Microsoft:We Are Not Spying User Application Data Via SmartScreen

Last week we reported about the SmartScreen feature of Windows 8 Spying on the user application installs after the recent findings from Computer Security Researcher Nadim Kobeissi and that the feature raises privacy as well as security concerns due to unsafe communication protocol.

But now Microsoft has came forward with their answer regarding this scenario,as reported earlier by TheRegister,a spokesperson said,

“We can confirm that we are not building a historical database of program and user IP data,” a spokesperson told El Reg. “Like all online services, IP addresses are necessary to connect to our service, but we periodically delete them from our logs. As our privacy statements indicate, we take steps to protect our users’ privacy on the backend. We don’t use this data to identify, contact or target advertising to our users and we don’t share it with third parties.”

Talking about the Protocol issues with interception,they added that,Microsoft will not use the SSL v 2.0 protocol for Windows 8 and SmartScreen feature doesn’t support that protocol version.Recently Nadim updated his post reporting that the  Microsoft servers no longer support SSL v 2.0 protocol and that now it has been replaced with SSL v 3.0 protocol.Though he is still not convinced with the security measures and is willing to help the Software Giant,as he tweeted on his twitter profile.

Windows Store Growing at a Moderate Rate

Windows 8 Released for Manufacturers on 1st August,while the developers and the Technet subscribers  got the operating system on 15th August.

At that time the Store had around 470 apps in the Windows Store which is the app store for Windows 8 Applications for Modern UI.Within a week of that the Windows Store has reached 665 apps,with almost 200 apps(195 to be precise)being added within a weeks span,considering that Windows 8 hit RTM for developers 2 weeks after the manufacturers its still a good number.Though the growth is not astounding or anything but still its early days,since the public release of Windows 8 is still 2 months away.So by the time it hits public release we can expect a good number of apps and games in the kitty.

It is still critical decision for developers to make,since they don’t know how much will be the propagation of the new ecosystem and that if the users will adopt the Windows 8 based tablets and ultrabooks coming from various manufacturers like Dell,HP,Samsung,Acer,Asus and Microsoft itself and the future of Windows 8 will certainly depend upon the Windows Stores app quality as well as quantity,since the major competitor Apple has tons of Apps in its App Store which are specifically made for iPad.

Source[@McAkins],Via[Neowin]

Fujitsu Windows 8 Hybrid Devices Shown Off

There are a bunch of hardware partners who will bring their Windows 8 and Windows RT based devices after the October 26th public release of Windows 8.Microsoft already confirmed about Their own Surface tablets as well as Windows RT based tablets from Dell,Samsung Lenovo are slated for release at the same time.

This time around there is a much talk about the hybrid devices,i.e Tablets convertible into notebooks/ultrabooks.Recently Fujitsu,another hardware company in the Windows 8 business demonstrated their upcoming version of Windows 8 based hybrid devices at The annual Hong Kong Computer & Communications Festival.

The first one is Stylistic Q702 “Quattro”,sports a 11.1″ display(IPS Panel),sports an Intel Core i5-3427U chip.It also sports a fingerprint scanner, front and rear cameras, 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.This device is a laptop+tablet hybrid courtesy a keyboard dock.

Image Credits[Engadget]

Second device named LifeBook T902 “Tercel” is a 13.3-inch convertible laptop,it is powered by the intel Core i7-3520M, 8GB of RAM, 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive,it also sports a Blu Ray burner, LTE radio and a 72Wh (6,700mAh) battery.It is bundled with Windows 7 operating system,so we can expect it to be released earlier than the Quattro hybrid.

Pricing and availability details have not yet been announced officially,but as we are just weeks away from the public release of Windows 8,we can expect the release sooner rather than later.

Source:[Engadget]

Top 10 News/Blog Sites for Cloud Computing

As we continue to serve as a resource for business innovation information, we compiled a list of the Top 10 News/Blog sites featuring information about Cloud Computing..

These sources were compiled using specific search terms, Alexa rankings, site information, and relevancy to the topic.

