It has taken a fairly long time for Microsoft's Office suite to reach the mobile scene, and even though the launches for iOS and Android are now official, the Redmond company neglected to bring support for Apple's iPad right off the bat. Outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has assured iPad users that touch support for the larger displays of Apple's iDevice is forthcoming, adding that work is "in progress," and that users can still access Office Web Apps using their browser.
We already know that Microsoft is committed to prove themselves as a hardware company. The introduction of the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 in New York last month pretty much confirmed that the Redmond based company aren't planning on licking their original Surface wounds and shying away from a competitive market. October 22nd is the date that was given during that dedicated event, and as the launch date gets ever closer, we are now seeing some Surface 2 promotional videos that show consumers exactly what they'll be getting if they part with their hard earned dollars.
As well as delivering plenty of insight into its upcoming Xbox One console along with some of the many launch titles set to be available when the November release date arrives, Microsoft has been doing a pretty stellar job of talking up the next-gen Kinect, which will ship with each and every newly-purchased Xbox One. We've already seen some of the many powerful features on offer with the new device, including the ability to recognize two different voices when they're talking at the same time, and and an intriguing new video clip offers perhaps the most vicarious look yet through the eye of the sensor.
The announcement of Steve Ballmer's retirement and the multi-billion dollar acquisition of Nokia has managed to keep the roller-coaster ride - that is modern Microsoft - ticking along nicely. Today brings some fresh and positive news regarding the Windows operating system. Microsoft's latest iteration of Windows will be officially launching around the world on October 18th, but customers can make sure they get Windows 8.1 at the earliest opportunity with pre-orders of the OS now available.
There's little doubt that the big topic of discussion surrounding Windows 8's launch last year was the removal of the Start button that we had all grown to love ever since its addition in Windows 95. The cornerstone, and literally living in the corner of Windows ever since, the Start button was unceremoniously removed in Windows 8 as Microsoft tried to push its users towards the Metro/Modern interface that it hoped would replace the old way we navigated our apps, settings and documents.
A couple of months back, Microsoft confirmed that CEO Steve Ballmer would be retiring in a matter of months, and now, the Redmond company's head honcho has delivered a poignant farewell speech to the company he has manned for well over a decade.
It's the bane of many a Windows user's life. When you're using it more frequently than your poor digits care to stretch, it's often a tell-tale sign that you're opening too many apps and lagging your PC up, or you have some sort of malware / infectious outbreak on your hands. I am, of course, referring to the famed Ctrl-Alt-Del combination often sought by Windows users as a last resort to the Task Manager as well as a login mechanism, and after umpteen years as an omni-present feature, Microsoft co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates has stepped out and confirmed that it was actually a mistake.
Since Microsoft's Kinect peripheral really brought motion-based interaction to the fore, a bunch of companies have sought to take things a step further, and having already been dazzled by Leap Motion's effort to manipulate Windows by means of air gestures, it would seem that Microsoft is now working on a way to integrate Kinect with its flagship operating system.
Microsoft has finally lifted the lid on the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, the latter of which the company is touting as "the most productive, professional tablet in the world." Although the original Surface range may not have made the kind of impression that the software maker had hoped, the Surface Pro proved itself more than worthy of a second shot, and with the Surface Pro 2, the Redmond has certainly not been shy with improvements. Details of both can be found right after the jump!
With all the news being taken up with Apple and its almost impossible to find smartphones, it's easy to forget that there were other big releases this week. Just days before the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c went on sale, arguably the biggest gaming release of the year happened.
