Microsoft's Fresh Paint makes a splash on (some) Windows Phone 8 devices
Following Photo Editor by Aviary, that was released earlier this month, yet another picture editing app is now available on Windows Phone 8 -- the Microsoft-developed FreshPaint. The new offering arrives on the tiled smartphone operating system six months after the launch of its Windows 8/RT sibling.
According to Microsoft, FreshPaint for Windows Phone 8 "lets you make original works of art, or turn your photos into beautiful paintings with just a few taps". The app is quite easy to use, allowing users to snap pictures, add filters on-the-fly (users can choose between three distinct ones when taking a photo) and create new digital paintings, as the main highlights.
Microsoft explains how SkyDrive keeps bandwidth usage to a minimum
The release of Windows 8.1, complete with the more tightly interwoven SkyDrive, brings Microsoft's cloud storage service to the fore. In a new blog post, Mona Akmal from the SkyDrive team explains how the service is able to make files available on all of your devices without eating up too much bandwidth. How is this done? It's largely down to "placeholder" files.
The obvious solution to making all SkyDrive files available on all of your devices would be to simply sync everything. But when it comes to tablets and phones, it is entirely possible that the amount of available local storage is far lower than the amount of cloud storage space that has been used. Placeholders are essentially "ghost" files that take up a fraction of the space of the original.
Surface RT takes on the iPad and wins!
In the wake of the $900 million Surface RT inventory adjustment hit announced yesterday, Microsoft has released an updated ad comparing Surface RT to the Apple iPad. Microsoft warned that its marketing was going to get more aggressive and this ad is probably the strongest attack on the iPad we've seen to date.
I'm a big fan of ads that focus on features and I am a bigger fan of ads that focus on features against a competing product. This ad is particularly good, not just because of the feature comparison, but the price comparison. See for yourself.
Surface RT sales suck and here's why
Late-yesterday, Microsoft released its latest financial results, for Q4 fiscal year 2013, revealing a whopping $0.9 billion charge that is "related to Surface RT inventory adjustments". The $900 million that the software corporation just wrote off is a telltale sign that its Windows RT-based tablet is not selling as well as the company expected, leaving considerable stock unmoved.
Here are the highlights of the Q4 FY13 financial results: $19.89 billion in revenue, operating income of $6.07 billion and $4.97 billion as net income (or, 59 cents per share). The numbers are below analyst expectations, which placed revenue at $20.73 billion and net income at 75 cents per share. According to Microsoft CFO Amy Hood, Surface RT can be partially blamed for the less-than-stellar financial results.
Windows-as-a-Service a step closer to reality as Azure RDS opens up
Microsoft slipped one under the radar for everyone who relies on its Azure service for Windows virtual machines. In a move that even took me off guard, Microsoft has reversed a longstanding policy of not allowing any form of RDS (Remote Desktop Services) on Windows Azure.
Previous policies strictly enforced remote desktop access on Azure only for the purposes of "administration and maintenance." As of July 1, this stumbling block for many Azure early adopters is finally gone, with a few caveats which I'll point out shortly.
Halo Spartan Assault -- Windows Phone 8 gaming gets real
The Halo game franchise is wildly popular, having generated well over a billion dollars. There have been Halo licensed toys, clothing, and Mountain Dew soft-drinks. Heck, even the great Steven Spielberg is producing a Halo TV series. While the initial version of the game was released as an Xbox exclusive, there have been ports for Windows and Mac OS X. However, Halo is still viewed as largely synonymous with Microsoft and Xbox by the gaming world.
While Microsoft has had massive gaming success with both Xbox and Windows, one of its platforms is lacking in the gaming department -- Windows Phone 8. And so, Microsoft has turned to its successful franchise to boost the gaming credibility of the mobile platform. Today, Microsoft releases Halo Spartan Assault and it is a game changer -- Android and iPhone are officially on notice.
Microsoft seeks to tie TVs, tablets and smartphones together to create the 'Companion Web'
Microsoft is today launching a new initiative called the "Companion Web" which is designed to bridge the gap between the various different internet enabled devices we already use in conjunction with one another.
As Bryan Saftler, Senior Product Manager, Internet Explorer explains, "more than 80 percent of smartphone-owning Americans use [their handsets] while watching TV. Of those smartphone users, 4 out of 5 use their phone to look up content relevant to what they’re watching". Microsoft feels this manual seeking of information could be replaced with a more cohesive, tailored and engaging experience.
Watch Microsoft try to kill Surface
The Microsoft Reliability Lab is where the tech giant tests its hardware to the limits, dropping devices, soaking, smashing and bending them, in a quest to find out where the weaknesses lie.
