Although we're closing in on the end of Q2 already this year, there's still plenty for us tech enthusiasts to look forward to. Microsoft's release of the Windows 8 operating system is one of them, and according to a number of reports, the Release Preview (formerly referred to as the Release Candidate), has been built, which means the end-user release of Windows 8 is now in sight.
Android on tablets is something of a mixed bag. Effectively taking the smartphone incarnation of Android and turning into a larger version, Google added a few visual niceties that some would argue still don't quite take advantage of the extra screen space afforded by something like a tablet.
More legal shenanigans today, with the news that Motorola is on the receiving end of some bad news with regards to an existing spat with Microsoft over the use of technology inside Android tablets and smartphones.
Although Microsoft has born the brunt of much criticism throughout the tech industry over the years, the Redmond-based software maker has had a comparatively good last couple of years. The Xbox 360 is the number one console, Windows Phone is growing steadily, and the Windows 8 Consumer Preview dropped earlier this year to widespread critical acclaim.
Anyone who is familiar with the comings and goings of the consumer technology industry will be more than au fait with Microsoft's Kinect sensor and its associated attachments. What started out as a motion sensing accessory for Xbox 360 gamers has grown to be so much more, with people adapting the technology to be used in a number of different innovative and exciting situations.
Although Apple's iPhone remains one of the most popular and sought-after devices on the market, the news earlier this month of Samsung taking its crown as the number one smartphone manufacturer will have sent alarm bells ringing. To make matters worse, it has now been revealed that Microsoft's Windows Phone has overtaken the fruit company's iPhone in terms of market share in China - the largest market in the world.
Nokia was once the untouchably dominant force within the mobile industry, but its Symbian OS was gradually eclipsed by iOS and Android, leaving the Finnish outfit with no choice but to hop on the back of Redmond-based Microsoft and its fledgling Windows Phone OS. In all fairness to Nokia, it has gone pretty gung-ho hitherto, putting much effort into the flagship Lumia series which has in turn yielded an army of fans – most notably Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak.
In the gaming world, one of the biggest franchises around is without doubt the Halo series. The fourth installment to the series is greatly-anticipated, and it has been revealed today by Microsoft that Halo 4 will offer a sleuth of multiplayer options, including a weekly “Spartan Ops” episodic series.
If you are a fan of cricket and happen to own a Windows Phone device, then you are in luck today, for a new app has been released that promises to be right up your street.
As the technology world keenly awaits further updates (and soon, a Release Candidate) of Windows 8, the software maker is seemingly focused on a big push with regards to Xbox and Kinect. As well as the purported Kinect Play Fit package, which would place stronger emphasis on Kinect's fitness and well-being prowess, the Redmond-based outfit is said to be testing a modded version of Internet Explorer 9 on the Xbox 360 console.
