It looks like Google’s secretive efforts to bypass the privacy settings in Apple’s Safari aren’t limited to just that browser. Now Microsoft says that Google has similarly bypassed the privacy settings in Internet Explorer. And Google, rather than denying the claim, says instead that it didn’t have much of a choice.

Settle in, folks. This one is going to get messy.

Google, as you may remember, was accused recently of bypassing privacy features in Apple’s Safari web browser, which runs in the company’s popular iPhone handset and also, in much more limited numbers, on PC and Mac desktops. Google owned up to the invasion and halted the practice. But now the FTC is investigating and the online giant has already been slapped with a class action lawsuit.

This is, of course, where Microsoft enters the picture.

“We’ve discovered that Google is employing similar methods [to its Safari hack] to get around the default privacy protections in Internet Explorer and track IE users with cookies,” Microsoft corporate vice president Dean Hachamovitch writes in a blog post explaining Google’s latest privacy invasion. “We’ve found that Google bypasses the P3P Privacy Protection feature in IE. [But] Internet Explorer 9 has an additional privacy feature called Tracking Protection which is not susceptible to this type of bypass. Microsoft recommends that customers who want to protect themselves from Google’s bypass of P3P Privacy Protection use Internet Explorer 9 and click here to add a Tracking Protection List.”

According to Hachamovitch, in both Safari and IE, Google is essentially fooling the browser to believe that “third party cookies,” which are basically used to track user movements online, are “first party cookies,” which can only be associated with the currently viewed web site. Most browsers, including Safari and IE, block third party cookies by default, but not first party cookies.

But IE offers a workaround to this behavior by allowing third party cookies that have a valid P3P Compact Policy Statement that explains how the site will use the cookie and states that the site will not track the user. Google abused this P3P policy to fool IE into accepting third party cookies that allow Google to track users online.

“Given this real-world behavior, we are investigating what additional changes to make to our products,” Hachamovitch added. “Privacy advocates involved in the original specification have recently suggested that IE ignore the specification and block cookies with unrecognized tokens. We are actively investigating that course of action.”

Google says, however, that the P3P policy used by Microsoft is outdated and not conducive to “modern web functionality.” And it points to a Facebook support page that notes that “most modern web browsers do not fully support P3P.” But Google is utilizing what is essentially a bug in IE’s handling of P3P policy to track users without their permission. Apparently the theory here is that if others are doing it, it must be OK.

If you are an IE 9 user and would like to prevent Google from tracking your activities online without your consent, please visit Microsoft’s Tracking Protection Lists site for more information a tracking protection list download.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/microsoft-google-bypassed-privacy-settings-142317

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Microsoft on Tuesday revealed that it will expand the number of supported display languages in Windows 8 by 14, bringing the total to 109. This, the company says, will provide a native language version of Windows for over 4.5 billion people.

The most notable addition, curiously, is UK English: Previously these users had to “make do” with US English, Microsoft notes.

“For Windows 8, we have reimagined the display language experience, focusing on making additional display languages available to all Windows users, making them super easy to find and install, and allowing users to switch between them,” Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky writes in the introduction to a new post on the Building Windows 8 Blog.

The Windows display language is the one that is installed by default when you purchase the OS, and can be considered the “primary” language of that version of the OS. It’s the language used by the Windows user interface. In the past, Microsoft allowed users to add additional languages on top of that primary language through its Multilingual User Interface technology, or MUI. But now in Windows 8, for the first time, you’re no longer stuck with the display language you got when you first installed Windows.

“With Windows 8, users will be able install additional display languages beyond those preinstalled languages,” Microsoft program manager Ian Hamilton writes. “This means that the language of the PC no longer needs to be a major consideration when deciding on which model to buy. If the language you want is not preinstalled on the PC you like, you can now install the one you want.”

Language selection is made through the new Language control panel, which is available in the “classic” Control Panel interface, not the new Metro-style version. To add a new language, simply click “Add a language.”

Once you have multiple languages installed, you can choose a new primary language if you’d like. (You’ll have to logout and back in for the change to take effect.)

Also improved: No more multiple language entries in the optional section of Windows Update, as in Windows Vista and 7: Now this is all hidden in the Language control panel instead.

Hamilton notes that other aspects of Windows 8 language support related to text entry and locale support are also coming. Those, alas, will need to wait for a future blog post.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/blog/supersite-blog-39/windows8/microsoft-expand-language-availability-windows-8-142319

Microsoft this week provided new information about how it will integrate its SkyDrive cloud-storage service with Windows 8 (and previous Windows versions), dramatically improving the interoperability between the two. Put simply, SkyDrive should see a huge surge in usage in the next year or two: This already-useful service is about to become indispensable.

Not coincidentally, I started writing an article called What I Use: SkyDrive + Live Mesh + OneNote about two weeks ago. More important events have conspired to steal my attention away, but I’ll get that posted sometime in the coming weeks. But the rationale behind it is clear enough and emphasized by this week’s revelations. If you use Microsoft software, SkyDrive is about to become central to what you do. Knowing this, I’ve already begun the transition.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. First, I’ll look at what Microsoft revealed this week, and then I’ll provide an overview of the company’s previous posts about the integration between Windows 8 and SkyDrive. And finally, I’ll sum up with some ideas about the future, since there’s still more to come.

