free access to APIs for its own messaging service (presumably Skype).
The programming interfaces Microsoft used to integrate Google Talk with Outlook.com are open, but Google is in the midst of dropping support for the XMPP messaging standard with its just-announced Hangouts, which is the successor to Google Talk and Google's new cross-platform communications service.

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New photo tools in Google+ show promise (hands-on)

There's still some work necessary before you can rely on Google's judgment as to which are your best vacation photos. But it's learning.

Google+ Highlight view presumably selects the best shots from any album.

Google rolled out a few photo-related updates at this year's Google I/O conference, and more than anything they deftly illustrate the simultaneous benefits and pitfalls of automation. Highlights promises to select the choicest photos from your endless stream to display only the best, most interesting captures. Auto Enhance promises to clean up on demand the underexposed, flat, and out-of-focus photos that pollute all of our photo streams. And the joyfully named Auto Awesome purportedly creates animated GIFs, all-smiles family portraits, and perfect panoramas.

When they work, these are great features. When they don't, you want to bang your head on the desk.
Take Auto Awesome, for example. This covers a bunch of automatic actions, such as creating animations (which you can then open it in the share/edit/etc. view and download it as a GIF), panoramas or cohesive group portraits from the raw material in your album. For animations, Google parses the photos looking for five or more sequential shots to strings together. For the first two sets of bursts I uploaded, it worked beautifully.
I felt the addiction stir. I uploaded another burst set. Nothing. I checked the timestamps; yup, it was a burst. Still nothing. So I uploaded another set. Yes! Awesomeness achieved. Except it only worked on a subset of the entire sequence, and was missing the shots I most wanted in it.

When Auto Awesome works, it's great.

Other aspects of Auto Awesome include combining multiple group people shots so that the result has everybody's best smile in it. I uploaded a group of test photos, but instead of giving me a happy family, it GIF'ed it. And that I couldn't overrule. Oops.
Another potential time-saver is the new Highlights view. Who needs to time-consumingly select the most memorable photos when a computer can do it for you? It sounds lovely, but I think the algorithm needs some more training, because I disagreed with most of its selections. For instance, of the two shots it picked out of an album of 16, one was completely out of focus; there was even a similar in-focus version it skipped over. You can choose to hide an album from the Highlights view.
Thanks to its acquisition of Nik Software last year, Google gained a lot of new automatic retouching technology from Nik's Snapseed app. All of that seems to have gone into the Auto Enhance feature, which on-demand adjusts "brightness, contrast, saturation, structure, noise, focus... and dozens of other factors automatically." Like most features of this type, it tends to be a little conservative, so the enhancements aren't as jarring as you'd expect. But I did find myself wishing they'd been a little heavier on the exposure changes -- and a lot lighter on the skin softening. The latter makes everyone look oddly glowy and smooth, like most skin-softening algorithms. You can turn the feature off if you don't like the results, and all the other built-in editing tools are still available.
So the real problem with the new Google automagic is when you disagree with it or when it just doesn't happen, you can't poke it with a sharp stick and say "These photos are just screaming to be GIFfed!" I'm hoping Google adds that "poke with a stick" option soon.
All of these create new versions of the images and add them to your album, so the expansion to 15GB of free storage that the company previously announced will come in quite handy. These will greet you when you first see the new Google+ design; Google will have already generated Highlights and Awesomeness from your existing photos. It also looks like the photo uploader is new, with a more threaded operation so that it parses multiple shots at a time. It was kind of slow during testing. However, that may be due to all the tech pundits hitting Google at the same time to test the new features.

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Google rolls out quick action buttons for Gmail

Now users can RSVP to events, rate restaurants, and see flight information all from their inbox without ever having to open an e-mail.

Gmail's new quick action buttons let users RSVP for events without having to open the e-mail invite.

