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Tips have Acer, ASUS and Toshiba showing Windows 8 tablets at Computex, color us unsurprised
We know Computex will involve nothing less than a deluge of new laptops, but if we believe Bloomberg, it's going to be a Windows 8 tablet-topia as well. Hot on the heels of the Windows 8 Release Preview, it's claimed by the ever-present "people with knowledge of the matter" that Acer, ASUS and Toshiba will all be showing tablets with the new OS at the Taipei show. ASUS will reportedly get the star treatment at Microsoft's keynote and show off Transformer-style Windows 8 tablets that we suspect are hinted at in ASUS' slightly cryptic trailers. Processor loyalties could be split across the wider group, though: ASUS is said to be spreading the love by showing both an Intel-based tablet as well as one using NVIDIA's ARM-powered Tegra line, but Acer's previously rumored tablet is poised to go the Intel-only route, and Toshiba's may exist solely in a TI OMAP-based ARM camp. It's not apparent if anyone else will join the Windows 8 tablet frenzy, although Qualcomm is expected to show yet another Snapdragon-running test device. We'll be on the ground at Computex next week, so you can be sure that we'll give you the full rundown on Windows 8's opening salvo.
Microsoft details Windows Store changes, adds desktop apps, better navigation
Microsoft is opening up about the changes its made to the Windows Store as the premiere date for the new OS draws near. It'll be available in 26 markets (so far) and Redmond's listened to concerns consumers had about getting around. In response, it's added a navigation bar that also links users directly to the apps they already own. Desktop apps will appear from June 1st (today), although when clicking a link, you'll be redirected to the developers own website to make the purchase. The company has tweaked the terms and conditions to insist that app-builders make the primary experience take place "within the app," rather than merely linking elsewhere. Additionally, everything submitted must fully support keyboard / mouse and touch controls, so people can switch controls if necessary. The company's also mandating that apps must rely upon mechanisms provided by Windows 8, such as process management and using swipe-implemented menus.
Microsoft outs Windows Server 2012 release candidate ahead of big Windows 8 reveal
Today marks the much-anticipated debut of Microsoft's Windows 8 Release Preview, and just ahead of that unveiling Redmond has posted the server edition of the new OS. Now available for download, the Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate includes a made-over Server Manager and replaces the Start Menu with the Metro UI. Moreover, Microsoft has reportedly removed legacy code that would allow users to boot into the classic desktop Start Menu. Windows Server 2012 will also feature the new Resilient File System for handling heavy-duty data and managing shared storage across machines. Applications that run on the current Windows Server 2008 should be compatible with this new version
Intel teams up with DeviceScape for automatic public WiFi, will hook up your Ultrabook in the background
We all know the coffee shop WiFi routine: crack open the laptop, visit a splash page, and dutifully wait until you're logged in before you get to Twitter. Through a new deal between Intel and DeviceScape, you won't even have to think about it. Intel's Smart Connect tool will soon automatically sign in your Ultrabook to a curated list of quality, open WiFi hotspots, even if the PC is fast asleep. This last trick might need Windows 8's Connected Standby mode to live up to Intel's expectations, but the dream is to have your email and social feeds updated and waiting before that laptop or tablet screen has even blinked into life. Intel is leaving some gaps in the story, such as whether or not gadget owners will pay a premium for the fast access. We'd guess that Intel is counting on higher computer (and more importantly, processor) sales to make up the difference.
Microsoft posts Windows 8 app porting guide roundup, forgets to include BASIC
Let's say you're a developer eager to convert your apps for Windows 8 as soon as possible. Where do you start? Microsoft Developer Evangelist Jennifer Marsman is very much aware that you might be at a loss, so she has done the rather large favor of rounding up every porting guide the company has to offer in one handy place. Some of these are pure design guides, like a previously spotted iPad-to-Metro layout article, but others dig deep into converting code for the land of home tiles and charms. The focus is on porting from the web and Windows Phone 7, so we wouldn't work up hopes of bringing your high school computer class project to Metro. Still, Marsman is looking for more guides from readers; if you've developed just the technique to convert 10 PRINT "HELLO WORLD" 20 GOTO 10 into a tablet-native Windows 8 app, return the generosity and leave pointers at the source link.
