Windows Blue Update To Be Released Within The Year

Windows Blue

(Image Credit: http://www.pcworld.com)

The update for the Windows 8 OS, which was dubbed as Windows Blue, is set to be released by before the end of the year. The upcoming OS will be able to support numerous screen displays, form factors, and offers more options for consumers and business users.

Microsoft CFO and CMO Tami Reller revealed that the update allows the company to react to the feedback from customers that the company took note of since the Windows RT and Windows 8 OS were unveiled. Last year, Microsoft delivered ARM-based Windows RT and Intel-based Windows 8 OS devices. The Windows Blue update follows some unfavorable reactions from users on the operating system, which has not stopped the decline in the sales of PCs.

PC deliveries in the first quarter went down by 13.9 percent compared to the same period last year. The wide acceptance of other devices has contributed to the failure of the Windows 8 OS from stopping the decline in PC sales.

No details were provided by Reller on the features of the Windows Blue update.

However, it should also be noted that sales of the Windows 8 license have surpassed the 100 million unit level within ix months after it was released. The figure includes the sales of the devices using the OS along with the upgrades to the latest OS from Microsoft.

Reller also said that there is a growing number of devices using the Windows 8 and Windows RT OS. The company is aware of the time it will take to change and it is optimistic of the developments following the launch of the OS. Despite the decline in PC sales, she is still confident of the PC market.

The PC market is now evolving with the increasing number of mobile devices including convertibles and touch laptops. The new PCs that have emerged are starting to become more affordable for consumers.

The number of apps available in the Windows Store has also increased by six-fold since it was launched. The first six months saw over 250 million applications downloaded by users.

The SkyDrive of the company also has more than 250 million uses while the Outlook.com webmail has around 400 million accounts. This is positive news for the company even as it prepares for the release of the Windows Blue OS update within the year.

Images of Samsung Ativ Odyssey Emerge

Samsung Ativ Odyssey

(Image Credit: @evleaks)

A couple of images that appeared official showed an upcoming Windows Phone 8-powered device from Samsung appeared online recently. However, the images of the upcoming Samsung Ativ Odyssey did not give much information on the features of the device as well as its possible release date.

The images of the Samsung Ativ Odyssey were courtesy of a source from Twitter @evleaks. The device was initially announced a month ago and will supposedly be released through Verizon by December. However the specific release date remains uncertain.

Although the specs have yet to be revealed, reports had hinted at the possibility that the Samsung Ativ Odyssey will come with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor along with an Adreno 225 GPU. However, the images hint at the possibility that the upcoming Samsung Ativ Odyssey will use the 4G LTE network of Verizon and will come with an expandable storage through the microSD memory card slot.

The images of the Samsung Ativ Odyssey also show that it is a much smaller model of the Ativ S of Samsung. This led to some speculations that the upcoming device may have similar features as the Ativ S. This means the upcoming Windows Phone 8 may feature an eight-megapixel camera that has an LED flash and autofocus capabilities. It may also feature a 1.9MP camera in front along with NFC connectivity.

Price For New Windows Phone 8 Devices Released By AT&T

Windows Phone 8X

(Image Credit: http://www.pcmag.com)

AT&T recently announced the price tags of its latest Windows Phone 8 devices, which are evidently intended to appeal to different market segments.

The Windows Phone 8X of HTC is priced at around $200 with a two-year service contract. It is also offering a much affordable version that has half the memory at around $100. The device will reportedly have the capability of being combined with a wireless charging casing although Verizon will offer the device together with the wireless charging capability incorporated into the device.

The Windows Phone 8 devices became available for orders recently and will be delivered by AT&T by the coming week. An earlier report had indicated that the devices will enter the market by Thanksgiving.

In addition to the Windows Phone 8X, the US-based network service provider will also offer the Nokia Lumia 920 at a price tag of around $100 with a similar contract. In addition to the Nokia 920, the Nokia Lumia 820 will also be released by the company at a price tag of around $50.

A free wireless charging pad will also be offered together with the Nokia Lumia 920 although it will be a limited promotional add-on for the Windows Phone 8 device. Microsoft recently launched the Windows Phone 8 smartphones as part of its major marketing effort to promote its latest mobile operating system. According to Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft, the company aims to promote a number of platforms as a line of products as it aims to increase familiarity on the idea of live tiles.

AT&T is considered the best partner of Microsoft and will have the biggest number of Windows Phone 8 devices. It played a major role in making the Nokia Lumia 900 relatively successful during the past year. However, industry watchers are hopeful that the Windows Phone 8 will make a significant impact in the market that is currently being dominated by the Android and iOS.

An earlier statement by Ballmer indicated that market for the Windows Phone 8 is rather small although it may increase with the release of more devices into the market. However with the popularity of the Android and iOS, it may take some time before the company will create waves in the market. 

Huge Number of Windows 8 Ultrabooks Set To Be Released

Windows 8

It appears that the time of the touchscreen laptop is on hand as the head of Intel revealed that a huge number of Windows 8 Ultrabooks are set to be released in the future.

Paul Otellini, the CEO of Intel, revealed in a recent conference call that Intel was able to achieve its mid-year goal for the Ultrabook and the company was satisfied with the performance of this market category. Although this statement is not consistent with analysts’ reports that revealed a poor second quarter for the device, the reports did not consider the second generation Ultrabooks that featured the Ivy Bridge processors.

The end of the second quarter is normally slow for laptops even as the second half of the year is typically good for devices.