In the latest episode of Microsoft’s regular "On the Whiteboard" series, presenter Pamela Woon takes a look inside the Reliability Lab as Microsoft does its best to try and destroy a whole bunch of Surface PCs.
OneNote adds new features for Windows 8
Office has not yet found its way to the Windows 8 Start screen, but Microsoft did at least give a bit of a preview when a Modern UI version of OneNote was released. While no promises can yet be made about what is to follow, the software maker now rolls out a significant update to the lone app.
The OneNote team proclaims "today we're releasing another update to OneNote for the Windows Store that adds two things. First, you can now sign in with your Office 365 account so that you can easily open your work notes. Second, we've made it easier to dismiss the keyboard on your touch device".
Do you know the way to San José? Office 365 does
It is 2013, not 1968, and we are talking Microsoft instead of Dionne Warwick, but Office 365 has still found its way to the California town. In the arms race against Google Docs/Apps, Microsoft takes another step towards the front with its latest announcement of a city government adopting its software.
"The City of San José has selected Microsoft Office 365, Windows Azure and StorSimple to expand productivity of its more than 5,000 city employees, reduce operational costs, and deliver improved services to over 984,000 residents in the Capital of Silicon Valley" the software maker announces.
Stick a fork in it, Windows RT is done
Microsoft has slashed the price of Surface RT, making the device pretty affordable. Anyone hoping that Surface Pro would see a similar reduction will be disappointed. Microsoft shows no signs of cutting the price of its premium tablet, suggesting the company is happy enough with sales and margins at the moment.
The problem with RT is it looks like Windows 8, and behaves like Windows 8, but isn't Windows 8. If you buy Surface RT, or any other tablet running the OS, you might reasonably expect to be able to run traditional software on it. But you can't.
Office 365 for business hits 38 new markets
While the jury remains in deliberation over Windows 8, and its upcoming successor, Office is still a workhorse in the Microsoft stable of software. Even the attempt to turn it into a subscription model did little to phase customers. Businesses on the other hand are even more acceptable to these options and now Microsoft has announced expanded markets for its latest Office 365.
Microsoft's Andy O'Donald announces "Office 365 is expanding commercial availability in 38 new markets, 3 new languages, and 5 new currencies". This brings the total to 127 markets worldwide.
Microsoft details latest Windows Phone 8 update
Since Microsoft launched Windows Phone 8 in late-October, last year, the tiled smartphone operating system received two major updates. The first, codenamed "Portico", was revealed nearly seven months ago (and rolled-out in early-2013), introducing a couple of essential features like the option to keep Wi-Fi enabled during sleep or send canned text messages after rejecting calls.
The second, and the latest Windows Phone 8 update, debuted alongside the Nokia Lumia 925 in mid-May (and has yet to roll out to other compatible smartphones). Microsoft has since kept quiet when it comes to the latest slew of improvements, deciding to unveil the new features early this month.
Microsoft slashes the price of Surface RT -- will it be enough to tempt buyers?
Rumors that Microsoft was planning to cut the price of Surface RT have been swirling for a couple of days, and yesterday they came true. Staples in the US is currently advertising the 32 GB base model of the device for $349.99, a drop of $150. Although the price reduction hasn’t been seen elsewhere yet, it should start appearing at other retailers next week. No word on whether the reduction will be offered in other territories.
The price cut is interesting as it’s yet another example of Microsoft offering aggressive discounts on Surface RT. The 32 GB version was made available to schools and universities for $199, and attendees at the Worldwide Partner Conference and TechEd gatherings were offered Surface RT 64 GB with touch cover for $99 (although admittedly they had to pay a fortune for a ticket in the first place).
Don't blame Windows 8 for terrible PC shipments
It's no secret that the PC market has slowly taken a turn for the worse. And, if we're to believe what research company IDC said in late-May, it's not going to get any better anytime soon, with shipments predicted to drop even further, by 7.8 percent this year. Furthermore, tablets are expected to out-ship PCs by 2015. Unquestionably, the future appears gloomy but, according to Gartner, the culprit is not the controversial Windows 8, as some pundits believe.
Gartner just released its latest report on the state of the PC market, which shows that Q2 2013 shipments -- which top 76 million units from all vendors, combined -- have declined by 10.9 percent compared to the same period, last year (when shipments exceeded the 85.32 million mark). "The sharp decline in the second quarter of 2013 was partly due to the shift in usage patterns away from notebooks to tablets, and partly because the PC market was exposed to inventory reductions in the channel due to the start of the transition to new Haswell-based products", says Gartner principal research analyst Isabelle Durand.
© 1998-2026 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.