Windows 8

For a big launch, Microsoft readies tiny holiday pop-up stores

It's lucky the Microsoft Surface RT is small, because Microsoft's coming pop-up stores look like they're going to be very compact.

Microsoft is planning to open 34 holiday pop-up stores in the U.S. and Canada. (The just-added two, announced this week by the company, are a Chicago and Times Square New York.) They are opening on October 26, the day that Windows 8 and Microsoft's Surface RT tablets/PCs are generally available.

I guess I was envisioning temporary full-size Microsoft stores -- like two-dozen-plus permanent brick-and-mortar stores they are operating already -- when I … Read more

Microsoft accepts the challenge to teach users Windows 8

Microsoft is aiming to smooth the transition for users switching to Windows 8 from its earlier predecessors. This upcoming operating system is a major change in direction for the software giant, which includes touch screen technology, "charms," and desktop tiles.

In an effort to help users get the knack of the new OS, Microsoft is apparently training sellers and others how to use the system. According to tech news site Neowin, a handful of Windows 8 demo videos (see below) have been leaked, which show just how the system will work.

One video focuses on how to navigate … Read more

Windows 8 pops up on Amazon

Windows 8 won't officially go on sale until October 26, but Amazon is already giving us a peek at the product's sales page.

Amazon's U.K. site is showing off the Windows 8 Pro upgrade edition, which lets users move up from Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. Also on the site is the the Windows 8 Pro Pack, which bumps up the Windows 8 standard edition to the Professional version.

European users can also check out the Windows 8 Pro N Version, which is similar to its American counterpart but without Windows Media Player.

The … Read more

Windows 8 ads leak to the Web

Four Windows 8 television advertisements have leaked online, ahead of the operating system's launch later this month.

The advertisements, which first appeared on Israeli technology site TechIt, show off some of the main features of the operating system, but focus on the learning experience for new and existing Windows users.

A number of early adopters have complained that the new user interface is difficult to understand, too complicated or not designed with traditional desktop PCs and laptops in mind. Many reviewers and technology blogs and sites -- including CNET -- have noted that the navigation is tricky and the … Read more

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