Cloud Computing Blogs/News Sites

1. CloudAve
Overview: Cloud Computing blog offering insights from Zoli Erdos and Krishnan Subramanian
About CloudAve (from the site) – CloudAve seeks to be the preeminent location for commentary and analysis on all things relating to Cloud computing and SaaS. CloudAve provides general commentary on business related trends, tips and tricks for users, reviews of different work related applications, detailed analysis of releases, and strategies to increase the uptake of SaaS.

2. Cloud Computing Blog
Overview: Blog focused on leading-edge enterprise technologies Cloud Computing and Big Data.

3. Cloud Tweaks
Overview: Consider their site the Cloud Computing Authority containing news and analysis from the best Cloud Computing industry experts.

4. InfoWorld: Cloud Computing 
Overview: Provides insightful, updated #CloudComputing information and analysis
From the site – InfoWorld provides in-depth technical analysis on key products, solutions, and technologies for sound buying decisions and business gain. InfoWorld is the place to turn for in-depth analysis of the issues, trends, and products that run your enterprise. InfoWorld features trusted industry columnists, a sharp focus on IT issues, and product test results and reviews backed by the renowned InfoWorld Test Center.

5. The Wisdom of Clouds
Overview: James Urquhart (industry thought-leader) covers cloud computing, virtualization, SaaS, etc. on his CNET Tech blog.

6. Thinking Out Cloud
Overview: Cloud Computing blog of Geva Perry (industry thought-leader) providing industry information and insights.

About Thinking Out Cloud (from the site) – Geva Perry has more than 15 years of experience as an executive in the enterprise software industry. His blog, Thinking Out Cloud, on cloud computing and software-as-a-service strategy and marketing is widely read and he is a frequent speaker on the topic. Geva has been named as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the Hosting Industry, Top 50 Cloud Computing Bloggers and one of the 12 Top Thinkers in Cloud Computing.

7. TechCrunchIT 
Overview: An enterprise-focused subset of TechCrunch site – dedicated to profiling new tech products and companies in the enterprise tech space (Cloud Computing) and promote emerging and existing enterprise technologies and analyze the impact on the commercial, social and consumer levels.

8. Perspectives on Cloud Computing
Overview: This blog focuses on Cloud Computing and some of the best strategies to build and deploy applications to the cloud. This blog helps companies understand how to migrate to the cloud.

9. Cloud Computing Journal
Overview: This journal is a compilation of top news, blog posts about Cloud Computing and includes whitepapers and event and conference announcements. The Cloud Computing Journal is essentially a centralized hub of all things cloud-related.

10. Cloud Computing Blogs RSS Feed
Overview: A compilation of all Cloud Computing blogs aggregated through a Google search.

Windows 8 Smart Screen Reports Every Application you Install to Microsoft

Windows 8 has some of the most exciting new features to go with the Modern UI.One of the security features is the SmartScreen feature,which is useful mostly for safe browsing.

According to a Computer Security Researcher Nadim Kobeissi,the SmartScreen feature reports all the applications which you install on your Windows 8 system to Microsoft,moreover it does it in away which can be intercepted by the Hackers as well.

Basically what it does is that, the SmartScreen feature tells the users if the application which has been downloaded from the internet is safe to be installed on their PC or not.All it does is that it captures some of the information from opening up the installer,sends it to Microsoft and then Microsoft responds with the result that,if the installer has a valid certificate or not.

According to Nadim,Since this information transfer is through the outdated HTTPS protocol,it can be vulnerable to malicious hacker interceptions of the data and that they can learn the users application installation habits and make a profile for a user to find the exploits.

So it raises a security as well as a privacy concern.Users can disable the SmartScreen feature(by default it is enabled),so that you won’t be reporting your installations to Microsoft.For Microsoft it is necessary to rethink about the implementation about the feature in terms of privacy policy as well as the protocol vulnerabilities.

Source [Nadim Kobeissi Blog]

Microsoft Unveils a New Look

The logo has two components: the logotype and the symbol. For the logotype, we are using the Segoe font which is the same font we use in our products as well as our marketing communications. The symbol is important in a world of digital motion (as demonstrated in the video above.) The symbol’s squares of color are intended to express the company’s diverse portfolio of products.
Source:[Official Microsoft Blog]

Microsoft Sports a New Logo After 25 Years !

