All About Windows: News & Discussions

[Gurrala74]

^^Latest is this..


Microsoft experimenting with free version of Windows 8.1

Microsoft is currently experimenting with a free version of Windows 8.1 that could boost the number of people using the operating system. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the company is building "Windows 8.1 with Bing," a version that will bundle key Microsoft apps and services. While early versions of the software have leaked online, we understand that Windows 8.1 with Bing is an experimental project that aims to bring a low-cost version of Windows to consumers. ZDNet first reported some Windows 8.1 with Bing details earlier this week.
We’re told that Microsoft is aiming to position Windows 8.1 with Bing as a free or low-cost upgrade for Windows 7 users. Any upgrade offers will be focused on boosting the number of people using Windows 8.1. This Bing-powered version of Windows 8.1 may also be offered to PC makers as part of recent license cuts for devices under $250. It’s not clear how committed Microsoft is to these plans, but the experiment is part of a number of initiatives designed to push and monetize Microsoft’s cloud services and apps. Microsoft is increasingly betting on Bing as a platform it can monetize in the future. Microsoft is also considering low-cost or free versions of Windows Phone, and the company is working towards merging its Windows RT and Windows Phone software into a single version designed for ARM-based chipsets.

Source:Theverge.com
Microsoft experimenting with free version of Windows 8.1 | The Verge

 

[Superbad]

its old news which was under consideration.

right from windows 8 days. some including yours truly got the windows 8 pro WMC edition for free from microsoft.

the 8.1 free version was earlier slated to be the windows blue version.

 

[Raja]

Today Karbonn chairman Sudhir Hasija confirmed to the Times of India that the company was set to release Dual-OS phones running Windows Phone and Android in about 6 months.

“Microsoft has eased the regulations and is opening up its platform for other players. We signed the agreement two days ago and will launch a range of Windows phones in about three months,” Hasija said.

He also said the dual-OS phones will be out by June, and will target office-going professionals and ‘techies’.

Such handsets have been rumoured but it is not clear it the devices Karbonn plans to make are dual-boot handsets or if they will be identical, and come in a choice of Windows Phone or Android.

Karbonn has not decided on pricing yet.

Source - wmpoweruser.com

 

[Raja]

A report out of China, by way of Italy, reveals a couple of new images showing off the start screen of Windows Phone 8.1. The pictures reveal a picture wallpaper in the background, something that apparently will be available to users of the updated platform. The customization feature is something that Windows Phone users have been wishing for.

You can check out everything we know about the Windows Phone 8.1 update. The new build of Microsoft's mobile OS appears to be another step toward putting Windows Phone on a level playing field with iOS and Android. A recent report by Kantar called Windows Phone the fastest growing OS in the world. Of course, a lot of that is due to the low base that the platform is starting from, but it does point to strong growth for the OS, which has captured second place in some countries.

Images of Windows Phone 8.1 start screen leak, showing customizable wallpaper

 

[Raja]

Delhi Police

Delhi Police is the main law and order agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and with over 80,000 personnel and 149 police stations, it is one of the largest metropolitan police in the world.

The organization has launched an app for Windows Phone that allows people in Delhi to register cases of lost documents, mobile phones, and other items.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the app facilitates hassle free and instant logging of missing/lost article reports without waiting for hours to get a complaint acceptance letter stamped by the local police. Also, since over 600,000 ‘information reports’ were registered with Delhi Police last year, this app aims to significantly reduce the burden placed upon police staff.

Delhi Police

The user will only need to provide his/her name, mobile number, and email address to register with the app, and then share the details about the missing article — like the date on which it was lost, details about the article, and the place where it was lost. The user will then get a confirmation of the report, a digital acknowledgment letter, which can be printed to be used for further legal formalities.

Any agency or an individual has an option to verify the authenticity of the report, by entering the NCR number on Delhi Police’s website (:: DELHI POLICE Shanti Sewa Nyaya ::). The department is also planning to develop an app for logging First Information Reports.

It’s a great facility for Delhi citizens and people travelling to Delhi. Sometimes it is too late before one realizes that he (or she) has lost something, and with this official app, anyone can file the report instantly. Also, the complainant would not need to worry about which police jurisdiction the incident happened in.

