(PR) Windows Server 2012 Powers the Cloud OS

"The operating system has always been the heartbeat of IT and is now undergoing a renaissance in the new world of continuous cloud services, connected devices and big data," Nadella said. "Microsoft's unique legacy in the most widely used operating systems, applications and cloud services positions us to deliver the Cloud OS, based on Windows Server and Windows Azure, helping customers achieve a datacenter without boundaries." ]]>

View the original article here

Samsung's dual-display Windows 8 laptop and other prototypes, hands-on

See that? It's not your daddy's flip hybrid tablet -- it's the new dual-display laptop prototype from the fine people at Samsung. The body of the notebook is certainly in the vein of a MacBook Air or ultrabook, with slim metal slides that taper off into a point. The palm rests, meanwhile, are a brushed metal, with black chiclet-style keys above. On the bezel above the screen is a camera.

The magic, however, doesn't happen until you close the thing, turning on a display on the hood. Yep, it's yet another attempt to capitalize on Windows 8's dual-nature. Inside, you've got a fully functioning laptop and outside you've a touchscreen tablet that, yes, utilizes everyone's favorite proprietary stylus, the S-pen, and there's also a rear facing camera on the outside. Perhaps it's all that functionality packed inside, but this prototype is certainly heavier than your standard ultrabook, and unlike most systems, a lot of that weight is located in the display -- we're sure there's a fair amount of internals located up there.

This being a prototype, the Samsung rep we spoke with had no clue on what such a device might cost or when it might come to market -- or even if this thing will ever see the light of day, so don't get your dual-hopes up just yet. The hybrid was sitting right next to the 2,560 x 1,440 Series 9 prototype we recently scoped out and in front of a wall of concepts that explore the brave new world of elastic form factors to their fullest. Check out a video and some notes on the other devices after the jump.

Gallery: Hands-on with Samsung's concept laptops

Continue reading Samsung's dual-display Windows 8 laptop and other prototypes, hands-on

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets

Samsung's dual-display Windows 8 laptop and other prototypes, hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

(PR) Samsung Introduces New Slate PCs Featuring Windows 8 and Detachable Keyboard

"With the introduction of our new Slate PCs, we are providing customers with greater choice while maintaining the power of a traditional PC," said Todd Bouman, vice president of marketing at Samsung's Enterprise Business Division. "We created our Slate PCs with a focus on beautiful design, powerful performance and ease of use, attributes that our customers have come to expect in their Samsung computing experience. Our mobile PC business has grown significantly over the past year, which is a testament to our ability to meet customer needs in this space, and we expect strong growth to continue with our new Slate PCs."

]]>

View the original article here

Toshiba Shows Off its Own Windows 8-Powered Tablet-Ultrabook Hybrid

The U925t also has two USB 3.0 ports, a HDMI output, support for Intel's Wireless Display technology, NFC, and comes pre-loaded with a few branded apps like Desktop Assist, Toshiba Central, App Place, News Place and Book Place. Toshiba's creation is expected to become available on October 26th (Windows 8's launch day) priced just north of $1,000.



Source: LAPTOP Magazine]]>

View the original article here

Mac Blu-ray Player for Windows 2.4.2.0952 Portable

Mac Blu-ray Player for Windows 2.4.2.0952 Portable | 26.1 MB
Mac Blu-ray Player is the first universal media player for Mac&PC in the world. It can not only play blu-ray HD movies on Mac or PC, but also support any formats of movie, video, audio, music and photo you have ever seen. Particularly, you are able to add subtitles to movie or video, and share the movie's information with your best friends. Furthermore, it has very easy and convenient interface and layout as well as the hardware acceleration technique that can reduce power consumption effectively.]]>

View the original article here

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 official: Windows 8, NFC and a fingerprint reader, arrives in October

If you've been paying attention, you not only knew Lenovo was readying a ThinkPad-branded Windows 8 tablet, but you probably already noticed all the leaked specs, too. Indeed, we first saw this thing all the way back at Computex, where Lenovo gave us a fairly hands-off peek, taking care to conceal most of the device's specs. Later, it turned up in the FCC and in official documents, letting us know the slate would actually be arriving quite soon.

And here it is! As we previously reported, this is a 10-inch slate running Windows 8 and an Intel Atom processor. And yes, it will replace the current ThinkPad Tablet, which runs Android. Other key specs include a 1,366 x 768 IPS display, a 10-hour battery, optional 3G / 4G, micro-HDMI output and a pair of 2MP / 8MP cameras. For the most part, that cellular connection will take the form of HSPA+ but in the US, at least, the tablet will be available on AT&T's LTE network. And, as we learned in more recent leaks, this 9.8mm-thick tablet makes room for an NFC radio, along with a fingerprint reader and a pen, which can be stowed in a slot on the tablet. Additionally, it will be sold alongside an optional keyboard, as well as a dock with three USB ports, HDMI-out and an Ethernet jack.

