Microsoft Reveals Windows 10 Details

Microsoft today offered an early first look at its forthcoming Windows 10 operating system, which will run on PCs, tablets, and phones. Microsoft said it is taking a new, more user-centric approach with Windows 10. It is incorporating the feedback it received about Windows 8/8.1 and is making sure to add user requested features, such as the old Start menu. The company now views Windows more as a service and it will provide continual updates. 

Microsoft said Windows 10 will be a free upgrade during its first year of availability, for example, to all devices running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1. Windows 10 for PCs and tablets will gain features from Windows Phone, including the Action Center and Cortana, Microsoft's voice activated personal assistant. Windows devices with screens 8 inches and larger will include the "desktop experience." Smaller devices will have an altered experience more suited for phones. A rough build of the phone centric version of Windows 10 features a revised settings menu that has new graphics. 

Windows 10 also allows users to move the keyboard around on the screen if they so wish. The entire Windows 10 platform will include Skype more firmly entrenched across apps. Furthermore, full versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that closely match the desktop variants will be included in Windows Phone 10. 

All Windows 10 devices will have a new Outlook client, which has been revised with the Word engine. Other major app rewrites include the calendar, photo gallery, and Internet Explorer, which is based on Project Spartan, a complete overhaul of the browser. Lastly, the entire platform will more broadly support Xbox gaming, including PC to Xbox play. Microsoft said the first preview of Windows 10 for phones will be available to "insiders" beginning in February.

Source: Microsoft News

Microsoft Reportedly Working On Windows 9 OS

Microsoft is currently planning to use the Windows 9 branding and vision as a way to move away from some of the criticisms of the Windows 8 operating system. It’s not clear what type of changes will be made to Windows 9 with Metro 2.0, inside the new OS will reportedly include a major focus on improving Microsoft’s new app world and tiles. Previous rumors have suggested Microsoft is planning to separate out its Windows 8 style apps to allow them to float and run in separate windows on the traditional desktop. 

Microsoft will reportedly use three major milestone development points for Windows 9, but it’s not clear how many of them will be released to the public during the development period. The software maker is currently in the final planning stages for Windows 9 and work is expected to begin after the Build 2014 developer conference in April. It sounds like Microsoft will use Build 2014 as a launch point for its vision of Windows 9, detailing some of the planned changes in an attempt to generate excitement around the company’s future plans.

Windows 8.1 said To Launch On October 18th

Microsoft continues to finalize its Windows 8.1 update, but the company revealed today that it plans to make it available on October 18th. The free update will be listed in the Windows Store for existing Windows 8 users at 7AM ET on October 17th, with boxed copies, new hardware, and a full retail release on October 18th. The final copy of Windows 8, known as Release to Manufacturing (RTM), is expected to be made available to PC makers and partners in the coming weeks. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans previously revealed that Microsoft plans to update and patch Windows 8.1 in the weeks leading up to the October release.

Samsung Announces The ATIV Q

Samsung has announced the ATIV Q, a hybrid tablet running both Windows 8 and Android. Samsung Executive Vice President DJ Lee said that the device is “versatile and adaptable” and can switch between four positions.

The ATIV Q features a 13.3-inch qHD+ screen with a 3200×1800 resolution. Samsung says it is one of the “best displays you’ll ever see on a mobile device.” The company also says it will be very easy to use and see in bright sunshine. To switch between Android and Windows 8, you simply need to tap the hardware button under the display. You can also pin Android apps onto the Windows 8 start screen.

The device has a unique hinge that allows the screen to sink into the keyboard for tablet use, or rise up and bend several ways for usage with a keyboard. There is no trackpad, however, so you are stuck using a touchscreen for everything, even with a keyboard.

The ATIV Q is powered by an Intel Haswell processor which should give you about 9 hours of battery life. Other specifications are unclear, however. It comes in at 13.9mm thin and is just 1.29kg (2.84 pounds) in weight and also features the Samsung S Pen, which Samsung says is optimized for both Windows 8 and Android.

Meet The Asus Transformer AiO Part Android, Part Windows 8

Asus launched on Thursday the latest device in its Transformer line, and it certainly lives up to the name.

The Transformer AiO P1801 is part tablet, part PC, with the ability to switch from Windows 8 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with the click of a button. The versatility factor gets better too. The tablet can sit on a PC station, equipped with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and serve as a desktop computer. But when you're ready to use it far from the confines of a desk, the tablet can be removed. Both the tablet and PC station comes with its own processor.

The bundled set is $1299 and will be available for purchase starting April 12.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind. The 18.4-inch tablet which boasts a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor isn't exactly light in the hands. It's big, and heavy too: 5.28 pounds. This isn't the type of device you'd throw into your bag and go, but it does offer flexibility of setting up shop in another room. That's how Asus is billing the concept. It also comes with a stand for easy leaning.

Other Transformer AiO P1801 tablet specs include a LED backlit display (1920 x 1080) with 10-point touch, meaning you can use all your fingers at once on the screen 2GB DDR3-1600 memory, 32 GB of storage, microSD card reader, built-in microphone, a mini USB 2.0 port and a 33W input charging port. ASUS says the battery should run for about five hours, playing 5 hours of HD video and 15 hours playing music.

Meanwhile, the PC station runs an Intel Core i5-3350P quad core processor, with 8GB DDR-1600 memory, built-in speakers and a slew of features including an optical drive, SD card reader and an HDMI port. It weighs in at about 9 pounds.

To go between Android and Windows 8, which is also touchscreen-friendly, a button on the side of the device will switch the operating system.