While not a native app, it's a well polished hybrid web app, featuring a clean design and is very functional. Download the app for Windows Phone 8 devices from the Windows Phone Store. It’s a must have app if you are in Delhi, and a commendable initiative from Delhi Police.
Delhi Police launches useful Windows Phone app to file lost property reports | Windows Phone Central

 

[Raja]

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update will include Cortana, a personal digital assistant designed to rival Siri and Google Now. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to The Verge how Cortana looks and operates, replacing the built-in Bing search functionality on Windows Phone 8.1. While the feature is named after the Halo game series, Cortana will take the form of a circular animated icon instead of a female character. Cortana will animate when it’s speaking or thinking, forming a personality not dissimilar to Apple’s Siri.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Nicknames just like Siri

Just like Siri, Cortana will also allow Windows Phone users to set how they want to be addressed by the voice-activated assistant. Cortana can call users by their name or nicknames like "Master Chief" after the function is enabled in the settings. A key part of Cortana is its ability to save information and data in a Notebook system. Notebook will allow the Cortana digital assistant to access information such as location data, behaviors, personal information, reminders, and contact information. Cortana can also track flights or other mentions in emails, allowing it to generate notifications similar to Google Now.

Cortana will be backed by data from services like Bing, Foursquare, and others to give it some of the contextual power of Google Now. As we reported last month, the voice-activated assistant will also learn more about users and offer to store this personal data in its Notebook. While Microsoft is using the Cortana name during its testing of Windows Phone 8.1, it’s not immediately clear whether the company will opt to use this particular moniker in the final version of the software. Microsoft is expected to unveil Cortana at its upcoming Build conference, and the company will also release a developer preview of Windows Phone 8.1 at the same time.

This is Cortana, Microsoft’s answer to Siri | The Verge

 

[Gurrala74]

Microsoft prepares to launch Rs 10,000 Windows tablets to combat Android dominance

While we’d earlier heard Microsoft’s plans to reach wider audience with low-cost Windows Phone smartphones by slashing the licensing fees, a new report claims that the company is also planning on low-cost Windows tablets. According to The Times of India, Microsoft will be launching low-cost Windows tablets that could sell for as low as Rs 10,000.

Amrish Goyal, director of Windows business told the news site , “We are reducing our required hardware specification for Windows to bare minimum that is needed for good experience. We want to be price competitive with Android. We want to get the bill of material for Windows tablets down.”

Microsoft prepares to launch Rs 10,000 Windows tablets to combat Android dominance - Tech2

 

[Raja]

Cortana captured on video | WMPoweruser
Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1 - YouTube


Unleashthephones have posted another instalment of their slow Windows Phone 8.1 reveal, this time of Cortana in action.



The screen shot above indicate that the service uses many more data sources than we expect, including:


•Location
•Contacts
•Voice input
•Email and text messages
•Browser History
•Search History
•Calendar details
•More

It only works when you sign in using a Microsoft account, much like the other Bing apps. It will let you name yourself (Is Masterchief taken) and also make sure it is pronouncing it right.



It will let you directly set your interests e.g. cooking or watching TV, which should get it up and running as fast as possible.

The video shows its understands semantics e.g “put on my favourite playlist” rather than needing exact input.





Interestingly Cortana will be able to “handle your calls and texts” during quiet hours. Does that mean a Cortana based answering machine in your phone? That would of course be rather cool.



More likely it will be that your phone will automatically be placed on Vibrate during meetings, inner circle contacts will be let through, and more interestingly if some-one tries to call you repeatedly, it can also let that person through. The phone can also text contacts automatically if their call is dropped, or it seems interact with callers by text.

 

[type-r]

saw the above video... liked it very much. hope they can incorporate it like voice assistant and not like an app like shown here.

 

[Raja]

saw the above video... liked it very much. hope they can incorporate it like voice assistant and not like an app like shown here.

It is a voice assistant, who will talk with you.

 

[350Z]

350z if you want a decent android, go for moto G. No point going for a half baked android product from nokia which may not even see any development in future and these android phones may be last throw of dice by nokia before M$ takes over nokia's phone development.

I agree with nitin. You should buy moto g. Prive difference is 2000rs on flipkart. And what you get is bigger screen + HD display + quad core. Rest of the specs are similar.

The wave of Android users has managed to take me away from the Windows Platform. Moto G finalized. Thanks!

