Utilising the Internet Explorer 8 Web Slice feature, Microsoft and eBay have teamed up to give real-time updates from eBay's daily deals.

"Customers will receive continuing updates and detailed information about these Daily Deals for eBay, all within the Favorites Bar in Internet Explorer 8", says Microsoft.

As part of this promotion Microsoft is also lauding IE8's built-in security and privacy features, and cites a study by NSS Labs showing "that Internet Explorer is the leading modern browser in malware and phishing protection".

This claim, however, should be treated with a pinch of salt as other browsers such as Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Safari also offer a wide range of add-ons and features which improve their protection - especially through layered security. Basically, do a little bit of homework before choosing.

You can get the Web Slice here and if you have an opinion on whether IE8 gives better security over other browsers make sure you let us know in the comments below.

Tags: Software Microsoft IE8 eBay Browsers Viruses And Malware

Internet Explorer 8 and eBay join forces for "secure" Christmas shopping originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:24:12 +0000

It appears as if Microsoft's advertising deal with Family Guy is back on again, after the software giant officially announced the plans and then changed its corporate mind deeming the grown-up cartoon not family friendly enough and opting for Warner Bros instead.

A selection of Windows 7 themed Family Guy clips have just showed up on Microsoft's official YouTube channel, but whether they are previews of what American viewers can expect to see soon, or the dumped ads filed for posterity, we don't know.

Tags: Software Windows 7 Video Microsoft Advertising

VIDEO: Family Guy promos Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:27:15 +0000

Microsoft has teamed up with New York department megastore Saks for a big Christmas promotion, that, as well as a special sales area inside, includes Windows 7 powering the store's infamous Christmas windows displays.

As part of the window displays, Microsoft has set up a screen displaying a live Twitter stream, with posts hashtagged HolidayWindows automatically showing up on the display.

What Microsoft perhaps didn't account for though, is Apple-loving Twitter users taking advantage of the stream to promote their own pro-Apple and/or anti-Microsoft messages.

A quick glance at the #HolidayWindows stream sees it chock-full of such pro-Apple pithy missives as the brief "Get a Mac" that appears multiple times.

There's also the likes of "Get a Mac! Just follow the masses down to the Apple store. The one that looks like the Windows store... only way cooler", "Avoid viruses - get a Mac", and "Ignore Microsoft, you're not a PC, you are a human being. Get a Mac and feel human again".

As @mooseblaster says, this cannot end well.

UPDATE: It seems the whole stunt was masterminded by Mac fan site MacDailyNews, but appears to have taken on a life on its own now with pro-Mac tweets coming thick and fast, way outnumbering any Windows fans who have attempted to mobilise with a counter-tweet attack.

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Tags: Software Twitter Windows 7 Video Microsoft shopping Apple Saks

VIDEO: Apple fans heckle Windows-powered Twitter stream in Saks' Christmas window originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:05:23 +0000

The humble computer mouse, admittedly not the most exciting piece of tech out there, but pretty essential, unless your an absolute whiz at navigating with the keyboard.

The Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse is one such device and is available at Play.com for a pretty reasonable ?24.99. Reviewed in October it was given a price tag of ?34.99 so seeing a third off in just a month seems non too shabby.

The specs include battery life of around 10 months along with a handy indicator so you know when it's time to swap them over, 4-way scrolling and 4 customisable buttons.

The transceiver, which enables the wireless functionality, slots into the mouse for easy transport and as the device comes with Microsoft's BlueTrack tech, it should work effectively on a variety of worktops such as granite, wood or carpet.

There is a full review which goes into a more detail regarding usability and there are a variety of colours to choose from at Play.com, so if you're interested click through on this link which will take you to the deal.

Tags: Hardware Mice And Keyboards Mice Microsoft Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 Play Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: Microsoft Wireless Mouse 4000 under £25 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Microsoft's latest software update that brought with it Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, the Zune Marketplace and?Sky Player?in the UK is turning their gamers into social butterflies according to the latest figures released by the company.

Microsoft?has said that over 2 million Xbox gamers logged into their facebook profile on the console since the social network became available on the 17 November.

In a bevy of stats which suggest that gamers aren’t just gamers, Microsoft has said that users also made over 1 million Last.fm profiles, spending approximately 40 minutes using Last.fm on Xbox LIVE to discover music and customise radio stations, and have streamed more than 120 million minutes of music already.

Microsoft, who says it has around 20 million active members around the world also saw around 8% visit the new Zune video store, however they haven't stated how many actually watched anything.

They are still playing games though. More than 2.2 million unique gamers played "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" in one day on 10 November, the day of the launch, a new one-day record for Xbox LIVE the company says.

Related links:

• Link - Xbox.com

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Xbox Live Facebook Twitter Lastfm Microsoft Social networking

Xbox 360 gamers actually social butterflies originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:51:24 +0000

The Rupert Murdoch saga over Google making News Corp content widely available for people to "steal" has taken an interesting turn according to recent insider reports, suggesting Microsoft has been invited to enter talks with the media giant on the topic.

The reports suggest that Microsoft, with an opportunity to get one over on search behemoth Google, could offer to pay News Corp to "de-index" its news websites from Google, therefore making Microsoft's search offering Bing the place to go for News Corp news content.

While in the UK this could mean content from the The Times and The Sun no longer appearing on Google News, The Financial Times states that Microsoft has also suggested the payment plan to other big online publishers as an incentive to get them to remove their sites from Google's search engine too.

Murdoch has already threatened to remove News Corp content from Google, so this scheme, financed by Microsoft's large coffers, could offer the perfect solution for Murdoch - if not for the consumer.

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Tags: Software Search engines Microsoft News Corp Google Rumours Biz Google News Bing

Microsoft offers money for News Corp to de-Google its content originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:42:08 +0000

You've probably only just got used to your brand new "official" version of Windows 7, but now you can look forward to Windows 8 if you're already getting itchy feet.

Based on the usual subjective guessing that Apple fans usual partake in, msftkitchen.com, a site that describes itself as "serving up some seriously tasty Microsoft" is putting two and two together and making four (and a bit).

Based on historical assumptions, and previous quotes from the boys and girls at Microsoft, the author of the article, Stephen Chapman is predicting

"Windows 8 being released around a time frame of 2012".

How has Chapman come to this conclusion? It's all based on the timeline for Microsoft's Windows Server OS, which serves as the backbone to Microsoft's consumer based OS launches. ?As the flowchart shows, it's had a release every 4 to 5 years.

We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Software Operating Systems Microsoft Windows 8 Rumours

Roadmap says we should expect Windows 8 in 2012 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:10:16 +0000

At a recent shareholders meeting Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer told attendees that "Windows 7 is simply the best PC operating system that we or anyone else has ever built".

As part of his opening speech Ballmer stated that the new OS was off to a "fantastic start" revealing that Microsoft has "already sold twice as many units as any OS in a comparable time frame".

At the event, on the defence after a shareholder commented on the popularity of Mac among younger users, Ballmer noted that "96 times out of 100, worldwide, people choose a PC with Windows" before calling Macs "quite a bit more expensive", a theme of a recent Microsoft ad campaign.

Finally, responding to a question about the iPhone's challenge to the Windows Phone market, Ballmer said: "Certainly our objective is to have the leading position. I think we have a lot of opportunity to improve... Undoubtedly we've got our work cut out for us".

"We've got our heads down to do our best", Ballmer said of the smartphone market, revealing the company has a "a lot of smart people" working on the topic.

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Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Steve Ballmer Phones

Ballmer says Windows 7 is "simply the best" originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:12:30 +0000

Microsoft has announced that its Xbox festival - Xtival - will be returning in late November. Running across 27 to 29 November - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - the festival is a celebration of gaming, movies and music that takes place on Xbox Live.

For the duration of the weekend, anyone with a free Xbox Live silver account will see it temporarily upgraded to the Gold version, so you can play with the recently launched Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Sky Player functionality. It'll also mean that you'll be able to play online games with other Xbox 360 owners.

On the music side, the Xtival will be showcasing a live gig from DJ Ti?sto, along with interviews and the chance to download excerpts from the forthcoming Metallica DVD. There'll be classic concerts from Run DMC and ZZ Top, as well as a video EP from the Prodigy.

And lastly on the cinema stage there'll be a 4-minute trailer from James Cameron's forthcoming "Avatar" available for 5 days. Alongside, there'll be various free downloads, competitions, and Xtival themed backgrounds and gamerpics.

Xtival runs from 27 to 29 November on Xbox Live.

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Tags: Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Xbox Live Xtival

Xbox 360's Xtival weekend returns originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:33:23 +0000

Sky Player, Sky's online TV service is now available via the Windows Media Center programme in Windows 7 offering "a new and innovative way for people in the UK to watch live and on demand TV from Sky on a PC". ?

For existing Sky TV customers, Sky Player on Windows 7 offers another way to view their Sky TV, while for non-Sky TV customers, there's the option to view content based on monthly subscription packages.

Sky Player on Windows 7 lets users search for shows using keywords, browse programme galleries or scroll through the on screen guide, works with touchscreen PCs and with any Windows Media Center-enabled remote control.

To promote the launch, Sky and Microsoft are offering non-Sky TV customers 3 months of Sky Player for the price of 2 with any Windows 7 purchase.

Tags: Home Cinema Sky Software Windows 7 Windows Media Center Microsoft Video on demand Sky Player

Sky Player on Windows 7 available now originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:32:01 +0000

Microsoft Office 2010 has now entered its public beta phase, and it's already looking like a pretty substantial upgrade to the 2007 version, and a huge improvement on earlier editions of the omnipresent Office app suite. Here's ten reasons why you should give it a try.

The "Starter Edition" is free

Remember the hilariously-titled Microsoft Works? It never did, and the company got a whole lot of stick for that one, so it's dumping it entirely. Installed on new PCs in its place will be Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition - a free, ad supported, feature-limited version of Word and Excel.

But feature-limited doesn't mean you won't be able to do anything useful. Microsoft has tuned the functionality so that an average user who wants nothing more than to write a letter, or an invoice, or perhaps an essay, will still be able to do that with no problems. It's more hardcore stuff like macros and change-tracking in Word, or pivot tables and data analysis in Excel, that you'll have to pay for.

You can stream the software

If you decide you want to give the fuller version a try, but aren't ready to pay for it yet, then you can stream a trial version of the full software from the Web. Seriously. A 2-meg download will get you a "wrapper" that'll let you start up any of the apps within less than 2 minutes. From there, you can use the software as normal while the rest of the functionality downloads in the background.

Microsoft says the experience will be a bit slower than a downloaded version, but it can work out what you're doing and pre-emptively pull down any functions that might be shortly called-upon. The only time you'll see egg-timers is if you dart wildly between unrelated functionality like a Tasmanian Devil. Oh, and once it's downloaded, it stays cached, so you won't need to download again next time.

There's online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote

A third option for cheapskates is to use the brand new, completely free, web app versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. They work in conjunction with SkyDrive (which we'll come to in a minute) to allow you to access and edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations and notebooks from anywhere in the world without a hefty software install.

They're multiplatform and don't have quite the same full functionality as the desktop versions - limited in the same way as the starter edition - but should give the basic user the vast majority of what they need to get stuff done from anywhere in the world, as well as fighting back against Google Docs.

You can sync your documents to SkyDrive?

Another handy feature, which is related to the last point, is the tie-in with Microsoft's SkyDrive feature. This, if you're not aware, is a 25GB online storage space provided free by Microsoft to anyone with a Windows Live account. It's accessible anywhere on the Web and handily you can save your documents in Office 2010 to it.

From then on, anytime you save that document, it'll save straight to SkyDrive - not your local PC. You can also access the Office 2010 web apps through Skydrive, so you can edit to your heart's content even when you're not on a computer with a version of Office installed.

When you finally buy it, you get a scratchcard?

So you've read the above, and decided that you do actually need to shell out money for the Office suite. Perhaps you need a pivot table, or a fancy transition in PowerPoint. Perhaps you need access to Access, or to Outlook or Publisher. In that case, you can go into a shop and buy a scratchcard.

That card has a product key on it, which you put in on a website and you'll get a download of the software that arrives in the same way as the trial version above - streaming to your computer. You'll be able to start using it within minutes while the rest of the suite downloads in the background.

Docs look identical across the desktop, the web, and the mobile phone

One of the irritations of using Office alternatives like Google Docs and OpenOffice is that you can never be sure that the document that you've lovingly laid out in those apps will open the same in Microsoft's version. A crucial essay submission could be rejected if it doesn't match the style rules.

So Microsoft has put a lot of work into making sure its documents look identical across the "three screens" - the desktop app, the web app, and the mobile phone version of the software, available on Windows Mobile. No more double-checking page breaks, margins and cell formatting.

Better performance

We've been testing a pre-release version of Office 2010 for a week now, and gosh it's fast. Older versions of Office crawled along, but if the final release is as zippity as this, then we'll be impressed. The most used Office apps seem to load within a second, with the less used, heftier ones, taking not much longer.

Within the apps, too, things seem to move about a little more responsively. There appears to have been a decent bit of background optimization, as well as the removal of the little bits of Office that sit in your taskbar and degrade your general computer performance.

Better printing experience

Among the various UI improvements, we wanted to highlight one in particular. While the whole "file" menu has been revamped, one of the best bits is the new print experience. Now, rather than having to remember to hit "print preview" before hitting ctrl-P, the two functions are integrated.

That means no more panicking when you're half-way through a vast printout that you forgot to switch it to 6-slides-a-page, or off full quality colour. A full preview of exactly what'll be flying out of your printer is displayed on screen, and easy to customise.

Photo & video editing?

This is a subtle one, but it could have wide-ranging implications. Microsoft has integrated basic photo and video editing tools into Office - allowing you to crop, trim, apply filters, correct for brightness and contrast, and add pretty borders. The functionality is pretty powerful, especially when it comes to video.

Could this eat into sales of dedicated photo and video editors? It's entirely possible - most people won't need much more than these tools to include video and pretty images into their next slideshow.

Embed web videos

Lastly, one of the niftiest new features is the ability to stick YouTube videos, or other embeddable web videos, into your documents. Grab the embed code from the site and paste it into a handy text box, and you'll see it appear in your presentation or notebook, complete with controls.

Then, when you're doing your big presentation, you can just hit play on the screen - rather than having to alt-tab to a browser, displaying your bright pink taskbar and Buffy the Vampire Slayer wallpaper.

Conclusions

Office 2010 has some pretty nifty features, and includes a whole host of improvements that should make your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, notebooks and everything else look considerably sparklier.

But we'd love to hear what your favourite features are. See that comment box down there? Go download Office 2010 and fill it up with your thoughts.

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Tags: Software PC software Office software Microsoft Microsoft Office 2010 Features

Ten reasons to try out Microsoft Office 2010 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Microsoft has revealed that the 2010 edition of its phenomenally successful Office suite has now entered beta. The software can be downloaded directly from Microsoft.com/office/2010.

The new version has a whole host of improvements, many of which will be familiar to those who have been following the progress of the Technical Preview. There's now web versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote, an ad-supported "starter edition" that replaces Microsoft Works, a "backstage" view for your apps and a bazillion bug fixes and performance improvements.

We'll bring you a full review in time, but for now go grab the beta, install it, and let us know what you think of Microsoft's new Office suite in the comments box below. We rather like it so far, but will bring you a full First Look shortly, and review when it's released.