The concept in theory is a smart one, allowing users the option of customizing how they want to use the device, but in practice, we're not quite sure how well this would work.

Netflix App To Be Available For The Surface Tablets

We overlooked an interesting feature mentioned last night at the Microsoft Surface tablet event. The Netflix app.

Microsoft showcased the Netflix app during last night's presentation saying it supported semantic zoom and that the Netflix app would be ready when Windows 8 launches later this year.

We're guessing that with SmartGlass you could start a Netflix movie on your Xbox console, pause it and resume watching the movie on your Surface tablet or Windows Phone. With the kickstand feature on the Surface, the tablet sounds ideal for mobile movie watching.

Microsoft Unveils Surface Tablet

Microsoft on Monday announced the Surface tablet during a press conference in Los Angeles, California. Rumors leading up to the event suggested that the Redmond-based company had an own-brand tablet in store, and a leaked spec sheet that emerged on Monday pointed to an Xbox-focused slate that would merge entertainment, gaming and high-definition output into a 7-inch tablet that would mark Microsoft’s premiere entry into the market. Bits and pieces of various rumors ended up panning out, and Microsoft unveiled its first own-brand Windows tablet line.


“Surface fulfills the dream of working anywhere,” Microsoft said of the 9.3-millimeter thick tablet, which includes a magnesium case that weighs less than 1.5 pounds and features an integrated stand to prop the device up while watching videos or typing on a Bluetooth keyboard. The 10.6-inch high-definition display on the Surface is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, and it includes a magnetic connector to hold a case in place.

The new Surface tablet ships with a number of popular Microsoft apps, including Xbox live, and it includes a native Netflix app as well. USB 2.0 and HDMI-out ports are both on board, as are rear and front-facing cameras. An Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor powers the Surface along with a unique vented active cooling system.

Microsoft’s Surface tablet supports both finger and stylus input, as well as 600 dpi “Digital Ink” for drawing, writing and marking up documents. The device also supports a “Touchcover” with an integrated keyboard.

“This was built as a stage for Windows 8,” Microsoft’s Panos Panay said while on stage at the press conference. “It was important that we have hardware fade to the background so Windows 8 can come to the surface.”

Two Surface tablets will be available at launch, one running Windows 8 Pro and one running Windows RT, and pricing will be “like comparable tablets based on ARM” for the RT model, and in line with Ultrabooks for the Windows 8 Pro version. The Windows RT model will be available with either 32GB or 64GB of storage, and the Windows 8 Pro model will come with either 64GB or 128GB of storage.

More information about the new Surface Tablet can be found on Microsoft’s website.

HP Announces It Will Be Making Tablets Again

At its Global Influencer Summit this week in Shanghai, China, HP's executives were questioned by several reporters about the company's plans for tablets, a market it has essentially been out of since it cancelled the TouchPad and all other webOS devices last year. In response, CEO Meg Whitman and EVP for Printing and Personal Systems Todd Bradley announced that HP was resuming production of consumer tablets...running Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system with "cloud-based technology" for shared content across devices.

Sadly for our community, there were no reported mentioned by Whitman, Bradley or anyone else from HP about the role HP's Open webOS initiative might play in the revived tablet product line, or otherwise on HP's hardware. We can only hope that, whether by design or through the efforts of our wonderful homebrew/webOS hacker community, we will be able to run Open webOS on new tablets and other devices at some point in the near future.

Nokia Looking To Enter The Tablets Market

Nokia may have posted a massive $1.7 billion loss for Q1 of this year, but the company is trying to fight back with its Lumia Windows Phones in partnership with Microsoft. What else does the company have up its sleeve going forward? Jorma Ollila, chairman of Nokia, has revealed that the company is looking into the possibility of a tablet, and some other form factors too.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Ollila said: “Tablets are an important one, so that is being looked into.” He also alluded to other form factors being researched: “And there will be different hybrids, different form factors in the future.”

When asked about Nokia’s current situation, Ollila said that he was happy with the way things were progressing, and that it was only natural for it to take time for Nokia to find its way back into the market. “When you have such strong competitors in the marketplace it will take a bit of time but things are going well.”

It comes just after Nokia’s design chief revealed in March that Nokia was indeed working on a tablet, saying that he was devoting a third of his time to the project. Rumors indicated that Nokia would be using Windows on ARM, with a dual-core Qualcomm chip and 10.1-inch display. The tablet is said to launch sometime towards the end of the year, Q4.

Presentation Shows Off HP’s First Windows 8 Tablet

Windows 8 isn’t expected to drop until the end of 2012, but HP may already be preparing to shop around one tablet equipped with Microsoft’s upcoming OS. An internal slide cleverly titled “The Right Business Touch” acquired by Neowin reveals what appears to be a device quite clearly aimed at the enterprise crowd, touting security features that include HP ProtectTools and support for HP’s Computrance.

In addition, the alleged HP Slate 8 will integrate with Windows 8 Professional and come with both multi-touch and stylus support. Other information includes a 9.22mm frame (thinner than the iPad) and an 8-10 hour battery life.

HP CEO Meg Whitman previously said back in February that the company “has big plans to get back into the tablet market,” with Windows 8 being HP’s preferred OS. Whitman also said the device would run on an x86 chip and, wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly what Neowin claims the device above will have.

While this is most likely just a render, if the information being reported turns out to be true then HP certainly does have big plans indeed.

Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 Update Now Available



The Windows Phone SDK 7.1.1 Update provides developers with additional capabilities to develop and test applications for Windows Phone 7.5 Devices with 256MB. And also will allow developers to code Windows Phone applications from PCs running Windows 8. The tools are on Microsoft's Windows Phone web site.