Google has posted a way to replace Bing as the default search engine as well as adding Chrome to Windows 8. Little fun video, with some comedy. They also have a new website to help with it. So, if you’re not a Bing type of person (give it a try at least!) and want to go back to the Google goodness (have to admit, Chrome is damn awesome!), check out the video and go to http://www.getyourgoogleback.com.
Consumer confusion? Really? I am not sure if consumers walk into a store uninformed to drop $600 on a tablet without doing any research. I would like to think that most consumers aren’t blindly buying these things. As far as retailers and salespeople not knowing the difference? That’s up to the store to hire knowledgeable people. I am sure I could find a couple that would tell me that the iPad could run OSX applications, too. Heck, I saw someone at Best Buy trying to sell a Sony Zune to a customer. I’m sure if the retailer, consumer or sales person spent five minutes to educate themselves on the tablets, they would be in a much better position.
Retailers calling Windows RT “Windows 8 RT”? Not confusion. They are trying to leverage the Windows 8 hype.
As far as the comments that Windows RT will fail? Not so sure. There is a good price difference between the ARM and i5 processor powered tablets, and battery life is a bit better, although not stellar. Room to improve for sure. But, it’s not a reason for it to be doomed to failure.
I’ve spent a lot of time pointing out that ARM-based tablets won’t have a cost advantage or a battery life advantage. This is why I’ve argued that Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet or any other Windows RT tablet is doomed to fail. Windows RT tablets have all the limitations and none of the commonly assumed advantages of ARM-based systems such as battery life and low cost. But most shoppers won’t know the difference, especially if the Microsoft Store and other online retailers hide the limitations of Windows RT.
The Associated Press is calling Windows 8 Steve Ballmers Make-or-break moment. Is Microsoft’s CEO really that close to getting the ax to where the success or failure of this OS can put his job on the line? Windows 8 is a great OS, but convincing the masses and enterprises that it’s a great OS is going to be the real test.
Ballmer’s margin for error is slim after being consistently outpaced by Apple and Google in his nearly 13 years as CEO. During his tenure, Microsoft’s stock has lost nearly half its value, wiping out more than $200 billion in shareholder wealth.
Microsoft is offering the Media Center Pack free for a limited time for Windows 8 Professional users. All you need is an email address. It must be activated by January 31st, 2013. Grab it while it lasts!
If your PC is running Windows 8 Pro and you’d like to get Windows 8 Media Center Pack so you can watch and record live TV with Windows Media Center, you can take advantage of the following special offer:
For those that bought a recent Windows 7 powered tablet running on Intel hardware thinking you’d be able to upgrade to Windows 8, you might not be able to. There are some tablets (some as recent as 4 months old) that cannot run Windows 8. I am glad I didn’t jump on a tablet early just to have a Windows 8 tablet earlier than when the new models were released.
The problems affect systems that use the current version of Intel’s Atom line, known as Cedar Trail. Intel is rolling out a new version of Atom, called Clover Trail, that is specifically designed for Windows 8 hardware, but that’s too late for many users who previously bought systems on the belief they could upgrade later
Todays big news has been the release of the pricing and specifications of the Windows Surface RT tablets. The prices are a bit more than what people were speculating, but the specifications are about right for the price. However, I’m not sure if the pricing will allow Microsoft to get a good foothold in the tablet market or if this is just to release “reference” hardware to the masses to show what the platform can do and as a good point of reference for OEM’s.
As much as I’d really like to grab one, I can’t justify the cost knowing that the Pro models are just around the corner and will allow me to run legacy Windows applications.
64GB with Black Touch Cover – $699
32GB with Black Touch Cover – $599
32GB Surface (no cover) – $499
So how does that compare with the iPad?
Well the iPad with Wi-Fi, 16GB and of course no cover costs $499. In order to get 32GB worth of storage on an iPad the cost goes up to $599. The 64GB iPad with Wi-Fi costs $699.
The ad is definitely targeted towards the Apple user hipster. I don’t care much for it myself, but I’m more of a technical “Show me the specs and what it can do for me” kind of consumer. So, is this ad relevant for you or does it completely miss the mark? I’d like to hear from Apple users (even those that hate Microsoft) and MS users. Does this make you want Windows 8 more or is it just another commercial in the mix?
The holidays are getting closer, and Microsoft has started cutting prices on it’s Xbox 360 console. The 250 GB version and the 4 GB Kinect version have been dropped by $50, bringing them to $250. A good deal if you are in the market this Christmas.
Each bundle is priced at $250 except for the standard and holiday 250GB Kinect bundles, which are $350. Most of the bundles have games and DLC codes packed in, including Forza 4, Kinect Adventures, Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, Fable 3, Halo: Reach and a digital copy of Skyrim.
The Xbox 360 version of Halo 4 has been leaked online, and Microsoft is not happy (duh). The leak is definitely real, and I’m sure that the ones that leaked it will be caught and reamed badly. Not going to be a good holiday season for those that did the leak.
For those with modded Xboxes and are wanting to give this a try, I can suspect that Microsoft will be going through some very tough and frequent banning missions very soon. Is it worth it? Personally, I never really cared much for the Halo franchise, but even if I were – I don’t care much for the pirate scene. Modding, sure. The original Xbox was a huge modding platform that gave birth to the XBMC (Xbox Media Center), which probably contributed a lot to the 360 media features.
According to the publisher, Halo 4‘s second disc "contains data that will need to be installed on an Xbox 360 hard drive or compatible flash storage device with at least 8GB of available memory in order to access ‘Halo 4‘s’ extensive suite of multiplayer features." Microsoft has employed a similar system for first-party games like Forza Motorsport 4.
Office 2013 has finally reached the release to manufacturing stage, meaning it is complete and ready for distribution. For those wondering and complaining about the very bright interface, the Office team has included a darker theme that can help your eyes.
General availability is planned for the first quarter of 2013. Starting October 19, customers purchasing Office 2010 from local retailers or resellers will receive the new Office for free upon availability. Customers will also see a preview version of the new Office on Windows RT devices, beginning with the Windows 8 launch on October 26.