In the same conference call, Otellini also revealed that over forty Windows 8 Ultrabooks with touchscreen capabilities are already being developed. These upcoming Windows 8 Ultrabooks will be using the Ivy Bridge processor of the company.

With at least forty Windows 8 Ultrabooks, the total number of Ultrabooks using the Ivy Bridge processor that will be released will go over the 140 mark. A number of these products are also expected to be a tablet that can be converted for use as a laptop. Otellini also indicated that systems priced at around $699 may be released by fall.

The release of the Windows 8 Ultrabooks with touchscreen capabilities will bring the touch-based user experience enjoyed by tablet owners into the laptop.

Even as the Windows 8 Ultrabook has yet to be released into the market, a number of Ultrabooks have already made an appearance in a number of retail outlets including Best Buy and Walmart. The HP Envy Ultrabook is already offered through Best Buy while Walmart is already offering a $648 Acer Aspire Ultrabook.

Leaked Image Shows Innovation For Upcoming Windows Phone 8 Devices

Windows Phone 8

(Image Credit: http://wmpoweruser.com)

A recently-leaked image hinted that the latest version of the Windows Phone 8 will feature an innovative keyboard that will facilitate texting with one hand.

The image was reportedly sourced from a Microsoft Research presentation that was leaked recently and it shows that the keyboard is rounded to fit the thumb of the user with each of the characters are also arranged into separate blocks. Some industry watchers have indicated that the leaked image seemed to hint at a predictive keyboard for the upcoming device.

These modifications will likely come with the Windows Phone 8, the latest version of the mobile operating system of Microsoft that is set to be released soon. It will reportedly feature a new home screen that features tiles that can be resized.

However following an earlier announcement by Microsoft that current devices including the recently released Nokia Lumia 900 will not be updated with the still-unreleased Windows Phone 8 mobile OS, a number of Windows Phone users were disheartened.

Despite this, the arc-shaped keypad on the HTC 7 Trophy may hint at the possibility that new software for keyboards may receive the Windows Phone 7.8 although this is not the Windows Phone 8 that some users are hoping to receive once the new mobile OS is released into the market.

Due to this some questions were raised on whether the supposed new keyboard design for the Windows Phone 8 will be an appealing option to users of existing Windows Phone devices.

Microsoft Reveals Possible Delivery of Windows Phone 8 Devices By Fall

Windows Phone 8

(Image Credit: http://cnet.com)

Microsoft recently revealed that handsets using the Windows Phone 8 OS will be delivered starting fall. The upcoming mobile OS, which has a codename Apollo, is the successor to the Mango mobile OS or the Windows Phone 7.5 OS.

The Windows Phone 8 OS offers a number of features including multi-core processor support, near field communication or NFC capabilities, and support for three display screen resolutions. The upcoming mobile OS will also offer support for microSD memory cards.

In addition to these features, the kernel of the Windows Phone 8 OS will be similar to the kernel on the Windows 8 OS for the PC. This will reportedly facilitate the development of software that will cut across different platforms among all Windows 8 OS versions.

The multi-tasking capabilities as well as seamless VoIP integration for voice and video chats are also being promised by Microsoft. Among the manufacturers that will reportedly offer their own Windows Phone 8 devices are Nokia, HTC, Samsung, ZTE, and Huawei.

Even though the Windows Phone 8 OS was unveiled recently, the company will not be releasing its software development kit or the SDK of the software until summer.

The company has indicated that operators and its OEM partners have shown their enthusiasm for the prospects of the Windows Phone 8 OS even as the company is continuing to evaluate its efforts in further development for its new OS as it competes against the iOS and the Android platforms.

Samsung Omnia M Introduced in the European Market

Samsung Omnia M

(Image Credit: crave.cnet.co.uk)

Another low-end Windows Phone was introduced by Samsung in Europe recently, the Samsung Omnia M.

The Samsung Omnia M features a four-inch Super AMOLED screen display, 1GHz processor, 384MB RAM, 4GB internal storage and a five-megapixel camera. Although the South Korean company did not reveal the price of the latest Windows Phone-powered device, its features indicates that the Samsung Omnia M will likely go up against the Nokia Lumia 610, a low-end device.

In comparison to the Samsung Omnia M, the Nokia Lumia 610 comes with a 3.7-inch screen display, 800MHz processor, 256MB RAM, 8GB internal storage and a five-megapixel camera.

Basing on this comparison, the two Windows Phone devices offer similar features with the Samsung Omnia M having the upper hand in terms of the display, processor, and RAM. On the other hand, the Nokia Lumia 610 has a bigger internal storage compared to the Samsung Omnia M. Both devices feature a five-megapixel camera.

Although both devices have a smaller RAM compared to most Windows Phone-powered smartphones, the Windows Phone 7.5 can be used on devices that have a smaller RAM than an earlier version of the mobile OS though it may be necessary for apps to be optimized by developers to allow them to run using a 256MB RAM.

The Samsung Omnia M is only 10.5 millimeters thick, which makes it slimmer compared to the 12 millimeter thickness of the Nokia Lumia 610. The Nokia device is also heavier at 131.5 grams compared to the 119 grams of the Samsung device. The similarity of the features of the two devices has led industry watchers to speculate that the price of the Samsung Omnia M to be similar to the $244 price tag of the Nokia Lumia 610.

Although the Samsung Galaxy SIII is currently hogging the headlines, the introduction of the Samsung Omnia M shows that the company does not want to limit itself to the Android OS, which would provide it more flexibility in the market.

The Samsung Omnia M will be available initially in the European market although it will be released in other markets as well.