Samsung unveils the ATIV One 5 Style, a Windows 8 AIO with Galaxy design

Portables aren't the only ATIV devices Samsung has in store today: Samsung's DJ Lee unveiled the ATIV One 5 Style this afternoon, an all-in-one PC with a slim 4.5mm metal frame and a Galaxy-style white bezel. From what we've seen so far, it's clearly a Windows 8 PC, and it's all screen (of the touch variety). Samsung European PC business director Patrick Povel calls it, "The perfect home entertainment device."
But you've already seen the ATIV One 5, you wanna know what's inside it -- we've just learned a load more about its specs. The ATIV One 5 features an AMD A6 quad-core processor (which also handles graphics duties), and has 4GB of RAM. The 21.5-inch display has a 1920 x 1080 resolution -- we're still not sure what type of screen that is, sadly, but we've asked. The ATIV One 5 Style arrives in the UK "later this year" for an unknown price.

TfL moves to embrace Apple devices but Windows 8 use a way off

Transport for London (TfL) is looking to support Apple products as part of a new device use policy, but Windows 8 support is a way off, according to the organisation's chief information officer (CIO).

Steven Townsend told V3 of the plans to allow the use of Apple devices as part of a 'persona-based technology programme' that could see certain staff allowed to use a more varied range of devices.

“This is something we are moving towards – an end-user computer programme, which will use different technology to support people in the organisation, according to their job function,” he said.

“So there are six to eight different personas within the organisation, like maintenance, revenue control inspectors and IT engineers, and they would all have a different persona. The IT will then fit around them. Some personas will allow staff to have access to mobile devices and tablet based technology, while other personas may mean hot desks.”

He added this could mean Apple products are allowed for staff for the first time: “Personally I have always been an Apple man. I’ve owned Macs for 10 years or more, not just since it’s got trendy.”

While Apple may be more widely used at TfL there are currently no plans to embrace Windows 8 at an early stage, although it could increase in use in future.

“Those staff being given access to new Windows desktops will be moved to Windows 7, but towards the end of the [persona] programme deployment, they will probably be using Windows 8 desktops,” he said.

“Windows 8 is in our sights but it is relatively new. We are not a bleeding-edge test bed for technology and want to see Windows 8 deployed across the industry first so we can learn from mistakes.”

The comments from Townsend come from an in-depth interview in the latest issue of the V3 Tablet App, which went live on Friday. The latest issue also features a raft of unique content including a look at the recent Computex trade show in Taiwan and a piece on the history of Sony.

You can download the latest issue of the V3 Tablet App for free by registering on the V3 website and using your login credentials to download a free copy of the app.

Microsoft hits restart button on Windows 8

Microsoft unveiled an update to its latest operating system today, responding to underwhelming consumer response with a slew of changes designed to make Windows 8 more familiar.

The company showed off a series of updates Thursday, aimed at making the system easier to navigate and letting users set up software so the computer starts off looking in a more recognizable format.

Last fall, Microsoft unveiled Windows 8 to much fanfare, pitching the operating system as a revolution in personal computing. Clearly targeted at mobile and tablet devices, one of the key features of the system is a tiled-based mosaic display that essentially does away from the traditional desktop icon and Start menu layout that has been ubiquitous on all Windows machines since the mid-1990s.

Microsoft hopes to quiet critics by allowing users to start the operating system in a desktop design with an omnipresent Windows logo anchored in the lower left corner of the display screen.

New programs and apps added
Users will also be able to ensure their favourite applications, including Word and Excel, appear in a horizontal task bar next to the Windows logo. But instead of a Start menu, the new Windows 8.1 will lean heavily on Microsoft's Bing search engine to help users find whatever it is they're looking for on their computers.

Other new features in Windows 8.1 include:
A built-in connection with Microsoft's online storage system, SkyDrive, to back up photos, music and program files.
A lock-up screen that will display a slide show of a user's favourite pictures.
Larger and smaller interactive tiles than Windows 8 has.
A photo editor.
In an effort to avoid any further confusion about the operating system, Windows 8.1 also will plant a tile clearly labelled "helps and tips" in the centre of the startup screen.

