Hasta La Gadget!

The title says it all, folks — Microsoft’s newest operating system will hit the masses starting on October 26th, nearly three years to the day after the launch of Windows 7. Just days after the company previewed Office 2013, we’re now told that Steven Sinofsky has affirmed the date at MS’s annual sales meeting, but it’s not clear if that’s a global date or one reserved for the US market. Customers will be able to grab Win8 as an upgrade or in new, unmolested form on that date, and you can bet we’ll have a review out to coincide. For now, our in-depth look of the Release Preview will have to tide you over.

[Thanks, Jignesh]

Microsoft launching Windows 8 on October 26th for new and upgrade customers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft may be preparing a massive software launch for Windows 8 later this year, but it looks like the company is also readying some new accessories to go along with the update. A new keyboard made by Microsoft has been spotted by Czech site WinMAG that seems to be designed for portable use with mobile devices like tablets. On top of that, the keyboard will feature the new Windows logo.

The keyboard will reportedly be introduced “very soon”, and will be sold alongside Windows 8 when the update launches this Fall. It marks the first time we’ve seen the new logo used on Windows related hardware other than Surface, although Microsoft has indicated in the past that its various partners will begin to use the redesigned logo on desktops, laptops, and other hardware going forward.

Windows 8, meanwhile, is Microsoft’s big gambit. The company has redesigned the OS to put the Metro interface front and center, and is even using two different versions of the OS for tablets and traditional PC hardware. Tablets will run Windows RT, a stripped down version of Windows 8 that will run Metro-only apps, while Windows 8 can run both Metro apps and traditional desktop applications. Windows RT will leverage ARM-based processors for tablets as well, allowing for extended battery life compared to previous Windows tablet attempts.

[via The Verge]

Microsoft readying Wedge keyboard with new Window 8 logo is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When it comes to the tablet market, the two main operating systems would be Android from Google and iOS from Apple. Microsoft’s Windows? Well, let us say that it has yet to make an impact, although the upcoming Microsoft Surface tablet does seem to throw the race wide open yet again. However, in the mean time, we will just have to be placated with Windows 7 running on tablets. Case in point, the Fujitsu Stylistic Q552 which will see off last year’s model, the Stylistic Q550, by sporting an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, the Intel GMA 3600 graphics chipset that does HD video playback, a 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display with a 160 degree viewing angle, a capacitive touchscreen display, and an active digitizer and digital pen.

Budget-permitting, you will be able to select from either a 32GB or 64GB solid state drive, where the Q552 will be accompanied by 2GB RAM, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, USB 2.0 support, an HDMI connector, and an SD memory card slot. Want to carry out video calls on Skype with this? Not a problem, thanks to the front-facing VGA camera and a 3-megapixel camera with auto-focus located right on the back.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Windows 8 confirmed for October release, Microsoft’s PC partners clueless about Surface tablet,

The importance of Office 2013 to Microsoft’s bottom line can’t be understated, and yet the company faces no small amount of ridicule amid questions of whether the productivity suite is “relevant” any longer. With Windows 8 fast approaching, and long-standing arguments over whether tablets are for content creation or merely consumption, Office or its Metro-styled MX variant for Windows RT slates hasn’t necessarily proved the selling point Microsoft may have hoped it might. The company already has that wildcard, though, and it’s been fermenting away under Microsoft’s nose for a decade.

The reaction to Office 2013 – perhaps best described as “a necessary evil” – has been muted if only because it’s tough to get especially excited over word processing, spreadsheet, email and (take a deep breath) presentation software. Microsoft’s Metro UI is a nice touch, and in fact it’s been responsible (along with Office 365 and its cloud ambitions) for most of the positive chatter around the suite. Still, it’s tough to be too enthused when even Microsoft’s attention is elsewhere.

Microsoft is obviously more excited about tablets running Windows 8 than it is about regular desktops or notebooks. Slates may be expected to contribute to a minority of sales overall, but they’re attention-grabbing and – many assume – the future of computing, and so they get over-emphasized in Microsoft’s strategy. That’s already prompted the company to challenge its own OEMs with Surface, no less.

What it needs is the perfect software foil to go with that; something which not only demonstrates how ambitiously segment-stealing Surface is, but how Microsoft is pushing tableteering into segments iOS (and, to a lesser extent, Android) has only partially catered for.

“The sliding panes of Metro make perfect sense for a digital notebook”

OneNote MX could well be that “killer app”. Microsoft’s digital notetaking tool has been bubbling away since the Windows XP days, but it’s with tablets broaching the mainstream that it’s finally ready for primetime. The preview that arrived in the Windows Store today is a good example of why. The sliding panes of Metro make perfect sense for leaves in a digital notebook, as does the Snap View split-screen layout that will allow, Courier-style, two apps to share Windows tablet screen-space simultaneously. (In fact, OneNote MX is crying out for a forward-thinking OEM to slap a couple of 7-inch screens together and do what Microsoft proved too gutless to attempt: give all those Courier enthusiasts the dual-display folding slate they were begging for.)

The radial pop-up menu is a perfect example of a UI that’s been percolating away in some third-party iOS apps, but which could tip over into the mainstream if Microsoft plays OneNote right. Sized to suit both fingertip and stylus control, it’s a simple and convenient hub for common controls and takes a welcome step away from the long, narrow strips of traditional Microsoft toolbars. Less sweeping sideways movement in favor of smaller, more contained button options.

If reaction to Office 2013 has proved anything, it’s that people don’t really care if their content creation tools are in the cloud, or local, or some hybrid of the two. What prompts enthusiasm is when the tools on offer are usable and intuitive: when they suit the device and the way it’s used. Microsoft has woefully underutilized OneNote in the past, but the time is ripe for the app to take its place as the hub of Windows content creation.

OneNote MX should be Microsoft’s Windows 8 content creation hub is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Earlier today, we finally got word from Skype concerning a bug that some users have been plagued with since June. The bug occasionally sends IMs between two contacts to an unintended third contact, which of course brings up some very valid concerns about privacy. Aside from saying that a fix will be rolled out within the next few days, Skype kept this morning’s statement on the bug brief, but this evening it’s being a little more specific about the bug, and it turns out its occurrence isn’t all that random.

Apparently, messages are only forwarded to a third contact when the Skype client crashes during a conversation. When that happens, the “last IM entered or sent prior to the crash” will then be sent off to that unintended third contact, which could result in a pretty dire situation if that most recent IM was about them. Hearing Skype describe it, the bug sounds like it isn’t necessarily unavoidable, but it also isn’t random, so at least there’s that.

In its updated statement, Skype also shared a list of which clients are impacted by this bug: Skype 5.9 and 5.10 for Windows, 5.8 for Mac, 4.0 for Linux, 4.0 for iOS, 2.8 for Android, and 1.2 for Windows Phone. If you’re using one of those clients, you’re instructed to download the latest client once you’re notified that an update is available, as that will likely include the fix you need to prevent this from happening again.

So, we’ve made a good bit of progress with this bug today. Not only does Skype say it’s working on a fix, but it also told us which specific clients are affected and what exactly needs to happen for the bug to rear its ugly head. Like we said this morning though, it’s still probably a good idea to choose your words carefully while we wait for this update, otherwise they might end up being seen by exactly the wrong person.

[via Skype]

Skype elaborates on instant message bug is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.