Introducing Windows 10

Via Engadget:

With Windows 10's launch little more than a week away, Microsoft kicked off its marketing storm last night with the first commercial for the new OS. It's a bit more direct and human than the company's infamous Jerry Seinfeld/Bill Gates ads, with a focus on children and how they're growing up with touchscreens and a wealth of new tech. As with any major product launch, Microsoft is planning a huge multi-million dollar media blitz for Windows 10. The big theme this time around is "people who make a difference," reports ZDNet. The software giant will likely have a much easier time pushing Windows 10 on consumers since it steps back from some of Windows 8 more dramatic (and controversial) interface changes.

Microsoft Unveils Windows 10

Via USA Today:

Microsoft unveiled the first details of its Windows 10 operating system Wednesday, which they say will span devices from PCs and game consoles to smartphones and tablets. Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president of the company's operating systems group, says the latest rendition of Windows focused on "more personal computing." Myerson says Windows 10 targets three pillars: "mobility of the experience," trust and "the right interaction at the right time," hinting the platform can be controlled by mouse, touch or even gaze.

Among the new features is the introduction of a successor to the Internet Explorer Web browser, dubbed Project Spartan. The browser, which will work across multiple devices, includes a note-taking feature for annotating webpages, a reading mode and built-in support for PDF files. The Start menu appears to be a hybrid of the classic Windows PC interface and the tile-based presentation of applications, allowing users to go full screen with the Start menu for more information. Microsoft will also add Cortana, the personal digital assistant users communicate with through voice, to PCs running Windows 10

The End Of Windows XP

Microsoft has announced that as of today it will no longer support its Windows XP operating system.

"It's an old operating system," said Tom Murphy, director of communications for Windows. "Think of the cellphone you were using in the late '90s compared to what you see today. XP doesn't do the things we expect from our PCs or devices today." Maybe so, but getting consumers and small businesses to dump XP has been a bigger chore than anyone could have predicted. As recently as February, nearly 30% of all PCs in the U.S. were still running on Windows XP, according to Web analytics firm Net Applications. PCs running on Windows XP will still function as they did before. But Microsoft says it's unlikely that your PC will be secure, even if you're running anti-virus software. It's not only consumers who are vulnerable. Businesses have also been slow to upgrade. According to Softchoice, a supplier of information technology to businesses, about 40% of enterprises of all sizes still use Windows XP to some degree. In 7% of those firms, XP runs on more than 80% of devices.

Businesses and consumers are advised to visit Am I Running Windows XP to check which operating system is currently in use. Microsoft is offering a $100 gift card to those wishing to upgrade.

Windows 8 Is In Previews

Select your advance opinion:

a) They're totally copying Apple!
b) They're so behind Apple!
c) Why isn't everyone using Apple?

Preview here.

An Update Is Available

(Source)

The Windows 7 Whopper

Burger King is promoting Microsoft's latest OS in Japan with the Windows 7 Whopper.

Confirming our belief that Japan is at once among the coolest and craziest places on this planet we all call home is Burger King's exclusive Windows 7 Whopper. Seven stacked beef patties extend your usual Whopper to over five inches in height and the whole thing costs an appropriate ¥777 (or $8.55). It'll be available for one week only -- or seven days, get it?

Google To Launch Operating System

Last month Microsoft challenged Google with their own search engine, the (as of yet) little used Bing. Today Google fired back with the announcement of their own operating system.

Saying current operating systems were designed for a time when there was no World Wide Web, Google Inc. said Wednesday it will develop a new one based on its Chrome browser. The new operating system puts Google more squarely in competition with Microsoft Corp., which relies on its Windows operating system for more than half its revenue. "Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the Web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems," the Mountain View, Calif-based search giant said on its official blog.

Google says their OS will debut in late 2010 as an open-source system designed for netbooks, but will later widen the release to include desktops.