Microsoft Windows 8.1 free update released

Microsoft has released the free update of Windows 8.1 for Windows 8 and Windows RT device users via the Windows Store. Businesses now have access to the final versions of Windows 8.1 Pro and Windows 8.1 Enterprise. Windows 8.1 will also be available on new devices and as boxed software from 18 October.

Updates include: An improved, more customisable Start screen with variable tile sizes, more background designs and colours to make each Windows device look unique. Now you can chose to boot up at the Start screen or directly in good old fashion Windows desktop. 

The Start button has also returned as well as an updated apps view. Search with Bing has been enhanced for instant online or local searching from the Start screen. 

You can now enjoy native support for 3D printing making it easy as plug-and-play for all. Up to four apps can be used at once side by side with easy screen resizing as well as improved multi- monitor support. 

Sky Drive is also more heavily integrated making backing up files and using them across devices much easier. The Windows Store has also had a refresh making keeping up to date easier.

Microsoft Releases IE11 Dev Previewfor Windows 7

Microsoft launched on Thursday the developer preview of Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 . It follows the release of Microsoft's latest browser in Windows 8.1 Preview, which requires Windows 8 customers to install the OS update before they can test-drive the latest Internet Explorer build. 

The company confirmed late last month that the browser would eventually be brought to Windows 7 customers although a time frame was not provided. "In IE11, developers can build next generation experiences with professional-quality Web video, and hyper-fast 2D and 3D Web technologies that make the most of the underlying hardware," the company said. 

"IE11 supports real world standards and compatibility, and new developer tools enable developers to build high-performance Web experiences." Microsoft said that Windows 7 customers will receive all of the performance, security, and under-the- hood changes that went into the Windows 8.1 version. 

These include natively decoding JPG images and text in real-time on the GPU – both of which are the heart and soul of the Internet. It also implements the W3C Resource Priorities standard enabling developers to specify which parts of the page are important and need to be loaded first. 

"IE11 also supports HTML5 link prefetching and pre-rendering, so developers can help the browser anticipate where you’ll go next and get those pages ready," the company said. "On Windows 8.1, IE11 also supports the SPDY network protocol, the precursor to the HTTP 2.0 specification, enabling some sites to be downloaded faster.

" Microsoft also pleads its case regarding IE11 supremacy and the new Chakra JavaScript engine, claiming that it's significantly faster than Chrome, Firefox and Opera. 

On Windows 7, IE11 is 4 percent faster than IE10, and nearly 30 percent faster than the nearest competitive browser – according to the WebKit SunSpider JavaScript benchmark, that is. The company points out that Internet Explorer 11 supports WebGL for GPU- powered 2D and 3D graphics, and plugin-free HTML5-based video. All the latest standards for closed captioning is supported as well as is the HTML Full Screen API and WebCrypto. 

The version on Windows 8.1 also supports the latest media streaming standards, Media Source Extensions (MSE) and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME). "IE11 includes a completely re-designed and enhanced suite of in-browser F12 developer tools," the company said. "These tools help Web developers diagnose and optimize their apps quickly and efficiently. 

Having fast and reliable Web apps is more critical than ever. The new F12 supports the fast, iterative workflow used by modern Web developers. F12 helps developers get from problem to solution quickly with actionable data, enabling fast and fluid Web experiences."

Microsoft Windows 8.1 Preview now available for download

At its Build developers conference,
Microsoft announced that it has made
the preview version of Windows 8.1,
the update to its Windows 8 desktop
operating system, available to the
public for download.
As the word 'preview' suggests, this
build is sort of a final beta and might
contain some bugs so Microsoft
recommends that you should only
install it if you're comfortable with
troubleshooting your PC. The company
also warns that you might lose some
functionality or encounter errors as
the software is still in development
stage. Also, the final version of
Windows 8.1 could feature more
changes.
To download the new OS, you need to
visit the Windows 8.1 Preview page
and download a small program. It's
worth pointing out you will not be able
to 'uninstall' Windows 8.1 Preview
and will need to perform a fresh install
if you wish to go back to Windows 8.
After executing the downloaded
program, the PC will prompt you to
restart and will give you an option to
download the Windows 8.1 update
from the Windows Store. You'll just
need to follow the instructions to
download and install the update.
Microsoft also lists some devices that
are not compatible with the Preview,
yet.
It says, "Some tablets and PCs running
newer 32-bit Atom processors require
updates to their graphics drivers
before they can run the Windows 8.1
Preview. Those tablets and PCs
include the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2,
ASUS VivoTab TF810C, HP Envy X2,
HP ElitePad 900, Samsung ATIV Smart
PC, and Fujitsu ARROWS Tab. We are
working closely with Intel and OEM
partners to deliver updated drivers
that will allow you to install the
Windows 8.1 Preview as soon as
possible."
The Windows 8.1 update features a
couple of new improvements including
a new Start tip that offers Start menu
like functionality, desktop wallpapers
for Start screen, updated search,
automatic app updates, new
multitasking experience, a revamped
Store, better PC settings and a new
version of Internet Explorer, among
other changes.

Windows 8.1 Start button makes cameo in Server 2012 R2 Preview

It's back! Yes, what you're looking at
above is the Start button (plus
matching options) that's been rumored
to return with Windows 8.1 (formerly
"Blue"). Yesterday .NET developer
Robert McLaws tweeted a series of
screenshots of Windows Server 2012
R2 Preview (build 9431) which show
the new Start button and a revised
"Taskbar and Navigation properties"
dialog -- among other things.
Microsoft faced massive criticism last
year after shipping Windows 8 without
the Start button -- prompting third
parties to create replacements (like
Start8 and Classic Shell) -- so this is
a welcome change. Stay tuned for
Build 2013 (the company's developer
conference) which starts Wednesday
in San Francisco -- we're likely to find
out more about Windows 8.1 and the
Start button in short order.