Friday, 16 March 2012

Lenovo plans to be first to make a Windows 8 tablet




Windows 8 won't be ready for consumers until fall, but that's not stopping hardware makers from fighting to be first in line to build hardware for Microsoft's new operating system.
Lenovo is planning to be the "first to market" with a Windows 8 tablet, The Verge reports.
Citing a "source," the report says Lenovo is planning to be ready to ship the device in October and that it will have an Intel chip, so it clearly won't be a Windows-on-ARM device. Other than that, there aren't any details on exactly what the machine will be, although given those basic criteria (tablet, Intel, Windows 8), there's at least one suspect: the IdeaPad Yoga.
Lenovo showed off the Yoga at CES earlier this year, and it got a lot of attention due to its unusual form factor: a laptop with a keyboard that folds over completely to transform it into a tablet.

Saturday, 10 March 2012

Start8 download resurrects the start button on Windows 8, niche satiated

Some people just can't say goodbye.

Microsoft: there's a limit to Tango's love

Microsoft's going after the low-end market with devices like the Lumia 610 and its brethren. The handset's biggest limitation is that it only packs 256MB RAM and Redmond spent last week imploring developers to slim down their apps or face ghettoization. Now the company's revealing what else will be missing from Tango's cheapie iteration: Video podcasts, Bing local scout, fast app switching, automatic photo uploading, HD video playback (with certain codecs) and background agents will all be disabled. On the upside, this efficiency drive should ensure Windows Phone apps remain as lithe and responsive as its interface is, developers interested in learning more can head down to our source link for a dash of nitty and a spoonful of gritty.

Update: To clarify, the fast app switching situation is a little more nuanced: apps which uses upwards of 90MB will be "tombstoned" on deactivation, but those occupying less memory should fast resume just fine.

Music Unlimited app arrives on PlayStation Vita, Android version gets offline play

Listening to music isn't the best reason to take the plunge with the PS Vita. However, a new feature's a new feature, and Sony's very happy to tell you that its own subscription-based Music Unlimited service has arrived on UK devices, courtesy of its own dedicated app. Now you've had your fill of the games, Twitter and Facebook apps, it must be time to integrate with Sony's verticals and hand over more cash. The Android app has also been updated to include offline playback to songs added to your playlists -- like another certain streaming music service.