Showing posts with label Windows 8. Show all posts

Windows 8.1: Read this BEFORE you update - especially if you've got more than 1 PC

Microsoft is rolling out Windows 8.1 as a free upgrade for all Windows 8 users. But installing the new OS may not be as simple as it sounds, particularly for those with multiple computers to manage or those who installed the earlier Windows 8.1 Preview.

The basics are simple enough: Windows 8 users can apply the update by downloading it from Microsoft's Windows Store.

You may have to launch the store once or twice before you see the Windows 8.1 Update Live Tile – but once you've found it, starting the download takes just a couple of clicks.

The download itself may be a bit frustrating, though. The size of the update varies based on which version of Windows 8 you have installed, but it's generally about 3.5GB, so you'll want to have a reliable broadband connection.

For most customers, the Windows Store is the only way to get the update (click to enlarge)

Note, also, that the update has only just shipped, so Microsoft's servers are swamped and downloads may be slow going. Fortunately, you can keep using your PC while the files come down in the background and if the download is interrupted for any reason, you can pick it up from where it left off by starting the update again from the Windows Store.

Further complicating matters, however, if you have multiple devices to upgrade, you won't be able to download the update just once and apply it to all of your machines. El Reg asked Microsoft for clarification on this point and this is what we were told:

The Windows Store is the only way for consumers (non-enterprise, non-IT Pro) to download and install Windows 8.1. No ISOs will be made available, so each device needs to be updated individually via the Windows Store.

It actually goes further than that, though. "Consumers" here really means any copies of Windows 8 that weren't purchased through Microsoft's Volume Licensing programs. So a small business with 20 PCs to upgrade, for example, will have to do them one at a time via the Windows Store – so that's 20 separate 3.5GB downloads.

Enterprise customers have it a little easier. The installation media for Volume Licensing (VL) versions of Windows 8.1 can do in-place updates over existing Windows 8 installs, so admins won't need to download the update again for every PC that needs to be upgraded.

Enterprise sysadmins can also choose to perform what Microsoft calls a "refresh" deployment, where "data and settings are captured, the current OS is removed, Windows 8.1 is installed on a clean drive, apps are reinstalled, and then the user data is restored."

These methods are only available with the VL install media, the ISOs of which were released to MSDN and TechNet on Thursday. The earlier Windows 8.1 ISOs that shipped in September can only do clean installs with fresh product keys; they don't include the in-place update or refresh functionality.

What's more, customers who installed the Windows 8.1 Preview face an additional hurdle. When they upgrade to the final Windows 8.1 code, only their user accounts and data will be preserved. All of their applications will have to be reinstalled – and that means all of them, including Windows Store apps and desktop applications alike. (Though, to be fair, we were warned about this.)

Finally, if you're upgrading from an earlier version of Windows, official Windows 8.1 media is available for preorder from Microsoft's online store now and is scheduled to begin shipping tomorrow. But that's only good if you're upgrading from Windows 7. If you want to upgrade a machine that's currently running Windows XP or Vista, the correct procedure is to purchase Windows 8 media, upgrade your machine, then download the Windows 8.1 update using the Windows Store method.

Report by : Neil McAllister

Everything We Know About Microsoft's Next Version Of Windows, 'Windows Blue'

Microsoft is working on a new version of Windows, which is expected to be available sometime this year.

It's codenamed "Windows Blue" and a lot of details about it have leaked, including an early version that several people were able to install on their PCs and Windows tablets.

That version showed that Microsoft is fixing a lot of stuff that people really hated about Windows 8.

That's important because response to Microsoft's big new operating system, Windows 8, has been pretty underwhelming.

Report by : Julie Bort

Windows Phone 8 gets panorama app, Photosynth

Microsoft's mobile panorama app, Photosynth, is now available for Windows Phone 8 on the Windows Phone Marketplace. The panorama app allows users to capture and share panorama shots of places, people and events. Once users have created a Photosynth, they can share it as an interactive panoramic experience on Facebook and Twitter using the free Photosynth.net service.

