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Friday 9 November 2012

Five reasons Windows 8 could be a big hit


Windows 8 could be the biggest gamble that Microsoft has ever taken. But even though many people have said that gamble looks like a bad one, there's certainly a chance that it will pay off. Here are five reasons that Windows 8 could be a big hit.
People will get used to it, just like they did to Windows itself
As a general rule, when it comes to using computers, people don't embrace change, and Windows 8 represents a major change from previous Windows versioons. But another general rule is that people end up getting used to new ways of using computers, and it could well be that will happen with Windows 8.
When Windows 3, the first mass-market version of Windows, was first introduced, plenty of people grumbled about it. They hated the operating system's wasteful graphical frou-fraws. They complained that -- gasp! -- it actually required the use of a mouse. Typing incomprehensible instructions at the command line was the best way for people to use real computers to get real work done...who needs icons and pictures?
We knew how that turned out. Microsoft was right on target and Windows became the worldwide dominant operating system.
Those who are younger like it...and they're the future

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Microsoft says Metro apps are now "Windows 8 Store apps" -- is this the worst branding mistake of all time?


It's official: The apps once called Metro apps are now formally called "Windows 8 Store apps" by Microsoft. Along with being one of the worst branding moves of all time, the new name is misleading.
Gregg Keizer reports that at Microsoft's BUILD developer's conference Will Tschumy, a principal user experience advisor for Microsoft, said that the term "Windows 8 Store app" is now Microsoft's preferred name for apps that are written specifically to run on Windows 8.
Originally, the apps were called Metro apps because the new Windows 8 interface itself was called Metro. After dropping the Metro name due to a trademark dispute with a German company, various groups within Microsoft began calling the new interface and its apps "Modern," "Modern UI-style" and "Windows 8-style." Now, though, the formal name for the apps is "Windows 8 Store apps." But as Keizer points out, even though Microsoft says that "Windows 8 Store apps" is the proper name, Microsoft referred to "Windows store app" instead 23 times in the BUILD session descriptions.
The name Windows 8 Store apps doesn't exactly trip off the tongue lightly, does it? But it has other problems beyond its awkward name. First off, it's inaccurate. The Windows 8-specific apps that ship with Windows 8, such as People, Calendar, Mail, and so on, are built directly into the operating system, they're not gotten from the Windows Store. So that means that plenty of "Windows 8 Store apps" in fact aren't really Windows 8 Store apps, because they're baked right into Windows 8 software and don't need to be downloaded from the Windows 8 store.
The name also doesn't solve the problem of what to call the interface once known as Metro. Is it "Modern?" "Modern UI-style?" "Windows 8-style?" Microsoft isn't saying.
The problem goes deeper than being merely a matter of nomenclature. It gets to the core of the problem of having a single operating system with two separate interfaces. If Microsoft remains confused about what to call the new interface, imagine how users feel.

Microsoft launches hosted ALM service


After a year in beta, Microsoft has launched its Team Foundation Service, a hosted version of its application lifecycle management (ALM) software. Its usage, for the time being, has been limited to five or fewer users, however.

"ALM has traditionally been known to be very enterprise heavy, but [this service] could be utilized by people who may not need enterprise scale but could still benefit from tools and services to manage their projects," said Karthik Ravindran, senior director of ALM marketing and management.

There will be no cost for using TFS for five or fewer users, and it can be used for an unlimited number of projects. Subscribers to Microsoft MSDN's premium, ultimate and test pro plans will also get free access along with their subscriptions. Microsoft launched the service in conjunction with its annual developer-focused Build conference this week in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft did not offer a date for when the service would be commercially available for more than five users, nor how much the service would cost when it will be offered. The costs would be based on a combination of features and usage of computational and networking resources, Ravindran said. Teams of more than five can still access the service through individual MSDN subscriptions, or for free -- for the time being -- if they don't have MSDN. The free tier of five or fewer users will remain in place after the pricing options are introduced for more users.

Run on the company's Windows Azure cloud service, Team Foundation Service is a hosted version of the company's Team Foundation Server (TFS) ALM software. The service offers most of the capabilities of TFS, including version control, work item tracking, project planning and management, build automation, and continuous deployment. Building tools are still offered only in preview mode.

