Group items tagged

The hugely anticipated Windows 8 operating system by Microsoft has aired its first ad today. Microsoft is reportedly spending a huge amount of money on advertising Windows 8 along with the new Microsoft Tablet, called the "Surface." Microsoft is holding a special media launch for Surface and Windows 8 on October 25. Furthermore, a number of stores will open at midnight October 26 to sell Windows 8 PCs and Tablets. I think that in order for the new tablet Microsoft is releasing to be successful and sell out to customers, they should start advertising it way more. I haven't even heard of it until reading this article, and with so many other tablets on the market, what makes this one so special? The fact that it runs on Windows 8 is simply not enough to sell the "Surface" in large amounts. Windows 8 will probably become very successful, as Microsoft is a trusted company when it comes to operating systems, and many people worldwide use different versions of Windows. In conclusion, i would focus more on advertising the new tablet rather than Windows 8, and airing these advertisements in as many places around the world as possible to attract worldwide customers.

This article is about how the operating system Windows 8, has passed 200 million license sales. Within the first six months of windows 8 release, it passed 100 million license sales. However after that, the progress stayed the same and there weren't any spikes in sales. Windows 8 is doing slower at its sales than windows 7, as windows 7 passed 240 million sales after its first year. The reason for the slowdown in sales is the general PC market. People haven't got used to the tablet style computers with a touch screen interface. Microsoft is slowly going to change that and bring back the keyboard and mouse UI. By the time April 2014 hits, windows 8 should have a new 8.1.1 update.

This article is about how Microsoft is planning to make a low-cost or free version of windows 8.1 for windows 7 users to upgrade to. The main goal of this from Microsoft, is to boost the number of people using windows 8.1 I think that this is a really smart idea because it will let someone test out windows 8.1 for a small cost or even no cost at all, without having to spend over $100 on the full version of windows 8. I myself like Windows 8 and use it on a daily basis, but I know many people who find it hard adapting to the new operating system. That's why with the free version, if the person likes it, they can buy it, if not, they can just re-install Windows 7. This is one of the few experiment like projects Microsoft are doing. They also plan to release low-cost, or free versions of their Windows Phone operating system, and also plan to merge their tablet OS, Microsoft RT, and Windows Phone together into one version.

This article describes weather or not Windows 8 tablet like the Surface really replace any ordinary laptop. The surface would be able to make a decent laptop replacement because it is thin and lightweight, comes with a keyboard, it can run the traditional windows desk top, and its decently cheap. However, Windows RT does have a very small selection of apps, it doesn't even have a facebook app. Without having a good selection of apps, you may miss out on a bunch of other fun stuff. Windows RT is the toned down version of Windows 8. This is very good for low powered, cheap tablets. But it won't replace Windows 8. So at the moment, the tablet will not be good replacement but that could change. Early 2013 the Surface Pro will be coming out and it runs Windows 8. So you will have access to all the apps, and take advantage of more powerful hardware. In my opinion, if you don't need as much features as a laptop offers, and you are looking for a cheaper device, go with the tablet. But if you need access to all the apps, and more powerful software, the surface at the moment is not a very reliable replacement.

Microsoft has recently announced Windows 8.1, an update that will attempt to win back all those disgruntled Windows 8 users. A main feature that is being added is the world renown start button, a feature that caused a lot of dissatisfaction among users who upgraded from previous versions of Windows. A big note however behind this announced change is that Microsoft is staying with it's word of actually using user feedback to improve their system, and by doing this, admitting that they were wrong. Another author comments that Microsoft NEEDS Windows 8.1 to have positive feedback, or else Microsoft could be in trouble in the ever changing OS market.  In the end, hearing of this news is VERY good for the average user, as Microsoft is trying their best to fix an error in direction that might have resulted in huge loses for the market dominating company. Let's just hope that Microsoft continues the support of their brand, and turns Windows 8 into the best OS in the PC world.

