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The Daily Roundup for 01.08.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Microsoft moves another 20 million Windows 8 licenses over holiday season, 100 million total app downloads
Ready for your quarterly dose of Windows 8 sales figures? After hearing that some 40 million licenses had been sold through last November, the company's CFO and CMO for Windows Tammi Reller announced here at CES that Microsoft has sold 60 million Windows 8 licenses to date. According to her, that number includes "sell in to OEMs for new PCs," but she didn't clarify whether or not it includes blockbuster deals like the $617 million one it recently landed with the US Army, Air Force and DISA. Reller also noted that the numbers are "roughly in line with where we would have been with Windows 7." Moving 20 million of anything over a single holiday season is pretty impressive, and we'll be keeping an ear out for more details should they emerge. Update: Microsoft also announced that "since the opening of the Windows Store the number of apps has quadrupled and it passed the 100 million app download mark – just two months after general availability."
Dropbox delivers long-promised app for Windows 8 and Windows RT
We've been hearing talk of a Dropbox app for Windows 8 since the OS's big debut back in October, but there's now finally some good news for Windows users who favor the cloud-storage service. The Dropbox app is now available for both Windows 8 and Windows RT devices, offering all the basic features you'd expect (and not much more), including the ability to share files with with Windows 8's Share Charm. Windows Phone 8 users, on the other hand, still have some waiting to do for an official app.
Lenovo signs up Bluestacks to add Android apps to its Windows 8 PCs
We've grown accustomed to seeing Lenovo's Android-running smartphones, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see the company bring the operating system to its PCs as well. The PC maker has followed AMD in teaming up with Bluestacks to bring its Android App Player to Lenovo's Windows 8 PCs -- almost a year to the day that the software was originally launched. The company promises that users will soon be able to seamlessly sync their favorite apps and SMS messages between smartphone and PC, but the company isn't ready enough to give a firm date, so we'll just have to hope it's soon. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
LG's ET83 touchscreen Windows 8 monitor, fingers-on
We heard about it some time ago and managed to get some fingers on time with LG's new 23-inch Windows 8 optimized monitor at today's CES press conference. It's a nice looking peripheral, for sure. The IPS panel is cocooned by a black bezel, which meets a white shiny plastic rear at its tips. Along the bottom bezel are a number of touchscreen controls, including things like Menu, for adjusting picture quality and the like. The screen sits on a leg with a large hinge for adjusting your viewing angle. Unfortunately, the single leg support shake a bit when you tap the screen, so you're going to want go a bit easy when tapping on those Metro tiles. All in all, its quite responsive. We were able to tap and slide through the Microsoft UI in a breeze. As long as you're not too aggressive with you're touchscreening, it looks to be a pretty nice compliment to Microsoft's latest desktop operating system. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
US Department of Defense signs three-year, $617 million Windows 8 licensing deal
Despite some launch hiccups with Windows 8 and its related devices, Microsoft has received a smashing bit of news in the form of a new $617 million licensing agreement that will bring the fledgeling OS to 75 percent of US DoD personnel. The deal also includes Office 2013 and Sharepoint 2013 Enterprise, and will let users access the software "from any location, and any supported device, while taking advantage of enhanced security," according to Redmond. Microsoft added that the agreement was "the most comprehensive" it's ever signed with the sprawling government arm, which plans to use the software for a wide range of priorities from cybersecurity to mobility. Meanwhile, the software giant is working to achieve the coveted, though highly unwieldy-sounding "Army Golden Master and Air Force Standard Desktop Configuration" compliance for Windows 8 -- which we imagine is a good thing, and hope to never have to type out again. To reconnoiter further, check the sources below.
NEC intros 15.6-inch LaVie X Ultrabook in Japan, claims it's the 'world's thinnest'
Following the announcement of its somewhat flexible LaVie Y in Japan, NEC's now introducing us to a new, much sleeker member of the company's Windows 8 lineup. At first glance, you may quickly notice that the novel LaVie X clearly takes a design cue from another NEC affiliate, the Lavie Z, but does sport a relatively larger 15.6-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display, a more powerful Core i7-3517U CPU which clocks in at 1.9GHz, 4GB RAM and a 256GB SSD -- all while being wrapped in a slim 12.8mm package. The LaVie X is expected to hit Rising Sun shelves starting December 27th, with NEC slapping a cool 175,000 Yen (around $2,100) price tag on this slim, Windows 8-loaded Ultrabook.
Where's my convertible Mac?