Microsoft pulling free development tools for Windows 8 desktop apps, only lets you ride the Metro for free (update: confirmed)
Microsoft has instituted a big change with its free Visual Studio 11 Express suite that's leaving some current- and soon-to-be Windows 8 developers up in arms: it's pulling support for creating anything but Metro-native apps. After 11 becomes the norm, desktop developers will need to either cling to Visual Studio 2010 for dear life or fork over the $500 for Visual Studio 11 Professional. Programmers won't have the option of backdoor coding, either, with both the compiler and toolchain being pulled from Windows' framework. The situation doesn't represent the end of the world for some developers -- more established pros don't balk at a $500 price, and third-party tools will likely live on -- but it sets a much higher price of entry for desktop apps developed through the official route, especially if you want to write games using XNA. We've reached out to Microsoft for a response, but for now we'd suggest setting aside five Benjamins if Start screen tiles and app charms aren't your cups of tea. Update: We've confirmed with a Microsoft spokesperson that it's true you'll need Professional if you want to write desktop apps using Visual Studio. It's equally correct, though, that third-party developer kits will keep building desktop apps as long as they have their own compilers and related tools. Students can get Professional for free if they're in the Dreamspark program.
Windows 8's Metro version of IE 10 may keep Flash for edge cases
Microsoft triggered some weeping and gnashing of teeth with its decision to keep Flash out of the Metro environment's Internet Explorer 10 browser in favor of HTML5, and it looks like that outpouring of grief has produced a compromise -- albeit with a catch. Leaks of the upcoming Windows 8 Release Preview purport to show Flash running on IE10 in the new interface, but only for certain popular sites (such as Disney's) that can be trusted with Flash and don't have an easy HTML5 fallback. The company hasn't confirmed the change, but it's thought that Microsoft has skipped the familiar plugin route in favor of just coding Flash support for a few sites at a low level. If that's what we see when the Release Preview goes public in June, it could serve as a bridge for parents worried their kids will miss out on Where's My Water? games while preserving a browser that's overall leaner, meaner and safer. We wouldn't hold out much hope for Windows 8 RT tablets running ARM chips, though, knowing that backwards compatibility doesn't exist and that Adobe might not be keen to revive Flash-on-ARM support it's trying to wind down.
Microsoft details Windows 8's pre-boot world, helps you skip the F8 F8 F8 routine
Microsoft has been going into very exacting detail as to how Windows 8 works, but one area it hasn't explored much is what happens before you even see the Start screen. As user experience manager Chris Clark notes, the days of mashing F8 repeatedly to reach a pre-boot configuration are (mostly) over: you can invoke it either through an "advanced startup" in settings, through Start menu shortcuts or, if your PC is truly sick, let it show automatically. At least on systems blessed with UEFI instead of an aging BIOS, you'll get a lot more to tinker with as well, including going straight to the command prompt, recovering from a system image or booting from external storage. The emphasis on choosing your environment before you hit the power button is virtually necessary. A Windows 8 PC with a solid-state drive leaves just a 200-millisecond slice of time for any user input, and Microsoft would rather not have users caught in an infinite loop of restarting their systems as they unsuccessfully try to boot from USB drives. You'll likely discover the pre-boot space first-hand when the OS ships later this year, but for now you can check the source for more.
Kiss Aero goodbye: Latest Windows 8 build reveals minimalistic desktop UI (update)
It's safe to say that anticipation is high for the upcoming Windows 8 Release Preview, which will become available in the first week of June. While we're still curious to see if Microsoft can better integrate the desktop and Metro environments of its latest operating system, the company has now revealed a significant change to the desktop portion of Windows 8 -- a completely restyled visual appearance. As you might remember from the Consumer Preview, window borders and widgets featured a simplified and subdued look in comparison to the glass-like materials of Aero, which Microsoft now calls "dated and cheesy." With the latest refresh, however, the company has pushed its modernistic philosophy even further to reveal a spartan (yet functional) interface that draws less attention to the chrome elements and allows the user to focus more on content. Microsoft's latest reveal was made as part of a larger, retrospective look at its development of Windows and the evolution of the operating system. At every step, the company states that its emphasis has been on the overall "learnability" of the environment. As such, Microsoft claims that it's making great strides to ensure that consumers may quickly get up to speed with the latest OS, and hints that it has a number of reveals yet to be seen. In its very next breath, however, it also emphasized people's ability to adapt and move forward, which suggests the number of changes might not be as conciliatory as some might've hoped. Regardless, we'll know for sure what Microsoft has in store in just a few weeks. Update: Well, this is interesting. In the screenshot above, you'll notice a highlighted mail-esque icon at the bottom of the taskbar. As it would turn out, Techblitz recently discovered that Microsoft swapped that shot for a nearly identical replica, albeit without the icon. Is this miniscule peek into something new in the way of Windows Live mail or similar? At this point it's anyone guess, but we'll keep you posted if we find out more. You'll find the new screenshot after the break.