TFS supports not only the development of .Net software programs for Windows, but for other languages as well, including Java, PHP, JavaScript and PHP. The service can be incorporated into Microsoft Visual Studio, Eclipse and the Mac-centric Xcode IDEs (integrated development environments).

Microsoft is initially marketing the service to smaller ISVs (independent software vendors) as well as to larger organizations that may want to try ALM without purchasing the software. In the long term, Microsoft will offer the service as a full-scale replacement for on-premises ALM, or to be used in a hybrid mode where code management is shared between in-house servers and cloud services, Ravindran said.

The hosted service does not include all the capabilities of TFS, such as the ability to easily connect the ALM services with in-house deployments of other Microsoft server-based products, such as SharePoint, Ravindran said.

But one advantage that the hosted service would offer over TFS itself is that it is closely tied in with the Microsoft Windows Azure PaaS (platform as a service), Ravindran said. Someone building an Azure-based service can link the hosted ALM service directly with their Azure account, allowing them to "set up a continuous deployment where the bits can be seamlessly deployed into the Azure end-point," Ravindran said.

The service also supports distributed version control, through the use of a bridge to the open-source GIT version-control software. Developers can use their local copies of GIT to clone the code base from the service, work on the code, and then, when finished, merge it back into the canonical code base on the Team Foundation Service. "Not all companies are comfortable with their developers having local versions of all the source code. [Distributed version control] is a pretty common pattern with startups, but it's not common in enterprises," Ravindran said.

ALM software manages the development of software programs across different departments within an organization. It includes not only version-control software -- which captures all the changes of the developing code -- but also includes testing, building and deployment capabilities, as well as oversight tools for project managers and product owners. "Development of the code becomes a team process, especially as the project starts scaling," Ravindran said.

In addition to Microsoft, other companies such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, CollabNet, CA Technologies and Coverity offer ALM software as well.

Microsoft Office for iOS, Android said to arrive in 2013 -- will this help or hurt Microsoft?


The latest rumors have Microsoft Office launching for iOS and Android early next year. This would certainly help Microsoft on competing tablet and smartphone platforms. But will those gains be offset by the harm done to Windows 8 and RT tablets and Windows Phone 8?
The Verge has what it claims to be a screenshot of Office running on the iPad,and reports that Office will be released for iOS and Android in early 2013. It says that the free version of Office on iOS and Android will only provide the ability to view Office files, but that with a subscription fee for Office 365, you will be able to ability to edit them as well.
This will clearly help Microsoft on competing tablet and smartphone platforms. But it also may harm the company's hopes to gain market share for Windows 8 and RT tablets, and for Windows Phone 8.
Windows RT tablets ship with a free version of Office as does Windows Phone 8. That gives those platforms some competitive advantage over iOS and Android smartphone and tablets. Today, if you want Office on a tablet or smartphone, you've got to buy a device that runs on a platform from Microsoft. But by early next year, if the Verge report is accurate, you'll be able to get Office on a device that runs on competing platforms.
So there's no doubt that releasing Office on iOS or Android will make it somewhat harder for Microsoft to gain tablet or smartphone martket share. But that's more than offset by the gains Microsoft will making by having Office run on iOS and Android.
Windows is no longer Microsoft's main cash cow. Its most recent earnings report shows that the Windows division's net income was down 22% and revenue down 8% compared to a year previous. Its revenue of $3.24 billion trailed the Business Division's revenue of $5.5 billion and the Server and Tools business of $4.55 billion.
Office is part of the Business Division, which is Microsoft's biggest revenue generator. Having Office available on iOS and Android will certainly help increase Microsoft's revenue. And it will do more as well: It will help make sure that people continue to use Office rather than Google Docs or Google Apps. That's more important than the relatively small incremental market share Microsoft may gain by not releasing a version of Office for iOS and Android.
So releasing Office for iOS and Android is a very good move for Microsoft, and a recognition that its future is beyond Windows.

