Microsoft releases Windows 8.1 to manufacturers ahead of October 18 launch

Microsoft releases Windows 81 to manufacturers ahead of October 17 launch

We caught the first Windows 8.1 (aka Blue) news back in March, and after several betas and a preview, it's been bundled off to manufacturers. That's a mere five months from alpha code to gold master, a feat that Microsoft trumpeted as "an unparalleled level of collaboration" between customers and Windows product teams. Now, manufacturers will be able to ramp up their production lines with the new version in time for the holidays, as Redmond emphasized in its Blogging Windows post. Current Windows 8 owners will get the update for free, but all end users will have to hang on until the official October 18th release date. With a month and change left, though, it looks like all the ducks are in a row to herald the return of the tech world's most infamous button.

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Source: Blogging Windows

To-do list app Remember The Milk gets a healthy update on Android (video)

Todo list app Remember The Milk gets a healthy update on Android

We have a soft spot for Remember the Milk, not least because the cross-platform app is handy for divvying up to-do lists between different groups in remote locations. If you're on Android and in the market for a new productivity tool, a significant update to version 3.0 makes this a good time to try it. There's a video after the break showing how the new interface works with vertical columns, similar to those on the iOS version, so you see a selection of lists on the left, list contents in the middle and the precise details of a task when you swipe to the right. Sounds simple, perhaps, but it's more fluid -- especially on smaller screens. It's also good that the constant "reminders" about upgrading to a Pro account aren't as in-your-face as they were in the old version, which makes the whole thing feel a bit more chilled out. For more personal and less urgent stuff, however, you might find Springpad to be a bit friendlier.

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Source: Remember the Milk

Microsoft Office 2013 releases to manufacturing, reaches most of us early next year

Office 2013 OneNote

Break out the party streamers and balloons -- if only in an orderly fashion, because this is the day Office 2013 has been released to manufacturing. The completion swings Microsoft's attention towards a rollout staggered over the next few months. Wider availability will have to wait until the first quarter of 2013 -- such synchronicity with your branding, Microsoft -- but companies who've sprung for volume licensing will get access as early as mid-November to December 1st, depending on whether or not they're embracing a Software Assurance plan. In the meantime, Microsoft is offering an easy path for anxious workers by promising a free copy of Office 2013 to everyone who buys Office 2010 from October 19th onwards. The upgraded software might not be cheap for those who aren't already buying a Windows RT tablet, but it's likely to be an important piece of the puzzle for anyone hunting down a touchscreen Windows 8 PC.

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Microsoft Office 2013 releases to manufacturing, reaches most of us early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft employees ‘sign off’ on Windows Phone 8 RTM

Microsoft employees 'sign off' on Windows Phone 8 RTM

Windows Phone 8 may not have a firm release date, but reports are flooding in that it's just been released to manufacturers (RTM) so they can work on their side of the equation: hardware production. According to LiveSino, pictures posted to Chinese social network Sina Weibo show members of the Windows Phone team signing a banner marking the milestone. In particular, Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Phone Division, was caught penning his name alongside others. ZDNet's own sources corroborate that Ballmer and Co. have deemed the operating system fit to ship. With manufacturers seemingly taken care of, developers will be able to get their mitts on the WP8 software development kit in roughly two weeks.

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Microsoft employees 'sign off' on Windows Phone 8 RTM originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 22:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8 RTM now available to developers, IT departments with TechNet subscriptions

Windows 8 RTM rolls out to developers, IT departments with TechNet subscriptions

At this point, we're expecting very few surprises when it comes to Windows 8: Microsoft just shipped the final code to OEMs, and the company already published a list of staggered dates when developers, volume licensees and Joe Schmo consumers would be able to download the software. We already knew, then, that on August 15th developers with MSDN subscriptions would be able to get the RTM build, as would IT pros subscribed to TechNet. Now that that day has come, though, it's worth repeating that those of you plugged into either the developer or TechNet program can start exploring the final software now -- a good ten weeks before the rest of the world. Don't have access? Luckily for you, Microsoft granted us early access to the RTM, and we've got a breakdown of the new features waiting for you right here.