Microsoft to offer $15 Windows 8 upgrade, when you buy a Win7 PC
In need of a new computer, but holding out because you don't want to be saddled with a last-gen OS when Windows 8 lands? Worry not potential consumers, Microsoft plans to offer a cheap upgrade path to its latest and greatest if you buy in now. Well, not now, but soon. Starting June 2nd Redmond will offer a $15 upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 Pro. Mary Jo Foley first reported the deal last week, but wasn't able to put a price on the offer. Now, Paul Thurrott is filling in those blanks. For $14.99 any new PC purchaser will be insured against the coming Metro revolution. This is hardly a new tactic for Microsoft, which has used similar deals to try and stave off steep drops in computer sales as the release of a new OS approaches. The only question we have left is, why the push to Pro? Though, far be it for us to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Microsoft gives Windows 8 developers a head start on Windows Store app submissions
If you've been jonesing to get your app into the Windows Store and don't want to compete for attention with the developing masses when Windows 8 ships, Microsoft might just have your ticket to the front of the line. Developer Evangelist Matt Harrington is offering a fast track for developers that write a "great" app, contact him through his blog and meet all the app submission conditions needed to get Microsoft's rubber stamp. Along with receiving a token to enter the store well ahead of most others, those privileged few who clear the hurdles can get help from a Microsoft engineer to give their Windows 8 apps that extra polish. When the development floodgates open to everyone is still an unknown, although a handful of workshops between May 11 and June 8 should give app writers an edge in getting started.
Windows 8 Release Preview coming 'first week of June'
Reckoning it's about time you replaced that copy of Windows 8 Consumer Preview? Microsoft is right there with you. According to the outfit's Building Windows 8 Twitter account, the next major installment of Win8 is due out in "the first week of June," with the Windows 8 Release Preview to hit the intertubes at that time. Go ahead and take off the whole week in preparation -- we're sure you can think of a few DIY activities to bide your time in the event of a Friday release. (Oh, and in case you're wondering, this is just yet another step in the march to a hopeful October ship date for the final build of Windows 8.) [Thanks, Jignesh]
Touchpad Free adds Windows 8 gestures to its WP7 app
There's no shortage of apps that let you use your mobile phone as a touchpad for your computer, but Touchpad Free is the first we've heard of that adds explicit support for Windows 8 gestures. The remote pointer app should allow your Mango-powered device to play nice with that preview copy of Win 8 you've been running since it hit the web, complete with the multitouch gestures that are key to navigating the metro interface. To get it up and running you'll have to install a small server app on your PC which you can find at the source. Follow the second source link and you'll come upon Touchpad Free itself. Neat huh? Well, what are you waiting for, go check it out.
Windows Store slowly going global, 26 country specific markets launching with next update
The Windows Store, though still very much in the trial stage, is already growing -- and not just in terms of catalog size. At launch, alongside the consumer preview of Windows 8, the Store was only accepting submissions from devs in five different countries and had region specific markets to match. With the next preview release of its upcoming OS, though, Microsoft plans to expand that greatly. Soon enough 33 more nations will be open to submitting apps and the number of country-specific store fronts will jump from five to 26. And, while you'll still have to submit your apps in one of the 12 certification languages for approval purposes, entries will be accepted in 109 different tongues. This move will require some changes on the backend, of course, to scale globally. So, as part of that transition Microsoft has stopped accepting submissions for Consumer Preview apps. We can only hope the down time is short lived and the next version of the Windows Store (and possibly Windows 8) is hot on its heels.
