Tag: windows 8

Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft’s Windows Chief, Set To Leave

Microsoft Corp said the head of its flagship Windows division and the driving force behind Windows 8, Steven Sinofsky, will be leaving the company with immediate effect, days after the software giant launched the Surface tablet.

Just weeks earlier, Microsoft released Windows 8, the company’s biggest overhaul to its flagship software product in years. The departure raises questions about how Microsoft, one of the giants in the technology business, will prepare itself for a new generation of leadership.

In an e-mail sent to all employees Monday evening, Mr. Ballmer said that Mr. Sinofsky’s decision to leave Microsoft comes at the start of a “new era” for the company, with the release of a wave of new products like Windows 8.

“I am grateful for the work that Steven has delivered in his time at our company,” Mr. Ballmer said in the e-mail. Frank Shaw, a Microsoft spokesman, said Mr. Sinofsky was not available for an interview.

[quote]In a statement announcing his departure, Mr. Sinofsky, 47, said, “I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this awesome company.”[/quote]

Mr. Sinofsky was viewed as one of the most competent managers within Microsoft, and he earned high marks for helping to improve the quality of its software after the company released Windows Vista, a widely criticized version of the operating system. A former technical assistant to Bill Gates, Microsoft’s co-founder, he was known to be a big admirer of Apple’s attention to detail in its products.

His name was often floated by people speculating about a possible successor to Mr. Ballmer, who has not announced any plans to retire from the company.

November 13, 2012
Skype gets up to Version 6.0 Integrates Microsoft Accounts and brings Retina Support
Skype 6.0 gets a host of new features along with compatibility with Retina display Macs and future similar display PC’s. The new Skype adds the ability to sign in directly with your Facebook or Microsoft account including Hotmail, Live or Outlook. Skype 6.0 will also add Modern UI friendly look on Windows * machines/ tablets to up it game. Now you can instant message your Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail and Outlook.com contacts via Skype all in one place. Skype 6.0 also brings localization languages in Thai, Croatian, Slovenian, Serbian, Catalan and Slovak, bringing the total languages Skype supports to 38.

[toggle_box title=”Skype Blog” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Today we have released a new version of Skype for Desktop. Get it now for Windows orMac.

What’s new:
Sign up and sign-in is easier than ever. You can now sign into Skype 6.0 using your Microsoft or Facebook account – there’s no need to create a new Skype account. This makes it even easier to connect with friends on Skype without having to set up another account.
Now you can instant message your Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail and Outlook.com contacts via Skype all in one place. If you use a Microsoft account today, merging your accounts is easy – just sign in to Skype with your Microsoft account.
We’re working on polishing a feature which will enable audio and video calls to Windows Live Messenger customers using Skype 6.0 desktop clients. The feature will be available in coming weeks.

We want to hear your feedback. Discuss what matters to you on Skype Support Network or report glitches on our public issue tracker.

Here’s more of what’s new with Skype 6.0 for Windows Desktop:
We are excited to support our growing community around the world with new localized versions of Skype 6.0 in Thai, Croatian, Slovenian, Serbian, Catalan and Slovak, bringing the total languages Skype supports to 38.
We have refreshed and flattened the Skype 6.0 UI with a simpler and less cluttered look. We have updated the look of the instant messaging and SMS areas as well.
We have removed the online user counter at the bottom of your Skype Contacts list to unclutter the UI and make more space for your friends within the contacts list.
When you change your profile picture, we will now show you all of your previous Skype 6.0 profile pictures so you don’t have to look through old files if you want to use a previous image.
We are constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of our product. To that end we are adding additional “opt-in” telemetry reports for users who choose this option: “Tools>> Options>>Advanced>>Tick “Help improve Skype…” The reports may contain your Skype ID and or Microsoft Account ID but we will not use it to identify or contact you.

Here’s more of what’s new with Skype 6.0 for Mac Desktop:
We hear your feedback! With this release we’ve added support to open chats in multiple windows.
We also added another feature you’ve asked for – support Retina display. Now you can take full advantage of improved usability and of higher resolution screens.