As they say,Change is Inevitable.Over the Past 25 years the only constant in the Software Giant was the Microsoft Logo,with the changes coming to the operating system from the earlier versions of Windows In terms of UI and other Features and a lots of  other brilliant ideas like Office suite,Visual Studio,Windows Mobile and then Windows Phone!

Image Credits[Microsoft]

So after 25 years Microsoft decided to change their conventional Wavy Logo with a touch of “Modern UI“,with ”Microsoft” written in   the Segoe font while the symbol’s squares of color are intended to express the company’s diverse portfolio of products.This logo will now be prominently used.

As we speak the logo is already in use at 3 of the Microsoft Retail Store’s across Boston, Seattle’s University Village and Bellevue, Wash and will be up and running in all the remaining stores in coming months.It can also be spotted in the upcoming TV commercials for Microsoft Products.

There is a flurry of new releases for Microsoft with Windows 8/RT,Windows Phone 8,new Xbox Services,Office suite and the Surface Tablets are expected in a matter of weeks from now,so it was just about the right time for the unveiling of new logo.

Source:[Official Microsoft Blog]

Workaround For Upgrading Windows 8 Release Preview to Windows 8 RTM

As all of us already know that Microsoft has made it clear that there won’t be an upgrade path from Windows 8 Release Preview or for any other test versions of Windows 8 to Windows 8 RTM.

But then there are always the enthusiasts who try to work things around and come up with something.So Mr. Denny From IT Knowledge Exchange has come up with a workaround which allows not just the Release Preview users but even those who are running the Consumer Preview or even the Developer Preview can upgrade to Windows 8 RTM.

Here’s how it works,

Firstly search for the n:\sources\cversion.ini file in the installation media,after locating the file,open it up in notepad and change the 8508 to 7100,then save and exit.

You are almost done !now you just have to proceed with the installation of Windows 8 RTM from your existing Preview version of Windows 8.Since there is no official upgrade path from the earlier version to Windows 8,this process is not supported,so try it at your own risk.

Source:[ITKnowledgeExchange]

Microsoft Makes Windows 8 EULA User Friendly,Will Also Allow Consumers to Install OEM Versions

With Windows 8,Microsoft is getting out of it’s skin,new Modern UI Interface,ARM version (Windows RT) and much more interesting new features which the earlier version of Windows didn’t have.

Not just in the software and feature part,apparently Microsoft has also radically changed the conventional long EULA(End User License Agreement) with hard legal terms which a normal person could take a while to understand into a more user friendly language.

A  ZDNet Author,Inspected three different End User License Agreements of Windows 8 namely,

• the retail upgrade (with slight variations for Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro),
• the OEM agreement that most consumers will see when they purchase a new PC with Windows 8 preinstalled;
• and a new license type called a Personal Use License for System Builder, which won’t be available until the General Availability of Windows 8 in October

So as per the Personal Use License For System Builder,

We do not sell our software or your copy of it – we only license it. Under our license, we grant you the right to install and run that one copy on one computer (the licensed computer) as the operating system on a computer that you build for your personal use, or as an additional operating system running on a local virtual machine or a separate partition, subject to the restrictions outlined under “Are there things I’m not allowed to do with the software?”

So this new terms mean than the user who is willing to build his/her own Machine from Scratch or want to build it as a virtual machine or  a different partition can buy the OEM version of Windows 8.

Though at the moment there is no announcement about the pricing of the Personal Use License for System builder,but it is expected to be lesser than the usual Retail Version of Windows 8.

Source[ZDNet]

Windows 8 Upgrade Offer Registrations Now Open

Microsoft announced the Windows 8 Upgrade offer a couple of months ago,according to this offer all those who would purchase an eligible Windows 7 PC starting from June 2, 2012 to January 31, 2013 will be eligible for the Windows 8 Pro upgrade for a price of $14.99 when it releases publically on 26th October.

The registrations for the offer are now open as reported earlier on their official Windows Team Blog.So after you buy the PC(or if you have bought the Windows 7 PC on or after June 2nd) you can head over to the Official Windows Upgrade Offer Site.Fill in the registration along with your personal details,date of purchase,retailer and brand and model number of your PC.You should also have the Windows 7 Product Key in order to proceed the registration.

