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Archive for Windows 8

HP Envy TouchSmart 14 Laptop Has a 3,200 x 1,800 Screen

May 23, 2013 / Pete Pachal / No comments

Think Apple's retina-display MacBooks are pretty cool? Then you might like the HP Envy TouchSmart 14, Hewlett-Packard's new ultra-high-resolution laptop. Boasting a crazy-high pixel count of 3,200 x 1,800, it's 14-inch screen has even more pixels than one on the 15-inch retina MacBook Pro (2,880 x 1,800).

The TouchSmart 14 Ultrabook isn't available yet though since it's waiting on Intel's fourth-generation Core processors, codenamed "Haswell," which should arrive sometime in the next month. HP expects to start selling the ultra-sharp Windows 8 laptop on June 26. It's unknown what the price will be, although the laptop will be available at a lower resolution (1,366 x 768) for $699 if that's any guidance. Read more...

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HP Thinks Giant Tablets Are a Good Idea

May 23, 2013 / Pete Pachal / No comments

Windows 8 has officially created a new category: the monster tablet. Last fall's Sony Tap 20 could have been dismissed as a one-off aberration, but others have since launched giant screens equipped with batteries, including HP, who just unveiled the Rove 20.

Why Rove? Because it can do exactly that — the 20-inch display is fully portable with almost 4 hours of battery life. Although its mobility, along with the 10-finger multi-touch display, technically makes it a tablet, it's really better thought of as an all-in-one PC that you can move from room to room when you need to.

Much like the Tap 20 and Lenovo's IdeaCenter Horizon, the Rove has a special hinge that lets you use it in many different ways. Stood up at a high angle, it's great as a normal all-in-one or even an "easel" for a painting app. At a low angle, it's more suited for drafting. The hinge is made so you can easily adjust the angle with one hand. Read more...

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HP Split x2 Transforms From Huge Tablet to Powerful Laptop

May 15, 2013 / Pete Pachal / No comments

Hewlett-Packard is announcing a more powerful, larger-screen follow-up to the Envy x2 Windows 8 PC called the HP Split x2. The "x2" designates the device's dual nature: The keyboard and monitor are separate devices; it's a laptop when docked together, and a tablet when removed.

In the case of the Split, it's a fairly large 13.3-inch tablet. HP sought out to upgrade the Envy x2 experience for power users who want a bigger screen, more features and greater processing power (the Split has an Intel Core chip, whereas the Envy was an Atom-powered device).

HP says the keyboard and touchpad are both full-size, and the USB ports are all 3.0. Like most hybrids, the Split x2 has batteries in both the keyboard base and the tablet. Read more...

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Microsoft: Windows 8.1 Will Be a Free Update

May 14, 2013 / Samantha Murphy / No comments

Microsoft announced Tuesday an update to its Windows 8 software known previously by the code name "Windows Blue."

Windows 8.1 will be a free update for Windows users when it debuts later this year, said Tami Reller, CFO and CMO of Windows, in a presentation today at JP Morgan’s Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in Boston.

The update for both Windows 8 and Windows RT will be available via the Windows Start Screen through the Windows store.

SEE ALSO: Windows 8 Milestones: 100 Million Licenses Sold, 60,000 Apps

"During her remarks today, Tami reiterated our goal of delivering continual updates to create a richer experience for Windows customers," reads an official Windows blog post. "Windows 8.1 is part of that and continues the journey we first began with Windows 8 last fall. Windows 8.1 will help us to deliver the next generation of PCs and tablets with our OEM partners and to deliver the experiences customers — both consumers and businesses alike — need and will just expect moving forward." Read more...

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Newly Surfaced Windows 8 Commercials Are Totally Bizarre

May 9, 2013 / Samantha Murphy / No comments

A series of ultra-quirky Windows 8 commercials that have never seen the light of day popped up on YouTube this week, and we guarantee you'll be left wondering what in the world just unfolded before your eyes.

The videos were created to promote Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, which launched in October 2012 worldwide. The multi-video ad campaign called "Training Camp" features a watermelon slashing to promote its touch-sensitive capabilities and a showdown of two men playing the piano while engaged in a heated game of ping pong (to emphasize its "work and play" philosophy).

SEE ALSO: Two Spocks Face Off in Audi Ad

Foursquare Releases App for Windows 8, Reports User Growth

May 7, 2013 / Cameron Scott / No comments

Foursquare today released an app for Windows 8, optimized for the Nokia Lumia phone and Microsoft’s Metro interface.

“We’ve been working closely with Nokia and Microsoft, and today, we’re finally taking the covers off a brand new version of Foursquare for Windows Phone 8, specially optimized for Nokia’s shiny new Lumia phones,” Foursquare said.

The release pitched the app exclusively as a local search app. Foursquare has been endeavoring to become a local search application, rather than a location-based social network.

“Explore like a local!,” the Windows 8 app description crows.

“Don’t waste time reading long reviews from strangers. Wherever you are in the world, open up Foursquare to see where your friends like to go,” it reads, taking a swipe at competitor Yelp.

But its local search features also rely on user check-ins, and the company’s tally of those remains static at 3.5 billion. However, Foursquare’s registered users grew to 33 million after a long stint at 30 million.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Category: foursquare, Local Search, microsoft, News, Windows 8, yelp /

Adobe Moves to the Cloud and Other News You Need to Know

May 7, 2013 / Stan Schroeder / No comments

Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world.

Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting storiesAdobe’s making a huge push in an upward direction — toward the cloud. The creative software company announced it would be trading Creative Suite applications for Creative Cloud applications. Also, after rumors and speculation over a “big announcement” from EA, players everywhere are rejoicing over the announcement of The Sims 4. Finally, Tami Reller, chief financial officer of Microsoft, announced Windows 8 surpassed 100 million licenses for its newest Windows OS Read more...

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Sony Goes Entry-Level With Vaio Fit Laptops

May 7, 2013 / Pete Pachal / No comments

Think Sony's Vaio laptops are too expensive? The company is challenging that perception with its new Fit and Fit E lines of Windows 8 PCs, aimed at customers who want to "step up" from cheap laptops, but still pay as little as possible.

The Fit line prioritizes design with aluminum casings, while the Fit E is about as thin and light as possible. Both lines have two models: a 14-incher with 1,600 x 900 resolution, and a 15-inch with a full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display

The screens on the Fit include include color-enhancement technology for a better picture when playing games or watching movies, and its ClearAudio+ audio processing can provide a virtual surround-sound experience. Customers can choose between screens with or without touch. Read more...

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Microsoft: Windows Blue Coming in 2013 With Small-Screen Support

May 7, 2013 / Pete Pachal / No comments

Windows Blue is real, and it's coming before the end of the year. Windows marketing chief Tami Reller confirmed to Mashable that the next major update to Windows 8 is codenamed "Blue" and that it would ship by the 2013 holiday season.

"Blue" is actually an internal Microsoft codename for the update, and the final product will have a different name, although Reller didn't say what it would be. With Blue, Reller said, Microsoft has three main pillars:

Evolving Windows 8 for touch
Addressing customer feedback
Supporting new form factors, specifically 7- and 8-inch screen sizes

That last point is probably the most significant, since up till now manufacturers faced big technical hurdles in creating small-screen Windows 8 devices. It also means Windows tablets — such as the rumored Acer Iconia W3 — will soon be able compete directly with products such as the Kindle Fire HD and iPad mini. Read more...

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