How to Remove Windows 8.1 Store Apps with PowerShell (when they won’t go quietly).

Here’s an issue that I’ve only experienced once myself, but that anecdotal evidence says may not be a completely uncommon occurrence for some users.

You install an app from the Windows Store that either doesn’t install correctly (most likely due to an issue from the developer) or you decide that isn’t really your cup of tea.

You open the Start menu and try to Uninstall the app normally, by right-clicking the app tile and then selecting Uninstall from the context menu below.

I’m using the really wonderful app Network Speed Test for this example ( I personally love this app, and have never had issue with uninstalling it, but again this is just for example).

Now in my experience the app that wouldn’t uninstall had no reaction to my clicking the Uninstall button. I didn’t get an error message, the app just didn’t uninstall.

The next step was to open up PowerShell and ‘get under the hood’ so to speak.  Open up Windows PowerShell as an Administrator.

At the PowerShell command prompt type ‘Get-appxpackage’ and hit enter.

The list of installed applications will scroll past.  You’ll need to scroll back thru them to find the application you can’t remove.

Alternatively you can type ‘Get-appxpackage –Name *some portion of the name*’ to find your app package.

In the above example I typed ‘Get-appxpackage –Name *speed* to find the package for Microsoft.NetworkSpeedTest

From this same output we also get the PackageFullName which will use to remove the package.

Now type ‘remove-appxpackage’ with the full package name.  In my example I typed ‘remove-appxpackage Microsoft.NetworkSpeedTest_1.0.0.23_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe –confirm’

The –confirm switch gives you a nice prompt to let you verify what you are doing before you commit.  Hitting ‘Y’ the default proceeds with the Uninstall.

And now the pesky app is uninstalled (though in my test case I’ll be re-installing that app immediately). " yeah it's a copyied post .. but i thought that that it as useful .. and i want to use it frequently so i posted here "

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor system requirements are even higher than Watch Dogs

Do you remember Shadow of Mordor? You're forgiven if not, because, as generic fantasy names go, it's almost memorably unmemorable. If you need a refresher, the announcement trailer is an adequate primer for Warner Brothers' upcoming Assassin's Creed-meets-Lord of the Rings fantasy action-'em-up.

In preparation for its October release, a Steam listing has appeared. With it, are the game's PC system requirements. For those recently stung by Watch Dogs' high demands, these specifications may provide a familiar feeling of computational inadequacy.

Minimum: 
OS: 64-bit: Vista, Win 7, Win 8
Processor: Intel Core i5-750, 2.67 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 965, 3.4 GHz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 | AMD Radeon HD 6950
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 25 GB available space

Recommended: 
OS: 64-bit: Win 7, Win 8
Processor: Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz | AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 | AMD Radeon HD 7970
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 40 GB available space

To compare, we're seeing a similar 64-bit OS restriction. And while the minimum RAM requirement is lower, the recommended GPU is higher; recommending the newer GTX 670, over Watch Dogs' suggestion of a GTX 560. source by pcgames

As with Watch Dogs, Shadow of Mordor is releasing on Xbox 360 and PS3 as well as PC and current-gen consoles. So while this is a good suggestion of where system requirements are heading, it's possible that the size of these games are still being set by the older hardware. As we move away from the last-gen, we should get an even better idea of the components needed to stay competitive.

Google has released a video (embedded below) showing a glimpse of what’s going on behind the scenes at Project Ara, one of the hardware shunkworks projects coming out of its Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP). The ATAP group is also working on a 3D mapping handset which Google showed off in February, called Project Tango.

Google has released a video (embedded below) showing a glimpse of what’s going on behind the scenes at Project Ara, one of the hardware shunkworks projects coming out of its Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP). The ATAP group is also working on a 3D mapping handset which Google showed off in February, called Project Tango.

Project Ara is the codename for the modular phone concept that Motorola was working on, and which Google retained when it sold the rest of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo.

As Google’s moonshots go, Project Ara is relatively tame — compared to Project Loon‘s connectivity balloons, say. Or the biggie, Calico: Google’s attempt to hack death.

But deconstructing the complexity of a smartphone and refashioning it as a bunch of swappable components which can be slotted together in various custom combinations by the user is clearly no cake walk.

