Windows 8: Why the coming beta is likely to be labeled the 'consumer preview'
Written by Wayne
Tuesday, 24 January 2012 05:54
Is Microsoft going to position the coming Windows 8 beta as a "consumer preview"? And if so, why? Microsoft officials have repeated recently that the Windows 8 beta release is on track for late February 2012. But one public relations official with the Windows team provided a slightly different message — and one that escaped notice by most of those who read her quote — during the Consumer Electronics Show. As reported by Pocket Lint, Windows Director of Consumer PR, Janelle Poole, stayed on message regarding Microsoft’s continued reluctance to talk about its release-to-manufacturing/ship targets for Windows 8. But, as Windows SuperSite’s Paul Thurrott noted last week, part of Poole’s message deviated from the usual script. If you know anything about the Windows org, you know words matter. This wasn’t a random throw-away...Find out more on Our Forum.
Windows 8 offers simple mobile connection
Written by Wayne
Tuesday, 24 January 2012 05:43
Windows 8 users will face fewer headaches managing their Wi-Fi and cellular connections, says Microsoft. Setting up and maintaining Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connections in Windows is frequently a challenge. Wi-Fi users often bump into conflicts between the software provided by the third-party vendor and the software built into Windows. And mobile broadband users sometimes have to scramble to find the right drivers for their mobile set-up. In the latest Building Windows 8 blog, Billy Anders, a group program manager on Microsoft's devices and networking team, explained how Microsoft has tweaked the mobile experience in Windows 8 to help ease the pain. Though the Wi-Fi experience improved in Windows 7 over prior versions, setting up a mobile broadband connection entailed a number of hurdles, including finding the right drivers and software...Get all the facts by visiting Our Forum.
Windows 8 Wireless Networking Stack Detailed
Written by Wayne
Sunday, 22 January 2012 04:02
In today’s world, the nature of most users is mobile and computing on-the-go is the need of the hour. Keeping this in mind Microsoft arrived at the conclusion that, providing users with only Wi-Fi Connectivity wont suffice their needs and its time to put in some more to give users better options and connectivity. This led to the inclusion of integrated mobile broadband (MB) as a first-class connectivity experience within Windows, alongside Wi-Fi. In Windows 8, Microsoft has developed an in-box mobile broadband class driver that works with all of these devices and eliminates the need for additional device driver software. The user just need to plug-in the device and connect. The driver stays up to date via Windows Update, ensuring you have a reliable mobile broadband experience. With Windows 8 , you can be assured of one thing that you will not get surprisingly expensive bills from their mobile operators with Windows 8 keeping tabs on the overall broadband usage...Complete details can be found on Our Forum.
Wintel Tablet Prices to Start at $600
Written by Wayne
Friday, 20 January 2012 02:09
While more of a steady smolder than a spectacular blaze when compared to the iPad, the Kindle Fire has shown that consumers are not averse to buying a non-iPad tablet as long as the price is right and the specs not too shabby. Amazon has literally lit up the tablet market, with a number of vendors now taking its lead in releasing affordable Android tablets. All the combustion metaphors aside, this surge in the ranks of decent budget tablets is only going to make the task that much harder for Wintel tablets, especially given Microsoft and Intel’s reluctance to subsidize their products. Everyone wants to know just how the duo would respond. Will the two giants try and enter into a price war with their rivals?...By now we all are aware that Windows 8 Beta is likely to be released in the first half of February 2012, to stay updated on the developments and release vist or even join Our Forum.
Windows 8 Secrets
Written by Wayne
Wednesday, 18 January 2012 04:59
Last month, Microsoft released its hardware requirement documentation for Windows 8 logo certification. This documentation contains Microsoft’s guidelines for designing systems which successfully meet Windows performance, quality, and feature criteria, to assure the optimum Windows 8 computing experience. As you’ve probably noticed, the blogosphere is hung up on one of the Secure Boot on ARM requirements, thanks to a single misguided post about this issue, completely missing the far more interesting information peppered throughout the document. We are sitting on the threshhold of the release of Microsofts next iteration of Windows, and it seems like it is hourly that some small bit of information is revealed to us bloggers...We have listed 7 features for you on Our Fourm.
Razer's Project Fiona hands-on
Written by Wayne
Thursday, 12 January 2012 18:59
For a prototype, Fiona felt incredibly solid -- with the exception of a slightly sticky joystick and a very "developer" looking dongle, our demo unit felt like a finished product. The tablet's nunchuk-esque handles were solidly fastened to the device's metal frame, which was sandwiched between soft plastic back, and the devices 10.1-inch touchscreen. The four face buttons on each end weren't as poppy as we'd like, but worked well enough. Min reminded us we were playing with a prototype. The handlebar controllers are mostly comfortable, and far superior to touchscreen gamepad emulation -- but we wonder comfortable they'd feel while using the slate for non-gaming purposes. The entire unit was deceptively light, too -- we couldn't get an official weight out of Min-Liang, but its safe to say that it feels about a third lighter than it looks. It's still a bit too hefty to hold in front of you for an extended period of time, but it was comfortable enough to grip in our lap...Read more and watch a video on Our Forum.
Windows 8 Tablet - ExoPC Slate
Written by Wayne
Sunday, 08 January 2012 05:19
Recently at Windows8update.com we've made it our objective to cover all the latest, greatest, and in-between when it comes to tablets that run Windows. While many of the options we've presented have been well above the $600 price mark of high-end tablets like the iPad, today's tablet in review is a little different. The ExoPC Slate is a sub-$600 tablet that isn't a power house, but it more than capable of providing a basic, enjoyable table experience and as a testing-ground for Windows 8 Beta (and potentially a great option for upgrading to the full commercial version later this year). Keep in mind that this little guy isn't a heavywieght when it comes to power but it is also only 2 lbs and much more 'portable' than many of the other slate options we've had the privilege to take a peek at...Read more on Our Forum.
