Latest Technology News

Thirty-fifth in a series.  Microsoft has released the preview of the upcoming Windows 8.1. With it came many changes to the operating system, application management and the store.

Some, like the ability to use smaller or larger tile sizes or the option to uninstall multiple apps at once, have been on the feature request list of many Windows 8 users.

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I had an old uncle who watched a lot of TV. If you tried to speak to him while he was concentrating on the screen he would politely nod and say "I’m listening" even though he patently wasn’t. Microsoft is the tech world equivalent of my uncle.

I knew when Windows division CFO Tami Reller discussed the Start button with The Verge a month ago and said: "We've really tried to understand what people are really asking for when they're asking for that", the end result would be something nobody had asked for, nor wanted. And of course, that’s exactly what the Windows 8.1 Start button is.

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Welcome to the cloud. Microsoft hopes it is not a dark and ominous one. The company is in competition with Amazon, Dropbox and others to get your business in today's growing storage market and is trying to get the upper hand by tightly integrating its SkyDrive service into the latest builds of Windows and Office.

Now the company announces further integration with new Pro apps for both Windows 8 and iOS. "We are pleased to announce that the SkyDrive Pro apps for Windows 8 and iOS are now available in the Windows Store and Apple Store respectively for SharePoint Online users in Office 365. After signing in to your Office 365 account, you can access, view, and upload your documents from anywhere", says senior product manager Mark Kashman.

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Microsoft has released Skype for iPhone 4.9 and Skype for iPad 4.9, minor updates for its pair of iOS apps. Both updates promise more reliable photo sharing, wider accessibility for video messaging and improved stability for audio and video calls.

Both updates are the first for iOS since Microsoft brought video messaging about of beta and made it universally available to all users.

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CyberLink has released Media Suite 11, its all-in-one multimedia solution for media playback, content creation and disc burning.

New additions this time include photo workflow application PhotoDirector 11, as well as three Windows 8 apps (PowerDVD Mobile, PowerDirector Mobile, PhotoDirector Mobile). And of course the other bundled applications have been upgraded to the latest builds.

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During day two's keynote at the Microsoft Build 2013 developer conference, Server and Tools Business President Satya Nadella talked about the SaaS (Software as a Service) applications Microsoft runs.

In particular he focused on the scale and diversity of the company’s daily work in the cloud, while a "Battle Tested" slide displayed the all-important numbers for Xbox Live, Skype, Outlook.com, Office 365, SkyDrive and Bing.

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Day two's keynote at the Microsoft Build 2013 developer conference focused on the company's commitment to the Windows Azure mobile development program.

Azure Mobile Services and Azure Web Sites move from preview to general availability status. Mobile Services makes it easier for developers to build connected, scalable apps for Windows, Android and iOS, whilst Web Sites makes it simple to create and run webpages. There were also previews of new Azure technologies including Auto Scale, offering the ability to adjust capacity according to customers' needs. Plus a preview of enhancements for Azure Active Directory.

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"Why should I have to replace a computer that's working, even if it's 10 years old?"

That's not me speaking, it's a relative whose identity I'll protect (not that he would really care). There's a foundation of solid logic behind this argument, at least at first glance. The things I bought this computer for 10 years ago are things I do with it still, and it works. So why should I change it? It's possible -- not likely, but possible -- that this argument makes sense. But only if you're cut off from the world.

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This is BUILD week -- the annual Microsoft tech show, and it kicked off with Windows 8.1 beta rolling out to the public, in non-leaked form. Yesterday was not all, though, as today the company debuts the Embedded version of its updated operating system -- the iteration intended to run in contained environments like ATM's, cash registers and other business-related tools.

"Microsoft extended its Windows 8.1 technologies to intelligent system solutions with the Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Release Preview. Developers, OEMs and enterprises can begin testing industry devices and solutions today" the company announces.

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In a couple of days, Google will pull the plug on Reader, its still much beloved RSS feed reading service, leaving dedicated users seeking refuge in the arms of Feedly, AOL Reader, Digg Reader, and numerous other alternatives.

There’s sadly no chance of a last minute reprieve. When Google decides to kill a service, it kills it. The company’s history is littered with such casualties -- great and not-so great ideas that for one reason or another just didn’t connect with a large enough audience or achieve the level that Google had hoped for.

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Logitech's FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad is a case and keyboard combination designed to protect Apple tablets from shocks, scratches and water spills, and also provide a comfortable typing experience. It shields both the touch screen and back panel, offers two viewing angles and is available in a choice of colors. We reviewed this Logitech iPad case a couple of days ago, and really liked it.

The iPad keyboard case retails for $149.99; Logitech has kindly given us one to give away to a lucky iPad-owning reader.

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Want more numbers thrown at you? The Microsoft beta release of its next-generation operating system, Windows 8.1, debuted yesterday and stole the news cycle. The aftermath continues today, as Netflix joins the party, announcing its latest offering to keep pace with market rivals Amazon Prime and Redbox Instant.

The company has plans to roll out video as extensions to modern browsers. "These extensions are the future of premium video on the web, since they allow playback of premium video directly in the browser without the need to install plugins", says the company.

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Shortly after Windows 8.1 Preview was announced at this year's Build conference, Microsoft made it available to install through the Windows Store. The ISO files took a while to appear (MSDN subscribers got to download them first, followed by anyone with access to BitTorrent) but they are finally available to download officially from here.

Because Windows 8.1 is a preview version, and far from the finished article, you may not want to upgrade your existing operating system just yet. Fortunately, you can try the Windows 8 refresh without risk by installing it in a virtualized environment using the free Oracle VM VirtualBox.

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Yahoo is rolling out what it describes as a "more personal, intuitive and modern design" for its News site.

According to Mike Kerns, Vice President, Product, "The first thing that you’ll notice about the new Yahoo News is that it was designed around your interests and preferences. We made the news stream customizable so you can tell us what content you’d like to see more of. Yahoo! News will get smarter over time -- the more you use it when signed in with your Yahoo! ID, the more it learns about your preferences, creating a personal news hub just for you. And the new News is super-fast, articles now load faster than before".

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Bitdefender has released its 2014 products, including new versions of Antivirus Plus, Internet Security and Total Security.

All editions now include Bitdefender’s new Photon technology, which it’s claimed "tailor-fits to each user’s computer for fast scanning, a quicker boot time, smooth interaction with apps and the same award-winning detection rate".

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