The switch should ease the "cognitive dissonance" caused by Windows 8, said Antoine Leblond, who helps oversee the operating system's program management.

Despite consumer complaints about the redesigned Windows, Microsoft says it has already shipped 100 million units since its launch last October.

The free update, called Windows 8.1, will soon be available to any customers with a Windows 8 computer.

Windows 8 Ultrabooks

Product Roundup Stop anyone on the street and ask them for a definition of the term ‘Ultrabook’ and I suspect they will look at you with utter incomprehension. Hardly surprising, since Intel’s effort to create a popular brand for thin’n’light notebooks hasn’t really been a roaring success.

To me, the Ultrabook is the logical evolution of the laptop. I mean, who doesn’t want a notebook that’s lighter, thinner, more powerful and sexier than the one they bought three years ago?

The new Ford Fiesta is more economical, more spacious, more comfortable and better equipped than previous models, but that doesn’t make it an ultrahatchback. This is what happens when you let members of the marketing and PR departments out of their cages.

So let’s not get bogged down in exactly how thin an ultrabook should be with a given screen size, exactly how fast it boots up, how much it weighs - though curiously this isn’t something Intel seems to have laid down the law on - or exactly how long the battery lasts.

Rather let us for a moment just assume you want a thin and reasonably light laptop with a half-decent battery life, a USB 3.0 port or two and, this being the era of Windows 8, perhaps something in the way of a touchscreen. And that you have no use for a built-in optical disc drive.

And let us also assume you are not overly concerned about the bump in performance likely to come with Intel’s new Haswell architecture, which will start superseding today’s Ivy Bridge chips later in the year.

Unless you only have ￡350 to spare and just want something mundane made of plastic to permanently sit on your desk that’s surely what most potential notebook buyers want.

Verizon & T-Mobile to Carry Rumored Windows 8 Phone; Amazon Features Nokia Lumia 928 Premium Accessory Kits

Considering the rumored specs and leaked images of the Nokia Lumia 928, it seems that these are now confirmations of rumors on the next phones that will be appearing on Verizon and T-Mobile.

According to Gotta Be Mobile, the rumored Catwalk phone that was once rumored to replace, or at least be an improvement of, the present Lumia 920. This is supposedly the rumored Catwalk phone that Nokia was slating for release for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

The Nokia Catwalk was reported to be carried by T-Mobile, and given how similar the specs of the Nokia 920 is to the 928, the carrier may be joining the bandwagon to carry the Nokia Lumia 928 in 4G LTE Network, reports Gotta Be Mobile.

This comes at a contrast with what has been previously thought of the Nokia Lumia 928 to be an exclusive model to Verizon. Digital Trends reported that, with the exclusivity of the Lumia 822 to the carrier, a 928 model also being an exclusive is a possibility.

But with the Lumia 928 looking more and more like the rumored Nokia Catwalk, T-Mobile-and perhaps AT&T?-may also be carrying the phone.

And why not, given how 928 is clearly an improved 920. According to TechCrunch, the inside features are pretty much the same as its predecessor, but the Lumia 928 may have an OLED panel as well as a polycarbonate body.

There are also reports that some features of the Nokia Lumia 928, such as the Xenon unit will replace the dual-LED of the 920.

Standby for more confirmations, announcements, and release dates for Nokia's newest flagship Windows 8 phone.

Nokia 928 accessories debut in Amazon

Even before the release of the Nokia 928, it seems that Amazon already has a confirmation of sellers in Amazon have already announced premium accessory kits for the Nokia Lumia 928 at affordable deals.

Phone Arena reports that a Nokia Lumia 928 accessory kit is being sold at $9.99 to include a black hard cover case as well as a micro USB car charger.

In addition, Amazon also features a premium Nokia Lumia 928 jogging armband and mini cube clamshell travel earbud carrying case at only $18.99. It's an ideal kit for health enthusiast who would be needing their Nokia Lumia 928 wherever they go.