Additionally, you can publish your panoramas to Bing. The latest version of the app, v1.5, adds camera lens integration, which allows users to capture panorama pictures by launching the app directly from the built-in camera app lens picker. Users can also adjust lighting conditions by using new exposure and white balance options.

Photosynth app comes to Windows Phone 8

“Sometimes a single photo - even a wide-angle photo - doesn't do a location justice. Whether it's the view off a cliff, or inside an incredible cathedral, we've all been to places that cry out for a full 360 degree panorama. Photosynth is the only Windows Phone app that can stitch a full sphere. That's 360 degrees horizontally and vertically,” a post on the Bing Blog reads.

All you have to do is start the app, move the camera around and then view your panorama come to life. You have to move the camera in a 360-degree arc and the app will stitch up the shots once you're done taking pictures. The app works with Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.5.

Microsoft also raised the curtains on its reimagined Envisioning Center. Microsoft says the Center is the outcome of a collaboration between its Strategic Prototyping team and Office Labs. Once in, visitors can work on the interactive desks or talk with colleagues through digital walls. They can also cook in a Kinect-enabled kitchen.

The Envisioning Center

Jonathan Cluts, Director of Microsoft’s Strategic Prototyping team, said, "We want to excite customers about the direction we're heading in and show that we are constantly thinking about new scenarios based on trends and real work in Microsoft Research and the business groups. These scenarios are based on reality, not science fiction."

The Redmond-based company expects to see thousands of visitors explore the Center each year. Anton Andrews, Director of Envisioning in Office Labs, said, "We don’t imagine that we’re predicting the future, but it’s case of staying on the cutting edge of the conversation, and promoting that conversation."

Report by : tech2 News Staff

Windows Phone 8 upgrade path guaranteed by Microsoft

Owners of Windows Phone 8 devices can breathe a sigh of relief: Microsoft has committed to offering a software upgrade path for phones designed to run the current version of its mobile operating system. The promise was made by marketing manager Greg Sullivan to a PC Magazine reporter on the sidelines of the recently concluded MWC in Barcelona.

Early Windows Phone adopters who jumped in with Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 were left out in the cold when Microsoft announced that their devices would not be able to handle Windows Phone 8. The news came out months before the launch of WP8, putting a severe damper on sales of the suddenly obsolete previous-generation devices, such as the first wave of Nokia Lumias and a handful of models from LG and Samsung. The reason was that WP8 was going to use a whole new Windows kernel, requiring a new processor architecture. The decision cast long-lasting doubts over Microsoft's ability to provide an upgrade path to buyers of any future devices.

The current Nokia Lumia range

Microsoft, which did not actively participate at MWC this year, is widely rumoured to be quite far along into its next product development cycle, codenamed "Blue". This will be a product refresh across Windows for the desktop, tablets and phones as well as Microsoft's various online services. Sullivan's statements seem to indicate that it will indeed roll out to all current and future WP8 devices. Perhaps having learnt from their mistake last year, no one at Microsoft has yet clarified what exactly the "Blue" refresh is and what it will bring to the table.

Windows Phone 7.x devices were built to an extremely tight specification, which didn't allow any flexibility in terms of the CPU used, amount of RAM, screen resolution and storage, and did not meet the minimum spec WP8 eventually required. Instead of a full upgrade, users were promised a cosmetic update that merely imitated the look and feel of WP8, which has still not rolled out to all WP 7.x users nearly six months after it was supposed to. Windows Phone 8 devices have relatively more headroom for future software updates, and the software can scale across a wider range of hardware, making it possible to launch devices that will be designed with the next version of Windows Phone in mind but released earlier with WP8.

Report by : Jamshed Avari

i-Mate to launch Intel-based Windows 8 smartphone: Report

Microsoft has been trying to build market for itself in the mobile space. Up till now it was only Nokia, Samsung, Huawei and HTC that are investing in developing smartphones based on this operating system. However, it looks like that the things are about to change now.

