Windows Photo Gallery and Movie Maker refresh: Vimeo integration, camera stabilization

DNP Windows Photo Gallery and Movie Maker refresh Vimeo integration, camera stabilisation

Microsoft’s stalwart Photo Gallery and Movie Maker won’t be hitting high-end studios anytime soon, but a new refresh for Windows 7 and 8 adds useful features that the teeming masses might appreciate. Topping the list for Movie Maker is video stabilization, which fixes camera jitter and “wobble” or rolling shutter — a desperately needed feature for free software chockablock with shaky soccer mom and skater videos. Redmond has also added audio waveforms and an extra narration track, simple audio cleanup tools and text effects to the video editor.

As for Photo Gallery, the only new tool of note is “auto collage” which should let you create spectacularly cheesy montages using seven or more photos, regardless of artistic talent or effort. Finally, the software giant announced Vimeo as its new “publish partner,” letting you upload your Gadget Cribs rip-offs from either program directly to the site. Let’s see if the video hoster figures out a way to cordon off the onslaught of new freeware riff-raff from its regular hipster / film school crowd.

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Windows Photo Gallery and Movie Maker refresh: Vimeo integration, camera stabilization originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8 RTM will include ‘do not track’ by default for Internet Explorer 10

Windows 8 RTM will include 'do not track' by default for Internet Explorer 10

Many advertisers weren’t thrilled when Microsoft proclaimed that ‘do not track’ would be the default for Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, but that reaction hasn’t made the folks in Redmond flinch. Brendon Lynch, the company’s Chief Privacy Officer, announced that the ‘do not track’ default is already baked into the code of the October-bound operating system that has been released to manufacturers. Upon booting Windows 8 for the first time, users will be greeted with a choice between “Express Settings” or “Customize,” the former of which has “do not track” enabled. IE 10 on Windows 7 will receive a similar treatment, with a “prominent notice” about the setting being switched on appearing alongside a link to additional information. Despite Microsoft’s efforts, it’s possible that advertisers could ignore the web browser setting if they feel their negotiations have been for naught. Considering the response to Microsoft’s initial default announcement, we suspect this won’t be the last development in the saga.

[Image credit: Tomas Fano, Flickr]

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Windows 8 RTM will include ‘do not track’ by default for Internet Explorer 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 01:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica  |  sourceMicrosoft on the Issues  | Email this | Comments

Windows 8 built-in games now called Xbox Windows, Microsoft’s naming synergy continues

Windows 8 builtin games now called Xbox Windows, Microsoft's naming synergy continuesWere you among those who jumped for joy when Windows Explorer got its new moniker? Good news, nomenclature fans, for Redmond has decided to label its new OS’ built-in games and titles obtained from the Windows Store as “Xbox Windows.” Along with the new branding, venerable Windows titles like Minesweeper, Solitaire and Mahjong will also offer Xbox Achievements, so you can bulk up your Gamerscore while wasting time at work. Full details of the achievement and point totals can be found at the source links below.

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Windows 8 built-in games now called Xbox Windows, Microsoft’s naming synergy continues originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge, Eurogamer  |  sourceXbox 360 Achievements, (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

Windows 8 may not let you boot to the desktop, demands you accept not-Metro

Windows 8 may not let you boot to the desktop

If you were hoping that you could force Windows 8 to bypass the don’t-call-it-Metro homescreen and boot straight to the familiar desktop you’ve come to know and love, we’ve got bad news. Word on the street is, Microsoft has removed this ability from the latest builds of the OS — so you’re gonna have to stare at a pile of tiles when you boot up, whether you like it or not. According to Rafael Rivera, one of the authors of Windows 8 Secrets, there is a work around that involves creating a shortcut to the desktop and scheduling it to run at boot. But, it appears that even enterprise customers will be blocked from making the standard desktop the default environment. While Redmond is no doubt implementing such a policy to enforce consistency, it could prove to be a source of frustration for big businesses, which are notoriously resistant to change. We’ll just have to wait for the final release to find out for sure.

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Windows 8 may not let you boot to the desktop, demands you accept not-Metro originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceZDNet  | Email this | Comments

Unannounced HP tablet glimpsed in official picture (again), could be Slate 8

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HP’s Make it Matter site features a shot of a medical-type person using a mysterious device that’s the spitting image of one we saw in July. While the company’s made no secret of its plans for a Windows 8 tablet, it’s yet to confirm if this is the Slate 8 or some other unannounced flagship. Given the context, perhaps this is an enterprise offering designed for corporate customers, or it could just as easily be the fever-dream of a Madison Avenue art director. If it’s real, we’d expect a release around October 26th along with the rest of the Windows 8 cohort.