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Tags: Software PC software Office software Microsoft Microsoft Office 2010

MS Office 2010 beta now available originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Microsoft has finally launched its Azure cloud computing platform, more than a year after it was originally announced. The software, which promises an operating system in the cloud, will be a "community technical preview" until the end of the year, and then go live for paying customers on 1 January.

The idea behind the system, which competes with Amazon's elastic computing service, is that developers will be able to build web apps on the service, and consumers will be able to store data that'll be accessible from any web connection.?The first month of the service will be free, and billing will start in February, said Microsoft's Ray Ozzie.

He added: "Customers want choice and flexibility in how they develop and deploy applications. We're moving into an era of solutions that are experienced by users across PCs, phones and the Web, and that are delivered from datacenters we refer to as private clouds and public clouds".

Azure will be priced from $0.12 to $0.96 per service hour depending on how much power you need. All virtual machines come with 1.75Gb of memory.

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Tags: Software Microsoft Azure Cloud computing Online

Microsoft's Azure cloud platform now available originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:45:42 +0000

Web visionary, Tim O'Reilly, has suggested that we could be heading into an "ugly time" on the Internet possibly mirroring the browser wars of the nineties.

Talking at the Web 2.0 expo in New York, O'Reilly warned that a number of moves by big organisations like Apple, Google, Facebook and Digg could make the Web a closed system.

O'Reilly believes that things like the Digg bar, Facebook warning you about going out into the Web, and the possibility of News Corp signing a specific deal with Bing over Google could all damage the way the Web works.

"Take the mobile phone industry for example. Apple decides who gets to put an app up, decides how it works. That's not how the web works," says O'Reilly.

Suggesting that we are going to see a showdown, O'Reilly believes that "exclusive" features for specific browsers or mobile phone operators will end in a "one ring to rule them all" scenario.

Offering advice to Google, O'Reilly says that they should be committed to being rigorous in ensuring that the user benefits rather than trying to "eat other companies' lunch" like launching Knol, Checkout, and Froogle.

Praising Microsoft for its embracing of the Wolfram Alpha and Twitter results, O'Reilly?quotes Jeff Jarvis of CUNY saying that companies should "Do what you do best. Link to the rest".

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Tags: Software Online Google Microsoft Apple Facebook Twitter

O'Reilly: Ugly times ahead for the Internet originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:36:44 +0000

Somehow we don't think this clip with be showing up in any internet video greatest hits compilations, unlike similar, more successful dance-themed vids of late.

Maybe it gets better after the 54-second mark (there's 4 mins 45 in total to cringe through) but that's all we managed before our twitchy mouse finger made the awfulness stop.

Let us know how far through you get in the comments box below...

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Tags: Hardware Microsoft Video

VIDEO: Microsoft Store employees do a little dance originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:48:36 +0000

Microsoft's Windows Mobile Application Markplace has opened a little wider to encompass any handset running Windows Mobile 6.0 or above. Previously, it was only available to handsets running the very latest version - Windows Mobile 6.5.

The catalogue contains over 800 apps, so it rivals Palm's App Catalog, but both remain a drop in the ocean compared to the Android and iPhone app stores. Still, developers might be more keen to develop for Windows Mobile now that more than a handful of phones can access it.

However, there's always been a vast ecosystem of Windows Mobile applications - they're just not all concentrated in one place. Microsoft now has a hell of a task in front of it, in attempting to collect them together. You can grab it by hitting up mp.windowsphone.com in your phone browser.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Windows Mobile Windows Phone App Store Microsoft

Windows Mobile App Marketplace opens to all originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:11:07 +0000

A survey of 2000 internet users in the UK from GfK NOP has found that iTunes still remains by far the most popular music service, but that new entrant Spotify is shooting rapidly up the charts, despite having only just celebrated its 1st birthday.

The survey asked participants which music services they used, and 11% said Spotify. That puts it in fourth place behind Real Player (13%), Amazon (24%) and iTunes sitting at the top with 50% approval rating. Spotify sits ahead of the slightly older Last.fm (7%), MP3.com (5%) and Napster (4%). 60% of users stream music direct from the Web.

In the navigation arena, Google Maps dominates with 72% of those surveyed saying they used it. The AA came in second place with 40% and Multimap was third with 35%. Behind that came Mapquest (7%), MSN Maps (4%), Yahoo Maps (4%) and Streetmap (3%).

When it comes to social networking, new boy Twitter draws for second place with MySpace - but both only have 4% of people who use them as their main social network. Bebo is even lower with 2%, but Facebook romps home with over 74% of users picking it as their favourite.

IM is similarly dominated by one provider - Windows Live Messenger. 50% picked it as their main provider, with 16% going for Facebook chat, Yahoo IM coming in third with 8%, Skype at 6%, AIM at 5% and Google Talk coming in at just 2%.

Webmail is closer - 33% opt for Hotmail, but Yahoo Mail was chosen by 14%, 10% picked their own ISP's service, and only 6% have "Gone Google" and picked up a Gmail account. Interestingly, a further 6% said they used email provided by a social network - is this MySpace mail?

Lastly, Skype wins out when it comes to VoIP - 60% of respondents picked it as their favourite online voice-calling app. Google Talk was second with 13%, and VoIP.com and Gizmo came in third with 3% each.

Of course, while the best provider is winning the day in some categories, others are dominated by bloated former giants commanding the attention of people who are too lazy to make a change. Which would you pick as your favourite in each category? Let us know in the comments below.

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Tags: Software Online Websites Music IM Mapping Software Social Networks Email iTunes Spotify MySpace Twitter Facebook Amazon Lastfm Gmail Hotmail Skype Yahoo Microsoft Google Statistics

iTunes still most popular music service by far originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:41:43 +0000

Here are the nominations for Best Software, Service, or App in The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009.

The following products were chosen because we feel they represent the best software, service or app on sale in the last 12 months that are available in the UK.

The nominations are:

Spotify

Windows 7

Tweetie 2

Dropbox

Sky Player for Xbox

A notable commendation should also go to Snow Leopard from Apple.

Now in its 6th year, the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year released in the UK.

Pocket-lint's vigorous vetting process means that all the gadgets up for nomination have to have been seen by a member of the Pocket-lint team (so far over 600) and have to have been available in the UK between December 2008 and December 2009.

The awards, voted by a panel of leading gadget journalists from around the world, including the staff from the Pocket-lint team, will decide the real must-have gadgets of the year, rather than those simply deemed cool or anticipated, being the definitive guide for consumers looking to buy gadgets.

Winners will be announced at an Awards evening in London on Monday 7 December.

If you would like to order tickets to the event please visit our awards event page.

Public voting will start on Wednesday 18 November.

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Related links:

• Link - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

Tags: Software Online Spotify Microsoft Tweetie 2 Dropbox Sky Xbox 360 Pocket-lint Awards Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

Best Software, Service, or App 2009 nominations originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

If you're thinking about picking up a second-hand Xbox 360 in the next couple of months, be very careful. As a result of the mass banning of about 3% of the console's userbase from Xbox Live, many unlucky gamers are attempting to offload their consoles through eBay, Gumtree and Craigslist.

Some users are being honest about the fact that their console has been banned - after all, it'll still play games, it just won't connect to Xbox Live. Others, however, are likely being shadier about it. So if you're planning to buy a used Xbox, be sure that you grill the owner on whether it's been modded in any way.

If, however, you're after a console that'll play games and watch movies, but won't connect to Xbox Live to get updates or access multiplayer functions, then now is a great time to get yourself a deal. Banned consoles are going for as little as ?100 with a pile of games.

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Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Xbox Live eBay Gumtree Craigslist

Banned Xbox 360s flood e-commerce sites originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:58:42 +0000

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 has hit the 10 million consoles sale mark across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 4 years.

Reaching that milestone means that Xbox 360 is the only console to achieve year-on-year growth across the region this year, says Microsoft.

"Xbox 360 continues to pull ahead of the competition when it comes to delivering on a complete home entertainment experience and we think that Xbox Live currently is about 12 to 18 months ahead of its main rival PlayStation Network when it comes to offering service and content beyond traditional games", said Martin Olausson, director of digital media research at strategy analytics.

"By introducing innovative new services and content such as Natal, instant streaming of full 1080P HD video, and integrating social media features such as Twitter and Facebook, Xbox will likely attract a wider audience than its rivals and is in a great position to maximize sales in the next few years".

Microsoft has also revealed there are more than 20 million Xbox LIVE active members worldwide with over 1 billion downloads of gaming and entertainment content, with movie downloads doubling in the last year.

Meanwhile, Xbox staffer Major Nelson has announced via Twitter that a new Xbox LIVE record has been set - "over TWO MILLION people connected to the service at once".?

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Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Statistics

Microsoft reveals 10 million Xbox 360s sold in EMEA originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:14:10 +0000

Microsoft?has, it might come as a surprise, announced the official launch of Bing?in the UK on Friday.

"Following a period of trial and continued in-depth analysis of consumer usage and behaviour, the service has been put through its paces and Bing is now shedding its beta tag", the company said in a statement.

Having carried the beta tag for the last 5 months, Microsoft’s European Search Technology Centre believes now is the time to shed the beta moniker and go legit.

UK visitors will get a localised UK homepage, Visual Search, the promise of more instant answers, Twitter search capabilities, shopping data via Ciao, and Bing Maps.

"Bing is ready for the UK consumer, with our revolutionary way of searching the Internet proving very popular. ?Features such as Categorised Search, Twitter and Visual Search, are providing a different and intuitive experience, and are enabling us all to make informed decisions and discover more of the web – faster", said Ashley Highfield, VP and MD for Consumer & Online, Microsoft UK.

However UK visitors won't be getting all the latest updates at the same time as the US.?Wolfram Alpha?for example is still nowhere to be seen. ?

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Tags: Software Online Search engines Microsoft Bing

Bing sheds beta tag in UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:18:10 +0000

Microsoft has confirmed that it will be releasing its latest Xbox 360 update on the 17 November to all LIVE members.

The new update, which was first announced in June, will bring with it Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune video to the console.

The Facebook integration will be through Facebook's Connect sign-in programme and will see users able to see their Xbox LIVE buddies as well as their Facebook friends.

Microsoft says: "Using Facebook Connect, you can share your greatest moments in gaming by posting updates and screenshots from supported games directly to Facebook".

The Twitter application will allow Xbox gamers to sign into the popular service via their console.

Sony has also today said that it will be adding Facebook integration to its console.

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Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Twitter Facebook Microsoft Zune HD Lastfm

Xbox 360 social update dated originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:40:03 +0000

Microsoft has updated its Office 2008 for Mac software, with version 12.2.3 now available to download from the Help and Support section of Microsoft's website. ?

As well as the usual security and stability fixes, the update includes fixes for vulnerabilities that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of a computer's memory by using malicious code.

As far as stability goes, 12.2.3 fixes an issue that causes Office 2008 applications to close unexpectedly while metafile issues with text spacing in Windows Office docs have also been addressed.

Improvements in Word means certain unexpected closures will be no more while similar closure issues in Excel have also been looked at, including the bug that meant the Workday Function would not recognise weekends and holidays, which we'd like to think was implemented originally by a mischievous coder.

There's similar stories across PowerPoint, Entourage and Microsoft Document Connection for Mac with the message to be drawn that you really want to install this update if you want to see all round improvements.

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Tags: Software Mac software Microsoft Office software Software updates

Microsoft issues update for Office 2008 for Mac originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:55:34 +0000

"Much anticipated upgrades for Windows Marketplace for Mobile" have now gone live, reports Microsoft in a blog post.

Part of the second wave of features promised, there's said to be more advanced anti-piracy protection and an improved developer portal, as well as the introduction of PC-based shopping and account management for Windows Phone customers.

From now on, Windows Phone customers can browse, buy and download applications online at the Windows Marketplace for Mobile site with the apps then delivered wirelessly to the Windows Phone.

"We've been open for just over one month and already we can see that there's demand for an application marketplace that doesn’t compromise on quality or experience", says Microsoft.

It has also been revealed that the Marketplace will soon be available for those using older version of the Windows Mobile OS, with the following quote:

"I look forward to providing a more detailed update on Windows Marketplace for Mobile when we extend the service to Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 customers later this month".

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Microsoft Windows Marketplace Windows Phone

Windows Marketplace for Mobile gets updated originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:39:59 +0000

Zune HD?owners have been given a treat on Thursday; a selection of free 3D games to download and play.

The new games, available for users who have updated to the new 4.3 software, will offer music listeners the chance to race around the streets of London, go bowling, play the piano and opt for a quick game of checkers.

The games will show you an advert before loading (they are free after all) but then give you a full 3D experience thanks to the?Nvidia Tegra chip?onboard.

Top of the pile is PGR: Ferrari Edition that according to the blurb will let you:

Tear through the streets of London, Tokyo, and New York using intuitive tilt and touch controls.?Choose from 12 Ferrari cars and test your skill in 33 events in Career Mode. Go head-to-head against three other players in a wireless network race. Share your records with your friends and race their ghost cars in Time Trial mode. Earn kudos for racing with style—it's not just winning, but how you win that counts.?

Other titles are:

• Lucky lane bowling
• Vans Sk8: Pool service
• Piano
• Audio Surf: Tilt
• Checkers

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Tags: Audio MP3 players Zune HD Microsoft Gaming

Zune HD 3D games released originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:33:15 +0000

Apple fans have a new salvo to fire at their Windows-loving brethren, as a Microsoft exec has revealed that the Windows 7 operating system enjoyed some fruit-flavoured inspiration.

Microsoft's partner group manager, Simon Aldous, has told PCR-Online, in a candid interview, that Microsoft deliberately tried to "create a Mac look and feel" with the new OS.

The quote from Aldous, who we hope still has a job as we write this, goes as follows:

"One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it's very graphical and easy to use. What we've tried to do with Windows 7 - whether it's traditional format or in a touch format - is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics.

Aldous does then pull it back with a bit of pro-Windows spin: "We've significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it's built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance".

When asked if Microsoft has "taken the style of the Mac platform and built it on the more solid foundations of Vista", Aldous said: "We've also tried to listen to what customers want in terms of a much slicker user interface and the ability to engage with it far more intuitively. That's the product that we're delivering".

UPDATE: This has been debunked in a Microsoft blog post. Brandon LeBlanc says: "I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed", before pointing readers in the direction of other online articles that look at the design of the OS.

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Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Apple Snow Leopard Operating Systems

Windows 7 offers "Mac look and feel" says Microsoft exec originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:10:27 +0000

Details have emerged regarding Microsoft's closely guarded Project Natal motion gaming add-on for its Xbox 360 games console.

While all we previously really knew was that the system would hit the shelves during 2010, games site MCV has heard from industry sources that November 2010 - so in time for Christmas - is the worldwide launch timescale.

In addition, information from a "behind-closed-doors Microsoft tour of UK publishers and studios" suggests the Project Natal add-on will cost "under ?50" when sold as a standalone device, with one source even suggesting a ?30 price point.

Other snippets leaked from the meeting suggest Microsoft is planning to manufacture 5 million units for the launch and that 14 games will support the motion-controlled device as it debuts.

We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Gaming Microsoft Project Natal Xbox 360 Rumours

Project Natal to cost less than £50 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:24:43 +0000

It's believed that up to 600,000 gamers may have been cut off from Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service because they're running modded consoles that can play pirated games.

Microsoft has confirmed that "a small percentage" of Xbox's 20 million users had been banned. By our calculations, that'd be 3%, which seems quite a large number for a process that involves opening up the case of the console and - in many cases - soldering in a new chip.

Microsoft warned:"All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live". That ban won't stop your console working, it just means that you won't be able to connect to the Web.