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[nitin_k]

The wave of Android users has managed to take me away from the Windows Platform. Moto G finalized. Thanks!

Drive Safe,
350Z

Wise decision.

Latest stock from Flipkart has kitkat 4.4.2 pre installed so you do not have to do any update once you receive the handset :)

 

[Raja]

UC Browser is a pretty full featured browser, enabling a huge number of features which are just not available in IE 10 Mobile.

The latest feature to pop up in the UC Browser beta is the ability to export downloads to your SD card, which should allow for easy transfer to your PC or other handsets with SD card support.



The new version also allow easier sharing with friends though exactly how this feature will work has not been defined yet.

The current version of the app , just updated 3 days
WMPoweruser | The largest independent Windows Phone community

 

[Raja]

Nokia App Reality - YouTube

Nokia and Microsoft want to make sure that consumers will no longer see Windows Phone as that mobile OS that doesn’t have enough apps. Nokia released a video which presents the “new app reality of Nokia and Windows Phone”, suggesting that there’s no reason to choose Android or iOS over Microsoft’s OS just because the first two platforms have a significantly larger number of apps. Nokia says that many Android and iOS apps aren’t useful, or are redundant (for example, there are more than 1,000 flashlight apps in Apple's App Store).

Nokia reminds us that “many of the true icons of the app world are already available in Windows Phone Store.” And if you can’t find an app on WP, there are alternatives, or exclusive apps - including Nokia HERE Maps, Nokia ProCam, Microsoft Office, and Xbox integration.

At the moment, there are over 200,000 apps available in Windows Phone Store, and, according to Nokia, some of the best designers are “building gorgeous apps everyday specifically for Windows Phone.” Check out the App Reality video below.


And

http://microsoft-news.com/vlc-playe...y-subtitles-support-may-be-missing-at-launch/


VideoLAN has today confirmed via Twitter that they are planning to release VLC Player in Windows Store on Monday(03/10/2014). After an initial wave of enthusiasm in a successful kickstarter campaign the team has faced setback after setback. The VLC decided to take an unorthodox approach in developing their Win8/WinRT app which would allow them to maintain much of their old code base. After multiple rejections in Windows Store, good to hear that it has finally passed the certifications. Also, the player is still a work in progress and don’t expect all the features in the version that is coming on Monday.

Features of the v1 of this app coming on Monday,

• Support for the entire music and video library.
• Supports full touch.
• Support Snap View.
• advice on songs and artists while listening to Spotify in style.
• Ability to evaluate the tracks and put them in your favorites.
• Compatible with external devices, such as HDD and USB flash drives.
• Support for all formats of VLC classics, including MKV and FLAC.
• Support for streaming.

Features coming soon and will be absent in this first version,

• Videos can only be classified in alphabetical order.
• Subtitles and audio tracks in the video are not supported
• New algorithms for classifying video and music in an intelligent way (same genre, same TV series)

 

[Raja]

XOLO to launch their maiden Windows tablet in India in few weeks | Windows Phone Central

The XOLO Win has finally earned the tag of ‘coming soon’. At a Microsoft hosted event in New Delhi yesterday, the Indian device manufacturer LAVA International showcased their maiden Windows tablet in India. XOLO is a premium smart devices brand from LAVA, one of the top 3 Indian handset companies.

XOLO Win

XOLO Win is a Windows 8.1 tablet featuring a 10.1-inch display with a modest resolution of 1280x800. Powered by the AMD A4 - 1200 dual-core 1.0 GHz ‘Temash’ processor with AMD Radeon HD 8180G graphics, the tablet boasts of 2GB RAM with 32GB storage.

XOLO Win

It features a 2MP rear camera and 1MP front camera. With a 3550 mAh battery, the company claims a battery life of 6 hours. Like most Windows tablets, the XOLO one too includes a USB 2.0 port.

At 750 grams with a thickness of 15.45 mm and a very basic build quality, the XOLO Win would not win any design award, but is a handy first Windows tablet to compete with the Android tablets. As a bonus, the tablet comes bundled with Office Home & Student 2013 suite.

XOLO Win

The tablet is estimated to be priced around INR 22K, and will be officially launched in a couple of weeks or so. The company’s spokesperson said that while at the moment they are launching just this tablet, they’d obviously be looking at size variants as they go forward.