According to a news report by The Seattle Times, i-Mate is looking at launching a smartphone with a 4.7-inch touch-screen display. Dubbed as 'Intelegent' it runs on Windows 8 Pro rather than Windows Phone 8. The phone will reportedly be powered by Intel's 'Clover Trail' Atom processor. The other specifications of this smartphone are 2GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. For connectivity, the device supports HSPA+ and LTE 4G wireless networks. The company claims that it will give up to 10 hours of talk time.

i-Mate reportedly will be selling the device for $750. Old timers will recall i-Mate as the brand name of Windows Mobile-based devices from the last decade.

The Intelegent is part of a larger desktop dock system, which the company is calling "Hub". The hub will feature a 23-inch touchscreen display and will be coupled in with keyboard and mouse. This means that the device will be capable of doubling up as Windows 8 desktop. There are no prizes for guessing that all this will come at an additional cost. I-Mate will be retailing the Hub and Intelegent as a bundle for a whopping $1,600. The company plans to launch 10.1-inch tablet as well.

The Dubai-based Company is currently participating in the on-going Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013 and scouting for carrier partners that will is help them launch their smartphone. The company has chalked out plans to launch Intelegent from summer 2013.

The company's CEO Jim Morrison has indicated that it has zeroed in on manufacturing facility in California, which can produce up to 10,000 units a week.

Report by : Surbhi Chawla

Microsoft reveals Windows 8 price, opens for pre-order

Microsoft Corp opened its Windows 8 operating system for pre-orders on Friday, setting the price for the full version of the software at $70 for a DVD pack.

Users can also wait for launch on October 26 to download the system onto their computers for $40, an offer price that will expire at the end of January.

Shoppers can reserve the software pack at Microsoft's own stores, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Staples and elsewhere. The price tag is significantly lower than the current price for a comparable version of Windows 7, which costs $200.

Any customer who buys, or already bought, a Windows 7 PC between June 2 and the end of January 2013 will be able to get an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $15, a move designed to prevent a drop-off in PC sales before the launch of Windows 8.

Microsoft also said PC makers such as Acer, Asustek, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony were also now taking pre-orders for machines with Windows 8 pre-installed.

The world's largest software company did not mention its own Surface tablet PC, which is expected on the market at the same time as Windows 8. Microsoft has not revealed specifications or price of the product it hopes will challenge Apple Inc's iPad.

Report by: Reuters

Windows 8 Store will not allow games rated above PEGI 16

Windows 8 is all set to become the next big thing, and with many game developers voicing their displeasure with the operating system, things don’t look too well for the OS in terms of gaming. According to Eurogamer, the Windows 8 Store will not allow games that are rated higher than PEGI 16. This means no games with mature themes or violence will be allowed. Currently, some of these games include Skyrim, Mass Effect 3, and Dishonored – some of the biggest and most highly acclaimed games in recent times.

"Your app must not contain adult content, and metadata must be appropriate for everyone. Apps with a rating over PEGI 16, ESRB Mature, or that contain content that would warrant such a rating, are not allowed," the Windows Store app rules say. "Windows Store apps are appropriate for a global audience."

The Windows 8 Store won't be hosting games rated higher than PEGI 16 or Mature by ESRB

Fortunately, this does not mean that PEGI 18 rated games will not be playable on Windows 8. But it looks like Microsoft is attempting to take Windows 8 in the same direction as Apple’s Mac with its own regulated App Store. This has been one of the biggest criticisms that the company has been facing from big names in the games development industry such as John Carmack, Markus Persson and Gabe Newell.

Last month, Markus “Notch” Persson spoke out against Windows 8 for the second time. "Got an email from Microsoft, wanting to help 'certify' Minecraft for Win 8," he tweeted. "I told them to stop trying to ruin the PC as an open platform." He added, “I'd rather have Minecraft not run on Win 8 at all than to play along. Maybe we can convince a few people not to switch to Win 8 that way.”

Back in August during QuakeCon, John Carmack had spoken out against Windows 8 in his keynote speech. Carmack mentioned that they started working on Windows 7 directly after XP, and that they had skipped Windows Vista entirely. "Hardly anyone at id used Vista." When Windows 7 was released, Carmack added, it was a bit more attractive because it did some things better and faster. So there was no reason for him to consider switching to Windows 8. He said that no one in his team has worked on Windows 8 yet. However, his team intended to do so, because the launch of Doom 3: BFG Edition was very close to that of Windows 8.