After you register for the offer,you will get the promo code via email starting from October 26th along with the purchase instructions.After that You will be directed to Windows.com.From there you will go through the online upgrade process with the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant.After you reach the  purchase screen in the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant, it will show the $39.99 upgrade price which is a standard Windows 8 Pro upgrade price. However, on the order confirmation page you’ll get an option to enter your promo code – that price will change to $14.99.After the final purchase is made your download and installation will begin.

To register for this offer you will You will have until February 28, 2013 in order to get Windows 8 Pro upgrade for $14.99.However if you happen to have a Windows PC which has been bought prior to the offer ,you can avail yourself the $39.99 offer.Both of these offers are available in over 140 countries, 37 supported languages, and 23 supported currencies.

[Rumor] Windows Media Center Add on To Cost $12.79 in United States

Windows 8 reached RTM on 1st august as well as it reached a few early adopters who have access to TechNet or MSDN subscription on 15th august.

As we already know that this time around Windows Media Center will be available as Add On Feature (paid feature) for the Windows 8 users,though the early adopters who upgrade their Windows 7,Vista or Windows XP to Windows 8 Pro before January 31st 2013 will get the feature for free.

Image Credits[Windows8Core]

There is still no official word on how much the add on will cost after the upgrade offer.But according to recent reports coming  from Windows8Core, the Windows Media Center add on will cost $12.79,which they discovered during the installation process of Windows Media Center from Windows 8 RTM.

As you can see from the above screenshot,which indicates that the Windows Media Center add on will cost $12.79 for the users from the united states.The article contains a step by step process to upgrade to Windows Media Center from Windows 8 Pro.

Though at this moment there is no confirmation from Microsoft about any such upgrade plans,but we can expect an official word  in coming days as we are a few weeks away from the official public launch of Windows 8 which is scheduled for 26th October.

Lenovo Not Afraid Of The Surface Tablet,Claims To Provide Better Hardware !

After Microsoft’s announcement of Surface Tablet earlier this year,it was expected that the other manufacturers won’t be in favor of the Software Giant trying to get into the PC Hardware market.

There were some like Acer who thought that it would have a negative impact on the tablet market and then there are some companies like Lenovo who are quite ok with it and ready to turn on the heat for competing with the Software Giant when the devices releases alongside the Windows 8 public release on October 26th.

Though like Acer,Lenovo who is the prime hardware partner for Windows 8 and Windows RT based devices don’t like the idea of surface tablets,but according to the Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing,it just adds up a competitor in the market.He added,”[They're] just one of our many competitors. We are still confident that we are providing much better hardware than our competitors including Microsoft,”.

According to Lenovo’s CEO,there is no doubt that Microsoft is strong in the Software business,but he thinks that when it comes to the hardware business they can’t provide a better hardware but Lenovo can.

So this makes it clear that like Acer who is also committed to bring Windows RT and Windows 8 hardware despite of the concerns over Surface tablet competition,Lenovo is also not afraid of Surface and will be trying their best to bring out a better product from their side.

Source:[CNET]

Acer Not Ditching the Windows RT Tablet Plans

Over the past couple of weeks we have seen a lots of statement’s making news as far as Windows 8/RT is concerned,we saw the supposed $199 priced Windows RT Surface tablet or the announcement of Dell,Lenovo and Samsung joining the Windows RT party at the launch.

One of the noticeable statement made by Acer’s CEO about the impact of Microsoft’s Surface Tablet,that this move from Microsoft will have a negative impact on the Tablet market.

Everything Said and done,the Company has no intentions whatsoever to drop the plans of Windows RT based devices in near future and they will definitely have a Windows RT based device in future.

Acer’s Spokesperson Talking to Computerworld said that,”Acer plans to incorporate Windows RT into our product road map, but we have not yet confirmed the timing of our product launches”.

So  far as the launch goes,we will see Windows RT based tablets from Microsoft,Dell,Asus,Lenovo and Samsung following the public release of Windows 8 which is scheduled for October 26th.

