Windows

Microsoft's cheapest Surface tablet won't cost $1K after all

Those of you eyeing a Microsoft Surface tablet won't have to cough up $1,000 or $2,000 for the privilege.

The rumor mill was buzzing yesterday after Swedish Website Webhallen listed prices for the four different Surface models ranging from $1,002 up to $2,150.

But now it turns on that the site's prices weren't based on anything in the real world. Responding to a query from CNET, Webhallen confirmed that it's received no information on pricing from Microsoft. The site instead claimed that it jacked up the prices on the tablet to lure … Read more

Microsoft: Why yes, our Surface tablet could tick off OEMs

Microsoft has finally acknowledged that its Surface device could put other Windows 8 tablet makers in a bind.

Unveiled last month, Microsoft's Surface tablet is the company's attempt to compete with the iPad and the slew of Android tablets on the market. But Surface will also be competing with similar devices from Microsoft's own partners.

In an annual report filled with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, Microsoft admitted that "our Surface devices will compete with products made by our OEM partners, which may affect their commitment to our platform."

Microsoft has been pushing its … Read more

Microsoft prototype stylus would work on any device screen

A new stylus in the works from Microsoft could allow for input even on non-touch screens.

Rather than relying on a touch screen, the stylus would use a mounted camera to track both movement and angle across the screen, as described by MIT's Technology Review. By using the camera to capture images from the screen, the stylus could actually count the number of pixels being tracked to determine its position.

The current prototype has received kudos within Microsoft, noted Technology Review, and the company is currently deciding whether to push its development forward with the goal of creating a … Read more

Zite still believes: News app moves to Windows Phone

Zite, the app designed to get you reading more of what you like, has moved to the Windows Phone 7 platform.

Yeah, you read that right.

While it may seem strange to expand the popular CNN-owned news app to a platform branded with the stigma of being the uncool kid at the mobile handset party, Zite CEO Mark Johnson sees it as a way to move into a market that Microsoft -- and Nokia -- are working hard to build.

"I think there's some real merit to what Microsoft is doing in the marketplace right now. Microsoft isn'… Read more

Rumor Has It: iPhone 5, is that you? You look tall, thin (video)

This has been the week of iPhone rumors. And iPad Mini rumors (but we were too sick of those to discuss them on the show). From an odd claim that Apple's next phone won't be called "iPhone" at all, to supposed sightings of prototype screens and third-party cases, anonymous reports out of China, Japan, and Taiwan have the rumor mill churning in overdrive. The result? A lot of iPhone butter to grease the cake pan of Rumor Has It's show brownies...wait, that metaphor took on a life of its own.

But since iPhone 5 … Read more

Windows 8: The end of the full retail version?

There's a rumor going around that, with Windows 8, Microsoft is doing away with the full version of Windows sold at retail.

If this pans out -- and so far, I have heard it from only one source (as I noted on the Windows Weekly podcast with my co-host Paul Thurrot this week) -- I doubt there will be anyone lining up in protest.

In Microsoft parlance, a full product typically means a non-upgrade, fully licensed version of Windows sold in a box via brick-and-mortar and/or online retailers. With Windows, full product tends to be quite expensive -- … Read more

Microsoft's Ballmer challenges Vanity Fair's 'lost decade' claim

Did Microsoft lose itself over the past decade? Its CEO obviously doesn't think so.

In a Forbes interview published yesterday, Steve Ballmer was asked about the recent Vanity Fair article that charged poor management and bureaucracy at Microsoft with hurting the company financially and technologically over the past ten years.

Ballmer's response?

"It's not been a lost decade for me! I mean, look, ultimately progress is measured sort of through the eyes of our users," he told Forbes. "More than our investors or our P&L [profit and loss] or anything else, it'… Read more

How to create a picture password in Windows 8

Windows 8 offers a new twist on security by letting you log in with a picture password as an alternative to a text password or PIN.

For this process to work, you'll need to copy at least one image to your Windows 8 Pictures folder. After selecting your picture, you draw circles, lines, or taps on any three areas to set up your security. To log in, simply recreate the same gestures in the same order.

A picture password seems better suited for touch-screen tablet users, but PC users can also tap into the feature and use a mouse … Read more

Microsoft reveals versions, licensing for Windows Server

There will be four versions of Windows Server 2012, Microsoft officials revealed on July 5, two of which will be licensed to customers on a per-processor basis.The four SKUs are Foundation (available to OEMs only); Essentials; Standard and Datacenter. The Essentials SKU is for small/mid-size businesses and is limited to 25 users. The Standard and Datacenter SKUs round out the line-up. The former Windows Server Enterprise SKU is gone from the set of offered options.Here's Microsoft's new SKU/licensing chart for the four editions of Windows Server 2012:

"There were about a dozen SKUs … Read more