Nor is getting people to grok the concept of speccing out their own phone in hardware terms. (Although, really, when you think about it, the modular hardware concept is much like the modular software that users are now very comfortable with — aka apps.)

Designing an interface to explain the modular smartphone concept to users is something the video touches on, with an Ara configurator app shown to be in the works. ”We’re really trying to make this interface as simple as possible, and as spacially intuitive as we can,” says Eric Gunther, co-founder of SoSo Ltd, an interactive design studio that’s working with Google’s ATAP on the design of this app.

The connecting force Google is going to use to bind all the phone blocks in each modular device is magnetism. Or “electro-permanent magnetism”, as the video puts it — which presumably means the magnetism is switched on when you want the device to stay together, and off when you want to swap out components.

Making sure those connections are robust enough for everyday use is going to be a key requirement of the Ara project. Things fall apart, sure; but smartphone owners aren’t going to want their phone to do so in their jacket pocket.

The video also includes a view of the metal exoskeleton where prototype modules are being tested by the ATAP team:

Plus, there’s a glimpse of how different size configurations of the modular device might look in terms of end-user design —  with phablet, standard and small handsets being specced out – albeit, in render form at this nascent stage:

The most interesting thing about the video — which very much has the feel of a crowdfunding pitch video you might find on Kickstarter or Indiegogo — is that Google is clearly continuing to put marketing muscle behind Project Ara to try to get outsiders excited about the prospect of a modular device.

It’s running a two-day developer conference for the device this month, which likely explains the release timing of this video.

The conference is the first in a series planned for this year, with the first event focusing on the alpha release of the Ara Module Developers’ Kit (MDK) — to get developers building Ara modules. More events are planned, so expect more details about Ara to keep dropping, piece by piece. source by TC.

FireChat for Android launched, lets users chat without a data connection

A new mobile messaging application called FireChat is empowering nearby smartphone users to stay in touch even when there's no cellular service or Internet connection.

In just two weeks since its release on the iPhone, FireChat already has provided a flicker of hope for people pining for more effective, secure and affordable ways to communicate. That's because the free messaging app harnesses a technology called wireless mesh networking, which might someday allow a myriad of devices to connect like links in a chain.

The technique might someday be used to tie together thousands of devices with built-in radios and make it possible to be online without having to pay for the access. It could also enable online communications in remote areas or disaster zones without Wi-Fi or cellular signals. Furthermore, the conversations in these so-called "off-the-grid" networks can't be easily hacked into by spies and mischief makers or shut down by governments trying to stifle free speech.

"We trying to create networks built by the people for the people," said Micha Benoliel, CEO of Open Garden, maker of the FireChat app.

Open Garden, a San Francisco startup with just 10 employees, is taking another step toward its ambitious goal with Thursday's release of a FireChat app for Android phones.

FireChat could be an even hotter commodity on Android given the demographic differences between that platform's user base and the typical iPhone owner. The app already has been installed on more than 1 million iOS devices.

(Also see: FireChat lets you chat without a data connection)

Many smartphones running on Google Inc.'s free Android software are cheaper than Apple Inc.'s iPhone. That has made Android phones the top-selling mobile devices in less affluent countries, including in regions where Internet access is inadequate or expensive.

Google is among the big Internet companies intrigued with mesh networking's potential to bring more of the world online.

Sundar Pichai, Google's executive in charge of Android, has touted mesh networks as a way to connect wearable computers, such as the company's Glass eyewear. Mesh networks also could be used to bring a wide variety of everyday appliances online, helping to build an Internet of things instead of just websites.

FireChat's reach so far is limited. When connecting off the grid, iPhone app users have only been able to send text and photos to other FireChat users within a range of 30 to 100 feet.

Later this year, Open Garden plans to upgrade FireChat's iPhone app so off-the-grid users will be able to hopscotch through a daisy chain of devices to extend the reach of a local network. If this works, a FireChat user sitting in the right-field bleachers of a baseball game would be able to text with a friend on the other side of the stadium if enough other iPhone users in the ballpark also are on FireChat.

