With Windows 8 just days away now, a bunch of apps have been confirmed - and subsequently begun - releasing for Microsoft's latest operating system. Earlier, we notified you of Skype for Windows 8's key new features, and to add to that, popular streaming content app Hulu Plus has now specially-adapted for the upcoming OS. More details after the jump!
Microsoft caused quite a stir last year when it announced the purchase of Skype for an eye-watering sum total of $8.5 billion. Some touted the sale price as grossly overvaluing of the company - one owned by eBay of course - but when one considers AOL paid 800 million bucks for Bebo, anything looks like a steal in comparison.
While Windows 8 is seen as a big step in the modernization of Microsoft, it appears the staff's behavior is a lot more in-keeping with the viral video-loving Digital Age we live in. Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft Executive and President of Windows and Windows Live division, was snapped using the upcoming tablet device as a skateboard throughout the Redmond grounds, and today, a clip has been released showing the tablet being dropped from thirty inches.
In addition to kindly providing the vital bits of information about their self-branded tablet, Microsoft has also taken the opportunity to post a rather informative video to YouTube that gives a behind the scenes look at what is actually involved in developing and manufacturing the Surface. Check out the full video after the jump.
Microsoft's Surface is one of the most sought-after slates to be releasing this year, and as such, one would expect anybody lucky enough to have their hands on one already to be treating it with the utmost care; enjoying a device very few people have even seen in the flesh. Of course, such rules don't apply to Steve Sinofsky - the leader of the team which has created the Surface - and in a rather comical sketch, has demonstrated how the device also doubles up as a rather useful skateboard.
As anybody in ownership of an Xbox 360 (or indeed, a PlayStation 3) will know, the wireless controllers are pretty versatile, and with minimal fuss, can be hooked up to many electronic products besides their respective console boxes. With the Microsoft Surface dropping next week, many were wondering whether the Redmond company's tablet would also support the Xbox's wireless controllers. In a day that has seen snaps of Steve Sinofsky skateboarding on a Surface around the Redmond complex, the software maker has taken another out-of-the-ordinary step in confirming via Reddit that the imminent slab will indeed be compatible with the Xbox game pads.
With the prices of the Microsoft Surface finally having leaked into the wild earlier, it seemed pretty inevitable pre-orders wouldn't be far behind, and that has wound up being the case today. If you've been saving your next tablet purchase until the grand launch of the software maker's tablet-plus-ultrabook, you'll be pleased to know that you can now pre-order your very own.
We all remember when Microsoft held a rather mysterious event that brought us the initial announcement and showcasing of the gorgeous looking Surface tablet. Microsoft managed to create something that we couldn't wait to get our hands on and try out, but unfortunately, the lines of communication seemed to stop with more information only recently starting to surface thanks to the looming launch date of the hardware. As part of the run-up to the official release on October 26th, the first Microsoft Surface TV advertisement has landed on the web, and to accompany the rather awesome looking ad; Microsoft (by accident we’re assuming) has slipped out the official pricing points of the Surface RT tablet.
The big release of Windows 8 and its many, many affiliated products and services is drawing strikingly close, and with tidbits of info arriving straight from the Redmond-based horse's mouth on an almost daily basis, Microsoft has today updated the world on the ins and outs of Xbox Music.
Microsoft seems to be getting pretty good at producing video commercials that make their products stand out from the rest. I'm pretty sure we have all seem the wonderful TV commercial for Internet Explorer that makes us actually want to give IE a second chance. Apart from that, we also recently saw the first Windows 8 ad going live that introduces us to the OS.