Are you running a modded Xbox 360? Drop us a comment - we won't tell anyone, promise - and let us know if you still have access. We'd be interested to hear whether this hits every modder, or just a selection.

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Tags: Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Piracy Xbox Live

Microsoft cuts off Xbox 360 hackers originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:41:11 +0000

We've seen the?Xbox Wireless n adaptor on sale?in the UK, but now Microsoft has officially confirmed the launch of the Xbox 360 wireless n adapter in the US.?

Available on Amazon.com for $90, the new adapter promises faster connectivity over a wireless n network.

The?new?adapter?will?feature dual band 5 GHz tech and will be 2.4 GHz Wireless A/B/G home network compatible.

The device will be powered by the Xbox 360 to eliminate adapter clutter.

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Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Networking

Microsoft Xbox 360 wireless n adapter goes on sale in US originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:43:08 +0000

Retail sales of Windows 7 were well over 200% higher than Vista's in the two operating system's first days of being on sale in the States, the NPD Group has revealed.

But although Windows 7 software unit sales were 234% higher than Vista's, it seems revenue growth wasn't as strong, said to be due primarily to discounts.

"Microsoft's program of early low-cost pre-sales, high visibility marketing, and aggressive deals helped make the Windows 7 software launch successful", said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD.

"In a slow environment for packaged software Windows 7 brought a large number of customers into the software aisles".

Perhaps a result of the different economic climate as Microsoft has launched this latest OS, compared to when Vista was launched, it seems PC hardware sales were down.

Windows PC sales were down 6% compared to PC sales during the Vista launch week.

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Tags: Software Windows 7 Microsoft Vista Statistics NPD Biz

Windows 7 retail sales up 234% on Vista originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:29:50 +0000

It's been a bumper year in 2009 for software, services and apps as the overarching trend of tech creeps glacially away from its hardware focus and more towards what the Internet and its friends can do for us. So, before you shout out in the comments who you think should be nominated for the Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Best Software/Service/App - and we hope you do - here's a little reminder of how the year panned out.

The Big Players

It was something of a solar eclipse moment in 2009 with both Apple and Microsoft releasing completely new versions of their desktop operating systems. Although Snow Leopard only claimed to be a relatively small upgrade there was still plenty to get excited about with the arrival of 64-bit computing and addition of Grand Central Station, as well as all the other speed, efficiency and power boosts under the hood of the new caged cat. Microsoft, on the other hand, was a lot more overt about the scale of Windows 7 - partially because of the disappointment over Vista and also, with good reason, because of the success with which the product has launched. Like Snow Leopard, it boasts speed and efficiency but, more importantly, the coming of age of the new AERO look and feel which its predecessor introduced.

Naturally, a new version of iTunes came with the OS for Apple with more playlists and more album art as well as offering a block to the Palm Pre's compatibility feature. Aside that, it was really just the next release in the hugely popular video editing Final Cut series with the launch of Final Cut Studio. It seems the Cupertino company was keeping itself busy on mobile matters but more on that in a minute.

The 'Soft, though, hasn't been so content to leave things as thin. 2009 has seen Gates, Ballmer & Sons embrace the cloud with their re-offensive on Google. First there was the highly successful revamp of the MSN Live search into the colourful Bing, and later the launch of Office 2010 web apps to try to take something back from Google Docs. Beyond that, the company has had another go at both the MSN music download store and the free offering of Microsoft Security Essentials, plus there's been some mobile movements with Microsoft too but, again, more of that later.

The real powerhouse this year though has undoubtedly been Google. The company has spread its arms even wider round the globe with its fingers now in the telephone industry with Google Voice, social location software with Google Latitude, the encyclopeadia business with Sidewiki, the energy saving push with Power Meter and, of course, the what-the-hell-is-it business with Google Wave. More recently the company has announced the smack down on TomTom and friends with the arrival of Google Maps for Navigation for Android 2.0, which may or may not make it out in time for a nomination.

Of course, Android itself has been a very big deal but leaving its mobile impact alone for now, let's not forget the OS's arrival as desktop software on products like the Archo 9 and more recently the dual booting Acer Aspire One D250. It hasn't had the traction to make any significant in-roads this year but it's certainly a space to watch for 2010.

Desktop Software

As the cloud rolls in there's a storm slowly gathering for desktop software. By no means will it ever disappear, but what we're certainly seeing is a lot less diversity in this sector. 2009 has largely been left to improvements from the old guard. Avid has put a smile on the faces of both video and music editing enthusiasts with the launch just last month of the Pinnacle and ProTools suites, Adobe has done the same for the imaging community with the more basic Photoshop Elements 8 and the photographer's friend in the free beta of Lightroom 3.0, and Roxio has thrown in a bit of everything with the company's annual release. This season's colour is Roxio Creator 10.

Antivirus has been as strong an area as ever with malware, phishing and scareware on the rise and a tonne of Christmas shopping round the corner. Symantec's new Norton 2010 product managed to block 100% of threats in independent testing - making it the first time ever for any such software but, of course, if you'd still rather not pay, then at least AVG are still helping out on that front.

Last, and more certainly not least, a certain Swedish company also happened to a make a certain popular social music streaming application that rather set the world on fire. Technically, Spotify was released in private beta in November last year, just before our 2009 awards cut off limit, but it has since gone public within the required time frame. Just to confuse matters it's in private beta once more, so I'll leave it to the judges to sort that one out.

Web Services

During the current aftermath of the eighth renaissance of the bursting of the dot com bubble, new sites have been thin on the ground - certainly ones worth mentioning anyway. The majority of developers and start ups have moved to mobile apps in search of the gold, but there have still been one or two notables over the year - all heavily on the quirky side. Wolfram Alpha provided an alternative, well-meaning but rather leftfield form of internet search; Hunch added a layer of advice to the conundrum and Invisible Hand has begun in its quest to help us find cheaper prices on the Web automatically. As with most of these things, it'll take a while for them to catch on. Twitter wasn't built in a day.

Finally here, the latest craze could be on its way with FourSquare. Like Twitter it was released at the general and social media liquorice allsort that is SXSW and it's been going great guns in the States. Now on UK shores, has it left it too late to win our coveted award or have we assessed its potential already?

Mobile Sofware

From apps to OSes it's all about mobile phones these days. We know this. Smartphones have become our windows on the world. If there's a great service on the Internet, then we want it as an app, and most of all, we want it to run like clockwork.

We've seen four significant mobile operating systems launched this year with the rebranded, reskinned and user-friendlified Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 now known as Windows Phone. We've also seen the coming of age of Android - or at least its growth into adolescence - and the launch of the superb iPhone 3.0 software with its 100 or so features. Finally, we saw a rather specific piece of software from Palm with webOS at January's Las Vegas annual tech binge, but that didn't stop it making an enormous splash and perhaps inspiring a few ideas in other mobile software developers.

On the next tier down are those that have deemed their handsets too special to run the common-or-garden versions of Android and Windows Phone and have come up with their own Custom UIs. Probably the two of most note, and certainly the ones who qualify for this year's awards would be HTC Sense as seen on the Hero with its social contacts integration and Motoblur on the Dext.

Any phone can of course have its OS customised by the addition of an alternative browser. Opera has been going strong for years and supplying those on the Symbian platform with a very strong option. 2009 has brought Opera Mini 10 and for the first time, Firefox has gone to the small screen too with the currently underused Mozilla Fennec. Still both certainly well worth a shout though.

At the bottom of it all, though, and yet king of the mountain for many consumers are apps. We saw the little devils explode in 2008 with the launch of the iTunes App Store and this year has taken the trend to a sickening extreme. The world and its wife now has some kind of platform where they can pedal often highly novelty and often profitable software along with a good chunk that are seriously useful too.

It's the latter group which we'd rather you considered for this year's award but if the Mr T Soundboard ends up being the most popular, then so be it. The apps of major note in 2009 have been largely for the iPhone with the arrival of Tweetdeck, Google Lattitude and TomTom. Spotify has offered its premium service for music streaming on the move to both the Apple phone and Android and finally Facebook has got round to supporting Google's mobile OS too. But the big question is which is your favourite? Which is the app you simply can't do without? Let us know at the bottom.

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What do you think?

But these are just some of the fantastic choices our readers have had in 2009. What would you like to see held aloft as the winner of Pocket-lint Best Software/Service/App 2009? Who have we missed out? Which are your unsung heroes and of those we've already mentioned, which would get your vote? Let us know in the comments below and you can help our panel decide which make the shortlist of nominees to be announced here on Pocket-lint on 16 November. We'll have all out coverage of the Vodafone Pocket-lint awards 2009 right here. Don't miss a minute of it.

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Related links:

• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - laptops
• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - digital cameras
• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - car gadgets

Tags: Software Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards Features Apple Microsoft Google Android Mobile phone applications Operating Systems Windows 7 Spotify Symantec iPhone 3GS

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - software, services, apps originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:23:29 +0000

Microsoft has revealed it is cutting an additional 800 jobs across its global operations, further to the previous cuts announced in January.

Reuters quotes a spokesperson for Microsoft stating these latest job cuts are spread out across the company's global operations, but with around 200 positions to go from its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Back in January Microsoft said it would be slashing 5000 staff from its workforce as it revealed a sharp drop in profits.

At the time the layoffs were reported as a first for Microsoft since it was founded in 1975, apart from staff cuts made from reorganisation after company acquisitions.

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Tags: Software Microsoft Biz

Microsoft cuts another 800 jobs originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:19:18 +0000

Whether you're a Mac or a PC (or a bit of both) this witty concept design has something for all-comers, with the clever design idea to create real-world versions of the calculators found in operating systems.

Just a concept at this stage, although we reckon with real product potential, the Mintpass designer has managed to capture the individual characteristics of the XP calculator and Apple's more metallic option perfectly.

Of course, if they were real world products the Mac version would be over-priced - and likely boast a non-replaceable battery - while the Windows version would crash often and may well come with an over-friendly paperclip as a free gift.

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Tags: Software Calculators Microsoft Apple Concepts Operating Systems

Clever concept sees OS calculators created in real life originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:44:52 +0000

HTC has announced the HD2, its new high-end Windows Mobile 6.5 handset, is now shipping in Europe and Taiwan.

In addition, HTC has confirmed the HD2 will be available in the United States with "a major US carrier" in early 2010.

Here in the UK we're still waiting for exact launch info. It seems T-Mobile may be offering the device - it was named on the operator's coming soon section - although there's no official comment yet as to when, how or why.

The HD2 offers the speedy Snapdragon processor, a 4.3-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, and HTC's Sense UI interface on top of Windows Mobile 6.5.

We will keep you posted on its UK debut.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones HTC HTC HD2 Windows Phone Microsoft

HTC announces HD2 is now shipping originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:05:49 +0000

Microsoft has relaunched its previously-shuttered MSN Music download store in the UK, which offers album and single-track downloads from all four major labels. Microsoft says the store is "large and competitively priced".

As well as purchasable tracks, Microsoft hopes to differentiate its service by offering playlist creation, artist bios and discographies, and editorial content from the MSN Music channel. All tracks downloaded will be free of DRM, and users can choose between getting an MP3 or a WMA file.

To use the store, customers will need a Windows Live ID to log in. From there, you have to buy credits - 10 will cost you ?8. A "standard" single (again, unclear if this includes B-sides, or just refers to single tracks) will cost 1 credit, and a "standard" album will cost 10.

In the same release, Microsoft says: "As part of the service, free music streaming will be tested on a limited basis". It's not clear what that means - whether there'll be Spotify- and We7-style adverts supporting the content, and whether the streamable tracks will be just previews or queueable in the interface.

We're trying to find out more about this one, but for now the FAQ suggests that it's a very limited offering that employs Windows Media Player to deliver 30-second previews of tracks before you download them. That's not exactly revolutionary, and the press release seems to suggest more, so we're digging deeper into this one. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: The streaming service is confirmed to be more than just a 30-second set of previews, for some users, anyway. It's a full-on competitor to Spotify and We7, but employs display ads, rather than audio ads - which could be very attractive to those who want to leave it on in the background.

It supports playlists, though you can't share those lists with other users like you can on other services. For now, though, it's a closed beta that only a few thousand users will have access to. We're in the process of gaining access right now and will give you the lowdown as soon as we're in on it.

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Tags: Software Online Music Microsoft MSN

Microsoft relaunches music download store originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:02:44 +0000

Across the Web, it's becoming common knowledge that it's technically possible to buy an upgrade edition of Windows 7 (which is considerably cheaper) and install a full version of the operating system from it. Microsoft has got wind of the hack, and has issued a stark warning that such practices are illegal.

Eric Ligman, Global Partner Experience Lead at Microsoft, has written a blog post that points out: "Technically possible does not always mean legal". He goes on to explain the differences between the EULA agreements of the two. The upgrade version very clearly states: "To use upgrade software, you must first be licensed for the software that is eligible for the upgrade".

He also clarifies the situation when it comes to OEM licenses - copies of Windows that came pre-installed on your machine. While boxed copies of Windows can be transferred between machines, OEM copies can't. That means that you can't pull out an ancient laptop with XP on and say "this is the one I'm upgrading" when you install Windows 7 on your netbook that shipped with Linux.

The beta or RC installs don't count either. Ligman says: "Those who don’t own a full previous version Windows license, and just downloaded the Windows 7 Beta, RC, or RTM code during the trial phases, the Windows 7 Beta, RC, and RTM trials are not qualifying licenses for the upgrade since they are just trial software, not fully licensed software".

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Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Software updates

Microsoft addresses Win 7 upgrade hack legalities originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:44:19 +0000

Sky?and?Microsoft?will attempt to launch the new?Sky Player for Xbox 360?for a second time after the companies had to pull the service on the official launch day on Tuesday.

"The service has been suspended due to an unforeseen technical issue". Sky said in a statement. "Sky Player engineers are hard at work to resolve the problem. We expect to have the full service available on Wednesday".

The breakdown of the service on launch left gamers confused as to what had happened.

"How do i actually pull up sky on my Xbox, i have Sky Player account and an Xbox Gold Account. Confused... :S", said Sam in a comment on Pocket-lint.

"The Sky player system went "Offline" before I had a chance to try it! The current news is that it will be fully back online tomorrow (Wednesday) - so you're not alone, Jamie! Shame - I'm itching to give it a try...", said Doombar.

To access the player you'll need both an active Sky subscription and an Xbox Live Gold subscription. The former costs ?15 per month, and the latter is ?40 per year, totalling ?220 per year. The same channels will be available to you that are available on your existing Sky subscription.

Alternatively, Sky will be selling a bundle pack of a month's Sky Player subscription (with the Sky Sports pack), a media remote, and 3 months of Xbox Live Gold subscription for ?30. If you just want to try out the service without committing to a long-term plan, that could be an option.

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Tags: Gaming Home Cinema Xbox 360 Sky Player Microsoft Sky

Sky Player on Xbox 360 goes for second time lucky originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:17:23 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, Sky Player for Xbox 360 is finally here. The service, which allows you to access on-demand streams of Sky content and live broadcasting, has been long-trailed (see our coverage here, here, here and here), but has now arrived and should be accessible on your console.

Of course, to access the player you'll need both an active Sky subscription and an Xbox Live Gold subscription. The former costs ?15 per month, and the latter is ?40 per year, totalling ?220 per year. The same channels will be available to you that are available on your existing Sky subscription.