Those who are waiting for a Acer branded Windows RT tablet might have to wait a bit,but they will surely get it some time earlier next year or they can always have the choice of Acer’s Windows 8 based tablet scheduled to be released earlier than the Windows RT counterpart.

IDC Predicts Microsoft Will Produce More Than 3 Million Surface Tablets by This Year End

As Microsoft gets ready for the Mega Release of Windows 8 along with the Windows RT based Surface Tablet on October 26,there is no stopping rumors and speculations about pricing and other details of the product.After the rumor about the Surface Tablet being priced for $199,the latest prediction from IDC indicates that Microsoft might go on producing 3 million Surface Tablets by the end of this year.

As reported earlier by CNET,IDC analyst told them that the Software Giant who is trying to make a mark in the hardware PC business with introduction of their Surface Tablets,could make more than  3 million Surface Tablets by the year end(both Windows RT based and Windows 8 Pro based).

Talking about selling this much amount of tablets solely with the base of Microsoft Stores,they would have to rethink about their plans and sell them in traditional retail stores as well.

When asked about the possibility of the $199 Surface pricing, This is what the IDC analyst O’Donnell had to say,

“There could be two ways to get Surface. Buy it outright for, let’s say, $599. Or $199 for a two-year subscription and you can get X,Y, and Z — which, oh, by the way, works out to more than $599,”

So that would mean that those who would buy it at that price tag would have to sign up for a 2 year contract of some sorts,but keeping in mind that the Office comes built in with Surface Windows  RT tablet,so that would knock out the theory.So the price point doesn’t seem feasible at the moment according to the IDC analyst.

Windows RT Surface Tablet $199 Rumors Giving Nightmares to Other Partners

A couple of days ago we reported about a recent rumor floating around the web about Microsoft supposedly pricing the Windows RT based Surface Tablet for a $199 price tag for the October 26th launch.Though that is still a rumor,but that’s reason enough for the other manufacturers to start raising concerns about it.

As reported earlier by Digitimes,the other manufacturers who will be bringing their own version of Windows 8 based tablets at the launch,are worried about this rumor and if it turns out to be true,then they will be wiped out from the tablet and notebooks competition.

According to their sources, Microsoft is trying  and therefore is trying to achieve  at least 30% share in the tablet PC market and a $199 price tag would definitely help them to achieve that goal.They added that,if the rumor turns out to be true,then the manufacturers who have a vested interest in the Windows RT based tablets like Dell,Samsung,Lenovo and Asus will eventually stop making ARM based products and leave that segment to the Software Giant.

Currently there are two tablets in the same price range with Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire,so if the rumor turns out to be true then,it would definitely affect their sales as well as the other Windows RT based tablets sales would be affected .

Lenovo Not Afraid Of The Surface Tablet,Claims To Provide Better Hardware !

After Microsoft’s announcement of Surface Tablet earlier this year,it was expected that the other manufacturers won’t be in favor of the Software Giant trying to get into the PC Hardware market.

There were some like Acer who thought that it would have a negative impact on the tablet market and then there are some companies like Lenovo who are quite ok with it and ready to turn on the heat for competing with the Software Giant when the devices releases alongside the Windows 8 public release on October 26th.

Though like Acer,Lenovo who is the prime hardware partner for Windows 8 and Windows RT based devices don’t like the idea of surface tablets,but according to the Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing,it just adds up a competitor in the market.He added,”[They're] just one of our many competitors. We are still confident that we are providing much better hardware than our competitors including Microsoft,”.

According to Lenovo’s CEO,there is no doubt that Microsoft is strong in the Software business,but he thinks that when it comes to the hardware business they can’t provide a better hardware but Lenovo can.

So this makes it clear that like Acer who is also committed to bring Windows RT and Windows 8 hardware despite of the concerns over Surface tablet competition,Lenovo is also not afraid of Surface and will be trying their best to bring out a better product from their side.

