Hasta La Gadget!

Late least year, Microsoft rolled out a half dozen Bing Apps for Windows 8 users, each one focused on a specific category, such as travel and sports. The apps were designed to offer “immersive vertical experiences,” and now, about six months later, a big line of updates for them is being pushed out. Users can grab the updates now by heading into the Windows Store and selecting the updates notification.

The Bing Apps are comprised of News, Weather, Sports, Finance, Maps, and Travel. All six offer up content relevant to its category, having been created specifically for Windows 8, meaning they’re fast and work well. Each app is getting its own update that brings a variety of improvements and features unique to the app, such as the new ability to customize the News app to follow certain stories and topics you’re interested in. There’s also added support for RSS and reading offline.

New Maps features includes better driving, walking, and transit directions, the ability to save places you frequent as a start screen pin or favorite, and up-to-the-minute updates for things like construction and accidents. The Finance app, on the other hand, didn’t see much in the way of changes, gaining a refreshed watchlist, interactive charts that can be customized, and US stock updates in real time.

The Sports app gains 29 new sports leagues after updating, making for a total of 65 leagues across a variety of sports, including football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and more. The Travel app also got a bit of an update, gaining new content from Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, and Fodor’s. Flights can be booked from within the app, which is pretty convenient. And finally, there’s the Weather app, which now offers dynamic animated maps that show the weather into the future. Users can choose by cloud cover, temperature, and more.

[via Bing]

Bing Apps for Windows 8 get major updates is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

One of the biggest gripes people have with Microsoft’s Windows 8 is the fact they completely replaced their traditional Start button experience found in previous versions of Windows with a UI that was specifically designed with tablet and touch-screen computers in mind. Getting to the desktop requires an additional unnecessary step, although according to a recently published rumor, it may look like Microsoft is considering cutting the extra step it takes to reach the desktop in Windows 8.

According to WinBeta, who cites a Russian-langauge website as its source, there’s some code in Windows 8.1 that disables its Metro Start Screen and sends the user “to the desktop automatically.” We know a number of you would absolutely make full use of this option as we also have a tendency to jump right into Windows 8′s desktop mode when we first turn on our computers. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: WSJ “Confirms” Google’s Retail Store Plans, Google Rumored To Be Opening Their Own Retail Stores This Year,

It’s time to boot up the highest-definition Samsung Ultrabook you’ve ever laid eyes on – unless you’ve been to IFA 2012, of course. While this beast works with a fabulous 13.3-inch Full HD display and Intel Core i7 processor under the hood, you’ll be kicking out Samsung SuperBright technology with a massive 300 nit of eye-piercing power. This notebook is available now at a retailer near you – especially if that retailer is web-based – with features that’ll make your pocketbook explode.

With the Samsung Series 9 Premium Ultrabook that’s become available today, you’ll be working with a cool 128GB SSD and a 3rd Gen (Ivy Bridge) Intel Core i7 processor busting out with Samsung’s Fast Solutions technology. With this tech onboard, you’ll be booting up in less than 10 seconds with a resume time from sleep at nearly zilch.

The Series 9 Premium Ultrabook will be available starting this week (and today) everywhere fine Samsung devices are sold – notebooks and desktops, that is, for a cool MSRP of $1399.99 USD. This machine has also been sand-blasted for full fingerprint resistance, so you know it’s a high-quality build inside and out. From what we’ve seen of this device thus far – before this update – we’re all about it.

Have a peek at the looks we’ve had at the Samsung Series 9 family in the timeline below – pay special attention to the post in the “IFA 2012″ hotlink in the first paragraph of this post. There you’ll find the next generation as well!

Samsung Series 9 Premium available now with Full HD 1080p display is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The computer market has been taking an absolute beating as more and more consumers opt for mobile devices rather than traditional laptop and desktop computers. Research firm IDC issued a report on the computer industry for Q1 of 2013 this week that illustrates a market in significant decline. The report showed that worldwide shipments of laptops and desktop computers declined 14% in Q1 2013.

That 14% decline comes when compared to Q1 laptop and desktop computer shipments for 2012. IDC says that Q1 2013 saw the most significant drop in sales compared to the previous year since the company began tracking data on the computer industry in 1994. IDC also says that Q1 of 2013 is the fourth straight quarter that the computer industry has been on decline.

Another industry research firm, Gartner, estimated that global shipments for the computer industry sank by 11.2%. Gartner says that 11.2% decline is the most significant drop its recorded since Q1 of 2001. Gartner blames smartphones and tablets as the reason for the PC market is in decline. Both research firms also say that Microsoft’s Windows 8 software has failed to push consumers towards any significant increase in computer demand.

IDC analyst Jay Chou says that not only has Windows 8 failed to attract the typical retail consumer to upgrade their computer, it’s also failed to attract businesses. Many major businesses and companies contracted to upgrade computers for major businesses have noted that they are staying with Windows 7. One of these companies, called Ricoh Americas, says that the benefits of switching to Microsoft’s new operating system aren’t worth the effort to train employees to use it.

[via WSJ]

Computer shipments decline 14% in Q1 says IDC is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Back in October during the release of Windows 8, ASUS was one of the first companies to release a horde of Windows 8 machines right out of the gate. Back then, the company announced the 15.6-inch VivoBook S500, and it’s not now available for purchase. If you’ve been in the market for a Windows 8 laptop, this one may be a good one to add to your list.

The S500 is your typical laptop, although it sports a full number pad on the right-hand side, which is something you don’t see everyday with laptops (or at least 15-inch laptops). Of course, not everyone needs a numpad, but they sure do come in handy when you’re trying to crunch a bunch numbers together in a short amount of time.

The body of the S500 is made out of brushed aluminum, so it should be fairly sturdy for just about any occasion, whether you’re a college student or just a business road warrior. As far as ports go, you’ll be treated with the usual options, including HMDI and USB 3.0, as well as a VGA port for connecting to an older external monitor.

The VivoBook S500 is available now in the Microsoft Store, both online and at physical locations around the US. It’s priced at $699, which is a tad more than the $649 announcement price that was revealed back in October, but $699 is still respectable considering what you’re getting with the package.

ASUS releases 15-inch VivoBook S500 with full numpad is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.