Hasta La Gadget!

Most anyone who’s paid attention knows Windows 8 will feature some fancy tweaks, including a revamped Windows Explorer and new copy, move and rename functions. But now Redmond’s given us a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it preview of a new Start Menu, in a video about accessing ISO and VHD files in the new OS. We’ve included a screen capture above — hit the source link if you’d like to see the full (and admittedly quite dry) video. You’ll spot the wily Start Menu about 25 seconds in.

[Thanks, Chris]

Filed under: Software

Windows 8 Start Menu caught on camera, shows off high-contrast design originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this year, we heard a slew of whispers promising a late winter launch for Microsoft’s Windows 8 tablets — there was even mention of a tab-specific OS. While it’s become clear that Redmond intends for its new operating system to run on multiple devices, insight into its tablet plans are still somewhat shrouded in mystery. From the looks of these gesture patents, however, it’s clear MS has been eyeing a dual-screen tablet future (hello Courier). The recently published patents, not yet granted to the company, touch upon methods for off-screen input (read: bezel-based), but mainly focus on these multi-screen input options: dual tap, pinch and expand, hold and page-flip, hold and tap, and finally, bookmark hold. As you can glimpse from the image above, the patents handle simultaneous touch screen input, allowing a user the ability to swap images between screens, or even freeze a page on one side while continuing to browse on the other. By the looks of things, Sony might have some fierce competition in the multi-screen tablet market. Head to the source below to get a fuller look at these touch-based solutions.

Microsoft gesture patents reveal possible dual-screen tablet focus originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No points for calling this one, but Microsoft confirmed today that Windows 8 will indeed boast support for the USB 3.0 specification, and “robust” support at that. That includes not just the higher transfer speeds you’d expect, but the promise of better battery life thanks to the improved power management measures the specification allows. Naturally, Microsoft will also continue to support all of your less speedy USB devices, and says that it’s actually created a brand new Microsoft USB Test Tool (or MUTT) to ensure everything works without a hitch — it’s described as “1,000 devices on a USB thumb drive.” Head on past the break for a quick demo video.

Continue reading Microsoft promises ‘robust’ USB 3.0 support in Windows 8

Microsoft promises ‘robust’ USB 3.0 support in Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re wishing a heartfelt farewell to Microsoft Reader today, because the folks at Redmond have decided to pull the plug on their e-book application, more than a decade after it first launched. Pre-dating the rise of the e-ink medium, the forward-looking MS Reader was originally designed to display digitzed books on an LCD screen, using the company’s ClearType font display. Over the past few years, however, the app has slowly faded into obscurity, with the latest desktop version dated from 2007 and its last update rendering it compatible with Windows Mobile 6.1. The concept was clearly ahead of its time, but it ultimately fell behind what would become a swelling trend, ushered in by the Kindle, Nook and other e-reading hardware. No word yet on whether Microsoft plans to introduce a similar tool for Windows 8, though the timing of Reader’s demise certainly leaves ample room for speculation.

Microsoft closes the book on MS Reader app originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has seen the future of personal computing, and it’s a world with a single Windows ecosystem. Windows Phone head honcho Andy Lees — who said that we won’t be seeing WP7 on tablets during Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference yesterday — still sees slates, phones, consoles, and PCs playing together in perfect harmony. His plan is to provide users with a consistent experience across all Microsoft-powered devices, though he didn’t flesh out exactly how this singular ecosystem will work. Given recent evidence indicating Xbox integration in Windows 8 and the UI similarities between the forthcoming desktop OS and WP7, it seems that Microsoft is well on its way to a consolidated future. But, only time will tell if Mr. Lees’ can deliver us from fragmentation with a unified Windows.

Microsoft’s Andy Lees on Windows’ future: one ecosystem to rule them all originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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