“As we developed Windows 8, we thought deeply about how SkyDrive and Mesh can take an even more active role in completing the [Windows] experience,” Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky writes in the introduction to a new blog post on the Building Windows 8 Blog, “offering a cloud service for each and every Windows 8 customer and all their PCs (and phones), should you choose to use it.”

The post then goes on to explain three major changes coming to Windows and SkyDrive: A SkyDrive Metro-style app for Windows 8, SkyDrive integration into the Windows 8 desktop environment (and related native access from Windows 7 and Vista), and an unexpected new “remote fetch” feature. Here’s how this all breaks down:

SkyDrive Metro-style app for Windows 8

Microsoft sees SkyDrive as a mobile device cloud, a concept the software giant previously discussed in a post to the Inside Windows Live blog. Put simply, this means that SkyDrive will sit in the background, storing files of all kinds and propagating them automatically on Windows PCs, devices, and phones. Some of this functionality is available now–you can seamlessly access SkyDrive-based documents from Windows Phone 7.5, for example–but much more is coming.

In Windows 8, part of the native way in which you will be able to seamlessly access SkyDrive-based files of all kinds is via a new Metro-style SkDrive app that will surface your entire SkyDrive cloud–i.e. the files and folders you currently access mostly through the web–using a simple and friendly Metro-style user experience. (And yes, a preview version of this app will be included in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.)

It looks like so:

The SkyDrive Metro-style app has two basic functions. First, it can be used as a standalone app, a friendly way to get at the content you store in SkyDrive. Second, it integrates deeply into the Windows Runtime (WinRT) by providing a File Picker interface that the OS or any other Metro-style app can use. So whenever you need to select a file–when changing your logon or desktop wallpaper, for example–or save a file, SkyDrive will be one of the locations available in the File Picker, alongside the local file system and other configured locations. (This is automatic if you choose to logon to Windows 8 with a Windows Live ID as, I suspect, many individuals will.)

SkyDrive is also available in the Metro environment via the Share charm. This provides some very useful functionality, including the ability to send documents or photos through the Mail app on Windows 8, seamlessly.

Let me just reiterate the cool bit here. SkyDrive is natively available from within any Metro-style app in Windows 8 for the purpose of finding or saving a file of any kind. This is the native SkyDrive integration Windows users have been asking for, but designed specifically for the Metro user experience.

SkyDrive integration with the Windows 8 desktop

Desktop users are not being left in the lurch, either. Windows 8 will also include native SkyDrive integration with the Windows 8 desktop, courtesy of Windows Explorer and, Microsoft says, desktop applications like Microsoft Office.

OK, OK. This is the native SkyDrive integration Windows users have been asking for. And now it’s coming, not just to Windows 8, but also to Windows 7 and Vista.

“We’ve consistently heard from our most loyal customers that you want SkyDrive on the desktop, and we’re happy to announce that we will be releasing a desktop app,” Mike Torres and Omar Shahine write in the B8 post. “The benefits are obvious: easy drag-and-drop upload and download support for SkyDrive, anywhere access to your data, offline access, and the power of Windows Explorer to manage your files and folders. All of these things will be available with SkyDrive on the desktop.”

The interesting bit here is that Microsoft hints at–but does not explicitly state–that the weird Chinese wall between SkyDrive and Mesh may be coming down in the Windows 8 timeframe too. That is, this native SkyDrive application for Windows 8, 7, and Vista provides a tiny, quick installer and will then sync all of your SkyDrive, and not just today’s weird Mesh subset, between the cloud and your PCs. “As you update files on your PC, they’re uploaded immediately to the cloud–and as changes are made in the cloud or on another device, they’ll sync back down to the PC,” the post notes. “There’s very little to manage or control and you won’t be bugged with pop-ups or dialog boxes. You won’t even need to know it’s running.”

There’s also a hint in there that the rumored SkyDrive storage tiers I mentioned over the weekend in Are Native Apps, Paid Tiers Coming to SkyDrive? are indeed happening. Instead of noting that SkyDrive for the desktop will sync up to 25 GB of storage, the current limit, it says it will sync “up to your available quota of storage.” Looks like tiered storage is indeed on the way.

Here are some shots of SkyDrive integration with the Windows desktop to get you excited.

Remote Fetch

While most Windows users (or at least enthusiasts) have been clamoring for the above-stated functionality for a couple of years now, Microsoft did drop one unexpected surprise this week as well. It will providing a new SkyDrive/Windows 8 integration feature called Remote Fetch that really puts this service over the top. More important, this feature pretty much eliminates the need for third party remote access solutions such as LogMeIn Pro or Hamachi. (I use both of these solutions right now, not coincidentally.)