Since the Nokia Lumia 928's release is just a matter of when the announcement will be, this may be a great time to place an order for the accessories to your phone.

Big Discount for XP to Windows 8 Upgrade

Microsoft is now warning Windows XP users that it will only support the aging operating system (OS) for one more year. Beyond that point, anyone still using it will be at risk. To get people off the old OS, Microsoft is offering a 15 per cent price reduction for businesses upgrading to Windows 8.

April 8, 2014, will mark the end of extended support for people running Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3), the last of the major updates to the system. Those who didn't apply the service packs are already out of the support window, though there's no charge to download these updates.

Extended support is the second stage of Microsoft's 10-year period of support for its software, a standardized timetable it introduced a few years ago.

The support program means that for five years after release, the "full support period", Microsoft offers free technical help with the software. In the "extended support" period, support is only available to people who pay extra (though the company continues to release security fixes and some technical improvements).
No More Bug Fixes From 2014

When extended support finally expires next April, Microsoft says it will no longer offer support for Windows XP SP3. This means that if hackers find previously-undiscovered bugs and begin exploiting them, there will be no help from Microsoft.

However, because Vista was panned by critics and many people don't see the point in upgrading to Windows 8, Windows XP remains quite popular.

Estimates vary, but somewhere in the region of 20 to 40 per cent of all computer users are still running Windows XP. If that doesn't change by next year, Microsoft faces a nightmare scenario of having to decide whether to change its support deadline once again or risk a potential security threat to millions of users.

Businesses Get Windows 8 Upgrade Discount

As part of its effort to encourage upgrades, Microsoft is now offering significant price discounts to businesses interested in upgrading to the new Windows 8 OS. Specifically, it's offering 15 per cent off usual prices to firms that upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 8. (Source: computerworld.com)

The discounts are only valid on the professional (business) editions of the software. Microsoft also notes that people taking up this offer will be allowed to "downgrade" from Windows 8 to Windows 7 without extra charge.

Windows 8: Can this OS be saved?

Windows 8 isn’t static code in a shrink-wrapped box, like Windows XP or Vista. It’s a living organism, made partly from familiar bits that have evolved over the last two decades, with several new strands of DNA tossed in.

It’s part of a much larger hardware-apps-services ecosystem with roots that also go back decades.

Windows 8 lays the groundwork for some huge long-term changes: big shifts in the user interface, a brand-new app model, and deep connections to online services like SkyDrive, Outlook.com, and Office.com.

Those services have evolved significantly since Windows 8 launched six months ago. Windows itself will make another big set of changes this summer with Windows 8.1 (Blue), which is much more than a service pack. New Office apps for Windows 8 will arrive this year as well.

Those are big changes. But the Windows 8 system you use today will include all of them by the end of the year.

Windows 8 doesn’t need to be saved. It just needs to evolve.

This is not a debate. This is an autopsy.

The formal question may be, "Can this OS be saved?" But, we already know the answer. It's a dead OS walking.

This isn't a matter of opinion. The numbers don't lie.

Windows 8's market numbers are even lower than Vista's pathetic ranking at a similar point in their sales cycle. Even if you buy the most optimistic reading of NetMarketShare's numbers, Windows 8, after being in the market for
six months, has just 3.31% of the desktop marketplace—that's just over what Vista had with 3.02% in
three months.

You can—and we will—argue why this has happened. The cold hard sales numbers mattermore than any arguments we can make. Looking ahead, IDC and Gartner ) are going to overwhelm Windows-based PCs in the next few years. But, there's nothing new there. Goldman Sachs and KPCB already have Windows far behind Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

You can think all you want that Windows 8 can be saved,  but unless you start buying Windows 8 PCs, it doesn't matter. This is capitalism, not democracy. It's your dollars that count, not clicking a like button.

Now, onto Windows 8's causes of death. First, we cut into Metro with Stryker saw...