The one thing we don't know? The price. So far, Lenovo is only saying the tablet will be available in October, when Windows 8 starts shipping. For now, we've got a mix of glossy press shots for your viewing pleasure, along with some hands-on photos we took in advance of tonight's announcement.

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2

Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 hands-on

Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 official: Windows 8, NFC and a fingerprint reader, arrives in October

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 official: Windows 8, NFC and a fingerprint reader, arrives in October originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

Google Chrome for Windows gets more secure Flash player, gives users a browsing sandbox safety net

Chrome turned 21 last week, and in that new version, Google's made playing Flash videos in its browser even safer... for Windows users, anyway. This latest release puts Adobe's Flash Player plug-in for Windows in a sandbox, much as Chrome 20 did for Linux. This sandbox is "as strong" as Chrome's extremely robust native version -- even in Windows XP -- which means that Flash-borne malware can't hurt Microsofties. Securing the Flash Player plug-in is the result of two years of work, and was made possible by a new plug-in architecture Google co-developed with Adobe. In addition to the security benefits, the architecture has also brought performance improvements by way of a 20 percent decrease in Flash crashes and GPU acceleration for smoother scrolling and faster Flash rendering. And, while the immediate good news is for Windows users, Google has assured us that a port for OS X is in the works, and it hopes to ship that Mac version soon.

Filed under: Internet, Software

Google Chrome for Windows gets more secure Flash player, gives users a browsing sandbox safety net originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  Chromium Blog, Google Chrome Blog  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

Windows 8 Box-Art Revealed

Source: The Verge]]>

View the original article here

L4D2 Runs Faster on Linux than Windows

The disclosure comes as part of Valve's ongoing efforts to optimize the Source engine to the Linux platform, following which, it plans to port more of its game franchises, such as Half Life, Counter Strike, Team Fortress, and Portal. The games will be available on Ubuntu with SteamPlay, allowing users who already own a license for the Windows or Mac OS X versions to simply download and play the game on Ubuntu, without any purchases.

Source: Phoronix]]>

View the original article here

Windows 8 Finalized, RTM Arrives on August 15, "Metro" UI Name Dumped

schedule, Microsoft has reportedly finalized the build of Windows 8, with which the company will launch the operating system to the public. After releasing several internal and some public pre-launch builds (such as Beta, Release Preview), the company is ready with the RTM (release to market) build, which is fit for commercial release. Windows 8 RTM, in its various variants, will be available first to enterprise customers and industry partners starting August 15. The commercial launch is on course for October 26, 2012.

In related news, the threat of trademark litigation by German retail giant Metro Group has forced Microsoft to trash the codename "Metro" to refer to its new tiled user-interface (UI), which makes the OS optimized for touchscreens, but is also the primary UI for non-touch computing platforms (such as desktop PCs). According to reports, Microsoft will merely stop referring to Metro UI as such. Metro UI invited criticism from some evaluators of pre-launch Windows 8 builds, particularly from the desktop PC and non-touch notebook platforms.

Sources: Computex.biz, The Verge]]>

View the original article here

(PR) Intel Gears Software Developers Up for Windows 8

Intel Media SDK also supports DirectX 11 with optimized access to hardware accelerated video encoding, decoding and transcoding for applications on 3rd Generation Intel Core processors.

The Intel SDK for OpenCL Applications Beta now supports OpenCL 1.2 API previews on CPU and other features such as a new kernel builder and GNU project debugger, which ease the creation of parallel and visual computing apps. Both kits support the new Intel HD Graphics Driver for Windows 8 and are available now as free downloads.]]>

View the original article here

Microsoft opens Windows Phone Dev Center, limits in-app purchases to Windows Phone 8 (update: store rebrand too)

It's a day of mixed blessings if you're a Windows Phone developer. The upside? Microsoft has shelved its old App Hub in favor of the heavily reworked Windows Phone Dev Center: along with being simpler and more reliable, it now lets app designers offer their apps in four times as many countries (three times as many for paid apps), gives them better tracking tools and lets them at last get payment from Microsoft through PayPal. We hope they aren't making too many grand plans to bring Microsoft's newly added in-app purchasing support to every title, however. The counterbalance in this story is confirmation in the Dev Center that any in-app commerce will be limited to Windows Phone 8 -- even devices running Windows Phone 7.8 will have to turn to all-or-nothing transactions to directly generate cash. While we can't say we're surprised, knowing that Microsoft hadn't mentioned legacy support before, the news no doubt dampens the enthusiasm for developers who now need to wait for a wave of new devices before they can join the freemium app gold rush.

Update: WMPowerUser noticed something in that tiny text on the home page -- the artist formerly known as the Windows Phone Marketplace is now the Windows Phone Store. A small (and still unacknowledged) change, but notable for harmonizing the mobile app shop with the Windows Store on the desktop.

