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

Read complete

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.

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.

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.