Microsoft officially launched Windows 8 at midnight yesterday. There were launch events in New York and even earlier, thanks to the International Time Line, Sydney, Australia, where the product first went on sale. With the weekend here, and for many people a little more free time, the new operating system is sure to be closely considered by many; and even purchased.

While the vast majority of people upgrading will not have any issues, there is always the stray use-case scenario that will cause grief.  Microsoft does a great job with compatibility, and even works to make the OS backward-compatible with older hardware and as much software as possible. One of the biggest issues that can bite end users is drivers. A printer here or video card there can wreak havoc with the upgrade experience. A free app called DriverScanner aims to fix all of that, and there is brand new 2013 version offering Windows 8-friendly scanning.

Without a shadow of a doubt Windows 8 is a game changer for Microsoft. It's the operating system designed to take the company into a new computing era where the personal computer is no longer the star of the show, but still plays an important role. Can the latest version of the popular operating system manage to shine against its predecessors on their home turf? And for that matter, should you upgrade?

Windows 8 is a mixed bag before its launch and generating quite strong impressions along the way since Microsoft released the final build to manufacturing. The main criticism: the new user interface formerly known as Metro and the steeper learning curve compared to Windows 8's predecessors; it's not as intuitive as well. That's what the critics say, but what's it like to actually live with Windows 8 for more than a brief period of time?

Evernote for Windows 8, a dedicated app designed to take advantage of the new Windows 8 Modern UI, is now available. It’s completely separate from Evernote for Windows Desktop 4.5.9, the traditional desktop app that has also been updated today.

Both apps were joined by the first dedicated Windows build of related Evernote app, Skitch, which release influenced the major new features in Evernote for Windows Desktop 4.5.9.

Early results from BetaNews poll "Will you buy iPad mini?" are in, and they are grim. Nearly 80 percent of respondents say they won't by purchase the device. But it's the hidden story behind the numbers that reveals more. In February, I asked" "Would you buy 8-inch iPad?" More than 50 percent responded "Yes". Nine months later, the size is ever-so-slightly less (7.9 inches) but the price is considerably more ($329 to $659) than what many people expected. What a difference that bit of information makes.

Apple started taking pre-orders today, and iPad mini goes on sale November 2. If white is your color of choice, they're already back-ordered, with shipping stated as "2 weeks". But black is available in all three capacities -- 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. That's for the WiFi models. Apple plans to offer cellular radio minis in mid-November. The sell-out is no sign of demand, since Apple might simply have produced more of one color than the other. That the tablet didn't immediately sell out says much about interest that quite possibly -- I'll say likely -- resonates with our poll.

If you’re the proud possessor of a copy of Windows 8, or you rushed out today to buy a brand new touchscreen device with it pre-installed, the first thing you’re going to need to do is configure it to suit your needs, and install all of your favorite software.

You’ll probably want to make installing a better browser a priority (no offense Microsoft) and Google has designed a version of Chrome especially for the new OS, with some customizations for touch screens, including larger buttons and the ability to keep the browser open next to other apps.

Apple has a big problem. Android tablets are making huge market share gains against iPad, in part driven by attractive and affordable smaller models like Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company won't admit the reason, but other things said, or even unsaid, during yesterday's earnings conference call reveal much.

Then there is the sudden slowdown in iPad sales taken against new analyst data showing Android device increases. iPad mini is a desperate attempt to stop Apple's bleeding market share, and the cost will hit company margins.

The disused Pier 57 pavilion in New York City's Meatpacking District served as a fitting backdrop for Microsoft's Windows 8 launch party yesterday. The ramshackle warehouse is currently only used as a location for big monthly events, and not for any daily purpose. The big blocks of color, and simple, attractive Windows 8 logos stood in stark contrast to the rough building itself. It was easy to see the entire event as a metaphor for the current state of the personal computer industry.

The entire PC market has been in decline across the board, and Windows revenue has fallen for the last two years according to three leading market research firms IHS iSuppli, Gartner, and IDC. Despite the unquestionable popularity of mobile devices, the PC is hardly less relevant or less valuable than it was. The more pressing problem has been the difficulty individuals and businesses have in justifying the purchase of a new machine in such low economic times.

Four weeks ago my colleague Joe Wilcox discussed a rumor pertaining a new Google Nexus device. Just days ahead of the October 29 event that the Mountain View, Calif.-based company will hold in New York, LG Australia lists the LGE960 as a Nexus device.