Microsoft has finally released the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the successor to the Developer Preview they released a few months ago. In this version, Xbox Live support has been added, along with the Windows Store opening for business, which lets users download new Metro apps... but not Desktop apps. Also, the Start Button has been moved to this slide-out panel to the right of the screen. I think Microsoft is taking a huge misstep with Windows 8 in terms of it's UI. They should either have all desktop or all Metro UI. Having used Windows 8, switching between the two is just weird because of how incredibly different both interfaces are. And don't even get me started with the freakin' ARM version not letting you sideload apps! And- and- and-... I'll stop complaining now.

This article talks about a new tablet line from Microsoft called "Surface". It is supposed to go with the new Windows 8 operating system which is supposed to be a more touch and mobile friendly system. At an event in LA Steve Ballmer showed 2 versions of Surface.  One is running Windows 8 Pro the other Windows RT. Each tablet comes with a stand and magnetically attachable covers to allow the tablet to be like a laptop. The type cover has a keyboard and trackpad, while the touch cover is a thinner keyboard cover that comes in many colours and has an accelerometer to let the system know when it's folded to deactivate the keyboard. Both have a 10.6-inch display. The RT version is 9.3mm thick and weights 673g while the Windows 8 Pro is 13.55mm thick and weighs 903g. Only the RT comes with productivity software like Office Home and Student pre-loaded. This release ties in with portable computing because it is an all new portable tablet that is from Microsoft. It also ties in with their new operating system that goes hand in hand with this tablet. It is something with a new innovative style and can be used in various ways as a laptop or tablet. It also ties in with economics and the whole Apple vs. Microsoft competition. Microsoft has created an "even better" version of the iPad. Now instead of going for the iPad people that like PC's and working with them can make the choice to use the Surface tablet which once again puts Microsoft and Apple in competition with one another for sales. All in all this is a great new tablet and I think it is great for all those Windows users that can get their hands on a new tablet from Microsoft.  It will be interesting to see if this new technology will blow up compared to the iPad and now the iPad Mini.

The iCade controller for iPhone and iPad so far was a big hit and now they came up with a new invention called iCad 8-Bitty, a Nintendo-style gamepad controller with 8 buttons. The 8-Bitty connects to your iPhone etc. through Bluetooth. This device is only $25. A pretty decent price I say. This device is awesome for those who like to play the greatest game ever invented, Super Mario 64. 

Mozilla is making progress in its effort to bring Firefox to Windows 8′s Metro Environment. It is not yet an app but will soon be one. It will be the primary browser for the Xbox360. Bondy also touts Firefox's integration with Windows 8′s global search feature which allows you to search the web from any screen.

Some details on the upcoming Windows 8 were revealed. Including an 8 second boot up time. in my opinion this is very important new feature because a common complaint about pc users (including myself) is a long boot up time.

The article said that windows 8 is going to be the next big thing in computers, its said to be the future of computers. This is mainly because of of its lack of a mouse pad. instead it uses a stylis, so that you can write on the screen and it will recogize the style of writing. its is also portable however the article said that the screen is oddly shaped. Window 8 use more apps and the cloud will make it even better. This article basically explains all of the new features with windows 8 and how it is useful.

Microsoft this morning announced that it has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype, a deal that was originally announced back in May. They even made an infographic to showcase the importance of the deal completion. /sarcasm Other than that, not much news to report. As previously announced, Skype becomes a new business division within Microsoft, and Skype CEO Tony Bates will assume the title of president of the new unit.

Microsoft this morning announced that it has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype, a deal that was originally announced back in May. They even made an infographic to showcase the importance of the deal completion.

If you're the type of person who loves Samsung and has every product they have released, then you'll probably get interested in their new product, the Samsung Galaxy Camera. This camera will be based off the Galaxy S III. That means it'll have a screen size of around 4.8'', have the TouchWiz UI, and JellyBean. However, instead of the original 8 Mp camera on the SIII, this'll have 16Mp camera with xenon flash. Too me, I think Samsung is taking it a bit too far. Yes I know that their are many competitors out there trying to steal the competition, but I thought that Samsung releasing their Smart Tv's was already the big thing. I have to admit, this is an innovative product. No doubt there'll be many good things to be said about it in the future.

