I’ve been using Windows 8 as my primary OS for a long time now, yes, that includes the Developer Preview, the Consumer Preview, the Release Preview and of course the final release build. Therefore, it’s safe to say that I’ve seen Windows 8 evolve into what it is today and I would call myself a veteran user. But sadly, I’m thoroughly disappointed and have decided to migrate to an OS X powered Mac. Read on, if you want to know why.
If you've been keeping abreast of the brewing console battle between Sony and Microsoft, then it's likely that you are on the edge of your seat in anticipation of what the Redmond company will introduce with their next-generation Xbox. Sony has already let the cat out of the bag with the introduction of the PlayStation 4 back in February, and it looks like the Xbox unveiling isn't too far away with the originally planned April event being pushed back a few weeks to take place next month.
With Google's Project Glass commanding quite a bit of media attention over the past year, it was only going to be a matter of time before other companies jumped on the bandwagon. Following the news yesterday that fellow search giant Baidu has, to an extent, been spending some time researching a similar offering called the Baidu Eye, one analyst believes Microsoft is also toying with the idea. In a note to investors, Brian White noted that he expects the Redmond company to release a set of Web-ready digital spectacles next year, and will go head-to-head with Google Glass.
The recently confirmed Windows Blue appears to be the internal name for Windows 8.1 rather than Windows 9, according to multiple sources. More details on this after the jump!
Some claims just seem too much to believe, so when Microsoft's Frank Shaw claimed that the company's Windows Phones had in fact outsold Apple's hugely popular iPhone in seven different markets, more than a few of us were a little skeptical. Turns out he was right, but he didn't tell the entire story. More details right after the jump.
A short while ago, we learned that Microsoft's annual BUILD developer conference would be held this year on June 26th, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Further to that report, TheVerge has learned that the Redmond company will use the event as a platform to release a Public Preview of the next release of Windows, codenamed Windows Blue. Citing “sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans", the report also adds that work on the preview version is already underway, and will be available to download in much the same way the Windows 8 Developer, Consumer, and Release Previews were dropped at numerous intervals last year.
Microsoft has been working hard to attract developers to create new and exciting apps for the Windows Store, but what better way to set a decent example than to bring significant improvements to some of its own apps? That's exactly what the Redmond company has decided to do, and within the next day, users can expect to see some pretty significant changes to the Mail, Calendar and People apps within Windows 8. By means of a blog post on the official Windows site, the company has discussed, at length, how some of the changes will enhance the functionality of those marquee software products, and we've got the details coming up after the break.
When I adopted the internet as a part of my life back in the early years of this millennium, one of the biggest things in town used to be chatting – instant message based conversations that were the new “in”. In fact, if I recall even further back, chat rooms were even a bigger hit, making it possible to meet new people and make new friends using the power of the internet in a very public environment. While that edge may have rubbed off in the last few years, even today, IRC rooms remain popular amongst certain specific communities. The advantage that IM clients held over these chat rooms, however, were the privacy, and the fact that you could control who can contact you etc. There was more customization in how your messages appeared, too, and quite a few other distinctive features.
Back in early February, it was speculated that Microsoft's next-gen console, dubbed the "Xbox 720," would incorporate a system preventing the use of second-hand games. It's no secret that game developers see the practice of trading used titles as detrimental to revenue, and it has long since been presumed that measures would be in place to combat this. Further to that earlier report, yet another leak has surfaced in the form of screenshots of the XDK via VGLeaks, which only but corroborate the claims of an anti-used title infrastructure.
Redmond-based Microsoft may only recently have pushed out Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 to the end user, but it has long since been the public knowledge that the company is looking at moving towards more regular release cycles. The days of completely revamped offerings arriving every five years or so will soon be a thing of the past, and incremental, annual improvements will then ensue. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, then, that the software maker should be working on Windows 9 and Windows Phone 9, and as a recent job posting infers, the company is on the hunt for a few more specialist engineers to add to its team.
