Hasta La Gadget!

Steve Ballmer announced first of all today at Build 2012 that they’d sold 4 million Windows 8 upgrades in the three days since it’s been launched. It’s no small number, of course, and for the developers seeing this system for the first time here in its final form at the developer conference we’re experiencing here this week, it’s nothing but great! Laptop sales are up 20% over forecasts, said Ballmer, and by the words of Ballmer, it would appear that Microsoft is doing better than they expected they would – imagine that!

The enthusiasm was addictive at Build 2012 right at the dawn of Windows Phone 8, Ballmer making it clear that his journey from his arrival in the USA in 1988 spanned the gamut: Windows 95, 98, the PC going big, and more. The message was clear: Windows 8 is the next generation, and with Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT the wave is coming in strong. Ballmer makes it clear that it’s not just about one screen, not just about one version of the operating system – it’s about everything, all of the displays, all of the form factors.

This kind of experience is “alive with activity”, said Ballmer, and every screen is “alive and active with information” from the cloud, through Microsoft. With the launch of Windows Phone 8, said Ballmer, “the phone launches in full fruition into the Windows 8 family.” Ballmer’s talk was more than just a primer for the event, it was a sell-point for investors as well.

“If you want the best experience with your Windows Computer, you will own a Windows phone.” – Ballmer

It was time to build not just a single standard phone for everyone, Ballmer said of the original launch of Windows Phone, it was time to build something personal for each user. That’s one of the big points being driven home with Windows Phone 8 as well – as evidenced earlier this week with the big Windows Phone 8 launch event as well with Jessica Alba and friends.

Stick around our Microsoft hub as well as the Windows Phone 8 tag for more information on Windows Phone 8 than you’ll be able to handle all week!

Steve Ballmer hypes massive Windows 8 launch numbers at Build 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week Microsoft is holding their yearly developer conference with Windows Phone 8 at the forefront right here at the start of the mobile OS, but the desktop OS Windows 8 and tablet OS Windows RT as well – and we’re here all week to bring it to you live! Build is essentially the Microsoft equivalent of Google’s own Google I/O and Apple’s WWDC – it’s Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Windows RT’s turn now. This Build is unique in that it comes immediately following the release of Microsoft’s new fave

Jordan Rudess, keyboardist for the musical group Dream Theater stood on stage at the beginning of the first keynote this week to show off some apps that his group developed. He’s not just a musician, he’s a developer as well. Using a Surface RT and a giant Lenovo touch-capable All-in-One PC to make it happen with Windows 8, he set the tone for the whole conference: multi-touch, multi-use, cross-platform action. His app Tachyon (which you may have heard of before) brings on a lovely musical bit of madness for the masses.

We’re expecting not just one whole heck of a lot of new information from Microsoft this week other than developer-specific details. If you’re interested in the guts of the system, [stay tuned to our Microsoft hub.] It’s time to see what Microsoft has in the insides of this next-generation release!

Also have a peek at the timeline below to see some more Windows Phone 8 action as it came on down over the past couple of weeks. This weekend is the big drop internationally, and Microsoft stores across the earth will be bringing you every phone in every color in the very near future – get pumped up to the max! And don’t forget to check out our full Windows Phone 8 review as well!

Live at Microsoft Build 2012 for the dawn of Windows Phone 8! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google and Apple have had their developer conferences earlier this year, and it looks like Microsoft will be next. Today, the company announced that its annual developer conference: BUILD will be held on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington from October 30th to November 2nd. This year’s BUILD event will be held a week after Windows 8 is released – which should give developers some time to play around with the final version of the operating system  beforehand.

According to Microsoft, this year’s event will be unlike anything they’ve held on their corporate campus in a long time. Speakers will be from its engineering teams and topics that will be covered include: Windows Azure, Windows Phone 8, Windows Server 2012, Visual Studio 2012 and much more. Registrations begin next month on August 8th, 8am PT at buildwindows.com. More details about BUILD 2012 will be released in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Windows 8 Store won’t have $0.99 apps, Windows 8 will be available this coming October 26,