Windows Phone 8 will tell users where to find free Wi-Fi


Microsoft will provide information about the location and quality of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Windows Phone 8 so users can find the best nearby networks.
The information will come from a database of 11 million hotspots worldwide that is created and maintained by Devicescape, a vendor of Wi-Fi software for carriers. Devicescape has licensed the database to Microsoft for inclusion in Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Devicescape finds out about mobile hotspots by learning which hotspots users go onto and what kind of performance they get while using them, said David Nowicki, Devicescape's chief marketing officer. It filters the many hotspots that may be visible in a given area and shows the most popular ones that have been delivering good performance, he said. For the Windows Phone 8 deal, Devicescape will provide data only about networks that are free, though some of them may require users to agree to terms of use.
In the U.S., the hotspot data will only be available on phones from Verizon Wireless, under an exclusive deal between Microsoft and Verizon. Elsewhere in the world it will be built into all Windows Phone 8 handsets regardless of service provider. The feature is coming out on Verizon in the next two weeks and elsewhere by the end of the year, Nowicki said. Availability in the U.S. may extend beyond Verizon in the future, Nowicki said. 
If they choose to turn it on, users will be able to access the hotspot information through Microsoft's Data Sense app, announced last week, as well as through the Local Scout feature of Bing Search and the phones' built-in maps. In each case, the hotspots will appear in a map view. Data Sense is a tool designed to help users manage their mobile data use and monthly cellular bill.
Carriers are trying to help their subscribers find and use Wi-Fi hotspots because those networks help both the service provider and the subscriber. While giving users a way to use data without cutting into their monthly allocations, hotspots also shift demand for that data capacity away from the carrier's networks. The deal with Microsoft doesn't include Devicescape software that helps users automatically log on to hotspots, just information about the free hotspots in a given area.
Devicescape does not provide its hotspot data directly through the other major mobile OSes. Individual mobile operators, including five in the U.S., offer Devicescape's own software for Android devices. The company is working on software for Apple iOS, he said. It doesn't offer apps or databases directly to consumers.

Microsoft slates first Windows 8, RT patches since launch


 Microsoft today announced it will issue six security updates next week, including three for Windows 8 and its tablet spin-off Windows RT.
The half-dozen updates will patch 19 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer (IE) and the .Net framework.
The four critical updates -- the highest threat ranking in Microsoft's four-step system -- will patch 13 bugs, including an unknown number in Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 and Windows RT, the operating system that powers Microsoft's own Surface RT tablet, according to the advance warning Microsoft published Thursday.

Monday 27 August 2012

microsoft office 2012


The easiest way to work together

Anywhere access to cloud-based email, web conferencing, file sharing and Office apps at a low predictable monthly cost.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Lalani Infotech Opens E-Tech City In Kolkata

Lalani Group, the Rs 200 crore IT & office automation service provider has launched its large format tech retail store ‘Lalani e-Tech City’ in Kolkata.

The 13,000 sq ft three level store at Ganesh Chandra Avenue, inaugurated by Partha Chatterjee, IT Minister, West Bengal, is targeted at age group from 17-35 years..

Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook review


Verdict:

More powerful hardware and a new edition of Chrome OS that lets you work offline make this the best Chromebook yet

Price when reviewed: £361


The latest Samsung Chrome OS laptop, the Series 5 500, seriously ups its game when it comes to the hardware specification, with the Atom processor of its predecessor replaced by a dual core 1.3GHz Celeron 867 and its 2GB of memory upgraded to 4GB. The hard disk is still a 16GB SSD, which means that the laptop boots almost instantly. The extra processor power means that apps reported as running slowly on previous Chomebooks, such as Angry Birds, run smoothly.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 review


Verdict: The Tab 2 is well made and has an impressive screen - but unless you want 3G, the Nexus is a better buy

Price when reviewed: £193

While Apple was happily ruling the roost with its 10in iPad, Samsung was doing something different with its 7in tablets, starting off with the Samsung Galaxy Tab at the end of 2010. With a few models released since then and a proper tablet version of Android available, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 really should be Samsung's chance to shine. Unfortunately for Samsung, Google has come along with its own competitor, the super-cheap and very powerful Google Nexus 7.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 price and availability


Samsung has announced that its new Galaxy Note 10.1 will be available in both the UK and US today, Thursday, August 16th. That's almost five months since we first saw it back at MWC in March.
The listed prices for the device are as follows: The Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet with 16GB and Wi-Fi is £414 (inc VAT). The price for the Galaxy Note 10.1 with 16GB, Wi-Fi plus 3G is £509. That makes it fractionally more expensive than the equivalent iPad, a tough place to be in the tablet market.

