Hasta La Gadget!

It can be scary mustering developer support for a brand-new app platform — just ask BlackBerry. Microsoft may feel slightly relaxed, then, if MetroStore Scanner‘s unofficial estimates are on the ball. It sees over 50,380 active Windows Store apps as of this writing, which isn’t bad for a shop that reportedly had less than half this amount back in November. Whether or not you consider it progress compared to the rest of the market is another matter: the tally is a big leap over the estimated 14,000 apps in the Mac App Store, but it won’t make either Apple or Google break out in a cold sweat when compared against the six-digit app counts of their mobile app stores. Microsoft currently declines to confirm the numbers, although the company tells us that the app count may vary from country to country. For now, it’s safe to presume that a fair number of app writers are onside with Microsoft’s tile- and touch-driven vision of the future.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: MetroStore Scanner

If you picked up a Surface Pro or another pen-friendly Windows 8 tablet, you’re likely eager to wring every ounce of productivity out of that stylus. Microsoft hears your call. It just updated the OneNote app for Windows 8 to give pen customization a shot in the arm: a new radial menu makes it easier to choose a pen’s color and weight while saving favorite pens to quick-access slots. Whether or not drawing’s your thing, Microsoft has also simplified syncing with support for pulling in Office 365 notebooks, not just those stored on SkyDrive. Avid note-takers only need to grab the upgrade from the source link.

Filed under: Tablets, Software, Microsoft

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Via: OneNote Blog, The Verge

Source: Windows Store

You don’t need to be Captain Subtext to understand that a few manufacturers (and developers) aren’t best pleased with Microsoft’s latest mobile products. The latest to damn Redmond with faint praise is Samsung’s newly-minted Co-CEO, JK Shin, who told The Wall Street Journal that demand for Windows-based phones and tablets isn’t sending the company’s accountants cross-eyed with glee. When asked about Samsung’s relationship with Microsoft after the latter deepened its ties with Nokia, Shin said:

“Smartphones and tablets based on Microsoft’s Windows operating system aren’t selling very well. There is a preference in the market for Android. In Europe, we’re also seeing lackluster demand for Windows-based products.”

Which, naturally, has done nothing to scotch those persistent rumors of the ATIV Tab being axed in Europe as well as the US. The CEO added that we can expect to see a Tizen-based phone in the third quarter of the year, although Samsung will continue to flirt with every available OS for the needs of its customers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Samsung, Microsoft

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Via: The Verge

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Microsoft’s Surface is continuing its global retail rollout, expanding its reach well beyond the western hemisphere. In late March the RT model of Redmond’s in-house tablet effort will begin popping up in Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan, (though, not necessarily at the same time) adding to the pile of European nations where it’s already launched. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro will finally be leaving the Americas and heading for Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the UK sometime in the coming months. Unfortunately Microsoft isn’t getting any more specific about when its full-blown Windows 8 machine will appear in countries other than the US and Canada. All we can do now is await the promised follow up post on the Surface blog for more details about availability. If you’re a fan of press materials (even those that don’t provide a ton of information) you’ll find some after the break.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, Microsoft

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Source: Surface Blog

Still settling into Windows 8? Well, it appears that Microsoft’s preparing for a sea change, codenamed “Blue,” that will alter how it approaches cross-platform updates. According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, an inside source at Redmond has indicated the company’s desire to house all Windows Phone, Windows Services, Windows 8 and Windows RT updates under the Blue umbrella, though that won’t necessarily indicate simultaneous releases. Far from it, actually, as the current plan is simply to schedule these updates on a yearly basis. Foley also goes on to note that for Win8, MS could ditch RTM releases altogether, in favor of feeding updates direct to the Windows Store and mentions that Windows 9 is still on track. What’s not yet known is precisely what features this Blue crush of updates will entail. We’ll keep you updated should this rumor prove to hold its water.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Software, Microsoft

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Source: ZDNet