Windows 8's October 26th release date has been confirmed, and in the meantime, Redmond-based Microsoft has been preparing all the associated bits and pieces usually associated with a major OS release, including Visual Studio 2012 and .NET Framework 4.5 which have both been released to MSDN and TechNet today.
Although Facebook is undoubtedly the world’s largest social network with the rest of the offerings paling into insignificance by comparison, the recent public attention that has been lavished on the company in the last few months is enough to make even Mark Zuckerberg and his team feel a little pressure. The acquisition of Instagram and the company's initial public offering have made sure that all eyes are firmly fixed on Palo Alto.
With Microsoft pushing the Release Preview of Windows 8 and a Release Candidate build of Windows Server 2012 today, it seems that the download fun doesn't end there, with Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 RC also being available for users to download. Users can now start preparing for what Microsoft call the "next generation of development", claiming that developers can't predict the future, but they can get there first.
To pile on to today's barrage of news and beta software releases - in case you've been living under a rock, I'm referring to the release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Windows Server 8 beta - Microsoft has also released the Visual Studio 11 Beta with .NET 4.5 Beta for download.
At the end of January we brought you quite an exciting article which focused on a new project called iOSOpenDev which aimed to make the process of creating 'open' iOS tweaks for jailbroken devices significantly easier. The idea alone of a project such as iOSOpenDev should be enough to make the world stand up and take notice that the art of jailbreaking an iDevice isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but the actual release of the initial version is surely enough to prove that the community means business.
Believe it or not, the BlackBerry PlayBook was actually quite well-received from a technical point of view. The tablet device looked good, had decent and competitive specifications and aside from the glaring omission of native email handling, was a very accomplished device. So just what went wrong?
Unless you're without power and can't get to the Internet or watch TV, you're likely aware that Microsoft's BUILD conference is currently taking place. Microsoft kicked it off yesterday by showing off the next major upgrade for Windows, known as Windows 8, and today it focused on development for the platform.
As promised previously, iOS hacker comex has released the source code of his jailbreaking tool JailbreakMe 3.0. The code allows capable people to look through it and understand how JBme casts it spell on unassuming iOS devices.
Kinect, developed by Microsoft, is rather amazing. Thanks to a few cameras and sensors, this Xbox add-on can accurately detect body movements in real time. Thanks to the just-released SDK, which the Redmond company unveiled today, developers will be able to code their own applications for the device connected to Windows PCs, making good for more than just games.
Things are starting to hot up in the mobile operating system wars, with Apple's iOS and Android from Google battling it out for supremacy in the pockets of the world. While the two giants battle it out though, it's always worth remembering they aren't the only two boxers in this particular ring. Microsoft has high hopes for its Windows Phone 7 platform, though a lack of apps has held the OS back thus far. Now Microsoft is looking to rectify that by giving developers an easier way to port their iOS apps to WP7.
