The problem with running on old software is, you're always likely to be left behind. In order to coerce consumers into updating or upgrading, the newest software is developed first, and anybody left behind is, well, simply left behind. While those on Windows 8 can already enjoy Internet Explorer 10, anybody still straggling on Windows 7 will still be waiting for the new version, and although it's not quite ready for end-user release, a preview version has now been dropped by Microsoft.
Although, Apple essentially created the tablet market as we know it today with the release of the original iPad, they won't be sitting as easy as they have been in previous years as they watch other companies like Microsoft and Samsung release highly capable tablet devices that could potentially compete with the iPad for the first time since launch. Any tablet owner will be concerned with the display quality of the product that they have purchased, and for the first time, the Surface has been scientifically scrutinized alongside the other leading tablets on the market.
If you are a smartphone fan who prefers to step away from the likes of iOS and Android then this last week will have been an extremely exciting time with Windows Phone 8 hitting the market on some pretty powerful devices, and immediately starting to gain some traction in the smartphone industry. While it's going to take Microsoft a long time in current mobile market to compete on numbers with iOS and Android, the initial reaction to WP8 are generally positive. The Redmond company themselves are now trying to add to the Windows Phone 8 experience with the official preview release of their Skype app for the platform.
Microsoft certainly means business with Windows Phone 8, and it's easy to see why. The second major re-imagining of Windows Phone of recent years, this time around is arguably Microsoft's last chance to make its mobile operating system stick. With strong competition coming from Apple and Google, Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 is struggling to make any real impact.
Microsoft is certainly not shy about updating the software that powers its Xbox 360. They've even gone so far as to completely change the interface that gamers find themselves living in when using their game console, adding new features and changing how the whole experience works. They've even been known to add or alter features that are a little more obscure, too.
Windows Phone 7.x was never considered to be a slow operating system. In fact, considering it only supported single-core SoCs, it was very smooth indeed, but one nagging problem was always the speed of app launching. That issue is never more evident than when compared with the much newer Windows Phone 8, and a video test complied by Winsource shows just how much of an improvement Microsoft has made to its smartphone OS.
There is a little bit of a voice command battle going on at the moment in the mobile space, with Apple's digital Siri assistant and Google's Voice Search offering duking it out against one another for the affections of users. Both come with their own set of pros and cons and will only get better as we move forward into the future, but it seems that Microsoft's Research and Development teams have been working on something voice based of their own behind the scenes that could change the way humans interact with one another.
The long-awaited release of Halo 4 has finally arrived, and having waited some four-and-a-bit years for the fourth edition in the legendary series, gamers are finally able to dive in and get gaming. If you cast your minds back a bit - beyond the manic rush of the past couple of days - you may remember Microsoft's promise that gamers with high enough Gamerscore would be in the running for a couple of perks and rewards. True to its word, the Redmond company has come through on its announcement, and if you're an avid Halo 4 fan, you might want to prize yourself away from your Xbox 360 console for two minutes.
It has been a long time coming, but a version of Microsoft Office for iOS and Android is real, and while currently in the works, will be arriving early next year. As is frequently the case, the iOS version for iPhone and iPad will drop first, with an Android edition landing over at the Google Play Store at some point thereafter.
BlackBerry has, for the past seven or eight years, been one of the foremost mobile brands utilized by businesses thanks to its reputation as offering a secure experience, but with Research In Motion - the company behind BlackBerry, struggling to come to terms with the changing face of the mobile industry, many small companies will be looking elsewhere for their primary mode of communication.