Here at TUAW, we just received our 5 billionth review request for a new iPad keyboard system. More and more, makeshift solutions attempting to turn iPads into laptops is a "been there done that" for me. Is it "too Microsoft" to ask Apple to come out with a proper convertible notebook/tablet, a duo for the new decade? After all, Windows 8 hasn't exactly been redefining the user experience. That's something that Apple usually does. There are, admittedly, problems with the proposition: You can already "kind of sort of" get work done on iPads -- more than ever, now that software is expanding for the touch-based office, Bluetooth accessories are ubiquitous, and onboard dictation means you don't have to hunch over a desktop to get things done. OS X isn't meant for small screens or touch interfaces. You probably don't want to be running Xcode on an iPad mini. Even though many technologies for iOS and OS X are converging, the underlying basis for sandboxing the file system are still far enough apart that running both OS'es on a single unit would be a smidge difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. The raw power needed to compile efficiently would price a convertible out of the market and it would probably have to weigh as much as a Macbook Pro to get any real work done. On the other hand, wouldn't it be awesome if a tablet really could do full desktop-level creation work, be able to dock to monitors wirelessly, be able to operate in tablet mode, and provide all the power of Apple's top systems in a tiny package. By the way, I'd also like sparkles for my rainbow pony unicorn. None of these technologies are unachievable, although ports, storage and battery life would provide strong design challenges, not to mention balancing weight into the equation. And, of course, the bigger question is would a frankentablet sell? Are we heading towards a unified device solution? Or is the triumvurate of desktop / laptop / tablet due to continue for the foreseeable future? You tell us. Vote in this poll and then join in the comments. %Poll-79548%
Wavy Tube Man Chronicles time-travels to Windows 8 today
The live-action Gunstringer spinoff The Wavy Tube Man Chronicles is now available on Windows 8 PCs and tablets, providing an awfully idiosyncratic endorsement for the new platform.If all you want is to spend $1.49 on a live-action time-travel pseudo-Western b-movie shooting game, Windows 8 is suddenly the best platform for your needs.
Switched On: The Blind Men and the Surface Pro
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. When Microsoft announced the Surface RT, it seemed clear that the ARM-based product -- with its precious adornments such as the kickstand and, of course, typing covers -- sought to appeal to those wanting to do more than is typically done with tablets. Microsoft, straight-faced, calls the Surface RT a PC, but with a connotation that it is trying to transform. There's less ambiguity around the Surface Pro. It has a capable Intel processor and runs virtually any Windows app. While someone from an earlier time might not recognize it as a PC turned off (especially with a closed Touch Cover), booting it up into Outlook would provide a convincing case. In the story of the blind men and the elephant, the protagonists each discover some element of the majestic animal and draw conclusions about its nature without understanding the bigger (literally, in that case) picture. Now that we know the size of the Surface Pro's elephant in terms of how much it might feed from our wallets, its relative value and competitiveness will vary greatly depending upon which assumptions prospective buyers have when considering the product.
ilomilo plus finds a companion in Windows 8
Southend Interactive's adorable bipartisan platformer/puzzle game, ilomilo, has made its way to Microsoft's latest operating system, in the form of ilomilo plus. Available on the Windows 8-centric Windows Store for $6.99, plus is an enhanced port of the XBLA version of the game, with two new characters, additional creatures, new cubes, more chapters and support for keyboard, touchscreen and gamepad control schemes.That last bit means you'll be able to play ilomilo plus on your new Surface for Windows RT and/or Surface Pro without shelling out $100-plus for one the available hardware keyboards.
Microsoft Surface Pro launching in January starting at $899
Microsoft has pinpointed the price points for both versions of its forthcoming Surface Pro tablet, which is set to release sometime in January. When the new year does roll around, the 64GB Surface Pro will cost $899, while its 128GB twin will go for $999.Both versions come with a stylus and otherwise identical internal specifications, although neither SKU includes a Touch/Type Cover, which costs an extra $120/$130 respectively. What your money does net you, however, is a higher-resolution screen than the Surface Pro's baby sister, a Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics thingy, 4 gigs of RAM and (most importantly) the full version of Windows 8 Pro.Due to its upgraded internal doohickies, the Pro's battery life is expected to be around half of that enjoyed by the Surface RT, which translates to a little over four and one-half hours of doin' stuff, according to our friends at Engadget. Which, should be plenty of time for the person you're sitting next to on that business flight to ask what kind of iPad you're using.
NPD: Windows 8 not yet providing boost to slow PC market
Microsoft is pretty happy about how Windows 8 is doing, but 40 million license sales isn't exactly translating to a boon for the PC market. According to NPD, sales of Windows-powered devices are 21 percent lower than they were during the same time period last year -- October 21 through November 17. Of course, Windows 8 didn't actually hit shelves until the 26th, which may have skewed the numbers a bit as consumers held out for the latest and greatest from Redmond. The weakness of the desktop and laptop market are partially to blame, but while license sales for Windows 8 are outpacing its predecessor, there is some cause for concern. Specifically that, after a few weeks, the touch friendly revamp of the OS is only shipping on about 58 percent of new machines. Four weeks after the launch of Windows 7, it was preloaded on 83 percent of new hardware. Worse yet, according to the NPD, tablet sales "have been almost non-existent." Of course, things could pick up as we enter the holiday season, but it's not entirely clear that Windows 8 will be able to lift the sagging PC market on its back. The full PR awaits you after the break.
