Bill Gates: Windows 8 is doing "well" without him

How is Windows 8 doing? Microsoft says it's sold 60 million licenses for the latest version of its operating system, though according to other reports, it's performing nowhere near how the company would like. Bill Gates, however, seems pretty chuffed.

Asked by CNBC whether he'd ever return to the company as CEO, Gates replied that Windows 8 and the Surface tablet are doing "well" without him, The Verge reports. But then he would say that. Wouldn't he?

You can watch the full interview for yourself here. The interviewer asks the question just after five minutes in.

Gates points out he's engaged with Microsoft on a part-time basis, but he's very focussed on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. "Microsoft has got a lot of exciting things going on," he said. "It's a competitive field. Windows 8 has done well, Surface computer is doing well, so I share lots of ideas where Office should go, and I think the field as a whole should feel proud of how quickly it's moving, and Microsoft will lead in a lot of those areas."

Asked which devices he uses, Gates said he reads on a Windows PC, while Windows Phone is "a fantastic product" and a "great tool".

So pretty effusive.

In just a few days Microsoft will hike up the price of Windows 8 by some 400 percent. So if you're umming and aahing about whether or not to buy, it's make your mind up time. And it's just a couple of weeks before Microsoft launches its Surface Pro tablet that runs Windows 8 instead of Windows RT. Which is the one everyone has been waiting for.

In the interview, Gates also gave an update on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has given away $28 billion to help combat health crises around the globe like Malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.

[Source: CNET]

Microsoft hikes up price of Windows 8 by 500%

Bad news if you want to upgrade to Windows 8 but are yet to do so. Microsoft has announced its introductory offer will end on 1 February. From then on, in the US, instead of costing $40 to upgrade to Windows 8, it'll set you back $120, or $200 for Windows 8 Pro.

There's no word on what the new UK price will be, but I'm expecting a similar hike.

In fact, getting my calculator out, if Microsoft raises it by the same amount for us Brits, Windows 8 Pro will jump from £24.99 to about £125. Ouch.

So if you haven't upgraded yet but intend to do so, better get downloading.

Windows 8 brings with it a whole new interface that uses 'tiles', known as the Metro UI. It's a world away from previous versions of Windows, with quicker log-in and boot-up times, and the ability to sync between your PC and tablet. However, sales have so far failed to set the world alight, according to reports.

Sales of Windows 8 PCs are "well below Microsoft's internal projections" one report says. Fujitsu has suffered a slump in sales of computers running the operating system, too, andblames it on the fact Microsoft's OS is "weak". One study showed just 39 percent of people were planning on upgrading to the latest version.

Acer has also joined in the Microsoft-bashing, saying it doesn't stand a chance against Apple. So it's not really been a swinging start for Windows 8.

Still though, Microsoft says it's sold 4 million copies of the operating system, while sales of its Surface tablet -- which runs Windows RT -- have been "modest". I can't see a spike in sales after this price hike though.

[Source: CNET]

Microsoft Surface and Windows RT gets simple jailbreak

If you thought jailbreaking was just for the iPhone 5 and iPad, think again: Windows and the Microsoft Surface have been busted out of jail.

The crafty folk at XDA Developers have come up with the jailbreak, handily packaged into a batch file that you run each time you turn the tablet on, so you can install apps that haven't been aproved by Microsoft.

The jailbreak exploit works on Windows RT, the tablet version of Windows 8 found in the Surface and set for a range of tablets from (a small number of) other manufacturers. RT is designed for the low-powered ARM chips found in tablets. It's a stripped-down version of the software that only runs apps from the Windows Store, unlike the full version of the software that allows you to install any app you fancy.

Applying the jailbreak allows the tablet to run apps that didn't come from the Windows Store, although applications designed for a computer's x86 processor won't work on the tablet unless recompiled for the ARM architecture. 

The full version of Windows 8 is set to appear on a tablet in the shape of the Microsoft Surface Pro, which is expected in the US this month but is yet to have a British release date confirmed. Meanwhile the different versions of Windows 8 have caused enough confusion to see theSamsung Ativ Tab cancelled.

[Source: CNET]

Media Center Remote for Windows 8 controls 7MC PCs, Extenders via WiFi

Microsoft hasn't provided much in the way of Media Center enhancements as a part of its upgrade to Windows 8, but this app lets those PCs, tablets and everything in between control Windows 7 Media Center computers and extenders. Coming from the developer of the Kinect for Media Center app we saw earlier this year, Media Center Remote for Windows 8 is compatible with ARM / Windows RT devices and can control playback, as well as browse libraries of music, pictures and videos. It's all done in the Windows 8 UI style, of course, so how much you love the look will apply here. It's not free, with a pricetag of $4.99 (also requires the installation of a free command listener app on your Media Center PC) and at the moment will only control PCs running Windows 7, although a backend update that will enable support for WMC on Windows 8 is on the way.

[Source: Engadget]

MediaPortal 1.3 hits beta, scores new Titan UI, preliminary Windows 8 support

After simmering in its second alpha stage for roughly two weeks, MediaPortal 1.3 has hit the beta phase with a trio of newly-minted looks. The Titan skin spruces up the open source media player's interface with fresh visuals designed for folks with 1080p 16:9 displays. If you're worried about the new look harshing your plugin mellow, the Titan Extended option already plays nice with a handful of add-ons: OnlineVideos, MovingPictures, MP-TvSeries, My Films, Fanart Handler, Latest Media Handler, Trakt, InfoService and the Extensions plugin. Those who'd rather not make the leap to the brand-spanking-new skin can take advantage of refreshed Default and DefaultWide themes instead. In addition to the new coat of paint, the Beta adds preliminary support for Windows 8, which is scheduled to mature in the final version. Thanks to Last.fm's about face on free API access, the music service's plugin has been nixed, but it might return for Last.fm subscribers. For the full changelog and instructions on migrating to the latest test release, hit the bordering source link.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft updates Bing Desktop app for Windows XP and higher