Known issues for Skype 6.0 for Mac:

Category Description Workaround

Account On Mountain Lion the profile image picker does not work as expected – recent images can’t be seen and effects can’t be added None available

Release build for Skype for Windows is 6.0.0.120 and on Skype for Mac is 6.0.0.2946.

Volunteer localization of Skype for Windows has been done by:
- Bulgarian: Nikolina Filipova & Nikolay Filipov
- Chinese (Simplified): Wang Miao (TOM.com)
- Chinese (Traditional): Penny Yang, Carlos Lee (PChome)
- Czech: Petr Silon
- Dutch: Kees Koenders
- French: Fabrice Imperial & Bruno Lépaulard
- German: Claudius Henrichs & Dick Schiferli
- Hungarian: Mark Bender
- Italian: Daniele Conte
- Lithuanian: Viktoras Kriukovas
- Norwegian: Stig Auestad
- Polish: Karol Szastok
- Portuguese: Francisco Ferreira
- Romanian: Péter & Mónika Henning
- Turkish: Ömer Emin Dede
- Ukrainian: Vitaliy Kupchynskyy
Volunteer localization of Skype for Mac has been done by:
- Bulgarian: Nikolay Filipov
- Brazilian Portugese: Fabio Roselet
- Dutch: Alexander Henket
- Estonian: Triin Tähema
- French: Jean-Pierre Kuypers
- German: Claudius Henrichs
- Norwegian: Kenneth Stevenson
- Polish: Bohdan Zielinski
- Portuguese Portuguese: Francisco Miguel Ferreira
- Spanish: Carola Clavo
[/toggle_box]

[Skype]
October 25, 2012
Angry Birds Star Wars To Be Launched On November 8th!

Angry Birds is flapping its wings to a galaxy far, far away next month. Rovio today announced a partnership with Lucasfilm Ltd. for Angry Birds Star Wars, a new entry in the series hitting iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Mac, PC, Windows 8, and Windows Phone on November 8.

According to the game’s announcement, Angry Birds Star Wars will tap into the science fiction franchise’s characters and settings, including the desert world of Tatooine and the supermassive Death Star ship.

[quote]“This is the best Angry Birds game we’ve ever done. It’s the best parts of Angry Birds with all new cutting-edge gameplay set in in a galaxy far, far away,” Rovio CMO Peter Vesterbacka said in a statement. “As a big ‘Star Wars’ fan myself, I’m really excited about this new universe. The Force is definitely strong with this one.”[/quote]

Not only will Angry Birds Star Wars invade smartphones, tablets, and computers, but various merchandise will hit retail beginning on October 28 (in the US that is!). These offerings will include Halloween costumes, apparel, action figures, and plush toys.

May the force be with you!

October 9, 2012
Windows 8 Tablets will reach the US in December

While India awaits, The US will get two Windows 8 tablets from ASUS and Samsung, namely the VivoTab RT and ATIV Smart PC, this holiday season.

The VivoTab RT from ASUS is equipped with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor,Windows RT, 4G LTE connectivity, 32GB of internal storage and features a 10.1-inch Super IPS display with ASUS TruVivid technology for a better viewing experience.

Samsung’s 11.6-inch HD ATIV Smart PC includes a dual-core Intel Clover Trail processor clocked at 1.5GHz, Windows 8, 64GB of internal storage and can be connected to a detachable keyboard dock. As an added bonus, the VivoTab RT comes preloaded with Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview Edition, while the ATIV Smart PC includes a trial of Office 2013.

The two tablets will be launched on the At&t network in the US during the holiday season. India is expected to play host to all Windows 8 Tablets early next year.

October 5, 2012
Windows Store Reaches 1000 Apps Milestone

We have seen a large rise in the number of Windows 8 apps that users of the RTM version can see from the Windows Store. Today, a third party site that has been tracking the numbers of those apps stated that it has now passed the 1,000 milestone.