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Windows 8 RTM now available to developers, IT departments with TechNet subscriptions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8 RTM: what’s new in the final build of Windows 8?

Windows 8 RTM what's new in the final build of Windows 8

It's been two weeks since Microsoft signed off on Windows 8, and shipped the final code to manufacturers prepping shiny new computers. Today, another round of folks are getting their hands on the code: devs, and IT pros with subscriptions to Microsoft's TechNet program. Of course, you might not be a developer or IT whiz and, if we're being honest, neither are we! Happily for us, though, Microsoft gave us an early peek at the RTM build -- the same software that will ship to consumers October 26th. Granted, Microsoft says it will continue tweaking the built-in apps, with updates coming through the Windows Store. Barring these minor changes, though, what you see here is what you'll get ten weeks from now. Meet us after the break for a summary of what's new.

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Windows 8 RTM: what's new in the final build of Windows 8? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8’s stock apps get pictured, tease its final build

Windows 8's stock apps get pictured, tease its final build

Microsoft might be wavering on the well established Metro moniker that it ascribes to its flat, live tile design aesthetic, but that doesn't make it any less pervasive in Windows 8's final build. Care to see? Impatient Windows fans have pilfered a handful of screenshots from Google and Windows Store previews, revealing what appears to be the final look for several of Windows 8's apps. Gumshoes at the Neowin forums uncovered fresh previews of the Photos, Mail, Messaging, People, Calendar Xbox music, Xbox video and Xbox SmartGlass applications. Liveside followed up on the forum's findings with a peek at the OS' baked in Bing integration. The camera interface's crop and video playback features make an appearance too, as do the operating system's legacy time wasters: Solitaire, Minesweeper and Mahjong -- slacking off never looked so good. Check them out for yourself in the gallery below, and agonize over how far away October 26th suddenly seems.

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Windows 8's stock apps get pictured, tease its final build originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft confirms Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, OEM partners now have final code

Microsoft confirms Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, OEM partners now have final code

RTM. To the everyman, those three letters may not mean much. To those waiting with bated breath for Microsoft's next operating system, it's a huge milestone worth celebrating. Microsoft has today confirmed that Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, enabling its OEM partners to grab the final code and begin implementation on systems that'll be tempting you mightily starting on (or around) October 26th.

If you're curious about the specific rollout details, here goes. Starting August 15th, devs will be able to download the final version of Windows 8 via their MSDN subscription, and IT pros testing Windows 8 in organizations will be able to access the final version of Windows 8 through their TechNet subscriptions. On August 16th, customers with existing Microsoft Software Assurance for Windows will be able to download Windows 8 Enterprise edition through the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). Also on that day, Microsoft Partner Network members will have access to Win8. On August 20th, Microsoft Action Pack Providers (MAPS) receive access to the goods, while Volume License customers without Software Assurance will be able to purchase Windows 8 through Microsoft Volume License Resellers on September 1st.

Update: Microsoft has just affirmed that starting today, any qualifying business in a supported market can now submit a Metro style app for Windows 8. Boom.

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Microsoft confirms Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, OEM partners now have final code originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft confirms Windows 8 will reach RTM stage in August, consumers in October

Speaking during Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference keynote in Toronto, Corporate VP and CFO Tami Reller announced that the software giant will release Windows 8 to manufacturers next month. She also confirmed the previous October ship target -- that being the timeframe that consumers can expect to pick up a Windows 8-equipped machine, or presumably upgrade from a previous version of the OS. There's not much to report beyond that -- manufacturers will see Windows 8 next month, while the rest of us will need to hang tight until the fall.

Microsoft confirms Windows 8 will reach RTM stage in August, consumers in October originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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