Despite its best attempts to capture a slice of the smartphone market, Microsoft on Tuesday announced that it has officially terminated support for Windows Phone 8.1, ushering in the end of an era where the PC-maker sought to directly compete with Apple’s iPhone and Android-powered devices, which have since created a smartphone duopoly. Never really much got into Windows Phones, I think the biggest turn off for me besides the vertical scrolling between screens was lack of apps compared to Android or even Apple. I wonder how much longer Windows Phones are going to last as I am sure Microsoft’s…
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It has been about 3-months since I last posted. I had to retire the machine I was running Windows 10 on, an old Dell Optiplex as it was having hardware issues. I did not want to be putting money into a system that is over 10-years old, especially since I only paid $25 for it last year. Yet, I currently do not plan on upgrading anytime soon to Windows 10 on either of my two machines (Gateway Windows 8 Desktop and HP Windows 7 Laptop). Still not sure what I am going to do as I would like to try out Windows 10…
So Microsoft has announced that along with Windows 10 being pushed out on July 29th, so are the MS Office Universal Apps. From Tom’s Hardware: Universal Apps will run natively on any platform running Windows 10, whether it be on your PC, tablet, phone, Xbox, or what have you, and they will operate in the same fashion no matter what device you run them on. Microsoft has previously revealed that Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar will be pre-installed in Windows 10, but the company has also been developing Word for Windows 10, Excel for Windows 10, PowerPoint for Windows 10…
No, the title is not a typo. Microsoft has announced today they are skipping over Windows 9 and going directly to Windows 10. Originally codenamed Windows Threshold, the new operating system essentially does away with the tiled “Metro” user interface that Microsoft had attempted to implement across its entire device line, from desktop PCs to Surface tablets and Widows Phone devices. It is such a substantial leap, according to Microsoft’s executive VP of operating systems, Terry Myerson, that the company decided it would be best to skip over Windows 9, the widely expected name for the next version. So it…
Over the weekend Microsoft had posted to their Windows Phone YouTube channel a video entitled: A fly on the wall in Cupertino? The video was about the (colorful) upcoming iPhone 5C. Seems the video did not go over well with social media, so Microsoft yanked it of their YouTube channel, but not before someone else had a chance to mirror the video. Microsoft’s response to Cnet about the video “was intended to be a lighthearted poke at our friends from Cupertino. But it was off the mark, and we’ve decided to pull it down.” Not really sure what all the uproar is about. The…
However, it does not do what 99% of the Windows users would expect it to do. Sadly, all it will do is take you to the Start Screen. But wait, there are more exciting and great new ‘features’ coming with Windows 8.1: Turn your tablet or PC into a (pricey) digital picture frame with a slide show lock screen More colors, backgrounds and motion based wallpapers for the Start Screen View all your apps with one swipe and new apps will not be automatically added Change how your corners behave Internet Explorer 11 Global search powered by Bing Updated PC…
The first Windows Phone commercial I have seen. Microsoft is holding nothing back with this Windows Phone commercial. They make fun of both Android (with the Samsung Galaxy phones) as well as Apple iPhone users. Not really sure if I want a Windows phone, last thing I want is a BSOD on my phone. Of course the BSOD was replaced in Windows 8 with a kinder, gentler “There was a problem with your computer” screen. The one thing that did bug me about Windows phones, at least the one I was playing with at a T-Mobile store a few months…
Microsoft has a habit of bashing/bad-mouthing their competitors. However, Microsoft’s Terry Myerson took it to a new level at this week’s D: Dive Into Mobile conference. Seems Myerson slamed Apple’s iOS for being “boring” and Google’s Android for being a “mess” because there are so many versions in the wild. Really?! So many versions of Android in the wild? Umm….Terry have you looked at your company’s number of versions of Windows in the wild? Well, let’s see there is Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 … and not even taking into account the “service packs” (3 for XP, 2 for…
That is what Microsoft is using a an excuse for the lack luster sales of Windows 8. Microsoft is saying that PC Vendors didn’t make enough ‘enticing touchscreen tablets’ powered by Windows 8 for the 2012 Christmas season. Seems Microsoft had offered guidelines for hardware that they wanted on all Windows 8 machines (mainly touchscreens) to take advantage of Windows 8 touch interface. The manufacturers responded by claiming “….if they had followed Microsoft’s hardware requirements and invested in production, all they would accomplish is building a variety of high-end expensive tablets that consumers weren’t interested in.” So Microsoft is blaming the PC vendors for not…
However, they are not for consumers. These Firefox OS (formerly Boot to Gecko) phones are being made by a Spanish company GeekPhone for the purpose of allowing developers to create apps for the new platform. Currently there are two phones the Keon and Peak which both house 4 GB of ROM, 512 MB of RAM, a MicroSD slot, 802.11n wireless networking, light and proximity sensors, GPS, an accelerometer, as well as a camera flash. The lower end Keon has a 1GHz Qualcom Snapdragon S1 processor, 3.5-inch screen, 1,580mAh battery and a 3-megapixel camera. While the higher end Peak has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon…