Microsoft is certainly not shy about updating the software that powers its Xbox 360. They've even gone so far as to completely change the interface that gamers find themselves living in when using their game console, adding new features and changing how the whole experience works. They've even been known to add or alter features that are a little more obscure, too.
Windows Phone 7.x was never considered to be a slow operating system. In fact, considering it only supported single-core SoCs, it was very smooth indeed, but one nagging problem was always the speed of app launching. That issue is never more evident than when compared with the much newer Windows Phone 8, and a video test complied by Winsource shows just how much of an improvement Microsoft has made to its smartphone OS.
There is a little bit of a voice command battle going on at the moment in the mobile space, with Apple's digital Siri assistant and Google's Voice Search offering duking it out against one another for the affections of users. Both come with their own set of pros and cons and will only get better as we move forward into the future, but it seems that Microsoft's Research and Development teams have been working on something voice based of their own behind the scenes that could change the way humans interact with one another.
Now we know what you're thinking! You can't compare a desktop operating system to that of smartphones and the odd tablet! You just can't, it's utter madness and you should be mocked for even suggesting such a thing! Well, read on!
BlackBerry has, for the past seven or eight years, been one of the foremost mobile brands utilized by businesses thanks to its reputation as offering a secure experience, but with Research In Motion - the company behind BlackBerry, struggling to come to terms with the changing face of the mobile industry, many small companies will be looking elsewhere for their primary mode of communication.
What's better than Windows 8 running on a touch-enabled computer? Well, Windows 8 running on a touch-enabled computer that's big enough to sleep on, of course!
Microsoft's Surface RT tablet has not been on the market long, and reviews of the machine have been somewhat hit and miss to say the least, but the current product is only part of the overall equation. There's the Surface Pro, for example, and that's arguably the one most will want to pick up.
With Windows 8 now out and selling in volume, Microsoft has somewhat turned its attentions to other important software implementations. As well as beginning to sell prepaid Skype credit in outlets across Mexico and the United Kingdom, it looks as though Skype will become the Redmond outfit's primary instant messaging service, retiring the long-standing Windows Live Messenger.
The packaging of any new tech product is not nearly as important as its contents, but in the spirit of the launch, there's usually a fleeting interest in the design of the box. With Office 2013 not too far away, leaks earlier this week purported to depict the box art for those purchasing a physical copy from stores, and now, said designs have been confirmed.
The software development kit for Windows Phone 8 has been a fairly closely-guarded secret up until this point, but in an announcement at BUILD 2012, Steve Ballmer has confirmed it is now ready to download.
