In praise of Aero Glass
Since the unveiling of Windows Vista, Microsoft’s flagship operating system has included an interface element called Aero Glass. The borders and title bars of windows on the desktop are translucent,...
View ArticleThe Windows 8 Release Preview is now available [Updated]
[Note: See the update at the bottom of the entry. The Release Preview is now live.] Microsoft is expected today to make the Windows 8 Release Preview available for download. We know this because...
View ArticleWhy is Microsoft selling Windows 8 at fire-sale prices? [Poll]
Microsoft traditionally has priced upgrades for the mainstream editions of Windows north of $100. For example, if you’ve already got a copy of Window XP or Windows Vista on your computer, the list...
View ArticleNASA about to perform the ultimate software upgrade . . . on Mars
If you’ve owned a computer for any length of time, you probably know the anxiety associated with upgrading the operating system. Stepping up to the latest version of Windows or OS X is never trivial,...
View ArticleWindows 8 final ready for download, and there’s a 90-day trial
When Windows 7 and Vista were released, Microsoft made it easy to try out those operating systems with a 30-day trial period. In fact, you could install them without entering a product key, and some...
View ArticleConflicted: The tension in Windows 8
When Windows 7 was set loose upon the world three years ago today, it was a time for celebration. Microsoft was emerging from a very dark time with its troubled Windows Vista operating system, which...
View ArticleWindows 8′s Start Screen: Navigating a brave new world
[Note: This week, I'm looking at the various components of Windows 8. On Monday, I wrote about the tensions Windows users will face in using this reimagined operating system. Today, I look at what...
View ArticleWindows 8: A safe harbor with the ‘classic’ desktop
[Note: With Windows 8 going on sale Friday, I'm focusing this week on Microsoft's new operating system. On Monday I wrote about the tension between Win8's two interfaces. Tuesday, I focused on the new,...
View ArticleMicrosoft launches Windows 8
Microsoft officially released Windows 8 in downtown New York today. “There are 670,000,000 PCs waiting to be upgraded to Windows 8,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer boasted. The new version of the...
View ArticleHello, old friend: Will the Start button return in Windows 8.1?
When it released Windows 8 last year, Microsoft made a dramatic shift in the way its flagship operating system worked. Gone was the familiar Start button, which first appeared in Windows 95. While the...
View ArticleWindows 8.1 Preview is out. Should you install it?
As it has done with past versions of its operating system, Microsoft has released a preview version of Windows 8.1. This follow-up tries to address many of the complaints users had about Windows 8,...
View ArticleWant Windows 8.1 now? Sorry, you’ll have to wait.
Microsoft has said Windows 8.1 will be finished sometime this month, but if you're anxious to get the update to the operating system on your PC, you'll have to exercise patience. That's because,...
View ArticleHere’s how to prepare for iOS 7
If you've been paying attention, you know that iOS 7 is not a minor upgrade. It's is a redesign of the way the operating system looks, with Apple moving away from the natural-texture, 3D design to a...
View ArticleEight things to love about iOS 7 [Updated]
I'll admit it: I was leery about installing iOS 7 on my iPhone 5 and iPad 3 when it rolled out Wednesday. I'd played briefly with the beta on some developers' phones and was not particularly impressed....
View ArticleLinkpost | 12.3.2013
• Apple Buys Twitter Analytics Startup Topsy Labs – The Wall Street Journal reports Apple is paying more than $200 million for Topsy, one of the few companies will full access to Twitter’s complete...
View ArticleHere’s why it takes so long to get an Android update
Owners of devices that use Google's Android operating system have long complained about not getting timely updates. That's because, once Google releases a new version of Android, both the handset maker...
View ArticleReport: Microsoft testing default boot-to-desktop in an update to Windows 8.1
When Microsoft released Windows 8 and killed off the Start Menu and the Start Button, replacing them with a default startup screen featuring a series of big tiles to represent programs, users of its...
View ArticleApple releases OS X 10.9.2, fixes serious ‘goto fail’ flaw
Five days after releasing a fix for a serious flaw in its iOS mobile operating system, Apple has updated OS X Mavericks for the Mac to fix the same issue. Version 10.9.2 also fixes other bugs and...
View ArticleHow will Windows XP die? With a popup, of course
On April 8, Windows XP will be officially declared dead. Microsoft's aging and obsolete PC operating system – launched almost 13 years ago – will lose all support, which means there will be no more...
View ArticleiOS 7.1 gives a boost to older iPhones, iPads
With the release of iOS 7.1 on Monday, owners of older Apple products got some relief. The besides tweaking the new iOS 7 interface and bringing a handful of new features, iOS 7.1 also provides better...
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