This extended range will be available immediately on FireChat's Android app because Open Garden released a mesh networking app for that operating system nearly two years ago.

FireChat's iPhone app piggybacks on an often overlooked feature called the Multipeer Connectivity Framework that Apple Inc. included in its latest mobile operating system, iOS 7, released last September. Apple says more than 80 percent of people using its mobile devices rely on iOS 7.

For now, Android phones and iPhones with the FireChat app won't be able to engage in off-the-grid conversation. Open Garden, though, believes it will eventually be able to make mesh networking work on phones running on different operating systems.

As the mesh networking software improved, Benoliel realized Open Garden needed to come up with application to demonstrate what the technology could do. In that practical sense, FireChat is similar to the word processing and spreadsheet programs that Microsoft released decades ago to help broaden the appeal of its Windows operating system for personal computers, said Christophe Daligault, Open Garden's marketing chief.

FireChat's development was driven by the popularity of other mobile messaging apps such as Snapchat and WhatsApp that enabled smartphone users to text and send pictures to their friends and family without having to pay smartphone carriers.

Like texts and photos sent on Snapchat, nothing transmitted through FireChat is saved. All content evaporates once the app is closed. FireChat also allows all its users to remain anonymous, another feature that is becoming popular on a variety of mobile messaging apps, such as Wickr and Rumr.

There still aren't enough people using FireChat to ensure users will find someone nearby to message. To pique people's interest in the app, FireChat offers an "everyone" option that allows users to enter a digital chat room with up to 80 other random users located in the same country. This option requires a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

Dailigault concedes FireChat's chat room isn't as high-minded as mesh networking.

"We are finding a lot of people are using it when they are just looking for something to do for a few minutes," Dailigault said. "Some of the discussions there are turning out to be more interesting than anything they can find on Facebook."

FireChat lets you chat without a data connection

Move over WhatsApp. Here comes a revolutionary chatting app that has taken the mobile messaging to another level.

With this, you are able to send and receive messages even when you do not have an actual Internet or Wi-Fi data connection.

Yes, you read it right.

This iOS-enabled app uses Apple's Multipeer Connectivity framework essentially a peer-to-peer feature that lets you share messages with other app users nearby.

"FireChat allows the device to connect directly to others nearby using Bluetooth, peer-to-peer Wi-Fi or traditional Wi-Fi networks so you do not actually need a data connection," Micha Benoliel, CEO of Open Garden firm that developed the app was quoted as saying.

The Apple's Multipeer Connectivity APIs can be used for everything from collaborative editing and file sharing, to multiplayer gaming and sensor aggregation, said a report in wired.com.

How does it function?

The app browses for other users nearby while simultaneously broadcasting to peers that it is available to connect to. According to the company, this "Nearby" mode works best when the devices are within 30-feet.

This allows you to be invited into a "session" with multiple users. Each user has to be within range of just one member of the chat, so the mesh can spread outwards and cover a lot more range as more people join in.

Once a session invitation is accepted, you can directly communicate with those other users independent of a cellular signal or Wi-Fi access.

This creates what is called "wireless mesh network".

According to Benoliel, "Messages also get deleted as soon as you close the app so you remain anonymous."

However, in "Nearby" mode, you do not have any choice over who receives your messages they go out to anyone within range, the report added. There is also an "Everyone" mode, which sends the messages over a data connection so you can chat with friends who are not physically nearby. This is being segmented into chatrooms of 80 users each as the initial rush of downloads made it untenable to keep all users on a single chat.

Apple sold 700 million iOS devices by last October. Many are already using the latest Multipeer Connectivity-supporting version of iOS.

Within a week of its launch, FireChat has been being downloaded from the App Store more than 100,000 times a day. soource by NDTV.gadgets

2014 DSK Hyosung GT250R facelift launched in India at Rs 2.76 lakh

DSK Hyosung has launched the updated GT250R with a more aggressive design and new colours. The facelift gets sporty graphics and minor design tweaks along with new headlamps. The bike is now available in three colour options which include red titanium, white titanium and black titanium; all these colours now get a three tone shade to give it a sportier appearance.

