We know how patiently you’ve been waiting for this day, but it’s here. It’s really here. Microsoft Windows Embedded Automotive 7 is out, appearing in the download queues of “select car makers and suppliers in the automotive industry.” What does it offer? Why, Silverlight support for fancier UIs, real-time text-to-speech technology, and better expandability for third-party plugins. In bigger news, Microsoft is confirming that it is the brains behind the Nissan Leaf’s Information Hub, which not only handles infotainment duties but also gives charging status and power consumption figures. Finally, the MyFord system is going global, shipping to Blue Oval vehicles in Europe and Asia in 2011. That’s after 2.5 million Sync-equipped cars have hit the road. Highway domination? Nearly complete. @FunkmasterFlex @TatWza
Apple CEO Steve Jobs Boasting ipad competition is “DOA”
Apple CEO Steve Jobs put in an unusual appearance Monday evening on an Apple sales call — using the opportunity to trash the iPad’s main rivals. Jobs, who has not addressed investors on an earnings call for two years, lashed out at competitors Google and Blackberry-maker Research in Motion, and dismissed the smaller tablets made by rivals including Samsung and Dell. “The current crop of 7-inch tablets are going to be DOA, dead on arrival,” Jobs told analysts on the conference call. “Their manufacturers will learn the painful lesson that their tablets are too small.” Jobs noted that Apple’s iPhone outsold RIM’s BlackBerry in its most recent quarter. “I don’t see them catching up with us in the foreseeable future,” he said. And he criticized Google’s Android as a “fragmented” operating system. RIM and Google did not respond to requests for comment, but Google’s head of Android development Andy Rubin responded in true geek fashion — on Twitter. The developer used his 140 characters to refute Jobs’ contention that Android is not an open platform, showing how easy it is to download and modify it. @TatWza
*Beware* New iphone App just for Cyberbullies
A new iPhone app called the “Ugly Meter” is just what cyberbullies — including elementary school kids — need to target easy marks The 99-cent app, now available for iPhone users on Apple’s iTunes Store, uses facial recognition software that measures symmetry and other features. Downloaded more than 20,000 times and designed for users ages 9 and above, the app scans a snapshot and then submits a score of 1 to 10. Bo Derek is not a 10. On this scale, you want desperately to be a 1. @TatWza source FN
*Attn* Tomorrow Apple to hold “Back to Mac Event!!
Apple will be holding a media event titled “Back to the Mac†on October 20. The invitation seems to indicate that the focus of the meeting will be on/around Mac OS X 10.7 — maybe to be called “Lion� — and the Mac. That’s all we have for now. This Should be Good, at least better then Snow leopard!! @TatWza
Android 2.2 update for Galaxy S Phones
Samsung has announced that the Galaxy S (GT-i9000) is officially getting Android 2.2. The press release — which is dated October 18 — lists: voice-controlled GPS through Google Maps with Navigation, faster performance by JIT(Just in Time) compiler, Search in-browser, and Adobe Flash Player 10.1″ as some of the improvements being implemented by Froyo. The release states that the upgrade will “be available from the mid of October 2010 in the Nordic region and gradually rolled out to other European markets, Southeast Asia, the Middle East Asia, North America, Africa and rest of the world.†Hit the jump for the full release. @TatWza for TatsTechTalk.com
Facebook Privacy Breach: 3 Settings You Need To Know NOW
Facebook is in the hotseat Monday following a report by the Wall Street Journal that Facebook applications “have been transmitting identifying information–in effect, providing access to people’s names and, in some cases, their friends’ names–to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies.” @TatWza