Source:[CNET]

Intel shows ‘Nikiski’ notebook prototype running Windows 8

Intel has showed it’s line of ultrabooks during CES 2012 and along with it they unveiled Nikiskinotebook prototype running Windows 8. The touchpad area of this notebook is transparent and when closed the LCD shines through it giving an awesome feel. When the notebook is folded you can see the notification menu using this transparent touchpad and you can interact with the notebook as well.

We would keep you updated as more news comes.

Microsoft would be unveiling more of such stuff during it’s keynote at CES 2012 and according to information available they would be showing Samsung tablets running Windows 8 so stay tuned..

Windows 8 Enterprise Edition Evaluation Version Available for Non TechNet/MSDN Users

Yesterday as promised Microsoft released the Windows 8 RTM for the TechNet and MSDN subscribers,so those who are having a TechNet or MSDN account can straight away download the Windows 8,Windows 8 Pro or the Enterprise Edition.

But if you don’t have any of the accounts and want to try out the latest offering from Microsoft,its your lucky day! Microsoft has released an evaluation version of Windows 8 Enterprise Edition(both 32bit and 64 bit versions) for the users.The evaluation version will be valid for 90 days,after which the users will have to separately buy the full version and to a clean install since the Evaluation version is not upgradable.

Here are some of the things to know before downloading the evaluation version of Windows 8,

Things to Know Before You Start

• The evaluation edition will expire and cannot be upgraded.
• To upgrade, the evaluation must be uninstalled and a non-evaluation version of Windows must be re-installed from your original installation media.
• Consider running the evaluation edition in a virtual environment or installing on a separate hard drive or partition. The will allow you to upgrade your original Windows installation to Windows 8.
• During registration (required) you must login with a Microsoft account and provide your name, e-mail address and country.
• You are required to activate the product online within 10 days after installing.
• Once the evaluation is installed, you cannot upgrade. To revert to a previous version of Windows, you must do a clean install from your original installation media.

Activation and Usage Guidelines

• Back up your files and settings before installing this evaluation and again prior to the 90-day expiration.
• Upon installation, you will have 10 days to activate this evaluation online. Windows will prompt you to activate. A product key is not required for this software.
• You must complete activation before August 15, 2013, to use this evaluation.
• Once you activate, you have up to 90 days to use the software. You can track the amount of time you have left by referring to the “watermark” in the lower right corner of the Windows desktop.
• If you fail to activate this evaluation within the 10-day grace period, or if your evaluation period expires, the desktop background will turn black, you will see a persistent desktop notification indicating that the system is not genuine, and the PC will shut down every hour losing unsaved work.
• Following the evaluation period, you will need to replace the operating system on your test computer and reinstall all your programs and data. It is not possible to upgrade the evaluation to a licensed working version of Windows 8. A clean installation is required.

So if you are going to install the Eval version it is highly recommended that you install it in a Virtual Environment or do a clean install on a separate drive,so that you can retain your existing version of Windows.

Download Now : Windows 8 Enterprise Edition Eval [32Bit] and [64 Bit]

HTC To Reveal Their Windows Phone 8 Devices Next Month ?

As we inch closer to the Windows Phone 8 release we are getting some interesting tidbits about the upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices from various manufacturers.

According to the latest reports from WPDang [Translated Page],HTC is all set to reveal their Windows Phone 8 offerings in 3rd week of September.Apparently there will be 3 devices will be revealed,namely Rio,Accord and Zenith.

The Rio Windows Phone 8 device which seems to be a lower end offering from HTC will feature a 4″ display with WVGA resolution (800 * 480),14.4Mbps HSPA support,it will sport  a 5 Megapixel Camera with 720P video recording,it will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus processor family, the MSM8227,to go with 512MB memory.

Talking about the other 2 devices slated for mid and high range,The Accord device will feature a 720p resolution 4.3-inch Super LCD2 display, 42Mbps HSPA + network support.The device will support 1080P video recording courtesy the 8 Megapixel camera,NFC support,1GB Memory and will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor i.e MSM8260A.

While the Zenith device will feature 720p resolution 4.7-inch Super LCD2 display,42Mbps HSPA + network support,1080P Video recording again with the 8 Megapixel camera.The processor for this device is unknown at the moment but it is said to be a quad core processor from the snapdragon family.