Google is aiming to make Gmail responding, planning, and organizing a little bit easier. The tech giant announced Wednesday that it is rolling out quick action buttons for its e-mail service.
Not only can users RSVP to an event without even opening the e-mail invite, they can also rate restaurants, places, or shops from within their inbox.
Here's more from a Wednesday blog post by Google product manager Shalini Agarwal:

Email is an important part of how we get things done -- from planning an event with friends to organizing that family vacation to Costa Rica. And today, getting those things done is getting a little easier with new quick action buttons in Gmail, designed to help you tackle your digital to-do's as quickly as possible. These buttons appear next to certain types of messages in your inbox and let you take action on an email without ever having to open it. For example, you can RSVP to your friend's party invitation or rate that restaurant you went to last night all right from the inbox. You'll be checking things off that to-do list in no time.

Another useful feature with the quick action buttons is for travelers getting flight confirmations via e-mail. Google has given flight confirmation e-mails special status so that when the e-mail arrives users can see all of the travel information displayed at the top of the screen. "You'll be able to see whether your flight is on time, when your connection is and more -- no scrolling required," Agarwal wrote.
These quick action buttons are scheduled to roll out over the coming weeks, and more buttons could be added in the future. Google is also encouraging developers to play with different interactive buttons to see how adding the buttons to e-mails helps user engagement.

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Google announces e-mail money transfers for Google Wallet

At its annual Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Google made announcements that will expand Google Wallet far beyond its tap-and-go NFC roots.

Google announced at Google I/O 2013 that Google Wallet users can now pay people via email.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Wallet is growing up and it's not just about paying for stuff by tapping your phone anymore.
On Wednesday, the company made three announcements at its Google I/O developer conference with regard to Google Wallet that take the service well beyond specialized tap and go technology to make Google Wallet more usable on the Web.

"We are not pulling away from NFC," Peter Hazlehurst, director of product management for Google Wallet said in an interview. "We are simply making a much richer Wallet experience. There are still places where NFC can't be used. And not every device has it yet."
Still, Hazlehurst said he thinks that NFC's time will come. And in the future as the technology proliferates, it will become more useful. In the meantime, there are a lot of things that Google can do to make the online buying experience, whether it's from a mobile device or from a desktop or laptop computer, easier and more streamlined.
Payments via Gmail The first new feature is the ability to send money to and from Google Wallet via email. Google also issued APIs or application programming interfaces that developers can use to access Google Wallet and make buying stuff within Android apps and on the Web easier for consumers by stream-lining the process and allowing customers to avoid re-entering payment information. And finally, Goolge has created APIs that developers can use to allow merchants to add easy access to loyalty cards and programs.
The email payment functionality is probably the most interesting of the three announcements since it finally makes it as easy to make a digital payment to a friend or anyone else as it is to attach a photo or document in an email.
You can even send money to people who aren't using Gmail. And it's free to send money if your bank account is linked to your Google Wallet or by using a Google Wallet prepaid account. Service fees apply for sending a money using a Google Wallet linked credit card or debit card.
Here's how it works. To send money in Gmail, hover over the attachment paperclip, click the "$" icon to attach money to your message, enter the amount you wish to send, and press send.
Sending money via Gmail is currently only available on the desktop. To send money via a phone you can go to the Google Wallet mobile site at wallet.google.com. In order to send or receive money, you will need to set up a Google Wallet account. And the email money transfers only work for money sent within the U.S.

Google Wallet Instant Buy makes it easier to buy stuff on your phone.

Google's Hazlehurst said that consumers shouldn't worry about security issues when sending money via Gmail. The company offers the Google Wallet Purchase Protection plan which covers users 100 percent against eligible unauthorized payments. And he said that no actual account information is transferred via email.
The feature will be rolling out over the coming months throughout the U.S. to users over the age of 18. You can also get access to the "$" attachment icon if a friend has the feature and sends money to you.
Instant Buy
Google also announced the new Instant Buy API for developersto help streamline the online buying experience. The new API will allow app developers and Web developers to use Google+ single-sign on technology to provide all the user and credit card information necessary when buying physical goods within an app or online. In a nutshell, consumers can purchase things from an app or online store with just a couple of clicks. The company and one of its initial Instant Buy partners, Priceline, showed off how easy this process can be during a demonstration at a Google developer session here today.
The way to think of it is a more streamlined PayPal button for Google users. Google has already signed up several partners including Airbnb, Booking.com, Uber, and Expedia, who will all integrate the functionality into their apps.
Google claims that the new functionality not only makes it easier for consumers to complete their purchases, but it's also more secure. How? The merchants themselves never get access to the full the full credit card number, which means that sensitive account information isn't stored on multiple merchant Websites.

