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.
We weren’t surprised when Microsoft unveiled new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets at its New York City event. However, the company still had a few surprises up its sleeve, including a Music Kit, significantly improved keyboard covers and a 4K-ready docking station. You may have missed out on a few of the announcements the first time through, but don’t worry — we’ve rounded up all of the Surface news in one place, including our hands-ons and post-event commentary. Check out the stories linked after the break and you’ll know what to expect when Microsoft ships its second-generation Windows slates.
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.
If you already have Windows 8 installed on your PC, Windows 8.1 will be a free upgrade in the Windows Store. (But if you own a Windows 8 PC, you probably already knew that.) Now, Microsoft has revealed pricing for people who plan on installing Windows 8.1 on a system that currently runs some older version of Windows (i.e., Win 7). If you’re just now making the switch (was it the return of the Start button that sold you?) you can expect to pay $120 for Windows 8.1 and $200 for Windows 8.1 Pro. Yep, the same prices you’d currently pay for a copy of Windows 8.
Interestingly, too, Microsoft will be selling so-called full-version software, which means you don’t already need to have Windows running on your machine to complete the installation. All told, you’ll be able to either download the software from Windows.com, or buy an old-fashioned box set in a retail store, if that’s your thing. Whatever your preference, you’ll have to wait until October 17th, just like the cool kids who’ll be getting it for free.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Does the lack of options in that resurrected Start button have you all worked up? You’re not alone. In fact, WinAero has developed a solution that gets rid of the lackluster feature in Windows 8.1 with its StartIsGone add-on. The software frees up space along the task bar since the button doesn’t carry the same Start menu functionality that it used to. Free downloads are available for both 32- and 64-bit versions of the OS via the source link that follows should you be looking to keep one less item off of your desktop.
Filed under: Software
Via: Neowin
Source: WinAero
When Microsoft delivered Windows 8.1 to manufacturers, some developers were more annoyed than overjoyed — unlike in years past, they weren’t getting advance copies to help optimize their apps. The company has heard their complaints, however, and it’s now offering the Release To Manufacturing builds of Windows 8.1, 8.1 Professional and Windows Server 2012 R2 to both MSDN and TechNet members. The enterprise edition of Windows 8.1 will be available later in September, Microsoft says. Regular users will still have to wait until the mid-October launch to get their turn, but the early developer release should lead to a healthier stock of Windows 8.1-ready apps in the weeks ahead.
Update: In case you’d forgotten, 8.1 also arrives with a “fully built-in Skype app.” The Skype blog details new features like the ability to answer calls from the lock screen, a window that automatically adjusts when you open up links and click to call from Internet Explorer.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Via: Blogging Windows
Source: MSDN Blogs, Skype Blog
VMware regularly upgrades its Fusion virtual desktop client to support major new operating systems, and it’s keeping up that tradition with today’s release of Fusion 6. The new Mac app is optimized for OS X Mavericks’ most important features, including a reworked full-screen mode that plays nicely with multiple displays. The software is equally ready for Windows 8.1 virtual machines, and lets users place shortcuts for Windows Store apps in a Mac’s Applications folder or the Dock. There’s also fine-tuning for Haswell-based Macs, a simplified setup assistant and support for virtual machines with up to 16 processors and 64GB of RAM. Fusion 6 Professional users get a few business-friendly upgrades, such expiring virtual machines and cloned machines that link back to master copies.
Both variants of Fusion 6 are available today, although pricing has increased significantly since Fusion 5. It now costs $60 for a stand-alone purchase of Fusion 6, and $130 for its Professional edition. Anyone who buys Fusion 5 between August 1st and September 30th can get the newer version for free, but they’ll otherwise have to pay either $50 (for a standard copy) or $70 (for Professional) to stay on the cutting edge. %Gallery-slideshow73880%
Filed under: Software
Source: VMware
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.
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.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Blogging Windows
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.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Extreme Windows Blog (Microsoft)
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