Microsoft rolls out massive Windows 8 update

Microsoft's notorious Patch Tuesday has been replaced by Update Tuesday, at least for today, as the company makes sweeping alterations to Windows 8 and its core apps.

The update to Windows 8 Release to Manufacturing (read the review) aims to improve what was already solid performance in Windows 8. In the blog post announcing the update, Windows president Steve Sinofsky explained that the update would be seamlessly available for all Windows 8 machines when they boot up on October 26 and thereafter. "By developing better test automation and test coverage tools we are happy to say that Windows … Read more

Lenovo gets flexible with new Windows 8 laptops

NEW YORK -- Lenovo today unveiled several new laptops it hopes will appeal to customers looking for a more tabletlike experience.

During a New York event, the Chinese computer giant, which passed Dell a year ago to become the world's second-biggest PC maker by shipments, introduced four "convertibles" that use Microsoft's new Windows operating system. Such devices -- with names like the IdeaTab Lynx and the IdeaPad Yoga 13 -- twist and transform from notebooks into tablets.

"What people want is flexibility," David Schmoock, Lenovo's president of North America, said in an interview … Read more

Microsoft, pushing Windows 8, makes Wi-Fi free in NYC and SF

Microsoft is sponsoring some free Wi-Fi sites in New York and San Francisco to drum up interest in Windows 8.

Six different Manhattan subway stops will feature free Wi-Fi starting immediately, and another 200-plus hotzones across the city will light up November 1. The subway locations are supported by Transit Wireless, which provides Wi-Fi service for travelers riding the rails underground.

Residents of San Francisco can surf at Microsoft's expense at hotzones in such locations as Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, UN Plaza, the Financial District, and Nob Hill. The hotzones in New York City and San Francisco all … Read more

IE takes Contre Jour to the next level

Contre Jour may look like little more than a high-gloss version of Cut the Rope, but that sheen goes a long way. Last year, it earned top honors from Apple itself in 10 countries across Asia and Europe, and starting today you can play Contre Jour on the Web for free for the first time.

It appears to faithfully replicate its gameplay from the iPad, right down to the multi-touch controls required to advance in the third chapter. But while the game is pretty to look at and fun to play, it's a showcase -- like Google's Cirque du Soleil experiment … Read more

Microsoft VP: 100,000 Windows 8 apps by January

As of last week, there were an estimated 3,000-plus Windows Store style (Metro-Style) apps in the app store that Microsoft has built for Windows 8 and Windows RT. That same week, a Microsoft sales vice president told Beet.tv that Microsoft will have 100,000 apps for Windows 8 within 90 days after the operating system launches, which is October 25.

Unless that official, Keith Lorizio, vice-president of U.S. sales and marketing at Microsoft, is counting both Windows Store and Desktop (Win 32) apps, I can't see how these missing 97,000 apps are going to materialize … Read more

Microsoft rolls out Windows 8 app updates ahead of time

Getting ahead of the game, Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 8 built-in app updates. This is weeks before the October 26 official unveiling of Windows 8.

In a blog post today, the software giant listed all of the additions and updates that Windows 8 built-in apps will be getting. Skydrive, mail, messaging, photos, maps, news, travel, weather, and more will get new features and performance and reliability improvements.

Here's more from Microsoft's president of Windows Steven Sinofsky:

We're super excited to be approaching general availability (GA) of Windows 8 and Windows RT. With thousands of new … Read more

Windows 8 launch: 21 days and counting

Drip, drip, drip.

The Redmondians are continuing to torture us Microsoft watchers with a slow flow of information about the company's bet-its-business launch.

We already knew Microsoft planned to launch Windows 8 and its ARM-based Surface RT devices in New York City on October 25, thanks to a save-the-date invitation we got a while back. We knew those products would become available commercially the following day, and we found out this week that Microsoft would be opening 30-plus holiday pop-up stores in the U.S. and Canada on October 26 as well.

As of October 4, we now know … Read more

Microsoft Surface tablet pops up on product pages

Microsoft is teasing its Surface tablet by listing the device on several product pages around the world.

Microsoft product sites in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, and Italy are just some of those showing Surface as an item under the product category.

But clicking on the link for the tablet simply brings you to a U.S. page on Surface with the note "Coming Soon."

Microsoft has been mum on about the price of its upcoming tablet.

CEO Steve Ballmer recently said that Surface would probably carry a price between $300 and $800. That's … Read more

Windows 8 Nook app 'imminent'

Microsoft and Barnes & Noble today said they've officially formed their new partnership focused on digital reading and will soon be releasing a Nook app for Windows 8.

The two companies, who initially announced their pact in April, said their new company -- a B&N subsidiary -- will be called Nook Media LLC. They also reiterated that there's no timetable for B&N to review options for the business, including possibly spinning it out as a standalone company.

"As demand for digital content continues to increase, we are focused on bringing ground-breaking reading and … Read more