Alternatively, Sky will be selling a bundle pack of a month of Sky Player subscription (with the Sky Sports pack), a media remote, and 3 months of Xbox Live Gold subscription for ?30. If you just want to try out the service without committing to a long-term plan, that could be an option.

Tags: Home Cinema Sky Sky Player Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Xbox Live

Sky Player arrives on Xbox 360 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:38:11 +0000

Microsoft has quietly issued a variant of its brand new Windows 7 operating system that can be copied to a USB stick and used to install the OS on computers that don't have a CD drive, which includes many netbooks available today.

In our review of Windows 7, we found that the software performs admirably well on even relatively low-spec hardware, so putting it on a netbook is being actively encouraged by Microsoft, especially as most of those netbooks are running 2001's Windows XP.

All you've got to do is buy "Windows 7 For Netbooks" from Microsoft's online store, then download an ISO file. Make that drive bootable, then reboot your netbook with it plugged in and you should be away. We'd like to hear your experiences of Windows 7 on your netbook - share it in the comments below.

UPDATE: Seems like the USB stick edition is US-only for the time being. PC Pro quotes a Microsoft spokesperson saying:?"This option is available in the US, but we have nothing to officially announce in the UK at this stage". We'll let you know if the situation changes on that front.

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Tags: Software Windows 7 Microsoft Operating Systems USB drives USB

Windows 7 available in USB stick edition originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:18:20 +0000

We've already seen Sky Player in Windows 7, but now you can see it on the Xbox 360 ahead of the official UK release on Tuesday 27 October.?

The 8-minute video, sent to techtv101.com, details the channel selection process and what you can expect from the service next week.?

Announced back in May the?Sky Player, which is accessed via the Xbox interface, will offer the chance for viewers to watch live?games?in a virtual stadium that allows fans to comment and chat via on screen messages or voice on the screen, as well as access key stats while the match is going on.

Sky confirmed at the time that users will be able to buy a package similar to the current PC Sky Player that means they don't have to be a set-top box subscriber, a move that is clearly aimed at appealing to those who live in a house without a dish.?

The Tuesday update will also feature?Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm support, as well as the Zune video marketplace and its associated instant-on 1080p high definition streaming.

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Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Sky Microsoft Sky Player Video

VIDEO: Sky Player for Xbox 360 walk-through originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:32:51 +0100

So here we are at the end of the week, having covered all the latest and greatest news and launches with the highest profile debut of the week undoubtedly Windows 7.

With the general release of the OS, Pocket-lint has offered a whole host of special Windows 7 related articles.

These features should help you by not only giving you an idea of which version to buy - or for that matter whether to buy it at all - but ease you into its use, allowing you to get the most out of Microsoft's latest OS.

So here in no particular order is the run down of the useful features, articles and guides Pocket-lint has dished out throughout this week.

Find out whether Windows 7 is actually right for you with Pocket-lint's Seven reasons to buy Windows 7. How much faster is it? Are the new multimedia elements any good? Is it any easier to use than previous efforts? It's all here so just click through.

With the new OS being touchscreen-compatible you might find this Five touchscreen Windows 7 PCs useful. Products covered include the HP Touch Smart, Asus Eee Top ET2203 and Dell Studio One 19.

You've decided to make the break with your old OS but which version of Windows 7 should you go for? You'll be like a kid in a sweet shop with our feature Windows 7: Which version should you get.

If you have a little uncertainty as to how to install/upgrade then this next feature is just what you need. Follow the step by step instructions for a stress-free experience in How to upgrade to Windows 7.

If time is of the essence then you need Pocket-lint's Windows 7 Quick Guide, which gives a smart little run down of the OS, telling you all you need to know. What's new? What's not?

Finally, for those of you who need that little bit extra clarification of what the OS is like to use, then our Windows 7 full review is a must, was it really worth the wait after all?

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Tags: Software Windows 7 Operating Systems Microsoft

Pocket-lint's complete coverage of Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:32:47 +0100

We brought you the news that the Japanese arm of Burger King was offering a seven-pattie Whopper - for 777 yen - to celebrate the release of Windows 7, but can now offer 46 seconds of video footage that answers the question of just how you'd go about eating one of those bad boys. The Japanese clip needs no translation as a brave soul tackles the meat-monster - hit play now to see the burger porn play out.

Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Burger King Video

VIDEO: Burger King's Windows 7 Whopper - that tricky first bite originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:57:15 +0100

Over in the States Microsoft opened the freshly-painted doors on its first Microsoft store as its new operating system, Windows 7, hit general release.

The very first Microsoft store - designed to showcase both software and hardware from Microsoft and its partners - is in Scottsdale Arizona.

YouTube user gt2697 was on hand to grab some footage of inside the new shop - hit play to see a quick overview of the format - incidentally shot and uploaded on an iPhone.

Tags: Hardware Microsoft shopping Windows 7

VIDEO: Inside the new Microsoft store originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:07:51 +0100

So, you want Windows 7. You've read our guide to Microsoft's latest OS, you've worked out the benefits of making the switch are the right one's for you, in fact you may already have chosen which version you want to install and have your Windows 7 disk in your hands, the question now is how do you actually upgrade your computer to Windows 7? Well, that's why we're here.

Upgrading from anything other than XP, Vista or other versions of Windows 7

Let's get the easy one out of the way quickly. You can't. Whether you've got a blank computer, Linux or you're still running Windows ME for some strange reason, then you'll have to buy the complete version and do a clean install. Back up all your personal files, put them on a DVD/USB stick/external HDD, do a clean install of Windows 7, make several cups of tea and then put your files back on again. Job done.

Upgrading from Windows XP

First of all, bear in mind, you XP users, that if you're planning on using the feature of Windows 7 that allows you to run a virtual version of XP then make sure you've got Windows 7 Professional Edition or Windows 7 Ultimate. The Home version does not have that function. It doesn't mean that you won't be able to run all your Windows XP supported programs but you may have an issue with the odd obscure one. Ok? Right.

Step 1: Buy
Go down the shops - virtual or otherwise - a pick up an upgrade version of Windows 7.

Step 2: Check you system
It's a touch on the anal side but for measures of completeness, download and run the Windows Upgrade Advisor software. It'll take a quick look at your machine and tell you if you're going to have any problems with the current software you're running if you intend to transfer it over to Windows 7. Chances are that if it does come up with any issues, they'll probably still run fine but it might be worth doing this process for piece of mind. You can then have a look online for the software developer's site and see if they have any advice on the matter.

Step 3: Back up
From XP you'll need to do a Custom install rather than a straight Upgrade. It'll wipe all the files on your system, so grab yourself an external HDD of some sort or a very large USB stick and prepare to move files. You can do it manually, but an easy way to do it is by downloading and running the free Windows Easy Transfer software. It'll create one massive file with all your docs, sheets, photos, music, vids etc which is great if you have the space for it. What it won't copy is your programs and installers, so you can either pick those up from the Internet once you've finished the upgrade or copy them over manually which is probably a bit unnecessary.

Do bear in mind here that Windows Easy Transfer will not work if you're planning on going from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version. If you're doing that you'll need to back up your files by hand. Secondly, it won't copy your media licenses, so if you have DRM-ed music and videos, you'll have to pick them up elsewhere afterwards. Another reason why DRM can be a total pain in the recharge socket.

Step 4: Run your anti-virus
Again, marginally on the picky side but the last thing you want to do is carry your malware over if you're doing a fresh install, so have a last run of your anti-virus program for good luck and then switch if off.

Step 5: The big install
Ok, let's do this. Connect to the Internet so that the program can pick up any new updates as it goes. Disk in, run the program and select Custom install. Choose the partition that currently has XP on it - usually C: - and hit install.

Step 6: Make tea

Step 7: Replace your files
Run Easy Transfer again which will plop all your personal files back in the equivalent places on your spanking new OS. If you haven't used this program, then you'll have to do it by hand. Make sure you do this before adding the applications back in, so that your programs will know where to look for the files or at least have a go at finding them if you copied them to the wrong place.

Step 8: Update your drivers
Run Windows Update to make sure you're all patched and that you've got all the relevant drivers to keep your system happy.

Step 9: Clean up
A couple of weeks after the install, run Disk Clean, hunt down your previous windows install if it's indeed still there and delete it to remove any last traces of what is now totally redundant. That'll reclaim all those sectors for good. You can even defrag if you fancy it too.

Step 10: Enjoy your new OS.

Upgrading from Windows Vista

Sadly this isn't quite as straight forward as it looks. If you're planning on going from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version then you'll have to a do a Custom install even though you have an Upgrade version of the Windows 7 software. Go to the "Upgrading from Windows XP" section above and follow the steps. Also, if you're planning on moving from a Home or Ultimate version of Vista to a Professional version of Windows 7; if you're trying to go from a Business Vista to an Ultimate or Home version of 7, or in fact if you'd like to go from Vista Ultimate to any non-Ultimate version of Windows 7, then again, you'll need to do a Custom install, so you'll have to follow the XP steps above.

Step 1: Buy Windows 7 Upgrade
Go down to the shops or online and buy yourself the relevant edition of the Windows 7 Upgrade that you wish to install. You can go from any edition of Windows Vista to any edition of Windows 7 but do bear in mind that if you're crossing from one type to another, you'll probably have to do a Custom install as mentioned and laid out above rather than a straight Upgrade.

Step 2: Install Windows 7
The advantage of doing the Upgrade option is that you don't need to muck around with saving any files or anything like that at all. Just put in the disk, hit the Upgrade option and it'll keep all your settings just the way they are. The only thing you will want to note is if you use a finger print reader, then make sure you've got a copy of the system password before you install as it won't remember your finger print patterns.

Step 3: Make tea

Step 4: Update your drivers
Run Windows Update to make sure you're all patched and that you've got all the relevant drivers to keep your system happy.

Step 5:? Enjoy your new OS

Upgrading from Windows 7 RC

For one reason or another, Microsoft didn't want people using beta and RC versions of Windows 7 to be able to use the simpler Upgrade option. You can still buy the Windows 7 upgrade software, but you'll have to do a Custom install option as in the Windows XP example at the top. However, if you'd like to, there's a little hack-aroo to get around that nonsense. It goes a little something like this...

Step 1: But Windows 7 Ultimate upgrade
All RC versions of Windows 7 are Windows 7 Ultimate, so this is the version you'll have to buy if you intend on using the hack.

Step 2: Find the file
Insert you Windows disk into your machine and copy all the files to your computer rather than actually running the install. If you have no disk drive and you're using an ISO image, then use the Windows 7 extractor to get hold of the files. Once extracted go to the sources folder and find the cversion.ini file. Open it up and change the MinClient line value of 7233.0 to 7100. Save it. Close it and run the setup.exe file from the same folder and run the installer as normal.

Step 3: Install Windows 7
Select the Upgrade option as the wizard starts, make tea and enjoy your new OS.

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Related links:

• Review - Microsoft Windows 7 - First Look review
• Feature - Windows 7: Which version should you get?
• Feature - Quick guide to Microsoft Windows 7
• Feature - Seven reasons to buy Windows 7

Tags: Software PC software Microsoft Windows 7 Operating Systems How to Features

How to upgrade to Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:41:05 +0100

Apple has said that it will offer?Windows 7?support for users who want to dual install the new Microsoft operating system on a Mac by the end of the year.

"Apple will support Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate) with Boot Camp in Mac OS X?Snow Leopard?before the end of the year. This support will require a software update to Boot Camp", the company posted on its support pages.

However, while most Mac users will consider the move the equivalent of sleeping with the devil, some users won't be able to install Windows 7 even if they wanted to.

"The following models will not be supported for use with Windows 7 using Boot Camp".

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• iMac (17-inch, Early 2006)
• iMac (17-inch, Late 2006)? ? ??
• iMac (20-inch, Early 2006)? ? ? ?
• iMac (20-inch, Late 2006)? ? ? ?
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2006) ?
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006)?
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2006)?
• MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006)? ?
• Mac Pro (Mid 2006, Intel Xeon Dual-core 2.66GHz or 3GHz)?

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Users of course will need to own an "authentic copy of Microsoft Windows 7 or Microsoft Windows 7 upgrade"

Users wishing to run the new Microsoft OS under a virtual system like Parallels Desktop 4 or the new VMWare Fusion 3 will be able to do so without waiting for the new drivers from Apple.

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Related links:

• Via - macrumors.com
• image via - krunker.com

Tags: Software Mac software Apple Microsoft Windows 7 Snow Leopard

Apple says Windows 7 support by year end originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:50:09 +0100

Apple?just couldn't resist taking a swipe at the launch of?Windows 7?with its latest advert that many say are getting tired.

This time Apple play the "broken promises" card with PC claiming that it's the best yet, before Mac claims a spot of d?j? vu.

There then ensues a series of PCs stating the same thing with different Windows operating systems in getups from the ages.

Has this series finally run out of steam? Let us know in the comments below.

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Tags: Software Advertising Apple Microsoft Windows 7 Video

VIDEO: Apple "Broken Promises" ad attacks Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:59:33 +0100

How do you celebrate the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 in Japan? Team up with Burger King of course to offer the Windows 7 Whopper.

The burger of burgers, features not one burger, but of course seven burgers in a bun in what is no doubt a gut busting experience.

On sale for the magic price of 777 yen (to the first 30 customers) the price soon hikes to 1500 yen suggesting the hamburger chain has taken a leaf out of Microsoft's book with regards to pricing.

Bloatware any one?

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Related links:

• Via - Electronista

Tags: Software PC software Microsoft Burger King Windows 7 Operating Systems

Windows 7 Whopper celebrates bloatware originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:40:30 +0100

Windows 7 has launched, but it's already in the hands of many people across the UK thanks to a postal strike sparking Microsoft to begin deliveries early. If you've already installed your brand new operating system then you might be interested to hear about a few features that haven't been well-documented, but could prove useful.

If, on the other hand, you haven't had a chance to get everything backed up for the install process yet, you might want to bookmark this page so you can have a butchers at it over the weekend once everything is up and running again. But without further ado, let's take a look at the top 5 secret Windows 7 features.

Shakin' Windows

One handy little user interface improvement that Microsoft has added to the mix allows you to drag windows to the edges of your screen to anchor them there, or to the top to maximise something. However, there's another neat little trick in a similar vein that you can use.

If you grab a title bar of a window and shake it around with the mouse, you'll find that everything flies out of the way and leaves you with a pristine desktop and the window you were holding. Much more Zen, no?

Problem Steps Recorder

Once you've convinced your parents that they need to upgrade to Windows 7, and they've bought it and you popped round to install it for them, they'll invariably find something that doesn't work - something that you can't fix over the phone and have to actually be there to sort out.

Well, instead of trying to talk them through installing a remote desktop viewer like VNC, you can now just ask them to press the Windows key, tap in "PSR", hit enter, and then hit record before trying to do whatever it is they're trying to do. Once they're done, the recording is saved as a zipped MHTML file that they can email to you so you can see exactly where they're going wrong.

Resource Monitor

Seasoned Windows fans will know that when the system locks up, the first thing you want to check is the Task Manager. You can still do that, but there's now a better option instead, called the Resource Monitor. This lets you take a look in considerably more detail about exactly what's going on with your CPU, RAM, disk and network.

To access it, just hit the Windows key and type "resmon" before hitting enter. It'll bring up an overview of all the processes that are currently active on your computer, and exactly what they're doing. You can then do something about that irritating program that won't stop crashing.

So what do you do? Well, you can force quit something like you would in Task Manager, but you can also right-click a process and hit "Analyze Wait Chain" to see more info about why it isn't doing anything - it could be waiting for a response from another process, for example. With Resource Monitor you'll hopefully be able to track down the issue more quickly.