The article also suggests that the displays of Zenith and Accord will have a pixel density of 300 ppi nearing the retina display of the iPhone 4s.Talking about the release dates the Rio and Accord will be released in October time frame,while the Zenith will be released some time in the last quarter of the year.

Source:[WPDang]

[Rumor]Windows RT Based Surface Tablet To Cost 199$ !

Over the past few days we have been hearing a lot of rumors about the upcoming Windows 8 tablets and even the one’s coming from the Software Giant itself.

The latest one coming  from Engadget,According to some insiders the details for the Surface tablet launch were laid out at Microsoft’s recent TechReady15 event and that Microsoft is planning to put a 199$ price tag for their Windows RT version of Surface tablets which are scheduled to be released on October 26th along with the public release of Windows 8.

If true that would be a direct threat to the likes of Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet in that price range,but it will also compete against its own brothers i.e. the Windows 8 tablets coming from other manufacturers like Samsung,Acer,Asus,Dell,Lenovo.Quite recently Acer’s CEO raised concerns  about the Surface tablets impact in the tablet industry.

Still its yet another speculation at the moment,since there is no official word on this from Microsoft.But it remains to be seen if Microsoft goes this way will they be able to recover from the losses with the app sales over the Windows Store?We will have to play the waiting game now.

Toshiba Will Not launch Windows RT Tablets Initially

As we inch closer to the public release of Windows 8/Wind0ws RT we are getting many interesting news and rumors from various manufacturers about their Windows 8 plans.

Recently we reported about Dell,Samsung and Lenovo will join the race for Windows RT based tablets along with Asus and the Surface Tablet(Windows RT based) at the Windows 8 launch.But there are some companies still having some difficulties preparing their ARM based tablets which would run Windows RT( a tailored version of Windows 8 for ARM based processors).

As reported earlier by Slashgear,Toshiba has opted out of the Windows RT based tablets for launch,due to delay in getting components for device in order to make the devices available for the mega launch.It is to be noted that they were working on a ARM based tablet with a Texas Instruments OMAP processor for a while now.

So instead Toshiba will concentrate on the Windows 8 based tablet for the launch.Windows 8 Public Release is scheduled for October 26th,where we will also see the release of tablets and other Windows 8/RT based devices from manufacturers like Dell,Asus,Acer,Samsung and the Surface Tablet(Windows RT) at launch.

Windows 8 RTM now available on technet and MSDN

We were knowing that Microsoft would be releasing Windows 8 RTM to Technet and MSDN subscribers on August 15, and finally it is available for download on these sites. All the versions namely Windows 8, Windows 8 pro and Windows 8 Enterprise is available for download. Microsoft has reduced the number of keys available to technet subscribers to reduce piracy. We do have a TechNet Professional (NFR) subscription and only 1 key of Windows 8 and Windows 8 enterprise is available.

For those who don’t have technet or MSDN subscription have to wait till October 26, when Windows 8 would be released to public. If you have Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 then you can upgrade to Windows 8 for cheap.

Microsoft Using “Modern UI Style” Instead of “Metro Style” For Apps

Recently some of the reports indicated that the “Metro-style applications” would be referred to as “Windows 8 applications” and that the “Metro UI” will be renamed to “Windows 8 UI”.

But now as reported earlier by TheVerge,the company’s employees have instead started using the “Modern UI Style” for the Windows 8 Start Screen User Interface and referring Modern UI design for Windows 8 Apps.

Recently there were references made to this new term in some of the upcoming events from the Software Giant referring the Modern UI Style and Design Language.Though the official announcement from Microsoft is still awaited for the replacement of the term Metro UI.

After Windows 8,Microsoft is Gearing up for Windows 9 !

It’s been a couple of weeks for the Windows 8 RTM and we are just couple of months away from the official public release of Windows 8 operating system from the software giant which is all set for October 26th Launch.But even before the public release of Windows 8,it seems like Microsoft has already started working on the next version of Windows,which will release after Windows 8,yes we are talking about Windows 9.

