Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft has unveiled Xbox Music, its new all-encompassing streaming music service for Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Phone 8, and Xbox 360. The new Spotify-rival will offer both free and paid plans and access to over 30m tracks globally, with ad-free playback for those who stump up $9.99 per month, and will go live from Tuesday on Xbox 360 and from October 26 for Windows PCs and tablets.

The number of tracks available in each country will vary – the US will get around 18m – though not all platforms will get the free plans. Xbox 360 owners will need to buy a pass (and have an Xbox LIVE Gold account). Those who pay the $10 for an Xbox Music Pass also get unlimited access to music video playback on their Xbox 360, and there’s the Xbox Music Store if you’d rather own an individual track or album rather than stream it. However, those with an Xbox Music Pass will also be able to cache tracks for offline playback, rather than buying them outright.

Windows Phone 8 support follows on after Windows PC/tablet support, though again there won’t be a free plan to choose; instead, just as Spotify demands, you’ll need to be a paid subscriber to access streaming music on the move. In the pipeline is support for other mobile platforms – Microsoft specifically mentions iOS and Android – and Social Music, the latter promising social networking integration.

The new Smart DJ feature of Xbox Music, meanwhile, bases a new playlist on a selected artist, with the promise of unlimited skips and full access to the upcoming playlist, similar to how Pandora works. Microsoft will also take on iTunes Match with its own Cloud Storage scan-and-match system, adding all of the tracks in your collection to its cloud, including those bought through iTunes and other services.

Microsoft’s key advantage over Spotify, Pandora, and other streaming services is likely to be its ubiquity: Xbox Music will be preloaded onto new Windows computers, including the Surface tablets, and that’s likely to encourage Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 8 users to give it a try as well (there’ll be a 30-day free trial period before they need to stump up for a Xbox Music Pass).

First to get access will be Xbox 360 users, from tomorrow, with the free trial and Xbox Music Pass on sale in 22 market.. Free streaming on Windows 8/RT hardware begins October 26 in fifteen markets; Xbox Music Pass will be available in 22 markets, for Windows 8, RT, and Windows Phone 8, and more regions are expected over the coming year.

Microsoft Xbox Music takes on Spotify and iTunes Cloud is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With Windows 8 Microsoft is pushing manufacturers away from a traditional BIOS to UEFI with Secure Boot. But that poses problems for alternative OSes like Linux, because UEFI requires any software have a signed certificate. The Linux Foundation has been looking for a solution and thinks that it may have one. The proposed work around is a little convoluted and surprisingly involves obtaining a Microsoft signature for a new barebones bootloader. This wouldn’t actually boot Linux or any other OS actually. Instead, it would then start a second bootloader, the one associated with your OS of choice. It’s a little messy, but it should mean that the signed bootloader will be a catch-all solution for any operating system. Of course, it could take a while for the Foundation to actually obtain a signature from Microsoft. So “Designed for Windows 8” systems might not be able to run Linux right away, but rest assured a solution is on the way.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

Linux Foundation proposes convoluted solution for UEFI Secure Boot originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 03:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashdot, Ars Technica  |  Linux Foundation  | Email this | Comments

We’ve heard a lot about Windows 8 today – Netflix pushed a Windows 8 update earlier today, we learned a little more about the Windows 8 marketing campaign, and – most importantly – the new OS officially went up for pre-order. With that mind, Best Buy has wasted no time putting Windows 8 PCs on display in some of its stores. WinSource reports that at least one Best Buy store is showing off a number of HP Windows 8 notebooks, ultrabooks, and all-in-one PCs to get customers excited about the release of the latest Windows installment.

Specifically speaking, a Best Buy location in St. Cloud, MN has the HP Pavilion 23, the ENVY TouchSmart, the ENVY 23 TouchSmart, and a pair of ENVY m6 laptops out on the show floor for customers to play around with. You obviously can’t take one of them home with you today, but this a good chance to see Windows 8 in action. This should be especially handy for those who didn’t want to bother with installing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Windows 8 is scheduled to launch on October 26, and it looks ready to take the PC world by storm – or at least that’s the outcome Microsoft is hoping for. Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer recently said that he thinks Windows 8 could be as big as Windows 95 was for the company, and manufacturers are more than willing to show us their fancy new Windows 8 machines. Microsoft has pumped a lot of money into the marketing campaign for Windows 8, so you can bet that those manufacturers are counting on the new OS to move some machines once October 26 is on the books.

Thought WinSource’s report only covers one Best Buy store, there’s a good chance that other stores have already put Windows 8 devices out on the show floor. If your store hasn’t yet, it’s only a matter of time. In any case, if you’re interested in checking out Windows 8, it can’t hurt to stop by your local Best Buy to see if it has any computers running Windows 8 you can take a look at.

Windows 8 HP PCs pop up at Best Buy stores is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft’s already opened up the floodgates with Windows 8 pre-orders, and it looks as if those still on the fence now have a sandbox to goof off in. Pictured above is a trio of Windows 8 notebooks from a Best Buy located in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and we actually called around to confirm with several other stores that a similar setup had been erected in their locales. Nah, we can’t make October 26th get here any faster, but at least you know where to head if you’re looking for a sample.

Filed under: Laptops, Software, Microsoft

Windows 8 now available to try at Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WinSource  |   | Email this | Comments

The folks responsible for designing the user interface for Netflix must have had smiles on their faces when they realized that they’d be able to create a Windows 8 flavoring for their archives. The new release of Netflix made specifically for Windows 8 is up for download right this minute, and incase you did not guess, yes, it is made specifically for the touchscreen. Of course you’re not going to have to use a touchscreen to make it work, but you’re definitely going to enjoy the process more if you do.

This update brings the same access to a top 10, new releases, and genres galore that you’re used to from Netflix Instant as well as a whole new way to access it all. The setup replicates closely what you’ll be doing with Windows 8′s own panel-based user interface for touchscreen devices, complete with swipe to the left to drag your whole collection. This update includes the same set of content as any other Netflix Instant offering, here allowing your desktop to make the best of the whole situation.

Netflix viewers on Windows 8 with this update and no touchscreen will be clicking and dragging rather than pulling on scrollbars. This may well bring up some ire in the userbase as we must assume that not everyone in the Windows universe will be wanting to use the touchscreens Microsoft intends them all to use. What we’ll see instead, more than likely, is an update that includes more than one interface – or a scrollbar – if the user does so desire. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The Netflix update for Windows 8 is available from your Windows Store as you would any other app, here bringing with it a couple extra updates outside the user interface as well. This update also brings with it what Netflix describes as a lessening of CPU usage as well as less of a drain on the battery life of your notebook computers. Netflix also notes that “this fall” they’ll be updating the app once again specifically – for now, time to watch True Grit!

Netflix Windows 8 app download up now with touchy panels is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.