Desktop slideshows

So you've seen that most of the default themes that comes with Windows have auto-changing backgrounds, and you'd like to get in on that action. How do you do it? Well, it's actually pretty simple. All you have to do is right-click an empty part of the desktop and hit "personalize". From there, hit "desktop background" near the bottom and pick a folder full of pictures that you'd like to rotate through, and select how often you'd like to rotate.

How would you like a desktop wallpaper that automatically updates from an RSS feed? That functionality appeared in the beta, though it was buggy and seemed to have been removed from the final version. However - there's a way round the limitation.

Visit the feed you want to get pictures from in Internet Explorer, and then subscribe to it. On the right-hand-side you should have a "View feed properties..." option. Hit that and then enable the "Automatically download attached files" option. Close the window, and re-open it, then hit "View files" and use that folder as your rotating background folder as above. Voila!

Colour and ClearType Calibration

Lastly, if you view a lot of images, movies or play games a lot on your computer - and doesn't everyone? - then you might want to make sure that your monitor is calibrated to display colours correctly. You can do this very easily with a wizard included in Windows 7 called the Display Colour Calibration Wizard.

To access it, all you have to do is hit the Windows key, type DCCW and hit enter, and the wizard will appear and take you through all the steps necessary to make sure your display has its gamma, brightness and contrast set correctly. After that, you'll have the option to view the ClearType calibration wizard.

Conclusions

So there you go. Five features that Microsoft hadn't told you about, but are still incredibly useful. Have you discovered anything else that's noteworthy and relatively undocumented in Windows 7? Be sure to share it with us in the comments, just down below.

Tags: Software Operating Systems Windows 7 Microsoft Features

Five secret features in Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:47:26 +0100

Gaming maestro Peter Molyneux has officially confirmed that the next version of Fable, Fable 3, for the Xbox 360 will be?Project Natal?enabled.

"Fable 3 will have Natal support. Is that an announcement? #molyneux", Nicholas Lovell, founder of Gamesbrief, non-exec at nDreams, consultant to the game industry on strategy, finance and online sales tweeted after hearing Molyneux at a BAFTA lecture in London.

"Providing the audience with an insight into video games of the future, Molyneux demonstrated his latest project called Milo which utilises Microsoft's Natal technology that relies on voice, facial and motion recognition". reports BAFTA.

Molyneux also confirmed that the third instalment of Fable, Fable 3, will have in game transactions that allow you to buy extra gear for real cash to enhance your gaming character.

Project Natal, first announced at E3 in June in the US, is Microsoft's play at making the gamer the controller. It will monitor movements and then recreate those on screen.?

So far all the major games publishers are on board. Microsoft hasn't given an official launch date for the new technology, however have suggested a spring 2010 launch date.

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Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Fable 3 Project Natal

Molyneux: Project Natal support for Fable 3 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:18:47 +0100

What is Windows 7?

Er, ok. You really need this one answered? Well, Windows 7 is Microsoft's eighth consumer focused operating systems for personal computers. Don't ask us why the company chose 7 - possibly because it's a suggestion that we forget about either Windows ME or Vista or perhaps because someone miscounted. Either way Windows 7 it is and after quite a long run up it's finally been released for purchase by both consumers and businesses.

Why do I want it?

There's plenty of reasons to want the latest version of any OS, not least of which is that it's most often more secure than the last version meaning that your system is less likely to become compromised and your data and ID should stay exactly where you want them - with you. The slightly sexier reasons for wanting to upgrade are because it has a more modern look and feel, it runs smoother and quicker and it gives you a whole bunch of new bits and pieces to play with. In fact, the only real downside is having to part with some money for the privilege.

So, what's new?

At its core, Windows 7 has improvements to the kernel, which is at the heart of all operations, better performance with multi-core processors to get the most out of new CPU technologies and a more efficient boot too. What that translates to is a faster start up and shut down, a faster resume from sleep mode, a more responsive performance and more better use of processing power. That's the theory, anyway. To make it happen, Microsoft used a set of tracing tools to identity all the slack code and dysfunctional pathways of previous versions of the OS to work out exactly where the majority of the tweaks needed to be. There's also been special attention paid to laptops specifically by fitting a series of power saving functions like auto-screen dimmers and such. So, two reasons to make the switch is to get your battery to last a little longer and your PC running like the hot rod it promised it was when you bought it.

And what about the differences I can actually see?

Windows 7 continues the shell design first implemented in Vista - Windows Aero. Much of it will appear similar to many users. A lot of focus has been given to the taskbar with the addition of Jump Lists, bigger icons and even just the ability to move them about at will in the knowledge that they'll stay in whatever order you left them. If you hover the mouse over the icon of an open application in the taskbar, then mini full screen previews will pop up for each window that that program has running. So, if you have three Word documents open, then you'll see three small versions of each one when the curser is over the Word icon in the taskbar. From there, you can click on the one you want to go straight to it or just move the mouse away from the taskbar and go back to whatever it was you were doing on the desktop.

If instead, you right click on icons on the taskbar, then a Jump List will pop up. These lists contain all the recent files that you might have been accessing for that specific app. It doesn't remember all your browser pages but if, say, you right click on your media player icon, it'll come up with a list of all your recently played video and music files for you to shortcut straight to and in the case of media, you'll also be offered a degree of playback control straight from the taskbar too, but the level of access will vary from app to app. You can also choose to pin files to these lists for good or even pin them to the taskbar itself which might be handy if it's something you use all the time or at least repeatedly over a small period.

The windows themselves have also had a bit of a functionality twist too in a feature called Aero Snap. If you drag any open window up to the top of the screen it automatically maximises it. Likewise, if you throw them to the sides of your display, they'll take up exactly half the desktop. Drag one to the opposite edge and now you can compare two open windows in a split screen view. Very useful if you're taking notes from information online, for example. Finally, if all your open windows are beginning to take over your desktop, you can press the small button at the bottom right hand corner of the screen on the taskbar called Aero Peek which makes them all translucent, and if you actually click on the button, it minimises everything on the screen and shows you your desktop and any gadgets you might be running.

Any new applications?

Naturally, there's new versions of Windows Media Centre, which now comes with its own gadget, and Internet Explorer, if you really must. IE8 features a revamped address bar which can be used for search, there's new tabs and a make-over for the favourites bar as well. Web Slice allows users to be updated of any changes to sites they're monitoring without actually having to switch back to the tab in question. For example it would display updates to an eBay auction or a web mail inbox up on the favourites bar at the top of the browser. The final addition is the IE Accelerator which offers contextual menus for selected pieces of copy within a web page. So, you might be able to right click on the name of a shop and the options could include links to reviews, its online retail site or a map with its location.

One of the more impressive improvements is to the desktop search function which has now gone truly universal. Located at the foot of the Start menu, the search starts working as soon as you start typing and will bring up a string of results immediately from all corners of your machine including external devices and any shared PCs on the same network. It groups the suggestions by file type - be they docs, images, e-mails, applications etc - and highlights the part of the titles that responds the letters of your query. The whole process is also given a slight extra speed kick by suggesting frequently selected results from familiar search enquiries too. If you want to get deeper into it, you can open out the panel further and use the dynamic options with graphics to help you sort by date, size, name and other criteria in a much more simple way that was often quite painful in Windows packages of days gone by.

Windows 7 also sees some consolidation of functions too. The old Windows Security Centre has been renamed the Action Centre and works as an issues and problem solver to do list including requests from Windows Defender as well as any other tasks as recommended by your machine for you to deal with when you have a moment. Each is listed with a warning of how important it is. Finding an anti-virus program, for example, qualifies for the top of the list.

The other area of consolidation is of device management. Printers, phones, MP3 players and pretty much anything you can plug into your PC are all now dealt with in one specific area. Of course, each offers slightly different options of action but the place to find them has been homogenised and should be far easier for viewing and transferring the content off and onto them. One neat feature particular to printers is an auto-detect default which will recognise where you are based on the network connection and automatically select the appropriate default printer from your list without you having to chop and change manually.

And what about multi-touch?

Yes, probably the most high profile addition to the Windows OS is the added support for touchscreen PCs and more specifically multi-touch as well. There is a slew of computers set to arrive that take advantage of this. There's also some added fun with the trainable handwriting recognition software built-in, as well as smaller apps like post it notes and graphical add ons too. At its most basic though, the touchscreen allows you to scroll, zoom and navigate your way around the operating system using your fingers. You will, of course, require a touch enabled computer or PC tablet for this to work.

Anything else?

Naturally, there's a bunch of new desktop themes, there's better support for SSDs and virtual hard disks, there's a redesigned calculator with a statistics mode and the return of internet connected versions of the games Spades, Checkers and Backgammon, all of which had been apparently mistakenly dropped for Vista. Networking has been made easier with WindowsHome and DirectAccess which allow an automation of the set up of sharing content across Windows 7 machines in the home and intranet set up for businesses. A particularly useful feature called Play To lets users choose which machine in their network they'd like to stream any particular media onto.

Is it any good?

Well, early reports indicate that Windows 7 will be a winner. It's essentially a refined version of the unpopular Vista which should give the new OS a head start in a lot of departments, not least of which is general public feeling. It has a greater user-centric experience with performance improvements for far smoother day to day running. There's even a a few bits of fun left for the future with an upcoming patch for USB 3.0 support expected very soon and all the high speed data transfer that should allow – fingers crossed.

Can my PC handle it?

A 32-bit version of Windows 7 will require a machine with a minimum of a 1GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of disk space. If you want to go 64-bit, then obviously you'll need a 64-bit CPU, a minimum of 2GB RAM and 20GB of space to put it.

How much is it?

That all depends which version you go for. There are a slightly confusing six different variants but actually only three different names to take care of. The standard consumer version is Windows 7 Home Premium for ?149.99, then comes Windows 7 Professional for ?219.99 intended more for businesses and finally Windows 7 Ultimate at ?229.99 for those in need of serious data protection and computing in 35 languages. You can also buy upgrade packages of each version for ?79.99, ?189.99 and ?199.99 respectively but they'll only work if you already have Windows Vista installed. Officially speaking you can't even upgrade from the Windows 7 release candidate but there's a way around that one for the more adventurous.

Related links:

• Feature - Five touchscreen Windows 7 PCs to look out for
• Review - Microsoft Windows 7 - First Look review
• Read - All things Windows 7
• Feature - A brief history of Windows

Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Operating Systems Quick Guide Features

Quick guide to Microsoft Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:13:31 +0100

Microsoft is promoting its Windows Marketplace for Mobile app store with a comedic clip revealing apps that didn't make it through the vetting process.

Highlights include a virtual sundial, the familiar-looking game pung, the enabler and moustaches of the world.

Hit play now to see the ad and be sure to head on over to the Marketplace to check out the available apps because "the ones that did survive you're really gonna like".

Read

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Microsoft Windows Marketplace Advertising Video Mobile phone apps

VIDEO: Rejected Windows Marketplace apps revealed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:17:37 +0100

A team of students at Carnegie Mellon University has developed a Dungeons & Dragons application for Microsoft Surface. It's a little like a printed out map, but completely interactive and able to recognise items placed on top.

It can then calculate line-of-sight, roll dice, and perform other functions for the RPG though notably it doesn't play the game for you - this is still a traditional board game, just one with a rather remarkable board.

Have you spotted any cool applications of Microsoft Surface? Let us know in the comments.

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Related links:

• News - Microsoft demos possible future of Surface

Tags: Gaming Dungeons and Dragons Microsoft Microsoft Surface Video RPG

VIDEO: Dungeons and Dragons on Microsoft Surface originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:23:16 +0100

"Nearly a billion people use Windows. Their ideas added up to Windows 7", says Microsoft of the above advert, as Windows 7 sees its official general release.

While some UK consumers have received their copy of the new OS in the last couple of days due to early shipping because of the postal strikes, hundreds queued up last night for a midnight launch at PC World's flagship store.

Amazon has reported record pre-orders, so it will be interesting to see how long before Microsoft reveals official figures.

Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Operating Systems Video Advertising

VIDEO: Windows 7 launches with new ad originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:20:38 +0100

Google has moved in to steal Bing's thunder by announcing it will be adding tweets to its search pages.

"At Google, our goal is to create the most comprehensive, relevant and fast search in the world. In the past few years, an entirely new type of data has emerged", Marissa Mayer, vice president of Search Products and User Experience said in a blog post before confirming:

"Given this new type of information and its value to search, we are very excited to announce that we have reached an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results".

However unlike Bing's?offering, which went live earlier on Wednesday, Google's won't be live for a couple of months according to Mayer:

"We look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months".

Earlier on Friday, Microsoft confirmed that it would be bringing Twitter and Facebook status updates to its search engine, bing.com.?

"We have two deals to announce", said the demo man at the Web 2.0 summit conference. "The first is Twitter, which will be going live in the beta straight away, the second is Facebook which will come later".

Both systems will access all public data, leaving direct messages secure and out of sight.?The tweets will, however, be vetted for quality and factor in a number of features including quality of tweet, the length and relevancy of the tweet, the Twitter users social standing (ie number of followers) as well as the tweet is being re-tweeted.

Search it seems, just went real-time.

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Tags: Software Online Google Twitter Bing Microsoft

Google shouts "me too" with twitter search deal originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:21:49 +0100

After all the hullabaloo, Windows 7, Microsoft's new operating system, is now here. Finally you can now officially ditch Windows Vista or Windows XP once and for all. But why should you spend ?79.99 on getting it? Here are seven reasons why you should and one reason you shouldn't.

Faster

Windows Vista is, was, and always will be, a dog to run. It needs plenty of RAM, needs plenty of processor power and isn't netbook friendly. One of the biggest reasons the software was hated so much was people tried to run it on machines that just weren't powerful enough. The good news is Windows 7 doesn't suffer from the same afflictions. It's a lean mean operating system and that means it's netbook and old computer friendly. Huzzzah.

Cleaner

While the Mac boys will tell you that you should still feel dirty for using Microsoft, the Windows 7 interface has had a massive overhaul making it a lot cleaner on the eye. The task bar has been improved, the graphics are now tidier, and the overall look and feel much more "Mac". Microsoft has come a long way since the days of?Windows 3.11?and this iteration of the company's OS shows it.

Easier to use

Never thought you would hear us say that did you? But it's right, Windows 7 is easier to use. The company now tries to explain what it's doing rather than expecting you to have a degree in computing from Cambridge. The search has been vastly improved, the taskbar now makes sense, the device manager lets you know what's going on and where, and even the networking isn't the dog it once was.

Touch enabled

Those who like to get more touchy feely with their computers will love the fact that Windows 7 comes with touch support out of the box. Why should you care? Well if you've got a touch-enabled PC or laptop you can get involved with your fingers rather than just use your keyboard and mouse.

Media, media, media

The multimedia elements to Window 7 have also been enhanced. There is the Remote Media Streaming feature than lets you stream your music and video around the home or over the Internet as well as new services like Sky Player?that means Sky subscribers can stream Sky via the Media Center without the need for a TV or even a Sky box.

64-bit support

64-bit computing means you should, all being well, get things done faster as a 64-bit PC can handle larger amounts of information than a 32-bit system. Bring on the speed.

Windows XP mode

It's like you never installed Windows 7. While Microsoft says that you can run virtually all applications on the new OS, you just know that there is going to be one app you've got, most likely your favourite one, that won't. In steps Windows XP mode that allows you to run XP as a virtual machine so that one old programme can still work.

And finally why you shouldn't...