Samsung to invest $4 billion in Austin plants

Samsung Electronics co. will spend $4 billion renovating its plant in the U.S. to increase production of advanced chips used in smartphones and tablet computers.

READ MORE

Tuesday 21 August 2012

SAP Agrees To Pay Oracle $306M To Settle Download Lawsuit

SAP has agreed to pay Oracle $306 million in damages to settle the companies' long-running copyright infringement suit.

READ MORE

HP Launches Unified Information Protection Solution For Enterprise

HP has launched Data Protector 7, a software solution to manage data with advanced backup and recovery capabilities. Powered by the Autonomy Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL), Data Protector 7 delivers a unified data protection platform for all storage assets via federated de-duplication.

READ MORE

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.

Thursday 16 August 2012

How to close metro apps in Windows 8 consumer preview


We have been getting mails from our various readers and also on our Facebook page asking as how to close the opened up metro apps in Windows 8 consumer preview. There are couple of ways you can close Metro apps. Here we would explain both the methods. The first method is-
Take your cursor to the top left corner of your screen, you would see the most recent app which you have opened, if you want to close that app then just right click on it and click on close, if you want to close some other app then just move your cursor down and you would see other apps. Now just right click on the app and click on close.

Another way to close metro app is to take your cursor to the top left corner, select the app and then just drag the app to the bottom left and your app would be closed (As simple as that and would be useful for touch based PC’s )


How To Dual Boot Windows 8 Release Preview


Stage 1 – Download Windows 8 Release Preview

You are going to need to download the ISO image file of the Windows 8 Release Preview.
There are two different images, 32 bit and 64 bit. To find out which version you need go to: “Start” -> Right Hand Click “Computer” -> “Properties”
Under the “System type” information you will see either 32 bit or 64 bit.
From the download page you will also need to make a note of the product key (you will need this later).

Stage 2 – Partition Hard Disk

Before proceeding with this stage, it is highly recommended that you backup your data.
You need to open “Create and format hard disk partitions” (search for it in the start menu).
Once opened, you will see your existing hard drive partitions. You will see you have the system reserved partition (this may be hidden) and the main partition where your existing version of Windows is installed. The first part of partitioning your hard drive is to shrink your existing Windows partition. Before you proceed you will need to work out which partition Windows is already installed on. In most cases this will be the drive labelled “C” and it is easy to determine by looking at the size. Right hand click on the partition and click ‘Shrink Volume’. After “querying the shrink space” you can enter the amount of space you wish to shrink. The minimum amount of space Windows 8 Preview requires is 16GB. I would recommend you use at least 32GB. You will need to enter the value in megabytes so multiply the number of gigabytes by 1024.
Once entered click shrink. This can often take a long while and it is important not to quit the program or shut down your computer during this process. The new unallocated space will be seen when this is completed.
To create the new partition from this unallocated space, right hand click on it and select ‘New Simple Volume’. Click ‘next’ three times. On the format partition screen enter the name of the new volume. (Call it something easy to remember e.g. “Windows 8”). Click next again and then finish.
You can check this has worked by looking for the new drive in “My Computer”.
To install the preview you will need either a DVD or USB Stick capable of holding the image (at least 4GB).
Once the ISO file has downloaded you need to download and install the “Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool”http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Win7_usbdvd_dwnTool
Once installed open the program and browse to select the downloaded image. Click ‘next’ and then select whether you are using a DVD or USB device. (If you are using a USB device it will be formatted and all existing data on it will be lost.) Next, select the drive and once the image has been copied across you are ready to move onto stage 3.

