Hasta La Gadget!

This week Microsoft is holding their yearly developer conference with Windows Phone 8 at the forefront right here at the start of the mobile OS, but the desktop OS Windows 8 and tablet OS Windows RT as well – and we’re here all week to bring it to you live! Build is essentially the Microsoft equivalent of Google’s own Google I/O and Apple’s WWDC – it’s Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Windows RT’s turn now. This Build is unique in that it comes immediately following the release of Microsoft’s new fave

Jordan Rudess, keyboardist for the musical group Dream Theater stood on stage at the beginning of the first keynote this week to show off some apps that his group developed. He’s not just a musician, he’s a developer as well. Using a Surface RT and a giant Lenovo touch-capable All-in-One PC to make it happen with Windows 8, he set the tone for the whole conference: multi-touch, multi-use, cross-platform action. His app Tachyon (which you may have heard of before) brings on a lovely musical bit of madness for the masses.

We’re expecting not just one whole heck of a lot of new information from Microsoft this week other than developer-specific details. If you’re interested in the guts of the system, [stay tuned to our Microsoft hub.] It’s time to see what Microsoft has in the insides of this next-generation release!

Also have a peek at the timeline below to see some more Windows Phone 8 action as it came on down over the past couple of weeks. This weekend is the big drop internationally, and Microsoft stores across the earth will be bringing you every phone in every color in the very near future – get pumped up to the max! And don’t forget to check out our full Windows Phone 8 review as well!

Live at Microsoft Build 2012 for the dawn of Windows Phone 8! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The last time we saw Steve Ballmer star in a commercial for Microsoft, he was extolling the virtues of a 286-based PC running the glory that was Windows 1.0 — in 1986. You can imagine the surprise we got 26 years later when Microsoft premiered an ad featuring the now-CEO during its Windows Phone 8 event. If you were expecting that same kind of unbridled enthusiasm Crazy Eddie once used to hawk underpriced TVs, you may be either pleased or disappointed. It’s a very level-headed and well-spoken Ballmer this time around, with the executive calmly highlighting the advice he gets through his HTC Windows Phone 8X from people like his wife and a certain Billy G. Besides evoking nostalgia, the pitch is an illustration of what Windows Phone’s live tiles can do as well as a reflection of Microsoft coming full circle — as it was two decades ago, Redmond is fighting for market attention at a time when new interface concepts are challenging its main business. We’re just glad there’s fewer plaid business suits in 2012.

Continue reading Steve Ballmer returns triumphantly to Microsoft ads for Windows Phone 8, now with less Crazy Eddie (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

Steve Ballmer returns triumphantly to Microsoft ads for Windows Phone 8, now with less Crazy Eddie (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today the folks from Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8 in all its glory here live in San Fransisco. Along with many announcements and improvements we were able to grab a quick hands-on with what appears to be one of the best Windows Phone 8 phones coming soon. That being the impressive 4.8-inch Samsung ATIV S. This isn’t quite a Galaxy S III caliber smartphone, but it’s as close as you’ll get with Windows Phone 8 so lets take a look.

For those that missed the original details on the ATIV S that leaked back in August, Samsung’s built an impressive smartphone running Windows Phone 8 — and has equipped it with some top tier specs. The screen is bigger than the new Lumia 920, as well as the Windows Phone 8X by HTC “signature handset” of WP8. Here’s the full rundown on this sleek all aluminum smartphone.

The Samsung ATIV S comes with a bright and crisp 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, and is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor by Qualcomm. You’ll get 1GB of RAM (vs 2GB on the Galaxy S III) 16 or 32GB of storage based on carriers, an 8 megapixel rear camera, and 1.3 front shooter for Skype video chat. Under the hood Samsung’s equipped this 4.8-inch beast with a large 2,300 mAh hour battery (compared to the HTC 8X’s 1,800) and it will rock the usual 4G LTE radios where available, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and more.

The Samsung ATIV S will be available in one color, that being the gorgeous and durable brushed aluminum silver shown here, and is protected with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2 on the front face. The brand new Samsing ATIV S takes some subtle hints from the Galaxy S III, right down to the menu and back buttons neatly placed around the physical home (or start in this case) button in the middle. The entire device is actually just barely bigger than the HTC 8X in size, a little thinner, and comes with a much larger 4.8-inch display. Feel free to check out our in-depth Windows Phone 8 Review. Until we hear more on the Samsung ATIV S enjoy a few quick photo’s and Windows Phone 8X by HTC comparison pictures below.

Samsung ATIV S Windows Phone 8 hands-on is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore — also known as the manager for the entire Windows Phone program — spent a fair amount of time on stage in California today detailing the highs of Windows Phone 8. Clearly, that wasn’t enough. The man himself has thrown out a near-20 minute video detailing the nooks and crannies of Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system, no doubt in hopes of convincing tired users of Android and iPhone to consider something more Metrorrific.

Outside of tightly integrated Skype, beautifully arranged live tiles, outstanding new hardware, support for LTE, a guest access mode by the name of Kid’s Corner and refreshed photo sharing, WP8 offers a wealth of cloud services to those who will also be upgrading to Windows 8 on their PCs. Heck, the outfit’s Mac software is even going to make it possible port your iTunes libraries and playlists over to the Music hub in Windows Phone 8. It wouldn’t be an all-out marketing assault without a bit of verbal assault, though, and it doesn’t take Joe long to get there:

“It’s the only phone that has live tiles, for the people you care about and the apps that you use all the time. It’s a different story than iOS and Android. The iOS 6 homescreen is really just a sea of static icons. It’s not people; it’s not live data. Of course, after five years, they have added one more row of icons! Android homescreens typically present a complex maze of icons, widgets, and settings. But, they look a lot like iPhones, too. If you put a bunch of them together on a table, it’d be hard to tell your own from the crowd. We felt there was a better way. Windows Phone 8 — it looks different, and that’s because we didn’t make WP8 for all of us, we made it for each of us.”

Catch the full clip after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore pokes fun at iPhone and Android, provides deep dive of Windows Phone 8 in new video

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore pokes fun at iPhone and Android, provides deep dive of Windows Phone 8 in new video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, if you recall, Microsoft announced Skype for Windows 8, a touch-friendly app that appeared in the Windows Store the same day Win 8 went on sale. Now, with Windows Phone 8 getting its big reveal, the company is following up with a WP8 version, which Microsoft says is coming soon. Like the new Windows 8 app, it runs in the background, delivering push notifications even when you’re looking at something else. In particular, now that Windows Phone allows for three different tile sizes, you can view the Skype tile in small, medium or large formats, with the largest displaying your latest message. (All tile sizes show an unread message count.)

There are other similarities to the Win 8 app, too, despite the fact that these phones have smaller screens. There’s a favorites list, for one, along with a shortcut that makes it easy to toggle between open IM conversations. As on Windows 8, the app is deeply integrated with the People Hub, so that Skype handles appear on contact cards and incoming Skype calls look the same as any other. On the messaging side, there’s an impressively large collection of emoticons (TMI-face, anybody?). It’s also possible to start group chats, as well as change the conversation topic. So far, it’s unclear when, exactly, the app will be available for download, but in the meantime we’ve got a short video demo waiting for you after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft announces Skype app for Windows Phone 8 with new UI, deep People Hub integration (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Microsoft

Microsoft announces Skype app for Windows Phone 8 with new UI, deep People Hub integration (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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