It's made by Microsoft - just kidding.

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Related links:

• link - Microsoft.com

Tags: Software PC software Microsoft Windows 7 Operating Systems Features

Seven reasons to buy Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:47:55 +0100

Microsoft's digital head Qi Lu has confirmed, as rumoured earlier today, that it has signed a non-exclusive deal with Twitter and Facebook to provide status updates to its Bing search engine.

The two new services will allow users to use Bing to search tweets in real-time posted on the micro-blogging service.

"We have two deals to announce", said the demo man at the Web 2.0 summit conference. "The first is Twitter, which will be going live in the beta straight away, the second is Facebook which will come later".

Both systems will access all public data, leaving direct messages secure and out of sight.

The tweets will, however, be vetted for quality and factor in a number of features including quality of tweet, the length and relevancy of the tweet, the twitter users social standing (ie number of followers) as well as the tweet is being re-tweeted.

Users will be able to search tweets via a real-time stream as well as a cloud trending option.

Microsoft has also said that it will strip out bit.ly links turning them back into full url's so users can see what the domain is before clicking on it.

The beta, which can be accessed via bing.com/twitter should be live in the next hour.?

UPDATE: Google has now said that it will be offering Twitter status updates as well.

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Tags: Software Online Social networking Search engines Microsoft Twitter Facebook Bing

Twitter comes to Bing originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:45:55 +0100

Sky today showed off their Sky Player integrated to Windows 7 which will appear as a tile in the TV section of Media Centre.

The aim is to provide a seamless experience as a value-added benefit for existing Sky subscribers, but also as a subscription package for non-subscribers. Prices were not confirmed at the event, but we'd guess it will follow the "from" ?15 a month or ?0.98 on-demand offering in the existing service.?

Sky also confirmed you won't have to commit to long-term contracts and that you'll be able to dip in for pay-per-view events as you wish.?

You'll be able to watch live Sky content, with the channels reflecting your subscription package, or access content on demand.

All content is streamed, however, and unlike the BBC iPlayer content is not stored locally, so you can't download films to watch on your travels and you won't be able to access the service outside the UK.

High-definition content will not be available on the service, with Sky saying that they were concentrating on offering a good standard-definition experience before looking at HD.

The date has not yet been confirmed, but we know that the Sky Player service is launching on the Xbox 360 on 27 October, so we'd expect it to appear in Windows 7 soon after.

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Tags: Home Cinema Software Sky Microsoft Windows 7 Sky Player Video

VIDEO: Sky Player in Windows 7 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:00:00 +0100

Microsoft is about to sign up both Twitter and Facebook in a non-exclusive deal to help improve the Bing search engine.

The deal, which will see both sites integrate their real-time feed of status updates into the Bing search engine is, if true, expected to give Microsoft's fledgling offering a massive boost in the real time search game.

According to All Things Digital "sources, Microsoft (MSFT) digital head Qi Lu will announce the deal onstage in a few hours at the Web 2.0 Summit".

Although the article states that neither offering is expected to be up and running for weeks if not months, it does expect Qi Lu to demo the new project at the conference.

However, the article also states that any deal is expected to be non-exclusive suggesting that similar offerings could be coming to Google as well.

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Tags: Software Twitter Bing Facebook Social networking Search engines Microsoft Biz

Twitter and Facebook Status updates coming to Bing originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:50:13 +0100

To celebrate the forthcoming Windows 7 release, PC World has announced that it will be discounting some of its hardware as well as Window 7 itself.

Perhaps one for the more enthusiastic among you this deal begins at the PC World Tottenham Court Road shop from midnight on 21 October.

Toshiba and Dell laptops are included in the discounts as well as the Packard Bell iXtreme quad core PC, which will be available with up to ?150 off the RRP.

PC World is also doing a trade-in offer for all UK customers which will mean an entitlement to ?100 off any laptop when you hand in your old one.

In terms of the Windows 7 discount, it'll possibly mean queuing up outside the shop, as it's only the first 200 who are entitled to the half price offer.

Cameron McMillan, manager of the PC World Tottenham Court Road store comments: "This is well worth staying up late for. By opening the doors at midnight our customers will not only be the first in the country to get hold of this fantastic new operating system but will also be able to advantage of some amazing deals in-store".

So if you're not a student (who've already had their opportunity to pick the new OS at a discount) you live in London and don't have work in the morning, this could be for you...

Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Operating Systems PC World Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: Windows 7 half price originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0100

Amazon.co.uk has revealed that Windows 7 is now the biggest grossing pre-order product of all-time, having eclipsed? pre-orders of both "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and the Nintendo Wii.

"The launch of Windows 7 has superseded everyone's expectations, storming ahead of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' as the biggest-grossing pre-order product of all-time at Amazon.co.uk, and demand is still going strong", says Brian McBride, MD of Amazon.co.uk.??? ?

"Over the past three months, only Dan Brown's 'The Lost Symbol' has sold more copies than Windows 7 which is an incredible achievement for a Software product".

Amazon says it sold more pre-order copies of Windows 7 in the first 8 hours of its release than Windows Vista managed in its entire pre-order period, stats echoed by the DSGi group.

Tags: Software Windows 7 Amazon Statistics shopping Microsoft

Windows 7 beats pre-order records at Amazon.co.uk originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:37:06 +0100

It's being reported that Google is planning to launch a music service imminently. A number of sources quoted by TechCrunch are saying that the company is securing content from major labels, and one source has named the offering "Google Audio".

At a time when the whole world and its dog are launching music services, it's unclear whether the music platform will be download-based like iTunes, streaming-based like Spotify and Pandora, or a hybrid of the two like Napster and Sky Songs. It'll be available to "at least" the US, but we'd predict that it'd be limited to the States for the time being - licensing of tracks in multiple territories is a real headache.

Google already has a music service in China that allows users to download tracks for free, and it has a music search engine that can be accessed by putting "music:" before a query in the search box. Songs accessed that way aren't available to listen to, however.

This is a breaking story and we'll bring you more news as it arrives.

Thanks to Alan for the tip.

Update: A little trawling has revealed that Google Audio popped up in 2006 on the company's job search boards. There were talks at the time with major labels, but nothing came of it. Could it be that Google decided the industry wasn't ready back then, and it is now?

Update II: TechCrunch is now reporting that iLike and Lala will be partnering with Google on this one, and it'll allow users to stream songs from search results. There'll also be the option to buy downloads. Seems like an odd move to us, especially as current streaming options from both iLike and Lala are very limited, but perhaps there's more to it. We'll keep you posted.

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Tags: Audio Music Online Google Music downloads Google Audio Rumours Spotify Napster Pandora Sky Microsoft

Google launching music service? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:03:09 +0100

Those that pre-ordered Windows 7 are already seeing their copies drop through their letter box as the US software giant has been forced to ship early due to the threat of postal strikes here in the UK.

Microsoft has authorised retailer PC World to send out copies of the OS ahead of its general release date of 22 October, with customers receiving their discs days ahead of the due date.

"October 22nd sees both the launch of Windows 7 and a planned postal strike in the UK. ?In order to minimise the impact on customers, Microsoft has authorised those partners who participated in the pre-order programme to ship Windows 7 to those customers who pre-ordered it." A Microsoft spokesperson told Pocket-lint.

Other retailers have apparently been given the go ahead to do similar with Microsoft stating it is "aware of the planned postal strike and has taken action to minimise impact on those customers who pre-ordered their copies of Windows 7".

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Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 PC World Operating Systems

Windows 7 ships early to avoid postal strike originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:56:33 +0100

If a rose by any other name would have smelled as sweet then we'd all be looking forward to the launch of Interlace Manager 7 this week. That was how it all began for Microsoft's projected in 1981 when Windows was first under development. Fortunately, by the time Windows 1.0 was released in 1985 someone clever soul had thought a slightly more consumer focused name might be better. They were right. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Windows 1.0 (1985)

Initially, Windows was little more than operating environment add-on for DOS. MS DOS Executive was another of its names that fell by the wayside but it more accurately described the user friendly GUI addition to computing. Microsoft had worked on the early Apple computers - prior to the Macs - on their desktop accessories and much of the Windows look was licensed from Apple. There could be no overlapping of windows, so tiling was used to put them side by side instead, and there was no trash can either, as implemented in the Apple OS. Despite the addition of some familiar faces in the shape of Calculator, Calendar, Cardfile, Clipboard Viewer, Clock, Control Panel, Notepad, Paint, Reversi, Terminal and the Word predecessor, Write, there was no great popularity for the system.

Windows 2.0 (1987)

Two years on, the second iteration was fundamentally about improvements to the memory management and the interface itself; two of the most important areas of any OS. Windows 2.0 opened up the expanded memory for programs to use which was normally saved for running peripherals. It meant greater ability to multi-task and it began to look more like the real picture with Microsoft sneaking overlapping windows into the design. The system introduced new keyboard shortcuts and the now famous Excel and Word applications. The real boost to the OS though was that the hugely popular desktop publishing software AldusPagemaker was released in a Windows variant. It was the first major piece of third party software to come in both Windows and Mac and is the moment many historians herald as the turning point for Microsoft. The system was now, on one level, an equal to Apple's.

Windows 3.0, 3.1 & 3.11 (1990)

Windows 3.0 was the first success for Microsoft in the commercial sense. The company had re-written critical operations in Assembly rather than C making them lighter and faster and the introduction of virtual memory and VGA cards meant a more efficient, more powerful and more graphic capable platform. Virtual memory was able to trick applications into thinking that they were using large blocks of address space when it was actually fragmented and often spilled into the storage disk rather than just using the RAM. It meant Windows could successfully run more programs at once. The system was also flexible at the same time, meaning that if you would rather offer applications the protection of running in one block them you could automatically assign specific space for that too. Windows 3.0 sold 2 million copies in its first six months rising to 10 million over the next 18.

3.1 was released in reaction to IBM's OS/2 2.0 operating system software that had initially been a joint venture with Microsoft. It contained the same bug fixes and multimedia support. By the time 3.11 came out Microsoft had made sure they'd seen off the threat from IBM and Windows had gone 32-bit.

Over the same period Microsoft had been added more and more Appley features to their OS until the former employer sued the company under 189 charges relating to the Apple "look and feel" of Windows. Of those, 179 were dismissed and the last 10 were deemed ideas that were simply non-copyrightable.

Windows 95 (1995)

10 years down the line and it was time for a serious facelift. Windows 95, originally codenamed Chicago, saw a significant step in the GUI as well as offering impressive under the hood improvements too. It introduced pre-emptive multi-tasking into the operating system which was a way to ensure that each application gets a fair chunk of the CPU while it's trying to run. It's possible because of an interrupt mechanism which can suspend apps already in execution and order their power resource demands. Every 32-bit program was now also given a separate address space meaning that one bad program wouldn't bring the whole system crashing down. Through these two advances Windows was now much more stable than before.

The great addition from the user end was Plug and Play which made the previous driver hunts a lot less important along with a lot of CD-ROMs that came with various bits of peripheral kit. The system allowed for automatic detection and installation of hardware with considerably less faff than ever before on PCs. File names could now be as ling as 250 characters and the supported RAM on Windows 95 was up to 512MB with a virtual effect of 2GB. DOS was pretty much altogether bypassed and now just used as a boot loading device.

Windows 98 (1998)

Despite better support fir the FAT-32 file system, new hardware drivers and allowances for disk partitions larger than 2GB, Windows 98 was heavily criticised for its slowness and unreliability compared to the previous release. Most of the problems were cleaned up by the second edition one year later but there was further controversy in the GUI with Internet Explorer's integration into the design and into Windows Explorer. It eventually lead to the accusation that Microsoft was abusing its position as the OS at the expense of the waning browser competition that was Netscape Navigator. Ultimately, the case has had little effect on the success of either company and eventually Windows 98 was appreciated by consumers the world over.

Windows ME (2000)

The Millennium Edition, on the other hand, never received a lot of love. Much like Windows Phone today, the turn of time OS was more of a stop gap than anything else while plans were afoot to merge the Windows business line, Windows NT, with the consumer stream. Essentially, it had the same core as Windows 98 but had adopted many of the features of the latest in the NT range - the very popular Windows 2000. It had enhanced multimedia and internet capabilities with the introduction of Windows Movie Maker as well as Universal Plug and Play which allowed for a far more seamless, automatic approach for connecting network devices. You could no longer boot the OS into DOS and it was the last version not to include the online Product Activation system. ME was lambasted for its instability and often referred to with alternative acronyms like Mistake Edition but perhaps its one moment in the sun was the introduction of System Restore which still exists today and works very well so long as you remember to use it.

Windows XP (2001)

Codenamed Whistler, XP was the Microsoft's messiah in the unification of their business and consumer OS products. Until now, Windows NT had been running very successfully alongside since 1994 and had been the company's answer when the OS/2 project with IBM had fallen apart. The problem was that NT's increasingly complex structure became harder and harder for developers to write for and eventually they stopped bothering as it was for a relatively small percentage of the market. Seeing as operating systems with no drivers aren't of much use, the new approach of one OS with several variants was added which is why we got Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional. XP even inherited the NT5.2 kernel at its core and, after several service pack updates, became not only secure and stable but also the longest lasting Windows OS, selling from 2001-2007.

Windows Vista (2006)

Releasing the software to the commercial sector first was never going to be much of a hearts and minds campaign for what has become one of Microsoft's most contentious operating systems. When codename Longhorn was finally given to the public at the beginning of 2007 with a brand new GUI just to upset more people, it got on the end of some very harsh reviews indeed. As well as introducing the Windows AERO look with its more powerful, more efficient and aesthetic designs, Vista also had a strong focus on security. The administrator had always been the default user on a PC and that was now switched to a rather irritating system of passwords and user management that, although certainly safe, didn't really help matters.

There was a new version of IE, Windows Media Player, a new generation of games like Mahjong and despite all the troubles, it still outsold XP in its equivalent first month with 20 million copies leaving the shelves. However, in a survey of businesses, only 8% were satisfied with the product compared to the 41% that had been happy with XP. There were reports of many users downgrading back to Windows XP but the one group who were pleased with the new system was the gamers. Vista was the first to include DirectX 10 which offered them even better graphic fun than ever before.

Windows 7 (2009)

Curiously, the 8th consumer release of the Microsoft OS, Windows 7 is in fact very similar to its predecessor but with just enough refinements and some time to get used to the AERO GUI. It was codenamed both Blackcomb and Vienna, has none of the user account issues of Vista and predominantly comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. It has a significantly faster boot time, better power management options for notebook users and has also gone multi-touch. So far, throughout all the beta tests, and RC versions, there have been no real complaints. The only issue is perhaps the ever-growing number of variants, now standing at six.

Windows 8 (?)

Barely have we tasted 7 and already there is a smattering of rumours about Windows 8. There's only two things to go on but both should raise an eyebrow each - 128-bit computing and cloud-optimised operating system. Certainly should keep us talking.

Related links:

• News - Windows 8 and 9 could go 128-bit
• Feature - Quick guide to Windows Mobile 6.5 - Windows Phone
• Review - Microsoft Windows 7 - First Look review

Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 8 Windows 98 Operating Systems Features Windows 7 Windows XP Windows Vista Windows ME

A brief history of Microsoft Windows originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:41:25 +0100

After a roll-out to 19 countries, Microsoft has revealed some stats relevant to the release of its Security Essentials security software.

In the first week Microsoft saw well over 1.5 million downloads of the security suite, but admits "the price (free to Windows users) is hard to beat!"