McAtkins Online says that in its latest app count shows there are now 1,004 apps that are visable for Windows Store users. This number includes both desktop apps (which cannot be directly downloaded from the Windows Store) and the “Modern” Windows 8 apps. Just a few days ago, the same website said there were 839 apps available on the Windows Store.

Apparently, the rate at which new applications are being pushed to the Store has increased, and chances are that Microsoft will go near the 3,000 apps mark or beyond it by the time the platform reaches general availability.

It seems that more and more developers are flocking to Windows 8, which suggests that more new software will appear in the Store soon, thus making the platform even more appealing than before.

It’s also possible that Microsoft could be holding back until just a few days before October 26th before it decides to open the flood gates for new Windows 8 apps to be released.

September 9, 2012
The Nokia Lumia 820 and 920 are here!

Nokia revealed its first smartphones to run the next version of Windows, a big step for a company that has bet its future on an alliance with Microsoft.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is the company’s new flagship smartphone and has a touchscreen with all- new PureMotion HD+ technology and is powered by a 1.5 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB of RAM. It also has 32GB of inbuilt storage with 7GB of SkyDrive storage available.

It features an 8 megapixel (MP) rear camera with PureView technology that can capture HD videos. The lenses on its camera shift to compensate for shaky hands, resulting in sharper images in low light and smoother video capture, Nokia said. Other features of the Lumia 920 include a 2,000mAh battery as well as wireless charging capabilities. However, you have to buy the charger, called Fatboy, separately.

With better than HD resolution, overdrive technology for keeping moving images pixel-perfect and sunlight enhancements for easy viewing even in the brightest sunlight, the 4.5 inch display of the Lumia 920 produces a totally amazing experience.

The WXGA (1,280 x 768 pixels) display is also super sensitive–it will be usable even with gloves or fingernails. PureMotion displays are super-sensitive with any touch interaction, enabled by the ClearPad Series 3 technology.

The other device, Lumia 820, comes with a 4.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen and it runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor coupled with 1GB RAM. The other features include a 8 megapixel (MP) camera with dual-LED flash, wireless charging and a 1650mAh battery and all exclusive apps that Lumia 920 has. The 8GB model comes with changeable back covers in Red, Yellow, Grey, Cyan, Purple, White & Black.

Both handsets feature near-field communication (NFC)–Nokia has been a fervent supporter of the technology, and the handsets will come with the usual Nokia Drive and Maps apps. In fact, Maps is now the default for Windows Phone 8, a result of the close partnership between the Finnish company and Microsoft.

The price and availability date of the new phone weren’t immediately available.

Could this be Nokia’s comeback to the pinnacle of the smartphone segment? Let’s wait and see! Expect a hands-on soon!

Lumia 820 Specs List

Lumia 920 Specs List

September 5, 2012
Nokia Lumia 920 to include wireless charging, 32GB storage, and 8-megapixel camera

According to a report by The Verge, Nokia, which is all set to launch its Lumia 920 smartphone powered by Windows 8 OS tomorrow in New York, will include wireless charging with the phone. The smartphone will have a PureView Camera although the megapixel capacity will be much less than the original PureView smartphone. An image of the charging pad of Nokia was leaked on Twitter via @evleaks, the same account that leaked the original image of the Lumia 920.

It is also believed that the Nokia Lumia 920 will have a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage along with a 4.5-inch HD display.

If the report is true, then Nokia has finally dished out a phone capable of challenging the big guns of this segment.

September 4, 2012
Microsoft to drop ‘Metro’ name for Windows 8

A potential trademark dispute has forced Microsoft to drop the Metro name for Windows 8’s blocky, tile-based interface.

Talks with an “important European partner” have brought about the change according to internal memos seen by tech news site The Verge.

The partner is believed to be German retail giant Metro AG.

Microsoft is currently working out what to call the interface and said the new name would be announced soon.

The tiled interface is used on both Windows 8 and Windows Phone and has been called “Metro” ever since Microsoft started showing off its designs for the software.

Elements of it have also been used on older products such as the Zune media player.

In documents sent out to developers and media months ago, Microsoft said Metro was the “code name for our design language”.

