The official launch of Windows 8 may still be weeks away but that hasn't stopped developers from getting themselves and their apps ready in time for the big launch, with the fantastic MetroTwit Twitter app being the latest to get an update. A number of online and physical retailers are starting to offer pre-order discounts for those who get their Windows 8 upgrade orders in early as well as multiple hardware manufacturers starting to take initial orders for Windows 8-based PCs and notebooks.
When it comes to mobile apps, we are used to large companies being way behind the game and playing by their own rules in terms of releasing updates and software to support new firmware, platforms and device specifications. You can forgive the lax attitude from indie developers who may not have as many resources to throw into development as large organizations have, but you would kind of expect the bigger companies to update their apps ahead of time. We definitely can't put Netflix in that bracket as they have already launched their Windows 8 compatible app ahead of time.
There has been a lot of talk about how Microsoft and retailers would actually deliver the final Windows 8 product to the users, and just to our liking; Amazon has shed a little light on the subject and revealed the official Windows 8 packaging in the process.
The Windows 8 advertising campaign is like London buses at the minute; you wait patiently to see what Microsoft will launch to promote their new software only to find that four different video-based adverts have leaked at the same time. Only a couple of weeks are left until Windows 8 officially drops for the masses, and while the technology elite know a lot about the gorgeous new OS thanks to pre-release versions and keeping on top of the news, the general public may be non-the-wiser about what Microsoft is bringing with this latest offering.
With the official Windows 8 release date looming closer, it looks like Microsoft is making some changes to the way digital media is purchased in the OS, a move that will likely appease a lot of potential customers and make acquiring additional content a lot easier to understand. In the past, Microsoft adopted a Points system as their preferred method of allowing users of their products to purchase additional content through their various stores, meaning that customers have to exchange cash for s bundles of points, which can then be used to grab things like movies and music. That is all set to change with Microsoft phasing the Points system out in Windows 8.
The launch of the Windows 8 operating system from Microsoft, along with all the associated devices, has always been at the back of the mind of the tech enthusiast. In the height of a summer which has seen the release of many fantastic products, October 26th has always seemed like such a long way away, but halfway through the first week of this monumentally-significant month for the software maker and tech as a whole, everything has started to become just that little bit more real.
Information concerning Xbox Music has been leaking continually over the past couple of weeks, and it has been unofficially confirmed that the Redmond company's streaming music service will be arriving on October 26th - the very same day when Windows 8 is made available to public.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 console has established itself as a gaming console, but in line with the changing face of technology, the Redmond company has been pushing it towards the all-round entertainment market. As well as the Kinect, which sold at the kind of speeds only Apple's iPhone can relate to, various Dashboard updates have seen the gamers' paradise morph into something of a set-top box.
If you can recall, a few months back we brought you information about a rather impressive little piece of software, which allowed any compatible iOS device to be mirrored to your Mac or PC’s display for the ultimate gaming experience. The aforementioned app, AirServer, can be thought of in the same way as using an Apple TV to display or stream content from an iPhone, iPad or Mountain Lion powered Mac to a TV or monitor.
While the iPhone 5 remains one of the hottest news topic for almost the entirety of the technology blogosphere, Microsoft has silently sent out invites for the launch event of their upcoming desktop operating system Windows 8. As expected, the date is in the last few days of the month of October. Check out all the details after the jump.