As far as successful detections goes, Microsoft says up to 6 October it's seen almost four million detections on 535,752 distinct machines.

In terms of the OS split, 33% of downloads were to XP machines, 23% to PCs running Vista and a whopping 44% of downloads were on machines running Windows 7.

Microsoft says overall its seem "far more detections per XP machine, with the fewest from Windows 7". ?

Ahead of the general release of Windows 7 on 22 October Microsoft states: "this follows our usual observed trend of seeing less malware on newer OSes and service packs".?

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Tags: Software Microsoft Security software Viruses And Malware Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials sees 1.5 million downloads originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:50:10 +0100

If you've got an unauthorised Xbox 360 memory unit, then you might want to think about getting an official one ASAP - the forthcoming software update for the console will render it inoperable.

Xbox Live's Major Nelson posted on his blog that "one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360", adding "If you continue to use an unauthorized Memory Unit after the update, you will not be able to access your stored profile or saved games".

If you have a hard-disk equipped 360 then it's not too big a deal - just shift everything onto your hard drive - but if not then you'll need to buy a licensed unit instead and copy the data across. To know whether it's licensed or not, you need a stamp that says "Licensed for Xbox 360" somewhere on the device or its packaging.

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Related links:

• News - Eye-Fi wireless memory cards to launch in the UK

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Memory cards Microsoft Software updates

Xbox 360 update blocks unlicensed memory units originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:24:40 +0100

In a happy, if unexpected, twist to the Sidekick data-loss fiasco, Microsoft has confirmed that it's managed to recover pretty much everything.

Roz Ho, Microsoft's VP of Premium Mobile Experiences, posted on the Sidekick forums that the company has managed to get back "most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage".

That'll come as a pleasant surprise to many users, but it could also disappoint others who'd already decided what they were going to buy with the $100 T-Mobile gift card that was being offered as compensation.

Contacts will be restored first, then calendar entries, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores in that order. Microsoft has also changed its data management policies to try and prevent anything similar from occurring again.

Microsoft has also revealed what went wrong - in broad terms at least - "the outage was caused by a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up".

All's well that ends well?

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones T-Mobile Danger Sidekick Microsoft

"Most, if not all" Sidekick data now recovered originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:51:45 +0100

Microsoft has, just like earlier in the year, offered its users the chance to take a look at the forthcoming dashboard upgrade a little early in the hope of getting rid of any bugs that testers might not have spotted.

The next version of the dashboard will have, as previously reported, integration with Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm, as well as the Zune video marketplace and its associated instant-on 1080p high definition streaming. Here in the UK, we'll also be getting the Sky Player. For most of that lot, though, you'll need an Xbox Gold subscription.

If you'd like to sign up, you'll need to be in an Xbox LIVE region, know your console ID, ISP, make and model of your TV and router, and how you connect your Xbox to your network and your TV. Even then, there's no guarantee that you'll get in - Microsoft is being picky about who gets early access.

If you still feel like trying your chances, then head over to the Xbox Live Update Preview and fill in all your details. Good luck!

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Related links:

• News - Sky Player coming to Xbox 360 in October?

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Xbox Live Microsoft Facebook Twitter Lastfm Sky

Xbox 360 Dashboard preview program reopens originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:11:31 +0100

Getting excited about the forthcoming release of DJ Hero? Well hit play on the vid-box above to see a new promo for the music-themed game.

As most of you will know, DJ Hero is a turntable-based take on the current crop of popular music games.

DJ Hero promises to "transform players into DJs who rule the club scene by creating original mixes of popular songs and music from the world's most exciting artists and DJs".

The game - and controller - is due for release in the UK on 30 October. Amazon's currently got a pre-order going on for ?89.99.

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 DJ Hero Music games Advertising Video Microsoft Activision

VIDEO: New DJ Hero ad revealed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:18:38 +0100

A new advert from Microsoft for its mobile platform sees the software giant pushing the "Windows Phone" branding that's gone live with the release of the 6.5 OS.?

Promoting the HTC Pure - this version of the ad is for AT&T in the States - some commentators argue the ad could be a little misleading in suggesting Windows Phone is a product, rather than a platform.

Hit play now to see the new clip, complete with app icons in white tights, and let us know if you think it's a classic or a clunker in the comments box below.

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Tags: Phones Advertising Microsoft Windows Phone Windows Mobile Video HTC

VIDEO: Microsoft pushes Windows Phone in new ad originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:43:27 +0100

Microsoft has announced that it's adding three titles to its range of Xbox 360 Classics, and that range is getting a price cut. From 9 October, immigrant adventure Grand Theft Auto IV, street racer Midnight Club Los Angeles: Complete Edition and undersea escape fps BioShock.

The titles join a whole raft of other big hits for the console, including Halo 3, Gears of War, Forza Motorsport 2, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Mass Effect. All will henceforth be available for ?15.

Ubisoft has also seen fit to cut the price of some of its games. Splinter Cell Double Agent, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Naruto: Rise of a Ninja will all be available for 15 quid too. Very useful if you've just got an Xbox but don't want to spend a fortune on games.

Want a quote? Of course you do. John Parkes, EMEA marketing director at Ubisoft, told us: "We are happy to bring some our best IPS to this Classics range, these titles offer some of the best gaming experiences, now made available for even more people to enjoy".

Microsoft's Classics range has been available for several years and originally cost ?25 for the best-selling titles.

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Related links:

• News - Christmas 2009: The year the Xbox 360 should rule the roost

Tags: Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Bioshock GTA

Microsoft adds three titles to Xbox 360 Classics range originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:42:17 +0100

Microsoft has announced that it's dumping its Office-lite software, Microsoft Works, in favour of an ad-supported "Office Starter 2010". The idea is that PC makers will install the full version of Office on computers they sell, but that users will be subject to advertising and reduced features until they purchase a license for the software.

Buying that full version will be made easier, too. Instead of selling a big box, retailers will instead carry a plastic card with a license number inside - you can enter the number and your software will be unlocked. Only Word and Excel will be available in the ad-supported version.

This appears to be a "win" for all concerned. Light users get a functional MS Office, without all the functions that heavy users need but which they probably wouldn't use. Microsoft get revenue from those light users - a source of cash that wasn't previously open to them. Retailers get an easier way to sell office, and heavy users get the benefits of more features from the new cash rolling in.

What this means for Office Web Apps, though, remains to be seen - it could harm its development. We'll keep you posted of further info.

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Related links:

• News - Office 2010 Web Apps go live...
• Via - Betanews

Tags: Software Office software Microsoft Microsoft Office 2010

Microsoft introduces Office Starter 2010 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:26 +0100

It's being reported that Twitter is currently in mega-money talks with Microsoft and Google, discussing using Twitter content in searches separately with each search giant.

All Things D reports: "According to sources familiar with the situation - Twitter is in advanced talks with Microsoft and Google separately about striking data-mining deals, in which the companies would license a full feed from the microblogging service that could then be integrated into the results of their competing search engines".

Microsoft's Bing already encompasses some Twitter content in its results while Google recently announced Hot Trends that offers real-time results for popular search terms, so it's a little unclear at this stage what the talks may result in.

All Thing D's sources say "a number of scenarios are being discussed to compensate Twitter for its huge and potentially valuable trove of real-time and content-sharing information, generated from the data stream of billions of tweets from its 54 million monthly users".

We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Software Websites Twitter Google Microsoft Biz Rumours Search engines Social networking

Twitter in talks with Microsoft, Google originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:00:50 +0100

Microsoft's follow ups to its soon-to-be-released Windows 7 operating system are already in development, and the first nuggets of information about the software packages are starting to appear. It looks like the operating systems could feature 128-bit support.

A LinkedIn profile for a Microsoft employee called Robert Morgan included the phrase: "Research & Development projects including 128bit architecture compatibility with the Windows 8 kernel and Windows 9 project plan". It also added: "Robert Morgan is working to get IA-128 working backwards with full binary compatibility on the existing IA-64 instructions in the hardware simulation to work for Windows 8 and definitely Windows 9".

Windows 7 is reckoned by many to be the last Microsoft OS that'll support 32-bit technologies. If Windows 8 adds 128-bit support in addition to 64-bit then Microsoft looks to be moving considerably faster to the next level than it has with 32-bit.

We'll bring you more on Windows 8 and Windows 9 as it arrives.

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Related links:

• News - Five Windows Mobile 6.5 phones to watch out for

Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 8 Windows 9 Operating Systems

Windows 8 and 9 could go 128-bit originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:52:08 +0100

Back in April, Microsoft declared that Windows Mobile 6.5 would offer "Tellme" functionality via a side button that would let users control their phones with their voice.

Fast forward to now as handsets with the new mobile operating system become available and it seems it's not something manufacturers have jumped on whole-heartedly.

However, the new Samsung Intrepid - that will launch on Sprint in the States - will offer such voice control: "This new interface will allow you to search the Web with Bing by speaking your search query, compose a text message or even dial a contact by simply talking instead of typing".

Hit play now to see a demo, which does not look that much quicker than doing the deed with your fingers, but who are we to judge...

Tags: Phones Samsung Sprint Microsoft Windows Mobile Windows Phone Video Bing

VIDEO: Windows Mobile 6.5 Tellme function demoed street-style originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:31:11 +0100

Seemingly giving up on the bigger picture as far as hardware goes, Microsoft is considering offering its Zune software and services to other platforms, ZDNet reports.

The whisper is a credible one - it comes direct from Jose Pinero, director of communications for Microsoft's TV, video and music business. "We are evaluating a lot of options in terms of platforms", Pinero confirmed to ZDNet.

As well as devices from smaller players, this possible Zune offering is reported to include Apple's iPods, in a strategy said to be "under active consideration".

The logic goes that die-hard PC users may prefer using the Zune software on their Windows PCs, or the subscription-based model might appeal to those currently buying their songs piece-meal.

Pinero also confirmed that Microsoft is looking to bring the Zune music and video service to Windows Mobile phones. "Our next step is mobile phones, but we haven't talked about a timeline for when that will happen", Pinero said.

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Tags: Audio Software Microsoft Zune Apple iPod Music software Phones Zune HD

Zune services considered for iPods, other platforms originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:17:37 +0100

Microsoft should expect it to be an Xbox 360 Christmas this year if search queries for the games console are anything to go by.

Although the launch of the PS3 Slim caused a massive spike of interest according to search analytics firm Hitwise, Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is consistently ranking highly in searches suggesting its popularity will be strong come the Christmas rush.

"For most of 2009 the Microsoft Xbox 360 has been the most searched for games console in the UK, while the popularity of the Nintendo consoles has waned significantly", says Robin Goad, Hitwise UKs research director.

Good news for Sony is that its PS3 has maintained second place throughout most of year while Nintendo has struggled following its massive success in 2008.

Without the Wii Fit to dominate Christmas wish lists, as it did last Holiday season, Xbox 360 games are the most popular options, after all-format titles, picking up 11.9% of searches according to the firm.?

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Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Sony Hitwise Nintendo Survey

Christmas 2009: The year the Xbox 360 should rule the roost originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:31:44 +0100

Microsoft has officially launched Windows 6.5 or Windows Phone to you and me on Tuesday, but what phones can you get with the new operating system and what phone can you upgrade?

If you've already bought a HTC Touch Diamond II, HTC Touch Pro II, HTC Snap S552 or Toshiba TG01 WP, you can upgrade today via the HTC and Toshiba websites bringing you all the new features without having to buy a new handset.

If you want to upgrade your handset, here is the official list from Redmond of what you can get your hands on now and in the near future:

New handsets in the UK

• HTC Touch II from T-Mobile and Carphone Warehouse
• HTC Touch HD II from O2 and Carphone Warehouse
• LG GM750 from Vodafone
• Samsung Omnia II and Samsung Omnia Lite from Carphone Warehouse
• Samsung Omnia Pro - B7730 from Carphone Warehouse on 30 October?
• Sony Ericsson X2 from Vodafone on 30 October?
• Samsung Omnia Pro B7610 from O2 on 30 November

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New handsets in North America

• HTC Pure from AT&T
• HTC Imagio from Verizon Wireless
• Samsung Intrepid from Sprint, available 11 Oct, 2009
• HTC Tilt 2 from AT&T, available in the coming weeks

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In Europe

• MDA Vario V, MDA Compact V and HTC Touch2 and the Samsung Omnia II from Deutsche Telekom in select European markets
• HTC HD2 from Orange, available in the coming weeks in France
• HTC Touch2 from Orange, available in the coming weeks in France, Spain, Switzerland and Romania
• A software update for the HTC Touch Pro2 from Orange, available in the coming weeks in France, U.K. and Romania
• Samsung Omnia II from Orange, available in the coming weeks in Poland, Switzerland and Slovakia and from early December in France
• Samsung Omnia LITE from Orange, available in the coming weeks in France and Spain
• Samsung Omnia PRO B7320 from Orange, available in the coming weeks in France and the U.K.
• Toshiba TG01 W from Orange, available as an update to the TG01 in the coming weeks in France, the U.K., Switzerland and Romania
• LG GM750 and Samsung Omnia II from SFR in France?
• TMN Bluebelt 2 and TMN Silverbelt, made by ZTE Corp., from TMN in Portugal
• Samsung Omnia II and Omnia LITE from TMN in Portugal
• HTC Touch Diamond2 from Vodafone in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, South Africa and Central Europe
• HTC Touch Pro2 from Vodafone in the U.K. and Switzerland
• LG GM750 from Vodafone in Germany, the U.K., Spain and the Netherlands?

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In Latin America

• Samsung Omnia available in the coming weeks from TIM Brasil

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Open market in Europe:

• Samsung Omnia II, Omnia LITE, Omnia PRO B7320, Omnia PRO B7330 and Omnia PRO B7610 available in October

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In Asia

• ZTE X60 from China Unicom
• HTC Touch Diamond2 from Telstra

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Open market in Asia

• Acer beTouch E100, beTouch E101, beTouch E200 and Acer neoTouch
• Garmin-ASUS n?vifone M20 ?
• HTC Snap, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC Touch Diamond2 and HTC Touch2
• LG GM730 and LG GM550
• Samsung Omnia II and Samsung Omnia PRO B7320, Omnia PRO B7330

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Handsets that can be upgraded from 6.1 to 6.5

• HTC Touch Diamond II from T-Mobile and Carphone Warehouse?
• HTC Touch Pro II from Vodafone on 14 October
• HTC Snap S552?
• Toshiba TG01 WP from Orange

Related links:

• Link - HTC

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Microsoft Windows Phone Windows Mobile HTC Samsung LG Orange T-Mobile AT and T Sony Ericsson

Microsoft Windows Phones: What phones are available originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:18:39 +0100

VMware, the company behind the software package that allows you to run Windows on a Mac, has announced it will be launching its latest version, VMware Fusion 3, at the end of October.

According to the company, the package that launches on the 27 October will add over 50 new features and is "the best way to run Windows on a Mac", including a strong focus on letting you run games on the ungame friendly Mac OS.

Key highlights will be Snow Leopard support and the ability to run all versions of the new Windows 7 OS from Microsoft.

However, the company is also promising easier switching options and the ability to support OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c to run games without rebooting the machine.

The new software package will cost $79.99 or $39.99 for users wishing to upgrade.

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Tags: Gaming Software Apple VMware VMware Fusion 3 Windows Windows 7 Microsoft

VMware Fusion 3 brings gaming to Mac, proper originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:46:12 +0100

Interesting stats just in from the NPD Group's 2009 Household Penetration Study in the States show that most US Mac-owning households are more gadgeted up than the average, with 48 consumer electronics devices compared to the average PC computer household that owns about 24.

