On Monday, the folks from Redmond announced their own branded tablet…the Microsoft Surface. Yesterday, they announced the new Windows Phone 8. So what is this all about? It’s the formal unification of Microsoft Windows 8 for computers with tablets and phones…all devices running the same operating system. The new Windows 8 Phone will now use the same operating kernel as the the others, thereby unifying their systems and giving users better interoperability…or that is the goal anyway.
Microsoft has seen the future…and it is in mobile computing….and they are way, way behind in that area. Microsoft doesn’t even have a tablet yet while Apple totally dominates that market. As for smartphones, Apple and Android dominate there, while Windows Phone has only a miniscule share of that pie. So Microsoft has a long, long way to go, but they had no choice…they had to do something.
The bad news for them is that none of the products announced this week will be available until sometime in the fall. And, those folks with current Windows phones will not be able to upgrade to the new phone. Not a good way to build customer loyalty…and they just killed all sales on their current models.
But back to Windows 8…while it may work well in the mobile computing area, it is not looked upon favorably in the one market where Microsoft still dominates…the desktop/laptop market. Trying to put a mobile operating system on a PC is not a good idea as it limits what the PC can do, especially when compared to Windows 7. While I admire what Microsoft is trying to do, the center of my computing world is the PC…and I am sticking with Windows 7. As for interoperability, I have my my Android phone, my Apple iPad, and my Windows 7 computer all working quite well together…thanks to the cloud.
For today’s news stories, I have two great article on Windows Phone 8 and more important articles on the Surface tablet. I think you should definitely read the article, “Just what is Windows RT, anyway? (FAQ).” It will explain in-depth just how limiting Windows RT is on a tablet, should you be tempted to buy one. Current speculation is that the Windows RT tablet will be the same price as an iPad. Good luck with that one, boys. On with the show…-JRC
Windows Phone 8 in detail: new Start Screen, multi-core support, VoIP integration, and NFC
Microsoft is lifting the curtain to provide a preview of some of the software and hardware changes for its Windows Phone 8 operating system.
Microsoft's Windows Phone 8: There's good news and bad news
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system release is not going to be made available on any current Windows Phones. Not even second-generation Mango phones. Not on the new Lumia models from Nokia. None. Period.
Microsoft's Surface tablet vs. the iPad: Seven challenges
If Microsoft is going to take on Apple in the tablet wars, here are the key questions that need to be ironed out.
Microsoft to PC and tablet makers: You're not our future
Microsoft's plan to build its own Windows 8 tablets puts longtime allies in peril -- and is the right thing to do
Just what is Windows RT, anyway? (FAQ)
As with Windows NT, Microsoft has yet to clarify what "RT" actually means. Why on Earth Microsoft decided to name the ARM-powered version of Windows so ridiculously similar to the abbreviation for Windows Runtime, WinRT, is beyond the abilities of mere mortals to decipher.
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Twitter struggled with service disruptions Thursday morning Pacific time, although its status blog at one point said that the outage had been resolved.
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From setting a ringtone, setting a live wallpaper to setting the audio quality on your device; Android devices allow for a great deal of customization. Here's 12 ways to customize your device today.
The Quick Way To Share A Photo Online
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