Hasta La Gadget!

In addition to last week’s rumor surrounding Microsoft’s alleged plan to drop the already-familiar “Metro” name in favor of the rather lengthy “Windows 8 style UI” to avoid a possible legal dispute, ZDNet now claims that Microsoft may very well indeed replace the former with the latter. According to sources, Microsoft has already decided on a new substitute terminology that also sounds very familiar.

And guess what, ZDNet says that it will be plainly “Windows 8”. The publication also pointed out Lenovo’s new promo page for its newly-unveiled Windows 8 Thinkpad Tablet 2 as a proof of the much simpler Windows 8 name (see green arrow). So far, Microsoft hasn’t responded yet to the reports. Just a few days ago, we also heard rumors that Microsoft has also rebranded its Windows Phone Marketplace to Windows Phone Store.  (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Kobo to develop Metro-style apps for Windows 8, Microsoft to drop Flash from Metro version of Internet Explorer 10,

We’ve already heard that Microsoft was temporarily using “Windows 8-style UI” as a substitute for “Metro” now that the latter is on the outs, and it looks like they may now have a permanent replacement. According to some unnamed sources speaking to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft has decided to simply use “Windows 8” as a name for all things once known as Metro. That means “Metro-style applications” will now be known as “Windows 8 applications,” and that the “Metro user interface” will now be the “Windows 8 user interface.” What’s more, Foley also notes that the phrase “Windows 8 apps” has already turned up on the promo page for Lenovo’s new ThinkPad Tablet 2, which also indicates that the traditional Windows 8 apps will simply be known as “desktop” apps to distinguish the two. We’ll keep you posted if we hear more on the change from Microsoft itself.

Filed under: Software

Microsoft reportedly settles on ‘Windows 8’ as replacement for ‘Metro’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When it comes to technology and the end of a financial quarter, you can bet your wage there’ll be an analyst report or two letting you what’s what. And according to Gartner’s latest estimates for Western Europe, PCs didn’t fare too well in Q2 of this year, with a 2.4 percent decrease in shipments compared with the same period in 2011. Consignments of mobile PCs (read: not tablets) grew by 4 percent, while desktops floundered, dropping 12.8 percent. Of this, a minor growth of 0.4 percent was recorded in consumer PCs, while the professional market decreased by 5.3 percent. Among the big hitters, HP remained at the top of the pile despite losing some market share, and Acer remained in second position with a mild increase in the same. ASUS put in a healthy performance, moving the company up to bronze medal position, while Dell dropped off the podium to fourth. The vendor statistics for the whole region were echoed in France in Germany, but during the quarter Apple managed to break into the top five in the UK market. Meike Escherich, principal analyst at Gartner, attributes the overall performance to economic uncertainty in the region, as well as lackluster demand in the wait for Windows 8 machines. We don’t want to spoil all the fun, so a comprehensive breakdown of the numbers awaits you at the source link.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Gartner reports Western Europe desktop shipments down, portable PCs up in Q2 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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.

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Microsoft has thrown open ticket sales for Build 2012, the latest gathering of Windows and Windows Phone developers, which kicks off in late October. The event will unsurprisingly focus on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, two platforms with no small degree of importance to Microsoft’s financial future and relevance in the computing and smartphone spaces. However, it’s not cheap to attend.

Early-bird tickets are priced at $1,595 apiece, though only 500 will be made available. After that, full-price tickets at $2,095 each, while there will be 100 $995 academic tickets in addition. If you want an academic ticket, you’ll need to contact Microsoft first and request a code.

Build 2012 will take place on Microsoft’s own Redmond campus between October 30 and November 2, and include activities in the surrounding area as well as coding workshops. For the rest of us, the key interest will likely be in the opening keynote; last year, Microsoft used that to launch the Windows 8 developer preview and show off prototype hardware.

This year, Windows 8 will have already been available for roughly a week and we’re expecting to have seen not only fresh Windows Phone 8 devices from Nokia, HTC and others, but Apple’s new iPhone 5. SlashGear will be at the Build 2012 keynote to bring back all the details as they’re announced.

Microsoft Build 2012 tickets go up for grabs is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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