Google now lets people add any loyalty card they want.

Google Wallet Objects API
The company also announced it will allow Google Wallet users to include any loyalty card in their Google Wallet. Previous implementations of Google Wallet have been limited in the loyalty cards that could be added to the digital wallet. Now consumers can add loyalty cards and other items into the wallet, including tickets. The capability is similar to what Apple has introduced as part of its Passbook capability. But Google's Hazlehurst says it goes a bit further.
Google is also offering an API for developers to make signing up for those loyalty cards easier. It will also give brands that use the API to develop functionality into their mobile apps the ability to leverage other Google services to make redeeming offers or pushing offers to consumers easier. Specifically, this might mean using geofencing technology to know when a customer is in the vicinity and sending him a special offer.
Google is already working with several brands, including Alaska Airlines, The Body Shop, BJs Restaurants, Marriott Rewards and RetailMeNot.

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Google beats Apple to it with streaming music service

With its $9.99/month service, the tech powerhouse makes its first move into a space already occupied by the likes of Pandora, Spotify, and possibly, Apple.

Google launched a music streaming service Wednesday, taking its first stab at the growing industry with a new service linked to Google Play for Android.
The All Access service costs $9.99 a month and you get a 30-day free trial. And it's launching Wednesday in U.S., with additional countries coming soon. If you sign up by June 30, you get it for $7.99 a month.
The move puts Google in direct competition with music streaming companies like Pandora and Spotify, and also potentially with Apple, which has been inching in that direction. Just last week, for instance, word came that Apple had reached an iRadio deal with Universal Music, though it still needs deals with the other major labels.
If Google launches an additional YouTube streaming service, the company could take advantage of the video-sharing network's position as a dominant, legal source of music, particularity for teens.

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Rumors about Google's new All Access subscription streaming service, unveiled at the Google I/O developers' conference in San Francisco, had been swirling around for the last few months.
Previously, Google Play users could stream music they bought from the app, but the new service would let people stream songs they haven't purchased as well. Users can now blend their songs with a catalog with thousands of other tracks available in All Access.
The service provides a never-ending list of related tracks that are also linked to your Google+ account. You can look ahead to what is coming next and if you don't like it, swipe the song away.
"We set out to build a music service that didn't just give us access to great music but to help guide you to it," Google engineering director Chris Yerga said.
Previous reports had Google signing deals with Warner Music and SonyMusic for streaming services on both YouTube and Google Play, according to reports, but it was expected that Google would launch its Android platform first.

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Google revamps Maps with 3D, cards, social search

The new version includes user-generated street views and live images of Earth's cloud patterns. Says Google: "The map is the user interface."

Google says it has rebuilt Google Maps for the Web with a new version that's more immersive and social.
The new version takes a page from Google's mobile efforts by putting the search box inside the map and making use of cards -- Google's take on interactive information widgets.
"It's simple and powerful. The map is the user interface," Google's Bernhard Seefeld told attendees at the company's annual developers conference, where the new Web service was unveiled.
When users click on locations, information about those areas appears on cards. Information can include navigation, which offers a comparison between driving times and public transit times in one spot. Maps also offers social results, showing places that friends have reviewed.

 

The Maps interface features a 3D view, which Google says does not require any additional software or browser plug-ins. This is a similar experience to what Google has offered in its Earth app. In fact, users can zoom all the way out to see the entire Earth with a live view of clouds.

 

Real-time clouds.

One other new feature is a way to upload Photosphere images to Google Maps, which Google referred to as a user-generated street view. These can be uploaded by locations, adding an extra layer of information for people to view.
Details about several of the features leaked out ahead of I/O and were spotted by Droid Life.
Google is previewing the new version of the service this week. Users can sign up as part of the preview today. Google will start issuing invitations Thursday.

Google shows off Maps at Google I/O 2013 (pictures)

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