Splashtop brings Windows 8 Metro Testbed to Apple's iPad (video)
This has gotta be uncomfortable for the iPad. Now, Windows 8 tablet developers -- or anyone, for that matter -- can test their apps and play with the Microsoft's Metro interface from within the confines of Apple's ubiquitous tablet. The functionality is made possible by Splashtop, which is known for its remote desktop apps that are currently available for Android and iOS. It seems that a good amount of effort went into this application, known as the Win8 Metro Testbed, which offers the same swipe capabilities that will be available on a native system. This includes the ability to swipe from the left to switch apps, swipe from the right to reveal the Charms menu, and pull down from the top to close an application. Splashtop's Win8 Metro Testbed is currently available for a promotional $24.99 in the iTunes App Store, whereafter it will sell for $49.99. You'll find the full PR and a quick video tour of the app's functionality after the break.
Shocker: Windows 8 will be 'retina' display friendly
We suppose Microsoft didn't have to make Windows 8 play nice with the new rash of extremely pixel-dense displays. But, that would be tantamount to OS suicide. So, we're not particularly surprised to hear that the latest and greatest Windows will support resolutions up to 2560 x 1440 on screens as small as 10.1 inches. That's a pretty impressive 291 pixels per inch. Of course, it's not quite as simple as it sounds. While in an ideal world, every UI element would be resolution independent, that's simply not the case and the infrastructure isn't there to support it. Instead graphical elements, including text, must be scaled to fill the available pixels. Microsoft's scheme will use 100 percent for standard density displays, 140 for HD and 180 for quad-XGA panels. Thankfully, the company was smart enough to include support for SVG files as UI elements, meaning that density and resolution independent future is at least one step closer. For loads more details hit up the source link.
Poll: Did you download the Windows 8 preview?
Microsoft's finally unleashed its consumer preview of Windows 8 and while we're sure plenty of your questions were answered in our highly-detailed overview, nothing beats giving it a blast for yourself. So what are your thought so far? Is this the future destined for that Ultrabook you've had your eyes on? Let us know in our poll. And if you have even more thoughts, be sure to let us know in the comments section below. %Poll-73786%
Microsoft Windows 8 on 82-inch touchscreen hands-on (video)
We don't have 100 fingers -- theoretically the supported limit of Windows 8 on the 82-inch capacitive touchscreen display we just had a chance to go hands-on with at the company's latest OS demo at Mobile World Congress -- but things looked pretty impressive even with just 10. The display we saw is manufactured by a company called Perceptive Pixel, and it may even look familiar -- it's the same glass screen used by television news networks like CNN. But, unlike the giant touchscreens you've seen on TV, this guy is connected to a standard off-the-shelf PC running Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The glass panel is constructed of optically-bonded Gorilla Glass, so there's very little space between the picture and your hand, making for a much more realistic user experience. Naturally, this monitor is all about the visuals, so you really need to see it in action to get an accurate impression of just how slick the experience can be. Jump past the break for our hands-on.
Windows 8 adds sensor support, will be the PC to turn, turn, turn
Microsoft is slowly turning its stalwart desktop OS into a mobile powerhouse. The company just keeps rolling out improvements and features for Windows 8 aimed at really making upcoming tablets competitive with their Android and iOS-based market mates. After cramming mobile broadband tools into the tile-happy OS, now Redmond is turning its attention towards sensors. The next version of Windows will offer integrated support for gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers and ambient light sensors among other things. Devs will even be able to use multiple sensors in conjunction for more accurate interaction. Check out the video after the break for more details.
Microsoft outlines Windows 8 wireless improvements
It wasn't long ago that wireless networking in Windows was a hodgepodge mess of vendor-specific drivers and apps all conspiring against Microsoft's default interface. Windows 7 solved this in part by streamlining WiFi connectivity, but it appears once again that Microsoft wants to extend the idea to 3G and 4G networking in Windows 8 -- with built-in data activation and usage tools to boot. So, if you've been longing to show VZAccess Manager the door, you'll find more details in the source link below.
