Well, it's officially here: The last pre-release build drop before Windows 8 is released to manufacturing has arrived. Dubbed the Release Preview, the build sports quite a few noteworthy changes and improvements over the Consumer Preview.
JoinedFebruary 17, 2012
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Microsoft columnist at Redmond Pie.
Taking a seat at the All Things Digital conference, Tim Cook touched on a number of topics without revealing anything too delicious - including questions about an Apple TV, his role at the company now during the post-Jobs era, and Facebook, among some other things - but he also revealed a little tidbit about the beloved iPhone 4S. It's true; as some may have guessed, the 'S' in 4S definitely stands for Siri. On top of confirming this, he also did take the time to acknowledge that, in its current state at least, Siri does still have its bugs. When it works, it's an excellent product, but it often doesn't.
Google CEO Larry Page has just announced that the company has at last completed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which has been in the works for around 9 months now. Originally announced in August of last year, Google had plenty of regulatory approval hurdles in its way before it could finalize the move; but with the approval of the acquisition coming from China a few days ago, the company was finally able to seal the deal. Motorola Mobility has now been acquired by Google for $12.5 billion, meaning that the company paid $40 per share.
Facebook games are usually thought of as games that allow casual users to farm or run salons and shops, but that's about to change. On Monday, Ubisoft launched Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Commander as a game on the social networking site, intended to "accompany" the Ghost Recon Future Soldier console title that is set to touch down the day after (May 22nd).
While we don't officially know what Microsoft will be introducing to the major Windows Phone 8 Apollo update that the company plans to drop later this year, people are as usual making mockups of what the future OS could look like. Now normally, I dismiss concepts as they are usually either impractical, ridiculous, or both, but this one is actually a pretty simple idea that can help boost the consistency between Microsoft's desktop and mobile OSes.
With Windows 8 set for launch later this year, the debate is still raging on about the relatively radical design changes implemented by Microsoft in the OS. Now, before I go on, I want to note that I'm not the type that's resistant to change. Improvement and progress is welcome, and I really don't mind adjusting to changes of any sort. But, the issue isn't with people like me; it's with users that struggled to understand Windows as it was before these radical changes.
In order to reassure buyers that they aren't purchasing a PC in vain - with Windows 8 on the horizon and all - Microsoft will be conducting a special promotion (as Mary-Jo Foley revealed last week) during which they will provide Windows 8 Pro to buyers of Windows 7-based PCs (on or after June 2) for a low cost. But how low? Today, Paul Thurrott reported that he's hearing word from his sources that this promotional offer will be priced at $14.99.
According to reports, while the next-generation iPhone is still slated for an October release, Apple are still deciding on design specifics and are yet to finalize anything. So, the giant-screened aluminum monstrosity that is the wet dream of most iPhone concept artists is not a guarantee. As iMore notes, Apple unsurprisingly - they are a highly design-oriented company after all - extensively prototypes all future devices that they plan on releasing.
So, what has been foreshadowed and rumored over the past couple of months was recently officially announced by Microsoft in yet another fairly lengthy post on the Building Windows 8 blog: The company will be ditching the Windows Live brand. The products will continue to exist, of course, but they will no longer be under the umbrella of the Windows Live branding; instead, everything will be unified through what is called a Microsoft Account, formerly known as a Windows Live ID. We'll have SkyDrive, Hotmail, and Messenger as services, which will be accessible on Windows 8 via the SkyDrive, Mail, and Messaging apps, respectively (this begs the question; is the future bleak for the actual Windows Live Messenger client?)
Following some mild teasing at events like the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, AT&T has just officially announced that it's entering the home automation and security business with its Digital Life suite of services to compete with the likes of Crestron, Lutron, and other noteworthy providers of premium home automation. To deliver the functionality demanded of home automation, an array of connected devices will be provided such as cameras, window and door sensors, smoke, carbon monoxide, motion, and glass break sensors, door locks, thermostats, moisture detection, and appliance power controls.
