Ah Skype, the world wide web’s voice-over-internet protocol of choice and probably the most well known brand name to offer VoIP services. When Niklas Zennström originally created the Skype service, I often wondered if he had any idea that it would become such a popular platform around the world and that the might of Microsoft would ultimately come in and acquire the company like it did last year. For those that may have been living under a rather large rock for the last few years, Skype allows registered users to make worldwide voice calls via the internet as well as offering instant messaging-type services and is available on multiple platforms.
Unsatisfied with the lack of Metro on the Windows 8 "legacy" desktop, one Verge forum user took it upon himself to create mockups that depict what the OS would look like if Microsoft were to ditch Aero in favor of an entirely Metro user interface design.
We already knew that Microsoft was hard at work developing an iPad version of the still popular Office suite of apps, and now The Daily has managed to get some hands-on time with it.
Remember those leaked SkyDrive features I touched on in yesterday's editorial? Well, much of them remain in rumor territory. However, Microsoft has confirmed two things: One, a major SkyDrive update is in the pipeline, and two, the rumor that we're getting a SkyDrive desktop client is spot-on. In a Building Windows 8 post written by two SkyDrive program managers, Microsoft detailed the SkyDrive Metro app, the service's tight integration with Windows 8, SkyDrive on the desktop, and fetching files through SkyDrive.com.
Now, this is a fairly spontaneous rumor with little proof, so this one must be taken with a grain of salt: Microsoft is reportedly in talks with record labels on creating a new music service that caters to the Xbox and "an upcoming Windows-based phone".
Following Apple's announcement of its upcoming Mountain Lion OS yesterday, people naturally began producing comparisons between the two OSes, whether in the form of a jestful "Windows 8 vs. ML" tweet, or a clarifying blog post that reminds you - since you didn't know - that desktop OSes are beginning to draw a great deal of inspiration from their mobile counterparts. But really, that's about the only true similarity between Mountain Lion and Windows 8. Beyond this, Apple and Microsoft's approaches are so vastly different that the colossal void that lies between the opposing directions they have taken is large enough to accommodate all of those comparison posts from yesterday. So, let me commence this actually sensible comparison between the two approaches to the desktop and tablet markets.
Microsoft's Kinect was originally launched as a novel way of playing games which took the motion control gaming of the Nintendo Wii and made it truly controller-free. Using a camera and microphone, the Kinect changed the way we interact with our Xbox 360s, though whether much more than a novelty or a gimmick remains to be seen.
Browsers, browsers everywhere, but which browser is your personal preference for all of your world wide web navigational needs? We tend to find that different browsers have different strong advantages and disadvantages over one another, but as with a lot of things in life; one of the key characteristics of a good browser is pure unadulterated speed.
With the release of any new piece of consumer technology, especially an eagerly anticipated release, we expect a certain amount of rumors and speculations going side by side with it. However, as the conjecture flies in from all different angles, it sometimes becomes difficult to establish what is actually based on some form of reality and what is purely fabrication. The release of the next generation Xbox console is hot news, and rightly so in our opinion considering the current 360 is one of the world’s most popular consoles with millions of gamers around the world using it on a daily basis.
Regardless of whether you are a fan of the Apple iPhone or not, it is very difficult to argue with the freight train momentum and success that the mobile smartphone has achieved in the last five years. Judging by the statistics that surround the sales of the phone, and the record breaking financial results posted by Apple for the end of 2011, it seems that the popularity of the iPhone is set to rise and rise with every release.