Windows Store apps for Windows 8 detailed
Written by Administrator
Monday, 23 January 2012 05:14
Microsoft detailed the fine points of its Windows Store for Windows 8 today. The store, due to enter beta in late February, was previously revealed in December, and allows developers to submit apps starting at $1.49 and charge up to $999, with free and demo apps also available. Applications will be presented in a variety of categories, designed to surface apps to users in a single tap. There doesn't appear to be any restrictions on the amount of installable apps, but Windows Store apps will be restricted to five Windows 8 PCs, and users will be prompted to remove a device to make way for an additional one. The install experience of Windows 8 apps is designed to be simple, with minimal download details, rather like Microsoft's Metro design. "We don’t believe you should have to stare at a progress bar and count
At this point in time there are really only two tablet operating systems that have made any major impact on the market: Apple's iOS and Google's Android. Of course we all know that Windows 8 is setting the stage for some major changes, mostly surrounding the support of ARM and a new touch interface called Metro. While this potential revolution in the tablet world really won't start full-fledged until very late 2012, for those that want a taste of what is to come, Windows 8 Beta is just around the corner with a release sometime in February. Now, some of us absolutely need Windows on their tablets for business needs but others just want a tablet that is great for gaming, browsing, and other casual needs. We all know that Windows tablets are great for business in the niches that truly need them, but Microsoft hopes to really move beyond that market and lure casual users as well...More details can be found on Our Forum.
Windows 8 tablet requirements - The good, the bad and the ugly
Written by Administrator
Thursday, 19 January 2012 19:40
I'’ve been working my way through Microsoft’s Windows 8 tablet hardware requirements and in my option it’s a mixed bag. Microsoft seems to have got some things right, missed the mark on others, and totally missed the mark in other areas. Let’s take a tour of the good, the bad and the ugly. The Good • Minimum display size is 1366 x 768 - that’s a good move. • Cameras must be 720p or better. The Bad • No mandatory USB 3.0 support, only USB 2.0. • Too many mandatory hardware buttons - power, rotation lock, Windows key, volume up and volume down buttons. Odd there’s not a mute button too …The Ugly • No mandatory battery life specs. Microsoft talks a lot in the documentation about ‘All Day Battery Life’ but there are no hard numbers for OEMs to adhere to. Will any Windows 8 tablet match up to the iPad’s 10-hours of juice? • No mandatory camera requirement (except that if fitted it MUST be 720p or better). This seems strange. There’s one factor that we’re still
For what we all know at the moment is that Windows 8 is coming in the second half of 2012. Talking about more specific dates,if we have a look at the history of launches from Microsoft, October has always been one of the favorite spot to bring in new product,be it Windows 7, be it Window Phone 7. "We haven’t talked about the release date and we generally don’t. We are talking milestone to milestone, so for us right now we’re talking about the next milestone being the consumer preview happening in late February. "One of the things that I think is a good guideline though is we’ve always said that Windows releases come round about every three years and this year will be three years in October since we launched Windows 7. So I think that’s a good guideline to consider."..Follow this and more on Our Forum.
NVIDIA shows Windows 8 running on a Tegra-based tablet
Written by Administrator
Tuesday, 10 January 2012 16:03
It’s been a year since Microsoft announced that Windows 8 would run on devices with ARM-based processors as well as computers with x86 chips. But while a Windows 8 developer preview has been available for months, it currently only runs on x86 chips. Today NVIDIA showed off a tablet with a Tegra 3 quad-core processor running Windows 8. We didn’t get to see the tablet actually do very much. But we did get a look at the lock screen, start screen, and Windows Store. ARM-based Windows 8 devices won’t be able to run apps written specifically for the x86 platform, which means that hundreds of thousands of Windows apps that are already on the market won’t run on Windows. But Microsoft is working to attract developers to the new platform, and apps written for the full-screen Windows 8 Metro user interface will be able to run on devices with both ARM and x86 processors...Keep upto date on Our Forum.
AT&T to showcase Qualcomm powered Windows 8 4G LTE tablet
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 07 January 2012 15:24
We are just days away from the CES 2012 show where all the major companies will show off their upcoming products. This is going to be the last CES for Microsoft as it was officially announced earlier they won’t be appearing from the next year’s CES. So we are expecting something big this time around from Microsoft in their last CES Event. At this moment what we can expect is demonstration of the Windows 8 beta or at least some close to beta builds as we inch closer for the beta and the Windows 8 store release. Though we don’t have any official word on what will be shown off in the CES event from Microsoft,there’s been a developing story about a Windows 8 tablet supporting AT&T’s 4G LTE technology might be shown in the event...Read more on Our Forum.
We are just days away from the CES 2012 show where all the major companies will show off their upcoming products. This is going to be the last CES for Microsoft as it was officially announced earlier they won’t be appearing from the next year’s CES. So we are expecting something big this time around from Microsoft in their last CES Event. At this moment what we can expect is demonstration of the Windows 8 beta or at least some close to beta builds as we inch closer for the beta and the Windows 8 store release. Though we don’t have any official word on what will be shown off in the CES event from Microsoft,there’s been a developing story about a Windows 8 tablet supporting AT&T’s 4G LTE technology might be shown in the event...Read more on 