Has Lenovo's IdeaTab Lynx just been spotted on the FCC's holodeck?
As you can see from the picture, somewhere, deep within the FCC's subterranean Washington bunker is a Holodeck. Down there, brave scientists seem to be examining a Lenovo-branded Windows tablet that shares some stylings with the company's Transformer-esque IdeaTab Lynx. Given that the holiday season is nearly upon us, and FCC certification is normally a sign of impending availability, perhaps we won't have long to wait before we learn the truth.
40 million Windows 8 licenses sold in a month; meanwhile, mum's the word on Surface sales
It took just four days for Windows 8 to hit four million machines (ours included), and in just over a month, Microsoft has managed to sell some 40 million licenses of its tiled OS. To date, Windows 8 is outpacing Windows 7 in terms of upgrades, but given that the company had moved 600 million copies of the latter back in June, the new kid on the software block still has quite a ways to go. The news comes just hours after Microsoft also announced that it had sold a whopping 750,000 Xbox 360 consoles during the Black Friday weekend, which makes the omission of one other number that much more glaring -- after all, if it's so easy to dig up Xbox and Windows 8 numbers, why are we left with awkward adjectives to describe Surface sales?
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Skulls of the Shogun
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We like that. This week, Skulls of the Shogun lead designer Jake Kazdal discusses developing a game for four platforms at once, and what happened to that "launch alongside Windows 8" promise. What's your game called and what's it about?Skulls of the Shogun is an arcade-strategy game coming to XBLA, Windows Phone, Windows 8 and Windows RT (Surface) very soon. It's an original title, developed by a small team of highly experienced AAA developers over the past 3.5 years. It's a mash-up of tactical turn-based strategy, with a feel that is very arcade-like and action-packed. No grids, very few menus and quick, snappy rounds give it a very unique and charming aesthetic, easy for action gamers to adapt to, but with all the depth a good strategy game lover needs.Why did you choose to go exclusively Microsoft? Is there any chance of Skulls of the Shogun launching through Steam or anywhere else?Microsoft's XBLA group is full of old friends and co-workers from my past in this industry, they're close by so we can zip over there for lunch and meetings, and they have my favorite game console, along with a phone and a tablet and a new operating system.For a micro-studio like us to be able to launch on four platforms simultaneously was a huge incentive. We own the IP and would like to do more with it in the future (not only gaming) but Microsoft is the publisher for these versions and that has kept our hands quite full for now.%Gallery-171897%
GOG adds Windows 8 support, 431 games compatible
GOG.com announced today it will officially support Windows 8. The digital distribution service stated 431 games (out of 486 available on the service) have been "fixed, tested, and reported" to work on Windows 8."Note that most of these have not had the master builds updated, so you shouldn't need to redownload the installer or anything," GOG's announcement noted. "Some of the titles, our build ninjas performed their usual magic on, and they'll work now in Windows 8 – and we're even adding Windows 7 support to a few. We'll also be adding more Windows 8 games as time goes by and we've got time to apply some fixes to more of the classic games in the catalog."We reached out to GOG for an official list of the 431 compatible games, but they told us it's easier to list the games that aren't Windows 8 compatible. We've dropped that list after the break.
The Daily Roundup for 11.21.2012
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The Daily Roundup for 11.20.2012
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Start button utility strips even more '8' from Windows 8, has sold 'tens of thousands' of copies
When we first reported on Start8, a mod that brings the tried-and-tested Start button back to Windows 8, it was impossible to know how fiercely the fires of controversy would burn over Microsoft's new interface. Some of us adjusted to the full-screen Start "experience" pretty quickly, but it's also clear that a sizable population of users prefer things just as they were. How sizable? Well, according to one of Start8's makers, quoted by USA Today, the $5 app has now sold "tens of thousands" of copies after the "floodgates opened" on October 26th, with further tens of thousands of users picking up the free version. Whether that's a lot or a little depends entirely on your frame of reference -- after all, four million copies of the OS upgrade were sold in the first four days. Nevertheless, interest has been sufficient for Stardock to invest in an update that reinstates even more old-school flavor -- including the ability to drag and drop Start menu items, and to disable the new Start screen toggle that appears whenever you move your cursor to that hotly disputed lower-left corner.