It added that Metro was picked because the name was “modern and clean. It’s fast and in motion”.

Now documents sent out to developers are warning coders to avoid using the word when referring to the distinctive interface.

The warning is believed to follow on from an internal memo sent by Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs department which said the company had been threatened with legal action over its use of the name.

The threat is believed to have been made by German retailer Metro AG, which owns trademarks on the word. Metro AG declined to comment on the claim.

Instead of Metro, Microsoft has told developers to simply refer to the blocky display as a “Windows 8 style UI” for the time being.

[quote]

In a statement, Microsoft said: “We have used Metro style as a code name during the product development cycle across many of our product lines.

“As we get closer to launch and transition from industry dialogue to a broad consumer dialogue we will use our commercial names,” it said.

[/quote]

Source : BBC

August 4, 2012
Windows 8 to be launched on 26 October

Microsoft on Wednesday announced that its next-generation operating system tailored for a world shifting from personal computers to smartphones and tablets will be available on 26 October.

Windows unit boss Steven Sinofsky revealed the Windows 8 debut date at a sales meeting, Microsoft communications manager Brandon LeBlanc said in a blog post.

Windows 8 will be available in 109 languages across 231 markets worldwide, according to LeBlanc.

Microsoft has promised to make the new operating system available in August for computer, tablet or smartphone makers to build into hardware.

The Redmond, Washington-based firm has gone on record stating that Surface tablets would hit the market when the Windows 8 operating system became publicly available.

July 19, 2012
Microsoft Skydrive for Windows App Gets Update, new Fresh UI

Microsoft has updated the SkyDrive for Windows App with a new user interface.The newest update to SkyDrive for Windows (version 16.4.6003.0710) includes quite a few improvements that are said to bring “performance, reliability, and compatibility.

Apart from that the app, no longer crashes out as it used to, and looks good while it downloads or uploads files. The new status windows allows users to see time and data remaining to be synced. The new SkyDrive logo also seems to be readied for the Windows 8 Metro UI

July 14, 2012
Microsoft announces $39.99 Windows 8 Pro upgrade offer for existing Windows users

Ready to jump to Windows 8 ? Microsoft is following in Apple’s footsteps by making the upgrade to Win 8 more pocket friendly. If you have an existing installation of Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 will able to download a Windows 8 Pro upgrade for just $39.99 (IN Rs. 2200/-).

That’s a big drop from the company’s earlier upgrade prices, which were as high as US $ 99 (In Rs. 5500-7500) . If you want the DVD you can purchase it for a price of US $ 69.99. According to Microsoft the prices will increase when the promotion ends on January 31st 2013.

Each OS will have a different upgrade option, some bringing only personal files and some only files and settings to Windows 8. In most cases legacy apps will not be ported.

[The Windows Blog]

July 3, 2012
Microsoft launches Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.8

Windows Phone 8 was revealed at the Windows Phone Summit today

Just days after announcing its first tablet computer, the Surface, Microsoft Corp. revealed Windows Phone 8, a dramatic update to its phone software, one that won’t be available to current Windows Phones.

If you’re currently holding a Windows Phone device, don’t worry you’d get the Windows Phone 7.8.

The hardware requirements for WP8 preclude its running on any current WP device – not even the Lumia 900! The software will bring Windows phones closer to PCs and tablets running the company’s upcoming Windows 8, which is also scheduled to launch later this year. To ensure current Windows Phone users stay happy: a few software benefits will be included in WP8, and a hearty helping of these killer features (such as the new Start screen) will be available to legacy devices in the form of Windows Phone 7.8. There’ll be support for three tile sizes, with the smallest being fingertip size (a quarter of the standard square). The update will be delivered directly to users, sidestepping carriers, and can be done over WiFi.

WP8 would share the same kernel as that of Windows 8 and Windows RT

Windows Phone 8 requires multi-core processors (up to 64), displays up to WXGA (1280 x 768) and external storage on SD. This better, faster hardware will enable new, faster games and other demanding apps which, for the first time, can be written in native code. (C/C++) All this will run on a kernel shared with Windows 8 and Windows RT. In other words Microsoft has managed to get one platform running on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones, the idea being that apps can be more easily ported from one to the next, promising “games we’ve never seen before” running on your phones, with popular titles like Gameloft’s Nova 3 and Zynga’s Draw Something also coming to Windows Phone.

