Microsoft offering free Media Center upgrade to Windows 8 Pro users until January 31st 2013

Home theater PC enthusiasts weren't too thrilled when Microsoft announced that it was stripping Media Center and its codecs for DVD playback and broadcast TV from Windows 8 in favor of a paid add-on. The folks from Redmond are offering a temporary reprieve, in an effort to reward early adopters. Windows 8 Media Center Pack is for free to customers who purchase Windows 8 Pro... at least until January 31st 2013. This promo requires that you enter your product key at the company's website in order to receive your free upgrade. Sadly, when the discount period for Pro upgrades ends, so too does the ability to score Media Center for free. Microsoft never revealed the price for its Media Center Pack, only referring to it as "economical." While we appreciate affordable software, there's nothing more cost effective than a freebie.

[Source: Engadget]

Windows 8 is in stores today -- are you buying a copy?

That special moment has come which usually rolls around only once every three years: Microsoft has released a new version of Windows. For the version 8 update, though, the stakes are higher than ever. Redmond isn't just trying to convince legions of existing Windows users that they should break their PC update cycles. It's trying to reclaim a foothold in a tablet space that's now dominated by Apple and Google -- and it's dipping into self-designed computers for the first time with a Surface tablet that theoretically represents Microsoft's perfect vision. But how well is Windows 8 resonating with you? Did you download a copy as soon as the servers were warmed up, or do you see it as a calamity that restricts a perfectly good platform?

[Source: Engadget]

Google Maps adds natural terrain by default outside of satellite views, reminds us the world isn't flat

Everyone knows that Google prides itself on mapping accuracy. If you hadn't checked beyond the base maps in the past few years, though, you'd have thought the terrain was charted in the "here be dragons" era -- it's been as flat as a board. Take a second look today. Google has overhauled Google Maps worldwide to show hills, deserts and lush zones by default, as well as label the geographical features that hadn't previously been identifiable in a sea of white. The map overhaul isn't so nuanced enough as to remind us how steep the hills can be in San Francisco, but it will remind us that Gobi refers to more than just a chipset.

[Source: Engadget]

Xbox SmartGlass now available in Google Play, brings console integration to Android

Hot on the heels of the Dashboard update for the Xbox 360, Microsoft's SmartGlass integration is now a reality for Android users. The companion app branches out from the earlier My Xbox Live app for Android and allows direct control of some console features from Google-powered gear. While Windows Phone users will find the tightest integration of all, the Android port still lets users steer through the Dashboard, input text, browse the web (with zooming), search for local content, and control media playback. Players can still chat with their friends and modify their Xbox profile if they're not planning to lurk around the system all day. The interface is strikingly similar to past releases (including Android) and still demands at least an 800 x 480 screen for admission -- sorry, Wildfire S fans. You'll find a full roster of features after the break, and can hit up Google Play at the source link below for your own remote.

[Source: Engadget - Click here to read more]

LG E960 support manuals confirm Nexus 4 name, 8GB and 16GB configurations

The information leaks ahead Google's Android event next week continue to flow, with the latest thanks to support manuals on LG's Australian and UK websites. While we're already familiar with the phone's hardware thanks to a detailed Belarusian review, the manuals confirm it is going to be called the Nexus 4, and that along with the 8GB version we've seen there will definitely be a 16GB edition available. As you can see above, it also includes an induction coil for wireless charging and excludes any microSD slots for additional storage. This all comes after two separate Nexus 10 leaks earlier today, as well as a report byWired of a lost Nexus 4 recovered in a San Francisco bar (sound familiar?) last month.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft's Sinofsky says Windows 8 PCs can undercut Apple's 'recreational' iPad mini

It just wouldn't be a major Apple launch if there wasn't a Microsoft executive calling out his old rival, would it? In a chat with AllThingsD, Windows division lead Steven Sinofsky has expressed doubts that Apple's iPad mini is really a cost-effective pick against the just-launched Windows 8. It's a $329 "recreational tablet" when there are work-ready Windows 8 laptops that cost $279, he says. He added that there are at least a few touchscreen Ultrabooks that could undercut the non-touch MacBook Air on price, and he ascribed the difference as much to "engineering" as the cost-cutting measures you'd expect.

Sinofsky was naturally just as keen to champion the advantages for work that Windows RT tablets like the Surface have when competing more directly with iPads, alluding to that Office bundle which hopefully keeps us more productive than a copy of Documents To Go. The company President would certainly disagree with Apple chief Tim Cook's view that Surface is a confused product, calling it a "PC for everyone" that just doesn't have to be used all the time. He makes valid points on the sheer value for money that you can get from both Windows PCs and tablets, although it would only be fair to mention that he didn't touch on the currently low Windows RT app selection, or if the OS was exactly what the market wanted -- we'd do well to remember that Microsoft alumni have a spotty track record when it comes to predicting Apple's destiny.

[Source: Engadget]

ASUS unveils RT-N12HP WiFi router with extra-long antennas: compensating for anything?

If getting long-range WiFi is a perpetual battle, ASUS just started a nuclear war. Its fresh RT-N12HP router carries a pair of (thankfully removable) high-gain, 9dBi antennas and a separate signal amplifier that can jointly boost the range of the router's 802.11n wireless up to 300 percent versus challengers that reach the same 300Mbps peak speed. Beyond that, the hotspot mostly claims sheer flexibility as its virtue with support for as many as four separate WiFi networks and a fast toggle between pure router, access point and repeater modes. Once ASUS confirms that we can grab the N12HP in specific countries, it'll likely deliver a good signal from corner to corner in most any home -- and invite some Freudian interpretations.

[Source: Engadget]

Bartender will hide your menu bar icons, goes to version 1.0

Bartender is a simple but excellent little app that lets you control that flood of icons up in your menu bar on the top of your OS X window. Now, designer Ben Surtees, who we spoke with earlier this year about where the app came from, has released version 1.0.2 of the app, officially releasing it as a finished product out into the world. You can buy it now for US$15, or there's still a four-week trial period available, if you just want to check it out for free.

Bartender offers a lot of different functionality to let you control your menu bar exactly as you choose. You can hide everything, kick icons down to Bartender's own bar or even set it up so that your icons are usually hidden, but only appear if they change. Plus, the app works with Notification Center, so you can hide or control that icon too as you'd like. And even when icons are moved down to the Bartender bar, they retain all of their functionality, as you can see above.

Bartender is a handy little app, and congrats to Surtees on finally releasing it. Again, it's available for purchase right now.

[Source: TUAW]

Squarespace introduces Squarespace Note

Web hosting provider Squarespace has a new app out, but it's not what you might think it is. Rather than an update or completely new version of the Squarespace app, the company has released Squarespace Note, a free app to help people "record their ideas on the fly."

The app provides a fast way to write down ideas on an iOS device, loading a blank white piece of virtual paper upon launch. Once you've written a note, it can be synced to Squarespace, email, Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook and Evernote. Everything you need to do can usually be done with a single swipe in one direction or another -- it's a very clean UI.

[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]

Mac mini catches 2010 Mac Pro in benchmark tests

As if we needed further confirmation of the rapidly closing gap between the Mac mini and what is supposed to be Apple's top-of-the-line offering -- the Mac Pro -- it looks like the latest mini refresh has brought the pint-sized PC's performance nearly in line with the previous generation of Apple's tower. According to benchmark tests by Macminiloco, the brand new minis are rapidly approaching the standards set by the 2010 Mac Pro.

Apple gave the Pro an extremely modest update in June 2012, adding just a small processor and RAM upgrade. The current Mac Pro is still without features like Thunderbolt or even USB 3.0 support. Meanwhile, the Mac mini -- which starts at $599 -- now comes with 4GB of 1600MHz RAM standard (with the option of 16GB right from Apple), Thunderbolt, four USB 3.0 ports and an optional 2.6GHz quad-core i7 Ivy Bridge processor.

The Mac Pro should be getting a full update in 2013, but until then the much pricier Pro will remain a difficult value proposition for many would-be buyers.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple Q4 2012 earnings: $36 billion in revenue, $8.2 billion net profit

Just a day after introducing the iPad mini, a revised iMac, a 4th-generation iPad and a retooled Mac mini, the company is outing its Q4 2012 earnings -- and it looks as if it has narrowly fell short of Wall Street estimates. Revenue was pegged at $36 billion (compared to estimates of $35.08 billion), with net profit at $8.2 billion. For the sake of comparison, the outfit's fourth quarter of 2011 saw $28.27 billion in revenue alongside $6.62 billion net profit -- at the time, those comically large numbers were actually not up to Wall Street's comical expectations. If you're looking for a quarter-over-quarter comparison, the company's Q3 2012 report showed $35 billion in total revenue, with $8.8 billion in net profits.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple's Tim Cook sees Microsoft Surface as a 'fairly compromised, confusing product'

Anyone wondering what Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks of Microsoft's new Surface tablet didn't have to wait long to get an answer. Cook offered a fairly blunt assessment of the device on the company'squarterly earnings call today, saying that while he hasn't personally played with one, "we're reading that it's a fairly compromised, confusing product." He went on to say that "I think one of the things you do with a product is make hard trade-offs. The user experience on the iPad is absolutely incredible," adding, "I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats, but I don't think it would do all of those things very well. When people look at the iPad versus competitive offerings, I think they'll continue to want an iPad."

As for Apple's own new tablet, the iPad mini, Cook dismissed the notion that it would cannibalize other iPad sales. "The way that we look at this," Cook said, "is that we provide a fantastic iPod touch, an iPad, and an iPad mini. Customers will decide which one, two, three or four they want, and they'll buy those." He went on to add that "we've learned over the years not to worry about cannibalization of our products. The far bigger opportunity is the 80 to 90 million PCs shipped each quarter. I think a great number of those people would be better off buying an iPad, or a Mac. That's a bigger opportunity for Apple. Instead of looking at cannibalization, I see an incremental opportunity."

[Source: Engadget]