The new OS; Windows 8, is bringing on a lot of excitement, but many people are not too happy with the changes made, myself included. Many people miss the desktop screen, and dislike the new start screen. Others don't like the tiled look and are more used to that of windows 7. There are many other problems and this article describes how to fix all of them. First of all, There is the desktop screen problem. Many of us used to place all our most used programs on our desktop screen so that when you log on, you will have quick access to all you needs, but now all of that is gone and replaced by the start screen. Fortunately, you can bring them back with Start8 (which is easier to use but costs $5) or Classic Shell (which is harder to use but is more customizable and is free). The cool thing about Classic Shell is that it can fix many other things, such as turning your windows explorer from a ribon-ified mess into a usable file browser. you can also fix this problem with Xplorer2. Another problem is that you cant view your videos without buying an attachment to windows media player, but you can fix this with free programs such as VLC There are many other peeves i n widnows 8 that this article helps solve. In conclusion, I feel that knowing that these problems can be fixed will lean alot more people towards windows 8

What is Microsoft thinking!? You can't release a major version of an OS that is used by about 90% of the market and just remove something everyone has been using for the past decade. I tried the Windows 8 Developer Preview and Metro is OK, but it's not something you seriously want to use with a mouse, which is a problem for business that don't spend money on touch screens, mainly because their employees don't need them. But now they go ahead and remove the start button completely, making it a hot corner instead, which can be really hard to use at times. When I'm at my computer, I want to be productive, and the standard start menu is the way to do that. I like pretty interfaces, but I also like things that just work, and that's what the start menu is to me. Long story short, if you have an OS as big as Windows, don't make big UI changes like this, because it can really turn out bad and confusing.

Microsoft's Window 8 Consumer Preview now gives everyone a chance to experience the company's most biggest change in user interference since Windows 95. It is now a mouse-centric desktop to a touch-friendly, high visual Metro style UI. There are also many more great changes. Window's challenge is the iPad. They share a few similarities. Many people don't like iPad because it doesn't have flash or LTE. Though others like sir love the iPad and will forever.

Wow, that was fast! Someone got to making a Windows 8 app that brings back the functions of the start menu. This would actually make me much more likely to upgrade to the OS, because the main problem I have with it is that the start menu is gone and instead replaced with a metro interface that does not transition well from the desktop. It's nice that there are people out there that actually take the time to tweak Windows to make it perform the way people prefer. Now if only Apple allowed for that kind of tweaking officially on OS X and iOS...

On February the 23rd, Microsoft made a few announcements on their Windows Phone. The new update 8.1 will have more flexible support for hardware and the phone will be able to use dual-SIM, apps on microSD and virtual softkeys instead of the original capacitive keys. The Windows phones will also not be required to have a hardware camera shutter key which people are excited for. The new update is refreshing and the updated hardware opens up more ability for the market to grow. I personally think this is a great move for Windows because it adds the options that their customers have been asking for. It has also been said on a similar article that the new update will allow Windows hardware to work on other phone companies such as Android. This might not be a good idea because people might not find the need to use the hardware if they already have one on their phone. Personally, if I wanted to use the Windows hardware, I would just buy a Windows Phone instead of downloading it on my existing one.

Everyone is familiar with the infamous Blue Screen of Death, right? Well, Windows 8 has revamped their ever so annoying alert. The error codes most commonly seen on computers when the feared Blue Screen appears are gone, replaced with a sad emoticon that still leaves you guessing what's wrong. It does tell you that the PC is rebooting, but not why. Still infuriating and rather pointless. :(

Ever want to play a top-down tower defense game in an 8-bit version of your neighborhood? If so, then you have very specific tastes, and this is for you. Using the Google Maps API, this web app takes Google's Quest April Fools prank farther by making a game out of it, and it looks quite fun.