Carmack stated that while he has much more respect for Microsoft than others, he has some doubts about the new touch-based UI in Windows 8, and whether it will be successful. He also said he is “kind of excited” about the Surface tablet.

Carmack joined the growing list of important game developers that are not keen on Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 OS. Earlier, Notch had spoken out about Windows 8 on a Q&A on Reddit. "If Microsoft decides to lock down Windows 8, it would be very, very bad for Indie games and competition in general," Notch said during the Q&A. "If we can keep open platforms around, there's going to be a lot of very interesting games in ten years, mixed in with the huge AAA games that we all love."

Report by: Shunal Doke

Good news: Now, run Android apps on your Windows 8 devices

Sunnyvale, California: AMD has launched AppZone in collaboration with BlueStacks to enable consumers to experience popular Android apps on a broad range of Microsoft Windows 7- and Windows 8-based devices.

The semiconductor design innovator AMD has announced the launch of AMD AppZone, an online showcase for applications and games accelerated by AMD Radeon graphics processing units (GPUs) and AMD accelerated processing units (APUs). In addition to featuring some of the most recognizable PC games and productivity apps, consumers can now download and seamlessly run popular Android apps on AMD-based computers running Windows 7 and Window 8.

According to a press release issued by AMD, the collaboration with BlueStacks to enable the AMD AppZone Player, will bring thousands of Android apps to the millions of AMD-powered tablets, notebooks, all-in-one and desktop computers. Consumers can automatically sync their AppZone apps with Android-based devices via BlueStacks Cloud Connect, a cloud-based service that enables a Windows-based PC to become an extension of an Android mobile device and vice versa.

“By collaborating with BlueStacks, we are enabling software developers to more easily tap into the full capabilities of AMD’s products, and providing millions of consumers with great experiences as they can now run Android apps on AMD-powered devices” said Manju Hegde, corporate vice president, Heterogeneous Applications and Developer Solutions at AMD.

Rosen Sharma, CEO of BlueStacks said “with BlueStacks technology, app developers can rest assured their Android apps will run directly on Windows without any code change. We’ve made it easy for all.”

BlueStacks is an AMD Ventures-backed software company that enables Android apps to run on notebooks, desktops, all-in-one PCs, slates and tablets. BlueStacks was founded in 2009 by Rosen Sharma, is privately held and headquartered in Silicon Valley with global offices in India, Taiwan and Japan.

AMD is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its groundbreaking AMD Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) that power a wide range of computing devices.

Report by: Dailybhaskar

Microsoft's new Windows 8 OS is very exciting, says Bill Gates

New York: Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Thursday called the new Windows 8 operating system scheduled for release next month "a very exciting new product" and "a very big deal" for the world's largest software maker.

Gates said in an interview with The Associated Press that he is already using Windows 8 "and I'm very pleased with it."

Windows 8 is Microsoft's biggest overhaul of Windows in more than a decade and the company's attempt to stay relevant and exciting in a world where mobile gadgets have started to overshadow personal computers.

"Hardware partners are doing great things to take advantage of the features," Gates added. "It'll be a big deal."

Microsoft will release Windows 8 on October 26 along with a new version of Internet Explorer.

Gates responded to a question about Windows 8 during an AP interview about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's key role in a new global campaign to eradicate polio.

Windows 8 will replace Windows 7 on practically all personal computers sold to consumers.

It features major changes in the way consumers interact with their machines, and versions of it will also run on tablet computers and smartphones.

Although Microsoft has grown into much more than a maker of computer operating systems - providing computer services to corporations and Xbox gaming machines to game enthusiasts - Windows still accounts for a significant chunk of the company's annual revenue.

In 2011, Microsoft's "Windows & Windows Live" division generated 27 per cent, or $19 billion, of the company's $69.9 billion in annual revenue.