Stage 3 – Installing Windows 8 Release Preview

You need to restart your computer and boot from the DVD or USB stick. The method of doing this varies between computers/manufacturers. If you are not sure how to change the boot priority, look at the options available as soon as the computer starts up. Alternatively visit your manufacturer’s website for instructions. Once the setup has loaded, fill out the first screen with your country and keyboard settings. Click ‘next’ and then ‘Install Now’. On the next screen enter your product key (this was on the download page).
Click ‘next’ and then tick the box to confirm that you have read the terms and conditions. Then click “Custom Install – Advanced” and from the next window select the partition that you made earlier. DOUBLE CHECK YOU HAVE THE CORRECT PARTITION SELECTED. Then click ‘next’. The computer will install Windows 8 Release Preview and restart several times (this could take some time). You are then presented with a list of operating systems. Select “Windows 8 Release Preview” and proceed through with the first time setup. Enter your user accounts and personalization settings. Once this is complete you have successfully installed the Windows 8 Release Preview.
Every time you now start your computer you will be given an option to select which operating system you wish to load.



Microsoft Office 15 Features Leaked

According to a recent post on The Verge, details of Microsoft’s Technical Preview version of Office 15 have been revealed. The next-gen office suite has lots to offer, with a host of new and improved features in each of the core applications of Office 15. New features such as Touch and Reading Mode and also Weather Bar feature are incorporated in Outlook 15. Following are the improvements in the new Microsoft Office 15:

Word 15:



In order to improve the reading experience in its word processor application, Microsoft has included a new Read Mode that removes distractions from the user interface, and provides for an easy reading experience with text that aligns automatically into columns to fit the screen. The Read Mode also works well with a Resume Reading function that automatically bookmarks the last position in a document.
Microsoft has also included two new features to Word 15— Object Zoom, Expand and Collapse. With Object Zoom users can zoom in on pictures and objects by simply double clicking on them, filling the screen with tables, charts, and images. Whereas, Expand and Collapse will allow user  a one-click option to hide or reveal paragraphs under their headings.In addition to this, there is a  Touch Mode feature for Word 15 which lets users scroll through documents with touch, also enlarging the ribbon along the way.
EXCEL 15:



With Excel 15 again, Microsoft is planning to make it more efficient and convenient for the users who work with large data sets. With Quick Analysis Lens, users can quickly access ways to visually represent data, and with the use of recommended charts and Pivot Tables, visualize information based on data patterns. Another feature named  Flash Fill, simplifies the reformatting and rearrangement of data in an Excel spreadsheet. Excel 15′s Touch Mode feature is designed to let users browse through charts, graphs, and tables on tablet devices just by their touch.
POWER POINT 15:



In order to improve the standard of presentation in the corporate world, Microsoft is planning to give users the functionality to do so by making the aspect ratio of PowerPoint presentations 16:9 by default in PowerPoint 15. This will allow PowerPoint 15 users to create professional-looking designs and presentations.PowerPoint 15′s new touch mode features will also let presenters move through slides and presentations using a touch screen or tablet PC.
OUTLOOK 15:

With Outlook 15, Microsoft aims to bring in some new features to improve user experience. Thus, a new Peeks feature which lets users see their schedule, view details about people they’re emailing, and review tasks all within the same screen.Also, a  new Weather Bar feature will allow users to check the weather before accepting meeting invites or planning new meetings.
ONE NOTE 15:

In addition to preparing a Metro style version of OneNote for Windows 8 users,Microsoft is also bringing some new features to the desktop version of OneNote. Auto-updating file views let OneNote 15 users see content previews from embedded Excel and Visio files, including any updates made. Tables support in OneNote has been improved, allowing users to sort, add headers, and convert a OneNote table into an attached spreadsheet. The Touch Mode feature of OneNote 15 lets tablet users take advantage of their fingers and hands to move through pages and notes without a keyboard.

In totality a number of improvements and new features are incorporated in Office 15, and Microsoft is only at the beginning of testing some of these externally. However, Microsoft isn’t revealing any of the planned features for Office 15 just yet, but the features that have been detailed in this post are part of its key testing phase for the initial Technical Preview, which makes waiting for the beta to be released in summer worth while waiting.