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Unannounced HP tablet glimpsed in official picture (again), could be Slate 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 05:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  sourceHP  | Email this | Comments

Bloomberg: Nokia will announce Windows Phone 8 handsets at Nokia World next month

Bloomberg Nokia will announce Windows Phone 8 handsets at Nokia World

Bloomberg is reporting that, perhaps unsurprisingly, Nokia will bust out its Windows Phone 8 handsets at Nokia World 2012. The shows, which kick off September 5th, will tour various locations to drum up trade for the new kit. The news agency is also reporting that any revamped Lumia phones will be ready to purchase for the Holiday buying season — hopefully dropping close to the October 26th release date for Redmond’s newest OS. Unfortunately, Nokia isn’t giving anything away, saying that it “never comments on rumor or speculation,” but at least we don’t have long to wait.

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Bloomberg: Nokia will announce Windows Phone 8 handsets at Nokia World next month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WMPowerUser  |  sourceBloomberg  | Email this | Comments

Splashtop Remote Desktop now available on Windows 8, gives you all the access you need

Splashtop Remote Desktop now available on Windows 8, gives you all the access you need

With Splashtop currently holding spots in a slew of Android slabs, Cupertino’s notorious iDevices and even HP’s cadaverous TouchPad, the next obvious step was to set up its Remote Desktop shop inside Redmond’s upcoming Windows 8. And smartly enough, that’s exactly what Splashtop’s done. In preparation for the eventual release of Microsoft’s tile-friendly OS in a couple of months, the service has let it be know that its new (and very handy) tablet application’s now ready to take advantage of the system’s native gestures while doing what it does best — which is giving remote access to both Mac and Windows PCs. Given its “consumer preview” status, the Splashtop app isn’t fully cooked just yet, but it should give anyone a good idea of what to expect once the real deal becomes available.

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Splashtop Remote Desktop now available on Windows 8, gives you all the access you need originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 15:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gear Diary  |  sourceWindows Store  | Email this | Comments

Windows 8’s stock apps get pictured, tease its final build

Windows 8's stock apps get pictured, tease its final build

Microsoft might be wavering on the well established Metro moniker that it ascribes to its flat, live tile design aesthetic, but that doesn’t make it any less pervasive in Windows 8’s final build. Care to see? Impatient Windows fans have pilfered a handful of screenshots from Google and Windows Store previews, revealing what appears to be the final look for several of Windows 8’s apps. Gumshoes at the Neowin forums uncovered fresh previews of the Photos, Mail, Messaging, People, Calendar Xbox music, Xbox video and Xbox SmartGlass applications. Liveside followed up on the forum’s findings with a peek at the OS’ baked in Bing integration. The camera interface’s crop and video playback features make an appearance too, as do the operating system’s legacy time wasters: Solitaire, Minesweeper and Mahjong — slacking off never looked so good. Check them out for yourself in the gallery below, and agonize over how far away October 26th suddenly seems.

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Windows 8’s stock apps get pictured, tease its final build originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceNeowin, Liveside  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft downplays Metro design name, might face a lawsuit over all that street lingo

Microsoft Surface for Windows RT hands-on

If you’ve seen most of Microsoft’s design language for nearly three years, there’s only one word that sums it up: Metro. In spite of that urban look being the underpinning of Windows Phone, Windows 8 and even the Zune HD, Microsoft now claims to ZDNet and others that it’s no longer fond of the Metro badge. Instead, it’s supposedly phasing out the name as part of a “transition from industry dialog to a broad consumer dialog” while it starts shipping related products — a funny statement for a company that’s been shipping some of those products for quite awhile. Digging a little deeper, there’s murmurs that the shift might not be voluntary. Both Ars Technica and The Verge hear from unverified sources that German retailer Metro AG might waving its legal guns and forcing Microsoft to quiet down over a potential (if questionable) trademark dispute. Metro AG itself won’t comment other than to say that these are “market rumors,” which doesn’t exactly calm any frayed nerves over in Redmond. Should there be any truth to the story, we hope Microsoft chooses an equally catchy name for those tiles later on; Windows Street Sign Interface Windows 8-style UI just wouldn’t have the same ring to it.

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Microsoft downplays Metro design name, might face a lawsuit over all that street lingo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceArs Technica, The Verge, ZDNet  | Email this | Comments

Minecraft creator warns locked down Windows 8 could be ‘very bad’ for indies, stays wary of Steam too

Notch with Lego Minecraft

Microsoft just isn’t getting much Windows 8 love from the game community, full stop. Following Blizzard and Valve anxieties, Minecraft developer Notch (the man on the left) is himself cautious about the shift to the Windows Store and the seeming discouragement of third-party outlets. Despite sharing an affinity with Microsoft for square-shaped worlds, he sees any further lockdown of Windows 8 as potentially “very very bad” for indie game developers and overall competition in the gaming business. Not that Notch is singling out the OS for concern: he’s also maintaining his resistance to Valve’s Steam and doesn’t want the Portal creator to “rent games” instead of selling titles that buyers can keep forever. While Notch isn’t adverse to producing games for closed systems when it’s the only choice, he’s joining a growing chorus of those worried that openness is on the endangered list.

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Minecraft creator warns locked down Windows 8 could be ‘very bad’ for indies, stays wary of Steam too originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GamesIndustry  |  sourceReddit, Twitter (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments