• microsoft,  pc,  windows

    Microsoft Windows 8 Editions

    December 2, 2012 /

    In my last post, I was talking about upgrading to Windows 8 Professional.  As you might expect from a company like Microsoft, there are more than one version of Windows 8.  Turns out, there are in fact, four editions of Windows 8.  They are:

    • Windows RT
    • Windows 8
    • Windows 8 Professional
    • Windows 8 Enterprise
    Windows RT is intended for the low-end Microsoft Surface tablet, which is on sale now.  Windows 8, and Windows 8 Pro is intended for desktops, laptops, and the Microsoft Surface Pro that will go on sale early in 2013.  Windows 8 Enterprise is intended for large corporations and is not available to the general public.
    Windows RT is an interesting addition to this mix.  Unlike all of the other versions of Windows, Window RT can’t run regular Windows applications that you can run on your every day PC.  Devices that run Windows RT, like the Surface, can only run applications that are designed specifically for Windows RT.  (Think about it like the difference between Apple’s Mac OS X and iOS operating systems.)
    If you wish to learn more about the different versions of Windows, check out Dummies.com.
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  • metro,  microsoft,  windows

    Taking the Windows 8 Plunge

    November 29, 2012 /

    Ok, despite being an Apple fanboy, my inner geek still gets the best of me.  I just purchased a copy of Windows 8 Pro from the Microsoft online store.

    For a limited time, you can purchase a Windows 8 Pro upgrade as a digital download for $39.99.  When choosing this option, you have a one time option to purchase a DVD for an additional $14.99.  Microsoft is also offering a retail boxed upgrade for $69.99, signaling that they are taking a queue from Apple and moving toward a preference for digital media distribution.

    Windows 8 was related last month along side Microsoft’s new Surface tablet offering.

    In Windows 8, Microsoft reimagines the PC user experience by blending the traditional Windows desktop OS with the Metro smartphone and tablet user experience.

    I’ll be blogging more about Windows 8, the Metro user interface, now officially known as the Windows UI, Office 2013 and a few other tidbits as I begin playing with the new software.

    You can learn more about Windows 8 on the Microsoft website.  When you are ready to take the plunge, head over to the Microsoft online store.

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  • android,  apple,  google,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  microsoft,  office,  office mobile

    Microsoft Office Mobile Coming to iOS, Android Early 2013

    November 7, 2012 /

    The Verge is running a breaking story that Microsoft will be releasing versions of the new Microsoft Mobile suite for Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and Google Android devices in early 2013.

    “Microsoft’s Office for iPad, iPhone, and Android is a reality. Although Office Mobile has been rumored and reportedly spotted in the wild, Microsoft has remained persistently quiet about its plans for the product. The Verge has learned through several sources close to Microsoft’s plans that the company will release Office versions for Android and iOS in early 2013.”

    [Via The Verge.com…]

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  • microsoft,  smartphones,  windows,  windows phone

    Rumor: Microsoft Working on a Smartphone

    November 4, 2012 /

    Windows 8.  Windows Phone 8.  Surface.  Radical shifts in Windows and Office.  Microsoft has been on a roll latley, and now rumors are surfacing, in the form of a Wall Street Journal article, that Microsoft is working on a new smartphone prototype.

    “Officials at some of Microsoft’s parts suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Redmond, Wash.-based company is testing a smartphone design but isn’t sure if a product will go into mass production.

    One person said that the screen of Microsoft’s smartphone currently being tested measures between four and five inches. Apple’s newest smartphone, the iPhone 5, has a four-inch screen, while Samsung’s Galaxy S III phone has a 4.8-inch screen. “

    Microsoft is no stranger to how difficult launching a new, successful smartphone platform is.  Windows CE and Windows Mobile have been around for years.  Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 cut the ties with previous attempts at a new Microsoft mobile operating system.  Windows Phone has been well regarded, but not well adopted by customers and developers.  And the Microsoft Kin wasn’t exactly “successful.”

    Only time will tell if Microsoft can rekindle the magic they had with customers back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

    [Via Wall Street Journal.com…]

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  • apple,  imac,  mac,  mac mini,  mac os x,  mountain lion

    Apple Refreshes the iMac, Mac mini

    October 24, 2012 /

    Apple also, today, updated the iMac and Mac mini computers.

    SAN JOSE, California—October 23, 2012—Apple® today unveiled a completely new iMac® with a stunning design, brilliant display with reduced reflection, and faster processors.* With third generation Intel quad-core processors, powerful NVIDIA graphics and an innovative new storage option called Fusion Drive, the new iMac is the most advanced desktop Apple has ever made. 

    “With a stunning design, brilliant display and faster performance, we’ve made the world’s leading all-in-one desktop computer better in every way,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The all-new iMac is unbelievably thin, yet packs an incredible amount of performance and technology into our most innovative desktop.” 

    Redesigned from the inside out, the new iMac packs high-performance technology into an aluminum and glass enclosure with up to 40 percent less volume than its predecessor and an edge that measures just 5 mm thin. Built with an unprecedented level of fit and finish, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience in a gorgeous design. The new iMac also features a completely reengineered display that reduces reflection by 75 percent while maintaining brilliant color and contrast. In the new design, the cover glass is fully laminated to the LCD and an anti-reflective coating is applied using a high-precision plasma deposition process. Every iMac display is individually color calibrated using an advanced spectroradiometer. 

    Apple also updated the Mac® mini with third generation dual-core Intel Core i5 and quad-core Intel Core i7 processors that are up to twice as fast and have integrated graphics that are up to 65 percent faster.** Mac mini comes standard with 4GB of 1600 MHz memory with support for up to 16GB. Retaining its amazingly compact aluminum design, the new Mac mini now includes four USB 3.0 ports in addition to its Thunderbolt, HDMI, SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet, and FireWire® 800 ports.

    Pricing and Availability

    The 21.5-inch iMac is available with a 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.2 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US); and with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US). The 21.5-inch iMac will be available in November through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

    The 27-inch iMac is available with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US); and with a 3.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US). The 27-inch iMac will be available in December through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

    The Mac mini is available with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive for a suggested retail price of $599 (US); a 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 4GB of memory and a 1TB hard drive for a suggested retail price of $799 (US); and a 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, OS X Server, 4GB of memory and two 1TB hard drives for a suggested retail price of $999 (US). The Mac mini is available today through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

    For more information about the new iMac and Mac mini family of computers, visit the Apple Mac website.
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  • apple,  mac os x,  macbook pro,  mountain lion

    Apple Introduces 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display

    October 24, 2012 /

    Today’s Apple event wasn’t just about iPads.  Nope.  Apple also introduced new Macs too, including the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

    SAN JOSE, California—October 23, 2012—Apple® today introduced an all-new version of its popular 13-inch MacBook® Pro featuring a stunning Retina™ display and all flash storage in a new compact design. At a mere 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds, the remarkably portable 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is 20 percent thinner and almost a pound lighter than the current 13-inch MacBook Pro. 

    “The 13-inch MacBook Pro is our most popular Mac, and today it gets completely reinvented with a new thin and light design, fast flash storage and a gorgeous Retina display,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With vivid colors, razor sharp text and more pixels than anyone else’s 15 or 17-inch notebooks, the Retina display completely changes what you expect from a notebook.” 

    The new MacBook Pro packs more than 4 million pixels into its 13-inch Retina display, nearly twice the number of pixels in an HD television. At 227 pixels per inch, the Retina display’s pixel density is so high the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels at a normal viewing distance, so images look sharp and text looks like it does on the printed page. With four times the pixels of the current 13-inch MacBook Pro, you can view and edit video in pixel-accurate 1080p and see a new level of detail in high resolution images. The 13-inch Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 28 percent higher contrast than the current generation.

    Pricing and Availability

    The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starting at $1,699 (US); and with 256GB of flash storage starting at $1,999 (US). Configure-to-order options include faster dual-core Intel Core i7 processors and flash storage up to 768GB. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at apple.com/macbook-pro. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available today through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

    The full press release for the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display can be found on the Apple website.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad

    Apple Introduces the New Fourth Generation iPad

    October 24, 2012 /

    In a surprise turn of events at today’s iPad mini announcement, Apple also refreshed the 9.7-inch iPad, replacing the third generation “new iPad” with what I can only half-jokingly refer to as the “new-new iPad”, but in actuality, is now referred to as “iPad with Retina display.”

    Apple today also announced the fourth generation iPad featuring a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina™ display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features. 

    The new fourth generation iPad features the amazing 9.7-inch Retina display and includes a new Apple-designed A6X chip that delivers up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip, all while delivering an incredible 10 hours of battery life in the same thin and light iPad design. Other new features include a FaceTime HD camera, twice the Wi-Fi performance when compared to previous iPad models and support for additional LTE carriers worldwide.

    So basically, the new iPad 4, as I’ll call it, replaces the 6-month old iPad 3, and bumps the processor and graphics capabilities of the iPad.  The iPad 4 also includes support for Apple’s new charging and accessory port, Lightning, and replaces the old 30-pin connector that has been used on iDevices for the last 10 years.

    Pricing and Availability

    The fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi models will also be available on Friday, November 2, in black or white for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model.

    For more information about the new iPad 4, visit the Apple iPad website.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad mini

    Apple Introduces the iPad mini

    October 24, 2012 /

    Earlier today, at an event in San Jose, California, Apple introduced the world to the new iPad mini.

    SAN JOSE, California―October 23, 2012―Apple® today introduced iPad® mini, a completely new iPad design that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad. The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch™ display, FaceTime® HD and iSight® cameras, ultrafast wireless performance¹ and an incredible 10 hours of battery life²―every inch an iPad, yet in a revolutionary design you can hold in one hand.  

    “iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless―all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life.” 

    iPad mini comes in a beautiful new aluminum and glass design that is just 7.2 mm thin and weighs only 0.68 pounds. The 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display delivers the same iPad experience users have come to expect, in a design that has 35 percent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67 percent more usable viewing area when browsing the web. The dual-core A5 chip delivers responsive graphics and a fast, fluid Multi-Touch experience, while still providing all-day battery life. 

    Like the three previous 9.7-inch versions of the iPad, the new iPad mini will come in black and white models with or without cellular LTE version.

    In addition to the iPad mini, Apple also announced a new line of Smart Covers for the new iPad

    Pricing and Availability

    The iPad mini will go on sale for pre-orders this Friday, October 26.  iPad mini will go on sale at Apple Stores and other Apple authorized retailers on Friday, November 2, at 8:00am.  The iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular models will go on sale on an unspecified date in November.

    iPad mini will sell for $329 in the 16GB Wi-Fi only configuration and go up from there following the same pricing structure for incremental storage capacity and LTE cellular.

    For more information, visit the Apple iPad mini website.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch,  maps

    Apple Apologize for Disappointing Maps App

    September 30, 2012 /

    Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, as posted and open letter apologizing Maps upgrade in iOS 6.  The letter appears below.

    To our customers,



    At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

    We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

    There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

    While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

    Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

    Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO

    [Via Apple.com…]

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