Microsoft releases Windows 8.1 to manufacturers ahead of October 18 launch

Microsoft releases Windows 81 to manufacturers ahead of October 17 launch

We caught the first Windows 8.1 (aka Blue) news back in March, and after several betas and a preview, it’s been bundled off to manufacturers. That’s a mere five months from alpha code to gold master, a feat that Microsoft trumpeted as “an unparalleled level of collaboration” between customers and Windows product teams. Now, manufacturers will be able to ramp up their production lines with the new version in time for the holidays, as Redmond emphasized in its Blogging Windows post. Current Windows 8 owners will get the update for free, but all end users will have to hang on until the official October 18th release date. With a month and change left, though, it looks like all the ducks are in a row to herald the return of the tech world’s most infamous button.

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Source: Blogging Windows

Google testing search-friendly tabs in stable versions of Chrome and Chrome OS

Google now testing searchfriendly tabs in stable versions of Chrome and Chrome OS

Google has been testing search-enabled tabs in Chrome since December, but you’ve had to run test versions of the browser to see those tabs in action. That changes today: the company is expanding its trials to include a small number of users running stable copies of Chrome and Chrome OS. If you’re part of that exclusive group and use Google as your default search engine, you’ll see a search box appear in every new tab. The page also supports other providers through a developer API. While Google doesn’t say if or when the new search feature will reach every Chrome user, it notes that previous tests have been “encouraging” — don’t be surprised if your tabs get the same treatment in the near future.

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Source: Chromium Blog

Daily Roundup: Accessories buyer’s guide, OLPC XO Tablet review, Employee-only white Xbox One, and more!

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Nokia Windows RT tablet may resemble a Lumia, carry an iPad-like price

Nokia Windows RT tablet reportedly nicknamed Sirius, resembles a Lumia

Nokia’s rumored Windows RT tablet is supposedly nearing launch, and The Verge claims to have more details of the slate beyond those tidbits that surfaced at Digi-Wo last month. Nicknamed Sirius, the finished design is believed to resemble a Lumia phone and weigh significantly less than the current iPad. Despite packing a Snapdragon 800, an outdoor-ready 1080p screen and LTE, the tablet would last a healthy 10 hours on battery. It would also include both 6-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front cameras, and Nokia may complement the previously mentioned 32GB of storage with a microSD card slot. Pricing would be competitive with the iPad, according to tipsters. While there’s no way to verify the new rumors, the Sirius may launch at a September 26th event; if it’s real, we’ll find out soon enough.

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Source: The Verge

Nokia Sirius tablet tipped to bring Lumia style to battle iPad

This week there’s word that the fabled Nokia tablet will be coming to fruition with the name Sirius and intention on fighting the iPad directly. As the Microsoft-made Windows RT was originally created to be a slightly more mobile iteration of the full Windows 8 experience, Nokia may very well be making good on this […]

Additional Nokia Sirius Windows RT Tablet Details Leaked

Additional Nokia Sirius Windows RT Tablet Details Leaked

We’ve been hearing a lot in regards to Nokia’s upcoming tablet, which we’ve even seen leaked photos of the device as well as specs just a few weeks ago. Today, it seems like we’re learning a bit more about the upcoming tablet made by Nokia due to a recently published report. (more…)

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  • Additional Nokia Sirius Windows RT Tablet Details Leaked original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    Switched On: Windows ReTried

    Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

    DNP Switched On Windows ReTried

    Last week’s Switched On discussed the initial confusion and rough ride for Windows RT, which became a dealbreaker for inventive PC designs that used the operating system. Despite ASUS dropping out of making Windows RT devices and joining such abstainers as HP, Acer and Toshiba, the operating system is due to be updated to include improvements in Windows 8.1, creating what will apparently be Windows RT 8.1.

    While Windows RT may have survived the chopping block, Microsoft faces some tough decisions regarding its future. Here are a few scenarios on how its future may play out.

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    Steve Ballmer retirement gives Microsoft stock a jolt

    This morning it was announced that Steve Ballmer would be stepping down as CEO of Microsoft within the next 12 month period – MSFT was sent soaring up 7% in trading immediately following this news blast. While the stock still sits closer to 35 than it does to its recent high back in June (and […]

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announces retirement inside a year

    This morning Microsoft has made an announcement suggesting CEO Steve Ballmer will be stepping down within the next 12 months. Saying that there’s “never a perfect time for this type of transition”, Ballmer made clear that this was his intention all along, and that the company needs “a CEO who will be here longer term […]

    Microsoft explains 3D printing standards in Windows 8.1 (video)

    DNP Windows 81 goes allin on 3D printing

    Whether you’re looking to print an Aston Martin or a birdhouse, Microsoft promises you’ll be able to do it more easily with Windows 8.1. Redmond is looking to iron out the wrinkles currently associated with 3D printing — like metadata loss during exporting and limited communication between apps and printers — and make 3D printing more like 2D printing so it becomes “more seamless and ubiquitous.” The software giant’s plan for making it all happen? Defining a standardized feature set that represents what current and future printers can and will do, for one. Microsoft is also pushing for the use of its own 3D data format (3MF) that addresses the current’s (STL) shortcomings — most notably its lack of support for different colors and materials. October 17th probably won’t be the day 3D printing explodes, but these are certainly welcome steps toward that happening. Now, if Ballmer and co. could just bring the price of the printers themselves down then we’d really be in business.

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    Source: Extreme Windows Blog (Microsoft)