And, despite the companies behind the systems trying to create a marketing division between PC users and Mac users, it seems that 85% of all Mac users also own a PC.

12% of US households have Macs, according to the data, up from 9% in 2008. And it seems those with Macs own quite a bit more gadgetry on the whole with 66% owning more than three computers, compared to 29% for PC-only homes.

72% of Mac owners also own a netbook, compared to 50% for PC owners, 63% of Mac owners have an iPod, compared to the 36% average and 50% own a GPS device, again compared to a 30% norm.

"While Apple owners tend to own more computers and more electronics devices, there is also a high correlation among Apple owners and more affluent consumer households", explains Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis.?

36% of Apple computer owners reported household incomes greater than $100,000, compared to 21% of all consumers.

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Tags: Hardware Apple Microsoft NPD Statistics

US Mac users have more gadgets and money originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:22:24 +0100

It may not have been quite the upgrade Microsoft had conceived of with the company's initial route map for 2009 but the launch of Windows Phone/Windows Mobile 6.5 today comes with no less ceremony. Naturally, an operating system is all very well and good so, here are some of the first flush of Windows phones to show it off.

HTC Touch2

Samsung Omnia II (i8000)

LG GM750

Toshiba TG01

HTC HD2

Related links:

• Feature - Quick guide to Windows Mobile 6.5 - Windows Phone
• News - HTC HD2 coming this month with Sense UI

Tags: Phones Windows Mobile Windows Phone Operating Systems Mobile phone apps Mobile phones Windows Marketplace Microsoft HTC Samsung TG01 Omnia II Omnia LITE LG HTC HD2 HTC Touch2 Features

Five Windows Mobile 6.5 phones to watch out for originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:05:00 +0100

Newly revealed designs from Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group and Microsoft Research bring the world five new input devices - presented as the Mouse 2.0 - that combine mousing abilities with multi-touch capabilities.

"Our goal is to enrich traditional pointer-based desktop interactions with touch and gestures. To chart the design space, we present five different multi-touch mouse implementations - the Arty Mouse, Cap Mouse, FTIR Mouse, Orb Mouse and Side Mouse", says the team.

Hit play now to see the different touch applications in action, as well as the different form factors your future mouse might well take...

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Tags: Hardware Mice And Keyboards Concepts Microsoft Video Microsoft Research

VIDEO: Microsoft's Mouse 2.0 concepts originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:18:53 +0100

Want to know what all the fuss is about? Read our quick guide to find out more about what the changes are, what they mean, and how they affect you. We'll also give you a run down of the good and bad points.

What is Windows Phone?

It's the rebranded name of Windows Mobile. As part of Microsoft's long term strategy the company has chosen to ditch the Windows Mobile title as of the release of version 6.5 and just refer to it as Windows Phone. On the one hand it's supposed to simplify the OS and extend the software to handsets such that people refer to them as Windows phones but it's also not a bad way to try to drop some of the stink surrounding what has never quite been the platform that it could be. It also helps to refer to the operating system as something in its own right like the iPhone OS rather than being a squished down, mobile version of what you get on a full size PC.

What's changed from Windows Mobile 6.1?

Sadly not as much as we'd all like. Windows Mobile 6.5 was announced back in February at Mobile World Congress but only as a stop gap while the delayed Windows Mobile 7 was put back to 2010. As a result, there is no multi-touch to keep the Windows phones up with the likes of Android, S60 and iPhone and you still have to use a stylus for certain applications. The biggest change is the GUI on the front of the system which has been simplified considerably, made much more user-friendly and more like the Zune interface. It's less fiddly and goes to an Android/iPhone/S60-like menu screen of three columns of app icons when you press start rather than folder expansion. Everything from e-mail to Bluetooth is now set up through better looking wizards and the whole thing is really targeted at users looking to make the step up from a feature phone to a smartphone. The back end of the software is largely the same.

What about apps? Do we finally get apps?

Yes indeed. Microsoft announced a codename project to go with 6.5 called SkyMarket which has in fact turned out to be the long awaited Windows Marketplace for Mobile expected to go live as the OS is launched. There are currently 731 developers working worldwide on more than 200 initial applications that will be available when the marketplace opens. Developers get a 70% cut of the profits after paying a $99 fee for a year's licence unless they're registered as students from Microsoft in which case the licence will be free.

Apps so far include a number of business solutions as well as Facebook, MySpace, Netflix, Twikini, WunderRadio, Zagat and games like Revenge of the Fallen, Sudoku, Transformers and the Pac-Man series. Browsing the Marketplace is a straight forward affair with the usual lists of genres and top sellers and the Zune-look menus also have a section for your operator's app store which is sure to please the networks if no one else.

What else?

Microsoft's mobile synching cloud service is the other main area of note which is known as My Phone. It's been in beta for 7 months but on launch users will get 200MB of storage where they can save SMS, contacts and images which they can also publish on Flickr, MySpace and Facebook straight from their phones. Much like another smartphone service out there, you'll also be able to remotely lock your phone should you lose it, locate it on a map from its last synch, send out a "please return to" message, make it ring even if on silent and, if all else fails, wipe the data. There will also be a premium service with more storage available.

The final update of significance is of the Internet Explorer mobile browser which works in a standard desktop view mode as well as a mobile format and there are other Microsoft applications you'll find on-board include Windows Live, Bing, Mobile Office Communicator and Microsoft Online Service (Exchange and SharePoint).

Good points and bad points

Well, it certainly looks better and the simplification and face lift appear to be a definite step in the right direction. The fact that 6.5 has come as a stop gap doesn't really help with the biggest disappointment of all the missing multi-touch and the fact that certain programs, such as Windows Media Player, still need the use of the stylus. HTC has added a multi-touch front to the OS but many of the applications like Explorer will still not support it. It's a fairly low cost option which should make it a competitive option for those making a step up and it will coexist in the market when Windows Phone 7 is released next year.

How do I get it

Unfortunately, you can't just upgrade your version of Windows Mobile 6.1. It would require an update of the firmware as sent by your operator who will not necessarily do this for free. Your handset might also not be able to cope with it but, of course, there are always more shady unofficial ways of making the switch yourself. For most, it will be a case of buying a specific handset. The platform will launch on the HTC Touch2 but there will also be Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola Windows Phones coming soon, as well as an upgrade for the HTC Touch HD Pro.

Tags: Phones Quick Guide Windows Mobile Windows Phone Operating Systems Mobile phone apps Mobile phones Windows Marketplace Microsoft

Quick guide to Windows Mobile 6.5 - Windows Phone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0100

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO has echoed comments by Bill Gates earlier in the year saying that Project Natal could make it in to the boardroom.

In an interview with the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, Ballmer told how "customers" are already asking for the new motion controlled bolt-on for the Xbox 360 in the boardroom:

"Initially you will see it just for gaming, but we are already getting customers saying that they could use it in their business, that it would be great in their conference room, so I am sure we will find other applications as well".

The comments show that Microsoft isn't just looking at motion controlled gaming, but possibly a new way to control our PCs in the future beyond touching a screen.

Back in July Bill Gates said that the company was considering camera-based controls for a future version of its Windows operating system.

Talking about future tech, Gates said: "I'd say a cool example of that, that you'll see... in a little over a year, is this (depth) camera thing".

Stating it was not just for games, Gates explained: "but for media consumption as a whole, and even if they connect it up to Windows PCs for interacting in terms of meetings, and collaboration, and communication".

"Both the Xbox guys and the Windows guys latched onto that and now ever since they latched onto it the idea of how it can be used in the office is getting much more concrete, and is pretty exciting".

The news follows Microsoft confirming that publishers actively working on games for “Project Natal” include Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, CAPCOM, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ and Ubisoft.

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Tags: Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Steve Ballmer Project Natal

Microsoft Project Natal not just for the boardroom originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:37:05 +0100

It's being reported that passwords for "thousands" of Hotmail accounts have leaked out online. An anonymous user posted details of over 10,000 accounts with user names running from A to B on a site called PasteBin, which is used by developers to share small chunks of code.

The details have been removed, but they covered @hotmail.com, @msn.com and @live.com accounts mostly based in Europe, according to Neowin, which says it saw a chunk of the list that was posted. It's believed that the passwords originate from phishing scams.

Given that the list covers just A and B, there's a good chance that C, D, E, etc lists exist too. If you're a Hotmail user, then it might be a good idea to go change your password, especially if you use it as your main email account. You should be changing it regularly, y'know.

Update: Google has confirmed that this problem is industry-wide.

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Related links:

• News - Laptops hacked by repair technicians

Tags: Software Online Email Hotmail Microsoft Hackers Rumours

Hotmail passwords leaked out online? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:13:35 +0100

Google could easily crank out a Chrome Frame for Firefox, in the same way that it has for Internet Explorer, according to Mozilla's VP Engineering, Mike Shaver. "The code is certainly there", he told Computerworld.

"But source code doesn't speak to intent", he added, indicating that he doesn't know whether such a plugin is in development at Google. The frame, which launched on 23 September for Internet Explorer, allows IE users to use the speedy WebKit rendering engine that Chrome itself uses.

Google has admitted that it launched Chrome Frame for Internet Explorer because it wasn't worth the time and bother to make Google Wave work nicely in IE6, which doesn't support HTML5 standards.

However, given that Firefox - and other browsers like Opera - support these standards, there'd be no need for Google to make Chrome Frame for those platforms, except for completeness' sake.

Shaver hopes that won't come to fruition: "I'd be unpleasantly surprised if Google did do a [Firefox] plug-in". "We wouldn't want Google to do for us what they did for Microsoft".

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Related links:

• News - Google Chrome Frame aims to bring IE6 kicking and screaming into today's web
• News - Microsoft warns of Chrome Frame security flaws

Tags: Software Online Google Firefox Mozilla Foundation Microsoft Chrome Google Chrome Frame Browsers

Google planning Chrome Frame for Firefox? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:11:47 +0100

In the States Verizon Wireless has announced the launch of its first Windows Mobile 6.5 device, the HTC Imagio.

Available from 6 October, the Imagio will be among the first of the Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets to market although it will still get HTC's TouchFLO 3D user interface.

The GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA Imagio offers a 3.6-inch touchscreen with a 800 x 480 resolution, a 5-megapixel camera with video recording, Wi-Fi connectivity and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

As a US launch, the Imagio will offer Verizon's MediaFLO-based mobile TV as an added extra for $15 a month.

The HTC Imagio is being offered by Verizon for $199.99 if customers sign up for 2 years and do a $100 mail-in rebate.

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Related links:

• News - Vodafone to offer HTC Tattoo from October

Tags: Phones Mobile phones HTC Verizon HTC Imagio Windows Mobile Windows Mobile Microsoft

HTC Imagio launches on Verizon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:21:22 +0100

Microsoft might not have the cool factor that Apple has, but today they are every student's best buddy.

The reason for this is that Microsoft is selling its soon-to-be-released (22 October) Windows 7 OS on pre-order for just ?30 to all students sporting an academic email address. Be warned though, the deal is only available until 3 January 2010.

Microsoft says: "Students will benefit from many of Windows 7's unique functions and applications which make PCs easier, simpler and more fun to use. For those students who have the latest laptops with touch screen technology, Windows 7 comes with enhanced capabilities for an enriched touch experience".

"Other features include remote media streaming, improved gaming experience, enhanced security and integration of Windows Media Centre for more central and convenient management of music, movies and photos".

There's a link below that'll take you through to the Microsoft Education site and we'll have another tech deal for you tomorrow.

Related links:

• Link - Microsoft

Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: Windows 7 student discount available now originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0100

Following the fiasco that was the Windows Vista logo programme, Microsoft has revealed plans for its "Compatible with Windows 7" logo programme.

The company says it has made "a number of changes" to both the logo criteria and the process of being granted a logo and the process for manufacturers, which has been made cheaper.

Designed to help customers "make better purchase decisions by identifying products that have passed Microsoft designed tests for compatibility and reliability with Windows 7", some 6000 products are already stickered up and ready to go.

Microsoft says logo-ed products should experience minimal crashes, hangs, and reboots, and now testing includes all versions of Windows 7 including 64-bit.

Windows 7 is due for general release on 22 October. We will keep you posted with all the news as we head towards that date.

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Tags: Software Microsoft Windows 7 Hardware

Microsoft announces Windows 7 logo programme originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:34:38 +0100

Microsoft's free antivirus package, "Microsoft Security Essentials", is now available to anyone, just over three months after it went into a beta test period in June that was limited to US users.

But now everyone can grab the bare-bones security package from Microsoft's website. It's a replacement from the company's paid-for OneCare package that never met with great success, being trumped by McAfee, Symantec and other companies whose products are preloaded on new computers.

Other companies, like AVG and Avast!, provide free antivirus software, and it's these that will likely be most hurt by Microsoft's move. Although some have accused McAfee, Symantec and Trend Micro of producing bloated software that consumes system resources, it's difficult to fault them on the strength of their protection.

Security Essentials is free, available now, and works on XP, Vista and Windows 7. There's a link to download it below.

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Related links:

• News - Microsoft's free antivirus software nears public release
• Link - Microsoft Security Essentials

Tags: Software Microsoft Viruses And Malware Security software PC software

Microsoft's free antivirus now available originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:23:46 +0100

Lenovo has begun the Windows 7 battle with a shot across the bows of other hardware manufacturers. The company is claiming that it has the fastest boot and shutdown times out there - it says that its ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktop PCs will boot Windows 7 56% faster than XP or Vista.

Fran O'Sullivan, Lenovo's SVP for the Think product group, said: "To achieve Windows 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience certification, Lenovo's technical team and developers have worked with Microsoft
during the making of Windows 7 to create an exceptionally-engineered hardware and software experience".

Lenovo took several steps to pump up the boot times. It contacted the driver for a "popular wireless device" that was causing trouble and demanded that they fix it. It hid certain devices from the BIOS so that the OS only loaded them when the boot had finished.

It did a similar thing with programs that autoload on Windows startup - relegating them until after Windows has booted up. Finally it stuffed an extra chip into its notebooks to more precisely measure how much battery was left than Windows does and help make it last as long as possible.

Lenovo's got a pretty sticker that says "Lenovo Enhanced Experience" on it, which it'll be putting on the PCs that contain these upgrades. If you're shopping for a Lenovo computer, that could be worth looking out for.

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Related links:

• News - Lenovo ThinkPad X200 and T400s announced

Tags: Software Lenovo Operating Systems Windows 7 Microsoft

Lenovo promises ultra-speedy Windows 7 boot times originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:33:46 +0100

It's rumoured that the next Xbox 360 update will be arriving in October. The October issue of Sky Magazine says that the Sky Player will be avaialble to download on the console, and a web address that the publication links to also features "OCT" in the url.

The service was announced earlier in the year, but hasn't been available until now. To use it, you'll need two active subscriptions - one for Xbox Live Gold membership, costing ?40 per year, and one for Sky Player - ?15 per month, which is ?180 for a year. Is on-demand TV on your Xbox worth ?220 per year to you?

Along with Sky Player, it's expected that the already-announced Facebook and Twitter integration (which also require Xbox Live Gold) will be included in the update. We'll bring you more news of the Dashboard refresh when it's officially announced.

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Related links:

• News - Sky Player comes to Xbox 360
• Link - Sky Player on Xbox 360 coming soon

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Sky Home Cinema Twitter Facebook Rumours

Sky Player coming to Xbox 360 in October? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:31:04 +0100