The South Korean manufacturer added a support page for the LGE960, but gives away just a small amount of details. It looks to confirm that the search giant will indeed release a Nexus device that will be available for purchase online straight from the Google Play Store. Another interesting detail is that Australian carriers will also offer the device, suggesting that it may happen in other markets as well.

With all the Maps and Street View improvements that Google’s been rolling out lately you’d think the company had something to prove. Apple might be able to fix some of the many issues that plague its fledgling service, but it’s going to struggle to ever catch up if Google continues to advance its mapping tool at the rate it has been recently.

Google’s latest change is to the basemap you see when you open the service in your browser. Whereas before a zoomed out view of the world showed a fairly basic map, with borders, country names and some sparse vegetation, now it shows a more colorful view, with detailed terrain, making it much easier to identify forests, deserts, and mountain ranges.

I simply don't know what to say. Some things are so perplexing, so exasperating no description makes sense. In writing a story about Windows 8 PC deals, I naturally called several Microsoft Stores. None have systems for sale. Same goes for the company's online shop. It's ore-order only, baby. What the frak?

I'm confused. Didn't Windows 8 launch today, with Microsoft spending beau coup bucks marketing the operating system? Currently, Microsoft operates 27 permanent stores, with another opening in Toronto, Ontario November 16. Shops are also planned in Ohio and Puerto Rico, but dates aren't officially disclosed. Thirty-two holiday stores opened today. With nearly 60 stores open, in 27 states and three Canadian provinces, shouldn't Microsoft have PCs to sell on Windows 8's launch day?

Steve Jobs was a huge fan of the Beatles and would no doubt have been pleased by the news that his company finally now owns the Granny Smith logo of the band’s holding company, Apple Corps.

The two Apple firms faced off in court regarding trademark infringements three times in a long running dispute, and although the Beatles’ company won the initial two cases, in 1981 and 1991, the third case was settled in Apple Inc.’s favor in 2007 when, for an undisclosed fee, Jobs’ company secured the rights to all Apple trademarks and logos, provided they agreed to license them back to the music company. Three years later Jobs successfully brought the Beatles back catalog to iTunes.

Windows 8 launches today across the globe, but still with a limited selection of programs compatible with the new user interface. Box is now among the first popular cloud storage services to offer an application through Windows Store, ahead of similar services like Dropbox or Google Drive.

The Box app is available as a free download and offers access to the cloud storage service straight from the new interface. Uploaded files can be accessed, viewed, edited and shared using the app and, just like signing up from the browser, offers 5GB of free storage. It takes advantage of the included "Share" function from the Charms menu to upload locally stored files or share the ones already in the cloud with other apps such as Mail or People.

It's here! Today Windows 8 launches around the globe, and Surface tablets, too. For years, I've said nobody partners like Microsoft, and the company is front and center promoting retailers and PC manufacturers. That's good for you, if you waited for the OS to take advantage of some of the most interesting new computer designs to hit the market in years. Not surprisingly, the company has posted a list of some of the deals available starting today.

Windows 8 is Microsoft's most important product launch ever. It's a defining operating system, as the company seeks to maintain computing relevance during the shift from the PC era to cloud-connected devices. "What you have seen and heard should leave no doubt that Windows 8 shatters perceptions of what a PC now really is, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer boasts". "We truly re-imagined Windows, and kicked off a new era for Microsoft, and a new era for our customers". He spoke yesterday during the pre-launch event in New York City.

Back in July, UK Judge Colin Birss ruled that "Samsung isn't cool enough to copy Apple." As a result, after losing the appeal, the Cupertino, Calif.-based corporation issued a notice on its United Kingdom website, but it's not what you'd expect.

Apple was supposed to explain to the visitors of its website that Samsung did not copy iPad design with the Galaxy Tab. Instead, Apple carefully placed the UK-based court in a bad light in relation to other court rulings from Germany and the United States. In the latter, Apple was awarded $1 billion in damages, with Samsung losing on both occasions as the copycat. Apple played the notice to its advantage.

It is here. After months of waiting, beta releases and consumer previews, Windows 8 has finally hit the shelves and download servers. If you’re considering upgrading the next thing you need to consider is whether your computer is up to the task, whether all of your hardware is going to be compatible and how many of your applications are going to need to be upgraded. These are all questions that can be answered by the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant.

As Windows 8 is the first version of Windows to be made available as a download, it should come as no surprise that once you have run through the Upgrade Assistant you will be invited to purchase the latest version of the operating system. Compared to previous versions of the assistant, the Windows 8 specific release seems to take rather more time over system analysis during which all of your hardware and software will be checked.