Tag: windows

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
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[Skype]
October 25, 2012
Windows Phone 8 SDK preview opens September 12th

Microsoft announced that developers will be able to sign-up for inclusion in the Windows Phone 8 SDK (Software Development Kit) programme from September 12th. Microsoft also revealed that the program will be initially limited to a select few at first until the full Windows Phone 8 SDK is publicly available later this year, after Windows Phone 8 has been released.

Microsoft won’t be giving access to just anyone, it will give priority to any developers that have already published apps to Windows Phone. In essence, they’ll be favoring the developers that chose to develop for Windows Phone before there was any major buzz for it. How exactly this will help the company garner better app development remains to be seen.

[quote]”The full Windows Phone 8 SDK will be made publically available later this year when we unveil Windows Phone 8. Until then, we believe this program offers more published developers a way to explore the SDK and get started on the next wave of amazing Windows Phone apps,” said Microsoft in a statement.[/quote]

One should keep in mind, WP 8 apps are on a whole new development platform. While WP 8 devices will continue to support WP 7.5 apps, these apps will not take advantage of the new hardware capabilities of WP 8 devices. Microsoft officials said they wouldn’t be disclosing the full set of Windows Phone 8 OS features until a later, unspecified date.

September 9, 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
Nokia to stick with Windows

Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop promised to unveil a new smartphone using Microsoft’s latest Windows 8 software soon, raising the prospect it will be launched in early September before rival Apple promotes its new iPhone.

The Finnish company, which is fighting for survival after losing out to rivals in the lucrative smartphone business, is due to hold a trade show in Helsinki on September 5-6, just before an Apple event on September 12 where the U.S. competitor could announce a redesigned iPhone.

Nokia, the world’s second-largest cellphone maker, has not commented on what it will announce at the Nokia World event, but business magazines have said it will unveil the new Windows 8 smartphones.

Elop, in Oslo for a meeting with Telenor Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas, did not deny a September launch but would only say Windows 8 smartphones would be released “relatively near term.”

August 15, 2012
Rumor : HTC To Unveil 3 Windows Phone 8 Smartphones In September

According to the latest rumors, HTC is set to unveil three new Windows Phone 8 devices in October, the Zenith, Accord and Rio. To date there hasn’t been any images of these devices surface online, but new details have potentially risen this morning. According to WPDang, HTC will beholding a media event in both New York and London sometime during the third week of September (17th – 24th) to announce their upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices.

The Zenith, Accord and Rio all come with various specs, but the flagship Zenith will be the star player and have a quad-core processor, 4.7-inch 720p Super LCD 2 display (300ppi), and an 8MP camera. It is rumored to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor.

The HTC Accord appears to sit in the middle of the range and is rumoured to have a 4.3 inch touch-screen, dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It’ll also have a 5 mega-pixel and support for both NFC and 3G.

Sitting at the bottom of the range is the HTC Rio which will be an affordable Windows Phone 8 smartphone. It’s specification is rumoured to include a 4 inch touch-screen, dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and a 5 mega-pixel camera.

August 12, 2012
Microsoft Launches Kinect For Windows In India At Rs 19,990

Kinect for Windows sensor, which aims to harness Microsoft’s Natural User Interface in a bid to ‘revolutionise’ computing, is now available in India along with the Software Development Kit (SDK). The Kinect for Windows sensor is available at Rs 19,990 while the SDK is available for free download at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/kinectforwindows/.

The Xbox 360’s Kinect accessory has been quite a hit among casual gamers. Its list of accomplishments doesn’t end there though, as developers and scientists have modded it to carry out some complex tasks.

Microsoft is hoping that developers and businesses will take advantage of the cutting-edge features of this motion sensing technology like improved skeletal tracking, , enhanced speech, seated mode tracking to create innovative applications.

Kinect for Windows will include Studio – a tool which allows developers to record and play back Kinect data; Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) to guide developers on best practices for the creation of Natural User Interfaces and the Face Tracking SDK, which provides a real-time 3D mesh of facial features tracking the head position, location of eyebrows and the shape of the mouth.

August 7, 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
Samsung planning Windows RT based tablets?

Samsung is reportedly working on a Windows RT tablet that will be launched in October this year, giving the much needed boost to the newly announced operating system.

According to a report in Bloomberg, sources familiar with the development stated that the tablet release will coincide with the Windows RT debut and it will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, probably S4.

Windows RT is the first operating system version from Microsoft that is made for touchscreen devices and supports ARM chips, which consume less power than x86.

If it does come through, the tablet would be Samsung’s first running a Microsoft OS.

July 9, 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
Windows Phone Marketplace reaches 100,000 apps

Along with the release of the latest version of their Windows Phone OS, the WP8, Microsoft has also taken the opportunity to announce that their Windows Phone Marketplace now has more than 100,000 apps.

Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore stated that the Windows Phone Marketplace officially hit 100,000 apps and games, a milestone that they have reached faster than Android, and a testament to the thousands of talented developers around the world who have supported Microsoft since its launch. He also goes on to thank the developers and states that Microsoft appreciates their creativity, effort and value they bring to the Windows Phone users.

Microsoft is now announcing a new batch of marquee titles, with the official Audible app for audiobooks arrives in Marketplace today. Official apps from Chase and PayPal are in the works. Gameloft has Windows Phone versions of Asphalt 7: Heat and N.O.V.A. 3 Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance on the way.

June 21, 2012
Current line of Windows devices won’t get Windows Phone 8 but 7.8

Existing Windows Phone devices will not be updated to Windows Phone 8

After the launch of Windows Phone 8, Microsoft confirmed that not a single smartphone out right now, not even the Lumia 900, will be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8. The hardware requirements for WP8 preclude its running on any current WP device. After all, how can single-core devices with WVGA screens take advantage of multi-core and additional resolution support? That part makes sense, but if you’re a recent customer, you might be frustrated.

To keep its existing user happy, Microsoft has launched the Windows Phone 7.8, 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.

June 21, 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
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

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

What’s new:

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