Powering this so-called ‘Big Boy’ is an oil-cooled, V-twin, four-stroke engine that develops 28PS at 10,000rpm with a max torque of 22.07Nm available from 8000rpm.

The bike is available from today – April 1, 2014 – and has been priced at Rs 2,76,000 (ex-showroom, Pune) and can be bought at any of the 36 company outlets spread across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Shirish Kulkarni, Chairman, DSK Hyosung said, “Popularly known as ‘The Big Boy’, GT250R has always received an exceptional response from the super biking community in India. We are very dynamic as an organization and have always adapted ourselves as per the changing customer profile, preferences and purchase decisions. Over the years we have tracked this behavior and incorporated elements of customer feedback in this New GT250 R. I am confident that this exciting avatar will appeal to the new-age speed aficionados who are looking for not only great technology but unmatched aesthetics and sporty looks”.

DSK Hyosung launches 'The Big Boy' GT250 R in an exciting new avatar

DSK Hyosung launches ‘The Big Boy’ GT250 R in an exciting new avatar The New GT250R launched in three appealing colour option Enhancement in terms of advanced futuristic styling, sporty graphics, three tone colour option and aggressive design elements Attractively priced at Rs. 2,76,000 (ex-showroom Pune) Mumbai 1st April, 2014: DSK Hyosung today launched its best selling bike in an exciting new look the - New GT250 R. This latest offering from the DSK Hyosung stable embodies the elements of advanced futuristic styling, sporty graphics and aggressive design elements like stylish new headlamps among others. Add to this will be the three exciting colour options of Red Titanium, White Titanium and Black Titanium each of which will be available in three tone shade. Powered with a V twin-cylinder and an oil-cooled 4-stroke engine, the New GT250 R produces 27.6 Bhp of maximum power at 10000 rpm, and 22.07Nm of maximum torque at 8000 rpm. Sharing his thoughts on the launch of the superbike Mr. Shirish Kulkarni, Chairman DSK Hyosung said: “Popularly known as ‘The Big Boy’, GT250R has always received an exceptional response from the super biking community in India. We are very dynamic as an organization and have always adapted ourselves as per the changing customer profile, preferences and purchase decisions. Over the years we have tracked this behavior and incorporated elements of customer feedback in this New GT250 R. I am confident that this exciting avatar will appeal to the new-age speed aficionados who are looking for not only great technology but unmatched aesthetics and sporty looks. This superbike has been attractively priced at Rs. 2,76,000 (ex-showroom Pune)”. This new mean machine will be retailed through all 36 DSK Hyosung brand outlets spread across the country. Technical Specifications – New GT250R Engine: 4 Stroke, DOHC 8 Valve 75O V-Twin 249 CC, Oil Cooled Max Power: 28 BHP @ 10000 rpm / 20.59 KW @ 10000 rpm Max Torque: 22.07 Nm @ 8000 rpm Fuel System: Fuel Injection Transmission: 5 speed L x W x H: 2090 x 700 x 1130 mm Wheel Base: 1435 mm Brake F: 300 mm Hydraulic double disc brake R: 230 mm Hydraulic single disc brake Suspension: F: Inverted Telescopic R: Progressive Linkage Hydraulic Mono shock suspension Tyre: F: 110/70 -17 54h Tyre:R: 150/70 -17 69h Mass : 188 Kg Top Speed: 140 Kmph About DSK Hyosung Established in 2012, DSK Motowheels, a part of the DSK Group (Diversified business group with a turnover of over Rs. 5000 crores) forayed into the growing automobile sector by entering the niche segment of powerful and aspirational bikes in association with Hyosung (Part of S&T Motors – Korea.). The company assembles and markets these superbikes under the brand name of DSK Hyosung. Taking forward the company’s rich legacy and dynamic entrepreneurship, Mr. Shirish Kulkarni, Chairman DSK Hyosung, spearheads the brand‘s operations in India with a primary objective of providing a world class super biking experience. With a CKD plant in Maharashtra, the brand enjoys the status of having the strongest most well entrenched superbike network in India. Being a leading super biking brand of global repute, Hyosung is known for its high-end biking experience, extended product line, technology and quality. Hyosung dominates the super biking market in the US, South America, UK, Australia and many Asian countries including India.