There’s also a new wallet functionality thanks to the NFC support, but reliant on an augmented SIM, not hardware on the phone itself. Nokia maps is now built into the OS, including offline map support.

The OS will be available later this year along with Windows 8 and the new Surface tablets.

June 21, 2012
Microsoft reveals its first tablet – Surface

All Surface tablets come with a keyboard that is just 3 millimetres thick.

Microsoft unveiled its first tablet, called the Surface, that comes with a keyboard and other features designed to stand out in a market dominated by Apple Inc.

One version of the device, is about 9.3 millimetres thick and works on the Windows RT operating system. It comes with a kickstand to hold it upright and a touch keyboard cover that snaps on using magnets. The device weighs under 680 grams and will cost about as much as other tablet computers.

Microsoft also emphasized the use of the Surface with a keyboard cover that is just 3 millimetres thick. The kickstand for both tablets was just 0.7 millimetres thick, slimmer than a credit card.

Two versions of the Surface were showcased, the versions running Windows 8 will run chips from Intel Corp., which supplies chips used in most PCs. The versions running Windows RT will be powered by chips from Nvidia Corp. based on designs from ARM Holdings PLC, a variety of chips widely used in cellphones and tablets.

[quote]The Surface is a PC, the Surface is a tablet and the Surface is something new that we think people will really love,”Mr. Ballmer said.[/quote]

The devices are set to be launched alongside Microsoft’s new operating system, the Windows 8 by fall.

June 19, 2012
Buying a new laptop but worried about Windows 8? Don’t sweat! Upgrade for just Rs 699

Windows 8 offers a completely different user interface.

Windows 8 offers a completely different user interface.

If you’re thinking of buying a new laptop/desktop and are worried bout being left with the older version of Windows, Microsoft comes with the solution! If you buy your machine between June 2, 2012 to January 31, 2013, and it comes preloaded with Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate that includes a matching and valid OEM certificate of Certificate of Authenticity (COA), just visit the Microsoft website and register there so that when Windows 8 is launched officially, it would be made available for download at a price of just Rs 699!

Just a few days ago, Microsoft launched a preview of Windows 8 and was made available for download from it’s website. Moreover, PC’s running Windows 7 would not need any hardware change to run Windows 8. The basic requirements are a 1Ghz processor, 1gb RAM, DirectX 9 compatible (recommended).

June 6, 2012
Acer showcases Windows 8 based tablets and notebooks

The new series of tablets will be powered by Windows 8.

At Computex-world’s largest computer related exhibition, tech giants Acer showcased a number of devices, including Windows 8 based machines. The company said that this year it would launch two tablets (W700 and W510), Aspire 7600U and Aspire 5600U all-in-ones, and Aspire 7 series ultrabook powered by Windows 8.

[quote]The unique part of the W510 tablet is the tri-mode, allowing users to touch, type and view. Aside from the conventional tablet mode, it can be used in productivity mode. A detachable keyboard dock can be connected to the tablet for optimal typing as well as extending the battery life up to 18 hours. Rotating the tablet 295 degrees allows it to be used in presentation mode, which is excellent for watching a video, browsing a webpage or viewing a PowerPoint presentation, the company said.[/quote]

In addition, the W510 has Always On, Always Connect technology, and a 10.1-inch touchscreen, which delivers wider viewing angles and vibrant colours, while W700 has a full HD 11.6-inch screen.The smaller tablet will be priced at Rs $799 while W700 will cost at least $999.

Source : TOI

June 5, 2012

Category	Description	Workaround
Account	On Mountain Lion the profile image picker does not work as expected – recent images can’t be seen and effects can’t be added	None available

Tag: windows 8

What’s new:

Here’s more of what’s new with Skype 6.0 for Mac Desktop: