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The 5 Coolest New Features In Microsoft Windows 8.1

ADMIN — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 06:19:17 GMT

Windows 8.1, the first update to the wildly different new version of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, just arrived in beta. It's easy to download--easier than the new version of OS X, anyway--but is it worth it? Check out these features and decide for yourself.$CUT$

The Return of the Start Button

The Start button has been a major part of Windows since all the way back in Windows 95, but Windows 8 removed it. The Start menu, these days, is a totally different-looking touch-friendly array of shiny live-updating squares, but you access it by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard rather than a button in the applications bar. For whatever reason, this alarmed people, so Microsoft stuck in a button where the Start button used to be.
It pops up a semi-transparent version of the modern Start menu, over whatever else you were doing. Cool I guess! You can also right-click to bring up other options like "shut down."

Hands-Free Mode

This is one of my favorite parts of Windows 8.1. Microsoft has a ton of apps already installed, from news readers to music and video players to games, and has updated a lot of those with cool new features. The Food & Drink app collects recipes and tips from famous chefs, but if you're reading it while cooking, you don't want to muck up your screen by touching it with your dough-covered hands or whatever. So Microsoft used some of its expertise from the Kinect and made a hands-free mode.
Just wave your hands to swipe through pages and recipes. The computer's webcam will do the job of the Kinect. Pretty cool!

Search Is Actually Universal

The "Charms" menu, which you access by swiping in from the right side of the screen, has always had a search option, but it wasn't all that useful before. Now it's a true universal search function, allowing you to search Bing, but also your files, folders, and applications, all in one box.

New and Updated Apps

Yes, Windows 8 (and 8.1) has apps, just like a tablet or smartphone. These are different from regular applications like Word or iTunes; apps are designed to be used with touch, when your computer is doubling as a tablet. And Microsoft is surprisingly good at designing them. There are a few new ones for this update: a calculator (with scientific and unit converter built-in); Health & Fitness (which monitors your diet and exercise, sort of like a simpler Fitbit); Reading List, which like Instapaper or Pocket lets you save long items to be read later; and updates for existing apps ranging from some small cosmetic changes to the Maps app to a total visual overhaul for the Music app.

3-D Printer Support

Microsoft says Windows 8.1 is the first operating system to support desktop 3-D printers like Makerbot or Solidoodle intrinsically. 3-D printers will have a driver and an API, just like a regular 2-D printer (or, really, any accessory) so you should be able to hit File -> Print from your 3-D modelling software the same way you would to print from Microsoft Word. Not a huge difference--it's not like it's hard to print with 3-D printing software--but should make things a bit easier in the long run as new software and hardware can all rely on a single driver.

Written By Dan Nosowitz

popsci.com

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Gets Commentary Driven E3 2013 Demo

ADMIN — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 02:56:22 GMT

The development team at Ubisoft is offering fans of the upcoming Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag a chance to explore the new environments offered by the game via a new gameplay demo from E3 2013. $CUT$

The video includes commentary from Ashraf Ismail, the game director working on the project.

The official description reads. "Pirates rule the Caribbean and have established a lawless Republic. Among these outlaws is a fearsome young captain named Edward Kenway, trained by Assassins."

The new Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag will use the core naval battle mechanics introduced in the third title in the series and will also allow players to explore plenty of urban areas in the Caribbean.

The game will be offered on the PC, current gen and next gen devices in the fall of this year.

Apple to allow users to trade their older iPhones for the newest model

ADMIN — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:53:02 GMT

San Francisco: Apple Inc will start a program this month to allow users to trade their older iPhones for the newest model, Bloomberg cited people familiar with the plan as saying, a first for the company as it prepares to introduce a new version of the smartphone.$CUT$

It has teamed up with Brightstar Corp, a mobile phone distributor that runs similar trade-in programs for carriers like AT&T Inc and T-Mobile, to handle exchanges, Bloomberg cited the unidentified sources as saying on Thursday.
Apple and Brightstar did not immediately return calls for comment.

New iPhones with no wireless contract are priced starting at $649, depending on storage size. Demand is typically strong but investors worry that, as the US market becomes increasingly saturated, smartphone purchases will slow sharply.

A trade-in program can help bolster demand for expensive new models, especially as arch-rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd steps up an aggressive push to sell its own devices in the US market.

Thief 4 Can Be Completed Without Causing Alerts, Says Developer

ADMIN — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:46:37 GMT

There are video games that allow players to complete playthroughs during which no one is killed but the team working at Eidos Montreal on the new Thief is taking the concept one step further, giving gamers the options to get through the story without knocking out any characters.$CUT$

Very capable veterans of the series will be able to avoid ever triggering an alert if they are careful and read the level design in all the right ways.

Daniel Windfeld Schmidt, the lead level designer, tells ShackNews, “at the end there is a tally screen that show you completed the mission without knocking anyone out or killing anyone – and a second one: completed without causing any alerts.”

The new Thief 4 will be launched on the PC, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 in 2014.

Samsung Pushes New Update to Galaxy Note II

ADMIN — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:42:50 GMT

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has started the delivery of a new software update for the owners of Galaxy Note II handsets in Europe, with PDA version N7100XXDME6. $CUT$

Unfortunately, the new software does not include a platform upgrade inside, and the phone remains on Android 4.1.2 even after it has been applied.

However, owners of Galaxy Note II handsets will enjoy a variety of fixes inside the new firmware, including one for the handset’s battery drains.

Other small problems found to affect users’ experience with the device were also resolved in this update, which is being pushed to all European countries with a build dated May 31.

As SamMobile notes, users should be able to download the new software update both OTA and via the Samsung Kies Desktop application.

Welcome to our software shop!

ADMIN — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:36:09 GMT

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