Hasta La Gadget!

Tomorrow Microsoft will roll out an update to Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 8 and Windows RT that enables Flash content to run by default. Such a move will ensure websites “just work,” something Microsoft says it believes is a key part of improving the experience for customers. Some websites will still have Flash blocked by default, however, due to incompatibility.

According to Microsoft, it has been testing websites with Flash content for compatibility with touch-based use of Windows, as well as battery life and performance. This testing, which is said to have taken place over the last several months, has demonstrated to Microsoft that the majority of websites with Flash content are compatible with the Windows “experience.”

The update is being rolled out for both the desktop and immersive Internet Explorer varieties. For both Windows 8 and Windows RT, Flash content for immersive Internet Explorer will run by default unless it is on the Compatibility View list. Desktop Internet Explorer, however, will have Flash content enabled for all websites on Windows 8, but likewise enabled unless on the Compatibility View list in Windows RT.

With Windows 8, the included Flash is optimized for a host of criteria, including battery life, reliability, performance, security, and of course, touch. This was the result of “substantial changes” made by Adobe, and the use of Compatibility View allowed Microsoft to tailor its browser so that only compatible websites would run Flash content. As of now, according to the company, less than 4-percent of tested websites with Flash content are still incompatible.

[via MSDN]

Internet Explorer 10′s newest update will enable Flash content to run by default is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

President of Samsung‘s memory business division, Jun Dong-soo, has had less than favorable things to say about Windows 8, stating that it is just as bad as Windows Vista. This was said at a press meeting at the COEX InterContinental Hotel in Seoul earlier today. He went on to discuss the PC industry, blaming its faltering on Microsoft’s operating system.

It’s no secret the PC industry has been stumbling, no small part of that being due to the proliferation of smartphones and tablets. But Dong-soo says the blame also falls on Microsoft, with its Windows 8 operating system having received a mixed reception among consumers. Back in November 2012, for example, a survey by Avast showed that a mere 9-percent of users in the US planned to upgrade to a new PC with Windows 8.

Said Jun Dong-soo, “The global PC industry is steadily shrinking despite the launch of Windows 8. I think the Windows 8 system is no better than the previous Windows Vista platform. MS’s rollout of its Windows Surface tablet is seeing lackluster demand. Meanwhile, previous vigorous pitches by Intel and MS for thinner ultra-books simply failed and I believe that’s mostly because of the less-competitive Windows platform.”

He went on to say that it is expected the PC industry itself will fade away, an expectation that has prompted Samsung to greatly reduce the amount of memory chips it produces, instead ramping up production of chips for smartphones and tablets. He then discussed the Galaxy S IV and Samsung’s unveiling of the device in New York next Thursday.

[via Korea Times]

Samsung’s memory business president compares Windows 8 to Vista is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I am not quite sure which planet you live on, but if you happen to run Windows 8 as your operating system of choice and use Internet Explorer 10 as your primary Web browser, then perhaps reading about a couple of major exploits appearing on Internet Explorer 10 might scare you into switching over to other browser alternatives. It seems that these two exploits can be used to hijack Windows 8 from its owners, at least according to a French computer security firm.

It seems that these two zero day flaws in Internet Explorer 10 were discovered during a hacking conference. VUPEN Security tweeted accordingly as you can see above, and also mentioned that folks using Mozilla’s Firefox are not exempt, as a somewhat similar exploit enabled them “to bypass ASLR/DEP on Win7 without the need of any ROP.” You cannot be too safe these days, so do what you can to be careful when it comes to online security, and you should be all right.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Fujitsu LIFEBOOK E-Series Launched at CeBIT 2013, Intel Ultrabook Prototype with Haswell Spoted at CeBIT,

Last week, we talked about a new keyboard for Windows 8 called TouchPal. It’s been available for Android and iOS devices for some time now, but the company behind the keyboard just recently made it available for Windows 8 touch devices. While, the app was only available on the developer’s website, users can now grab it for free in the Windows Store.

The keyboard is available for free in the Windows Store and it features abilities such as switching back and forth between swiping and typing modes, and the ability to split the keyboard into to sections — something that the default keyboard does offer. This allows users to easily type with their thumbs like they would on a smartphone.

The keyboard also comes with Swype-like typing, meaning that you can type out words by just sliding your finger across the keyboard, going to each letter to spell out a word without lifting your finger at all. It’s a form of typing that’s all the rage nowadays, and Windows 8 users can now join in on the fun.

Previously, the Windows 8 version did experience some hiccups with installation, but since the app is now available through official means (a.k.a. Windows Store), users shouldn’t have a problem getting the keyboard up and running on their Windows touch-enabled device. The app works on all Windows 8 touchscreen tablets and any x86 based Windows 8 computer.

TouchPal keyboard for Windows 8 now available in the Windows Store is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It would appear that the Windows RT environment has not quite caught on as fast as Samsung would have liked it to, as more than one report out of Germany this week is saying they’ve decided to leave the market entirely – or at least in Deutschland. At the moment this will just mean – if substantiated – that the Samsung ATIV Tab RT won’t be available through local retailers in Germany. Everywhere else in the world – everywhere else that this device has previously been available, that is – will continue to sell the device as planned.

The Windows RT version of the Samsung ATIV Tab is basically a powered-down version of what we got to see last year in the Samsung ATIV Smart PC from AT&T – or at least that’s what the public is understanding, given the general feedback for the two platforms we’ve seen so far. Why get a Windows RT tablet when you could get a device in essentially the same body with Windows 8 – and a heartier processor?

The question of Windows 8′s ability to withstand the market on tablets alone is also being called into question by the quick in-and-out of the news cycle that’s happening with the majority of the devices revealed since the dawn of the OS. Windows RT being the tablet-specific version of Windows 8 made for devices without keyboards has Samsung hesitant to move forward with it through the future.

We’ve yet to see Samsung actually cut out Windows RT devices from their sales points in Germany and/or other European checkpoints, but the near future may prove this set of tips to be more than just a bad vibe for Microsoft. Keep your eyes peeled for additional confirmations from all angles.

[via Engadget]

Windows RT Samsung tablets axed amid low demand in EU is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.