Hasta La Gadget!

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone. Hopefully you’re not superstitious and haven’t been exposed to any bad luck today. But even if you have, now’s the time to chill and catch up on the tech news that hit the airwaves today. To start, get this, there’s actually some good Blackberry news – RIM Blackberry 10 developer support on the rise. And as Nintendo’s new console approaches, so do the third-party comments – Wii U more powerful than 360 and PS3 claims 5th Cell. Also, here’s a look at the final details of Digg’s sale – Digg sale splits the company three ways for $16m.

Featured: So we have a couple of featured stories that popped up on the site today. Of course you can always rely on us for the most comprehensive and consumer-centric reviews and this one is no exception – Acer Aspire S5 review. And we also deliver beaucoup insightful commentary on the latest trends, like this – Video games drag us kicking and screaming into the mobile future.

Windows 8, Nexus 7, and Boeing 787: We’ll finish this wrap-up with a trio of stories about the numbers 7 and 8. Actually, that was just a coincidence. Anyway, check this out – Microsoft Windows 8 retail may be axed entirely. And moving right along – Nexus 7 popping up in stores and mailboxes. And finally, in our usual fashion, this final evening wrap-up of the week ends with a crazy but awesome story – Boeing unveils Dreamliner 787 with Android-based entertainment systems.

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: July 13, 2012 is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

While it doesn’t really affect most consumers, it looks like the pricing for the Windows 8 OEM licensing charges have been revealed. According to DigiTimes’ sources – Taiwan-based notebook supply chain makers, Microsoft is charging OEMs $60-80 for Windows 8, $80-100 for Windows 8 Pro (with Office) and $50-65 for Windows RT (with Office).

In addition to the OEM licensing prices, DigiTimes also reported that a number of notebook manufacturers are placing high hopes on Windows 8 to reignite the demand for traditional notebooks but most of them are keeping a conservative attitude about the launch. One of the problems cited is the operating system’s requirement of a touchscreen to perform fully: which will increase the costs of the devices – at least until they become popular enough to cause a decrease in component prices – something that manufacturers have no control over.

We’ll just have to see how everything pans out when Windows 8 is released later this year in October.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Surface tablet having production problems?, Windows 8 confirmed for October release,

Microsoft is still determined to explore every nook and cranny of Windows 8 on its way to the newly official October launch, and now it’s swinging its attention towards File History, its revamped approach to preserving our data. The new component supplements Windows Backup, which Microsoft admits is “not a very popular” app, and is more than a little transparent in bringing OS X’s set-it-and-forget-it Time Machine strategy to the Windows crowd. Not that we’re complaining: the same basic philosophy of getting an automatic, version-aware backup of all our personal files is convenient on any platform, especially when we can get a temporary internal safeguard while we’re on vacation. The differences in platforms have equal rewards and drawbacks, however. File History provides more control over backups than its Apple counterpart, including frequency (finally!) and backup age, but it can’t be used to backup whole apps like with a Time Machine drive. As always with these in-depth Windows 8 explorations, there’s much more to see at the source, so click on through if you’ve ever been worried about deleting a file by accident.

Filed under: Storage, Software

Microsoft details Windows 8 File History, takes us through a Time Machine originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft will challenge Apple in every aspect of software and hardware innovation, CEO Steve Ballmer has warned his Cupertino rivals, promising that “we are not going to leave any space uncovered to Apple.” The rambunctious chief exec insisted Microsoft would not sit back on its enterprise range and cede the consumer segment to Apple, telling CRN that “we are not going to let any piece of this [go uncontested] … not the consumer cloud. Not hardware software innovation.”

“We are trying to make absolutely clear we are not going to leave any space uncovered to Apple,” Ballmer explained, speaking after the Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto where he confirmed Windows 8 would hit the market in late October. “We are not leaving any of that to Apple by itself. Not going to happen. Not on our watch.”

The most obvious phase of that challenge has been Surface, Microsoft’s own-brand Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets which have already put the cat among the proverbial pigeons with the company’s own OEM partners. However, Ballmer sees the next steps as definitely including those OEMs.

“We do feel empowered to innovate everywhere and bring our partners with us,” the CEO said. “We’re not going to leave any stone unturned, so to speak, as we pursue that.”

As for what that next step might be, despite previous denials, there’s a possibility that it could include a Microsoft-brand Windows Phone. Questioned as to the chances of that happening, Ballmer proved surprisingly coy.

“Right now we are working real hard on the Surface. That’s the focus. That’s our core” he pointed out. “Look, we’ll see what happens. We have good partners with Nokia, [HTC] in the phone space. I love what we’ve got going on with the Surface. We are going to focus on Surface and our other Windows 8 Tablet partners and see if we can go make something happen.”

Surface is expected to hit shelves in Q4 2012, along with other Windows RT hardware, though Microsoft has already seen one high-profile manufacturer, HP, ditch its RT tablet plans.

Ballmer: Microsoft will leave “no space uncovered that is Apple’s” is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When you get used to a new version of an operating system, it can be very frustrating if you have to use a computer with an old version. Microsoft has been talking up a new way of bringing Windows 8 to older machines without having to actually upgrade or install software on the older machine. It’s very easy to do thanks to the ability to run Windows 8 from a flash drive.

Microsoft was recently showing off Windows To Go. Windows To Go is nothing more than a version of Windows 8 on a flash drive that you can plug into any computer and access the newest operating system. Windows To Go operates on a 32 GB flash drive and saves the user’s apps and settings allowing you to make any machine you come in contact with just like your PC at home or the office.

The feature is being aimed at the business user as an easy way to access work data on multiple computers and still use Windows 8. This should be a useful feature. The user could work at the office on the desktop and then take the flash drive home or on the road to work in the same environment using the same apps. I wonder if running operating system from the flash drive will affect performance compared to running it with the traditional install.

[via BGR]

Windows 8 To Go puts new OS on old machines is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.