As spotted earlier by Stephen Chapman From MSFTKitchen,who have spotted some Windows 9 references in some of the Microsoft Employee’s Linked In Profiles.As you can see from the above image a Release Manager referencing Windows 9 in his Linked in Profile.While another employee ,this time around a Software Development Engineer Mentions Windows 9 in his profile.

The author found few more references to Windows 9 term from the profiles of project manager and project planners mentioning Windows 8 references in their profiles.So it seems like Microsoft is going all guns with Windows 9 development even before the release of Windows 8!

Source:[MSFTKitchen]

Eight Windows 8 Tablets to Watch

Announcements and speculation about upcoming Windows 8 tablets are coming in fast. Lenovo recently announced the Windows 8-based ThinkPad Tablet 2, following companies such as Asus, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung into the Windows 8 fray.

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 features a Clover Trail Intel Atom processor, 10.1-inch screen, 3G and 4G connectivity options, HDMI and USB ports and runs Windows 8 Pro. Pricing was not announced, but Lenovo’s new tablet will be available in October.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet 2 sounds promising and will likely be a solid choice if you’re thinking about getting a Windows 8 tablet. Lenovo products such as the original Android-powered ThinkPad Tabletand the IdeaPad U300S ultraportable regularly make PCWorld’s top 10 lists. But there’s a whole lot more coming to store shelves near you starting in October. Here’s a look at seven other tablets you’ll want to keep your eye on as we get closer to the Windows 8 launch on Oct. 26.

Microsoft Surface RT

One of the first Windows 8 tablets out of the gate is expected to be Microsoft’s Surface for Windows RT. The 10.6-inch slate features a microSD slot, USB 2.0, micro HD, and Office Home & Student 2013. Surface RT is available with 32GB or 64GB of storage. Processor type, RAM and screen resolution are unconfirmed. Microsoft said pricing will be in line with similar competing tablets. The device is expected to launch Oct. 26, the same day as Windows 8.

Asus Tablet 600

Asus in June showed off two tablets during the Computex trade show in Taiwan. The Asus 600features a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ display with 1366-by-768 resolution, Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 32GB storage, 2GB RAM, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera, NFC, included clamshell keyboard dock and Windows RT. Pricing and availability were not announced.

Asus 810

Asus’ second showing at Computex featured an 11.6-inch Super IPS+ display with 1366-by-768 resolution, Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM, 64GB storage, 8MP rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera, NFC, included clamshell keyboard dock, Wacom stylus and Windows 8. Pricing and availability were not announced.

HP Slate 8

 Hewlett-Packard announced in June that its first Windows 8 tablet would be an enterprise-only device. Consumer tech sites keep searching for possible reference designs on HP’s website (such as the included image) and in the company’s marketing materials. It’s not clear what the final tablet will look like, but purported leaked specs in April claimed the device would feature a 10.1-inch display, Clover Trail Atom processor and Windows 8 Pro.

Samsung Series 5 Hybrid

Samsung at Computex in June showed off the Samsung Series 5 Hybrid, but offered little in the way of specs. The device features an 11.6-inch display, Intel chip, front- and rear-facing cameras and a clamshell dock. The slate is still under development and subject to change.

Dell Latitude 10

Neowin in June reported it had access to confidential document from Dell detailing an upcoming Windows 8 slate called the Dell Latitude 10. The purported Dell tablet would feature a 10.1-inch display with 1366-by-768 resolution, minimum 1.5 GHz Clover Trail Atom processor, up to 128GB SSD storage, four USB ports, Ethernet, HDMI, built-in mobile connectivity and a swappable battery. The Latitude 10 is slated for launch between mid-November and January 2013, Neowin says.

Stylistic Q702 Hybrid Tablet

Fujitsu in early July unveiled the Stylistic Q702, a Windows 8-ready hybrid featuring an 11.6-inch AH-IPS display, Ivy Bridge Core i3 or i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB SSD, SUB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, front- and rear-facing cameras, clamshell keyboard dock and optional mobile connectivity. Since this tablet is “Windows 8 ready” it will come loaded with Windows 7, but is designed to work with Windows 8. If you buy the device before Jan. 31, 2013, you should be able to upgrade to Windows 8 for $15. The Q702 will be available during the last three months of 2012 for $1,100.