Previously only enjoyed by Windows 7 users, Microsoft has updated its Bing Desktop app to play nice with all modern versions of Windows going all the way back to XP. The OS' latest iteration already packs a slew of Bing-powered applications, but none of them replicate the app's headlining trick: syncing desktop backgrounds with Bing's daily wallpaper. Windows 8 (and XP, Vista and server) users who adopt the 1.1 update can set the app to change their background daily, or manually set it to any background from the past nine days. News aficionados can peek at trending headlines and popular images underneath the search field, which itself can be docked at the top of the screen for easy access. Microsoft has also added French, German, Chinese and Japanese language support to the app. If this piques your interest, go ahead and download it at the source -- that is, if you haven't Google-fied your Start Screen just yet.

[Source: Engadget]

Skype for Windows 8 update adds Messenger contact support

Microsoft recently revealed that it would be retiring its longstanding Live Messenger platform. However, instead of receiving a commemorative wristwatch and rocking chair for its services, the once prominent IM client will be integrated into Skype during Q1 2013. Taking its first step to get the ball rolling, the company issued an update to Skype for Windows 8. The latest software push brings group searches, improved video performance, bug fixes and most notably Messenger contacts are now available to call. While these changes are subtle, it's good to finally see Microsoft making moves after shelling out $8.5 billion for the privilege a little over a year ago. Hopefully, this will lead to more practical roads, like finally bringing Skype to the Xbox 360. But that would make too much sense, wouldn't it?

[Source: Engadget]

Start button utility strips even more '8' from Windows 8, has sold 'tens of thousands' of copies

When we first reported on Start8, a mod that brings the tried-and-tested Start button back to Windows 8, it was impossible to know how fiercely the fires of controversy would burn over Microsoft's new interface. Some of us adjusted to the full-screen Start "experience" pretty quickly, but it's also clear that a sizable population of users prefer things just as they were. How sizable? Well, according to one of Start8's makers, quoted by USA Today, the $5 app has now sold "tens of thousands" of copies after the "floodgates opened" on October 26th, with further tens of thousands of users picking up the free version. Whether that's a lot or a little depends entirely on your frame of reference -- after all, four million copies of the OS upgrade were sold in the first four days. Nevertheless, interest has been sufficient for Stardock to invest in an update that reinstates even more old-school flavor -- including the ability to drag and drop Start menu items, and to disable the new Start screen toggle that appears whenever you move your cursor to that hotly disputed lower-left corner.

[Source: Engadget]

Windows 8 PC sales reportedly 'well below Microsoft's internal projections'

It's been three weeks since Windows 8 was released to the masses, but it's still not clear how the new — and polarizing — operating system has been accepted by consumers and businesses alike. However, Microsoft insider Paul Thurrott has now offered just a bit of information on how the Redmond-based company is viewing the OS' first few weeks on market. Citing one of his "most trusted sources at Microsoft," Thurrott reports that sales of Windows 8 PC's are disappointing and "well below Microsoft’s internal projections." The source says that, internally, the blame is being placed on manufacturers' "inability to deliver."

No matter the trustworthiness of Thurrott's source, the report does leave something to be desired when it comes to hard stats. The only number we've received from Microsoft to-date is that it sold four million Windows 8 upgrades in just a few days. It's difficult to know for sure why sales of new PCs are disappointing, but it does mean that consumers and businesses are likely comfortable keeping on with their Windows 7 or earlier hardware — not a wholly unexpected result. Still, we're sure rumors will be flying considering the timing of former Windows head Steven Sinofsky's departure earlier this week.

[Source: The Verge]

Microsoft announces SkyDrive SDKs for .NET and Windows Phone 8, highlights web integration

After the introduction of new APIs last year, Microsoft has released SkyDrive SDKs for almost every major platform including Windows 8, JavaScript Web library, Android and iOS. Now the cloud service has opened its doors to more of Microsoft's own with new SDKs for .NET and of course, Windows Phone 8. To entice even more developers to its side, the team at SkyDrive also integrated with services like IFTTT (If This Then That), which lets you customize action triggers between different web services, DocuSign, an electronic signature site and SoundGecko, a text-to-audio transcription service. It'll likely take a lot of work for SkyDrive to win over fans of Dropbox and Box.net, but opening up its doors to developers is a step in the right direction.

[Source: Engadget]

Internet Explorer 10 preview for Windows 7 could be available tomorrow

Microsoft may well be releasing the preview version of Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 tomorrow, if tech blog ifanr has got it right. A Weibo post from the Chinese site claims that Roger Capriotti, Director of Product Marketing for IE, announced the news during a press event in Beijing today. It wouldn't come as that much of a surprise, as it fits nicely with the mid-November slot Microsoft penned in last month. There's still no word on when the final version might be ready, but if you'd like to try a little MetroWindows 8 style browsing on that Windows 7 machine, expect your chance tomorrow.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft's November security updates include critical Windows 8 and RT patches

Microsoft recently issued its "Security Bulletin Advance Notification" for this month, detailing which operating systems and software will be updated on November 13th. While many products are being addressed, including Office for Mac, newly released Windows 8 and RT are the most notable entries on the list. The first patches since they hit the market will fix "critical" issues which open them up to "remote code execution." Microsoft hasn't gone into specifics (obviously), but you can register for a webcast being held on the 14th (see source link) should you want enlightening. If you thought your fresh machine or slate was flawless, we're afraid to say it's just another member of the 'Patch Tuesday' club.

[Source: Engadget]