Filed under: Cellphones

Microsoft opens Windows Phone Dev Center, limits in-app purchases to Windows Phone 8 (update: store rebrand too) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Windows Phone Developer Blog, The Verge  |  Windows Phone Dev Center (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

Windows 8's stock apps get pictured, tease its final build

Microsoft might be wavering on the well established Metro moniker that it ascribes to its flat, live tile design aesthetic, but that doesn't make it any less pervasive in Windows 8's final build. Care to see? Impatient Windows fans have pilfered a handful of screenshots from Google and Windows Store previews, revealing what appears to be the final look for several of Windows 8's apps. Gumshoes at the Neowin forums uncovered fresh previews of the Photos, Mail, Messaging, People, Calendar Xbox music, Xbox video and Xbox SmartGlass applications. Liveside followed up on the forum's findings with a peek at the OS' baked in Bing integration. The camera interface's crop and video playback features make an appearance too, as do the operating system's legacy time wasters: Solitaire, Minesweeper and Mahjong -- slacking off never looked so good. Check them out for yourself in the gallery below, and agonize over how far away October 26th suddenly seems.

Gallery: Windows 8 stock apps

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

Windows 8's stock apps get pictured, tease its final build originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  Neowin, Liveside  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

Microsoft lists 180 countries in Windows Phone 8 Marketplace, says apps can filter by screen size

Now that the dust has settled on the big Windows Phone 8 hoedown, Redmond is filling in the details of all its announcements. To wit, it just released a list of the 180 countries that will get access to its WP marketplace and developer app hub. That number is a big jump from the 63 markets and 38 app hubs of today, and with in-app purchasing coming soon, Microsoft emphasized that point -- along with the 100,000 apps in stock -- to developers. The software giant also added that the marketplace will filter apps by phone screen resolution and "other key characteristics," allowing easier targeting of users. To see if your country made the cut, check the source for the very long list.

Microsoft lists 180 countries in Windows Phone 8 Marketplace, says apps can filter by screen size originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Windows Team Blog  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

U.S. Cellular pledges to carry Windows Phone 8 devices in the fall

U.S. Cellular has confirmed to PC Mag that it's "excited" by the prospect of carrying Windows Phone 8 handsets when they land later this year. A PR person even went as far as saying that WP8 "will be an important part of our lineup." The move leaves Sprint, Cricket and MetroPCS as the only major-league holdouts for the new platform -- or perhaps their PR departments just aren't as bubbly.

U.S. Cellular pledges to carry Windows Phone 8 devices in the fall originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  PC Mag  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

New Drivers Pack For Windows 7 x32/x64 (10 - 06 - 2012)

New Drivers Pack For Windows 7 x32/x64 (10-06-2012) | 2.94 GB
A collection of updated drivers for devices running the operating system, Windows 7 x32/x64, represents the most complete and fresh set on 10.6.2012 in this release includes drivers for stationary (Desktop) and Laptop (Notebook) All drivers are sorted by device and packaged in a self extracting archive 7 zip, drivers were downloaded from the official websites of manufacturers and are the reference (without third-party changes).]]>

View the original article here

Microsoft details Windows 8 Calendar app design, wants to 'show your life clearly'

As part of its "Building Windows 8" blog series, Redmond has been doling inside info on apps like Mail and People, and now it's Calendar's turn in the spotlight. Steven Sinofsky blogged that one of the primary marks was to serve up a clear view of your life, and the team wanted Calendar to be easy to read and distraction free. To bring that about, it kept the info displayed to a minimum, giving users the option to easily change colors for important events and drop distracting ones from view if necessary. The designers also stressed ease of navigation, a simple interface for adding events, copious notification options and and advanced scheduling tricks -- like a full page of notes for each event. Of course, Microsoft also wanted to ensure the app conforms to Metro design standards and functionality, and it seems to fit that mold in spades. Sinofsky also said that a lot of user feedback was accounted for, so be sure to check the source to see if that "Caturday" idea made the cut.

Microsoft details Windows 8 Calendar app design, wants to 'show your life clearly' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Building Windows 8  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

(PR) OCZ Talos 2 SSDs Selected by Microsoft for Windows Server 2012 Demonstrations

]]>

View the original article here

Windows 8 Release Preview Out Later Today: Redacted Blog Post

Entitled "Windows Hardware and Driver Developer Blog," the blog post by Chan focused on areas of driver and system software development ahead of the operating system's market launch. Windows 8 Release Preview would serve as a fairly reliable platform for developers to test their system software on. A transcript of the blog post is quoted below. Download links to Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows 8 Driver Kit, and Visual Studio 2012 Professional can be found after the break.

]]>

View the original article here

(PR) Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Release Preview

here, the Windows 8 Release Preview delivers a fast and fluid experience, along with a new user interface that responds equally well to touch as it does to keyboard and mouse. Since the February release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which was downloaded more than 1 million times in the first 24 hours, Windows 8 has become the most tested Microsoft operating system of all time, and with today's release, it enters its final phase of development before it releases to manufacturing.

We're thrilled to be at this milestone with the Windows 8 Release Preview," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. ]]>

View the original article here