Microsoft Word 2013 Will Introduce PDF Editing


Over the past couple of days we have been hearing a lot of things about the upcoming version of Microsoft’s most popular Office Suite the Office 2013,as we have already reported earlier this week that the Beta is expected as early as next week.
As we inch closer for the beta release,more details about the upcoming features of Office 2013,One of the most appealing features this time around is the PDF Editing support.So now whenever you download a PDF document you can directly open it in the Word and can edit the same without use of any third party tool,as reported earlier byLiveSide.
This is how it will work,
To convert a PDF, you open it like you would any other document.
  1. Click File > Open > Browse.
  2. Find the PDF and click Open.
The converted document might not have a perfect page to page correspondence with the original. The conversion works best with mostly textual documents.
Paul Thurrott also reported about some new features coming to Office 2013,PDF viewer as well as a new Reading mode which allows the conventional Word Documents as well as the PDF documents to be viewed in a columnar fashion which adjusts the text automatically for a better viewing alignment.

As you can see from the above screenshots which shows the new Reading Mode.In the existing version of Office there is a feature of saving the document as a PDF(Office 2010) and even a plugin is available for the same feature to work on Office 2007.So with the upcoming release of Office 2013 we can expect some more interesting features like the one shown above and as we all know that the final release is at least half a year away we can certainly expect some more features to be added to the final version of Office 2013.
Office 2013 will be available in the desktop version of Windows 8 as well as in the ARM version i.e for the Windows RT version of the upcoming operating system.

Microsoft Announces Office 2013 Customer Preview, Windows XP and Vista Not Supported


Yesterday at the press conference held in San Francisco the Software Giant announced the much awaited Office 2013,next version of company’s popular productivity suite.

The rumors about a supposed beta release of Office 2013 were floating around at the start of the month,but now as confirmed yesterday by Microsoft,the Customer Preview version of Office 2013 is now available for download over web.The suite contains all the good old popular tools like Word,PowerPoint,One Note,OutLook and Excel with a touch of Metro interface,with intuitive design which works well with touch, stylus, mouse or keyboard inputs across Windows-based devices, including tablets.along with the other features like Cloud support and social service support like Yammer and Skype.
This version of Office will support Windows 7 as well as the upcoming Windows 8 operating system,however Microsoft has decided to close the doors for the older operating systems,so all those who own a Windows XP or Vista operating system wont be able to use this version of office suite.To use it with the Windows 8 version,you would have to at least update to Windows 8 Release Preview till the final release goes public in October.
This is quite a clever move by Microsoft,to lure the consumers to upgrade to the latest and greatest operating system.With the newly announced upgrade plans for the users it won’t  burn their pockets to shed  39.99$ for a Windows 8 Pro upgrade which is the cheapest of all the version.This version will support both the Wind0ws 8 version as well as the newly launched Windows RT version of devices including Microsoft Surface Tablet.
You can download the Office 2013  Customer Preview Now

Office 2013 and Windows Phone 8 Release Dates Supposedly Leaked


A couple of days ago Microsoft officially announced the release dates for the Windows 8 public release on 26th of October,but that is not the only product scheduled to be released by the software giant.
Windows Phone 8 and the next version of Microsoft office i.e Office 2013 is also expected to be released in the coming months,with the Preview release of Office 2013 which was released a few days ago,its about time for the rumors for the launch dates for both the products.
Apparently ZDNet has got some inside news from an unnamed sources about the supposed release dates for both Windows Phone 8 and Office 2013.According to their sources the Windows Phone 8 will hit RTM by the month of September while the devices will be available by the month of November.While the Office 2013 is said to be ready for RTM by November while the final release will be in the month of February 2013.
They also reported about the release dates of other Microsoft products like Visual Studio 2012 with RTM coming in August and General Availability by September and Microsoft Dynamics NAV RTM by September and general availability by October.
So it seems that there is a packed scheduled coming up as far as the product launch goes for the Software Giant.