Author Archives: Guest Post

Do You Rowi? Windows Phone Twitter App a Big Hit

Microsoft employees Erik Porter and Nathan Heskew built Rowi, a Twitter app that makes full use of Windows Phone’s social media capabilities. The duo just released version 2, they’re building a Windows 8 app, and Rowi is now among some of the most popular apps in the marketplace.

REDMOND, Wash. – April 17, 2012 – Rowi may sound like some kind of rare New Zealand bird (which actually, it is) but it’s also a popular new Twitter app for Windows Phone created by two Microsoft employees.

The moonlight creation of Erik Porter and Nathan Heskew, Rowi was developed to fully tap the social networking capabilities of the Windows Phone. Rowi lets Twitter users receive push notifications, and supports right-to-left (RTL) languages, the ability to pin Tweets to the Windows Phone start screen, and easier messaging and photo previews. (more…)

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For UA Astronomy Students, the Sky is Not the Limit

UA astronomy students Kevin Hardegree-Ullman and Jake Turner designed, proposed, conducted and presented research on two recently discovered planets outside of our solar system while they were still undergraduates.

Deep in the cosmos, alien planets are circling distant stars, waiting to be pierced by the far-reaching gaze of Earth-bound telescopes. Some are Earth-like and have the potential to harbor liquid water and maybe even life. Others are enormous, gassy giants. All of them are different than any planet we know. (more…)

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Feelings of Immaturity Accompany Alcohol Misuse into Adulthood, Say MU Researchers

*Discovery Could Improve Substance Abuse Treatment*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Tipping back one too many cocktails during an individual’s early 20s doesn’t correlate to a personal sense of immaturity; however if this habit doesn’t stop as they reach age 30, young adults can feel psychologically underdeveloped, according to a University of Missouri study. Helping young adults acknowledge their mental impulse to “sober up” as they mature can improve substance abuse intervention programs.

“When a heavy drinking 30-year-old comes in for therapy and says he doesn’t feel like an adult, we can present this study and suggest that cutting back on alcohol could help him feel more mature,” said lead researcher Rachel Winograd, a doctoral student in psychology at MU. (more…)

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International Team Uncovers New Genes That Shape Brain Size, Intelligence

*UCLA-launched partnership identifies genes that boost or lessen risk of brain atrophy, mental illness, Alzheimer’s disease*

In the world’s largest brain study to date, a team of more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide collaborated to map the human genes that boost or sabotage the brain’s resistance to a variety of mental illnesses and Alzheimer’s disease.

Published April 15 in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Genetics, the study also uncovers new genes that may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence. (more…)

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Meet the Team Making Windows Phone Faster and More Powerful

*Members of the Windows Phone customer experience engineering team talk about their work on new developments in mobile phone technology – and what else excites them.*

REDMOND, Wash. – April 16, 2012 – New models of Windows Phone will be equipped with LTE (long-term evolution) capabilities, thanks to a small team of engineers at Microsoft. The Windows Phone Customer Experience Engineering (CXE) team recently finished a project that makes Windows Phones on the AT&T network, such as the new Nokia Lumina 900 and HTC Titan II phones announced last week, LTE-capable.

Not many U.S. cities in the AT&T network currently have LTE service, but Microsoft and its partners are staying ahead of customer demand. That’s what the Windows Phone CXE team is all about: creating leading-edge mobile technology before customers need it, and laying the foundation for new applications and functionality that even they can’t predict. (more…)

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IBM Survey Reveals Digital Behavioral Trends for Consumers: What is your Digital Personality?

*Media & Entertainment Providers Must Practice New Rules for Engagement, Digitizing Content is Not Enough*

ARMONK, N.Y. – 16 Apr 2012: A new IBM study of the media and entertainment market, reveals that as consumers adopt an increasing number of digital devices, four distinct new “digital personalities” are emerging. This shift is compelling companies to adopt more innovative business models that deliver personalized experiences. (more…)

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