“With SkyDrive in Windows 8, you can also turn your entire PC into your own private cloud, and use its terabytes of local storage to easily access, browse, and stream your files from anywhere by simply fetching them from SkyDrive.com,” the post explains. “Knowing that most people would still have files on a remote PC that weren’t available through SkyDrive, we built a new feature that allows you to ‘reach across’ the Internet to access any file, stream videos, or view photo albums from a remote PC that is running SkyDrive on the desktop. For any remote folder or file, you can also choose to ‘copy to SkyDrive,’ so that you’ll always have it across your devices.”

This is powerful stuff.

It requires the PC on the other end to be always on, but then many people have desktop PCs sitting at home that are always on, as I do when I travel. It requires an additional bit of security, of course, since you don’t want your home PC to be open to anyone on the Internet. So Microsoft is requiring a second factor of authentication, which will require entering a code that the company sends to your mobile phone or alternate email address. So get that Windows Live ID properly configured in anticipation of this functionality. (See how it’s all coming together?)

But wait, there’s more

The B8 post notes that all of today’s SkyDrive functionality on the web will continue going forward (and based on the recent Office 15 announcement, one might expect it to be in fact improved), and that “there will be a lot more to say about SkyDrive as [the] story evolves.” But it may be worth quickly summarizing what Microsoft previously said about Windows 8 and SkyDrive integration. Remember, folks, this isn’t everything.

(Microsoft’s initial discussions about this integration came via two previous B8 posts, Signing in to Windows 8 with a Windows Live ID and Extending “Windows 8″ apps to the cloud with SkyDrive.)

Other Windows 8/SkyDrive integration pieces include: 

Windows 8 logon integration. In Windows 7 and previous Windows versions, individuals typically logon to their PCs via what’s called a local user account. You can, however, link your local user account to your Windows Live ID (and, presumably to other online accounts, though I’m not aware of anyone else using this feature) in order to provide a more seamless experience between Windows and Live services. With Windows 8, however, you can now logon with your Windows Live ID directly, gaining that seamless integration automatically. And it’s better than ever with Windows 8, since the OS itself works so closely with Live services, as noted below 

Windows 8 settings integration. When you logon with a Windows Live ID, most Windows settings you configure are synced from PC to PC, providing you with the same personalized experience on each device. These settings are controlled via the new Sync PC Settings control panel, which includes the settings groups Personalize, Themes, Ease of Access, Language Preferences, Apps, Web Browser, Other Stuff, and Some Passwords. 

Metro-style app integration. Apps you’ve purchased are available automatically on all of your Windows 8 PCs (on up to five of them), but it’s not just apps availability. Each downloaded and purchased app syncs its settings and last-used state automatically to each of your PCs.

App and web site authentication. You can configure and manage multiple app and web site logons, save them with your Windows Live ID, and have them automatically applied as needed while logged on with that Windows Live ID.

To the future

OK, so we see deep integration between Windows 8 and SkyDrive, and even Explorer-based integration for Windows 7 and Vista users. Windows Phone users today can access Office documents from the Office hub, photos from the Pictures hub, and files of other kinds from the separate SkyDrive app. (And there’s a version of the SkyDrive app on iOS, too.) And let’s not forget the Windows Phone 8 stuff: Joe Belfiore apparently spoke of the ability to sync and access photos, music, and movies between devices and SkyDrive.

When you couple all this with a rumored OS X app, paid storage tiers up to an additional 100 GB, and a potential Mesh/SkyDrive merge, some exciting possibilities emerge. For me, I see the source I trust the most finally offering copious amounts of cloud storage in ways that are seamless on the devices that matter most. I see deep integration, too, especially with Windows and Windows 8, though presumably Xbox will be part of this soon as well.

(I’ll also point out, as an aside, that the Windows Live name is barely mentioned in today’s B8 post, and never in tandem with SkyDrive or Mesh. I wonder if that’s coincidental. I doubt it.) 

Put simply, it looks like it’s all coming together. Windows 8 and SkyDrive are both pretty incredible. Together, they may be unstoppable.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-skydrive-142301

A Stanford researcher discovered that Google was purposefully circumventing the privacy settings in the iPhone’s web browser in order to store cookies that track users’ movements online. As soon as this was revealed publicly, first in a “Wall Street Journal” report, Google stopped the practice. But the question remains: Why the heck would Google do such a thing in the first place?

Google says it’s all a misunderstanding.

“The Journal mischaracterizes what happened and why,” a Google statement reads. “We used known Safari functionality to provide features that signed-in Google users had enabled. It’s important to stress that these advertising cookies do not collect personal information.”

Meanwhile, the WSJ says that Google has also silently removed language from its web site that had previously stated that using the privacy settings in the iPhone correctly would prevent Google from tracking users online.

The paper also notes that Google is under “intense scrutiny” for its privacy practices and that it had previously promised not to misrepresent its privacy policy with consumers in a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission last year. At least two groups have already complained to the FTC that this practice violates that settlement, and the FTC says its investigating.

Meanwhile, Apple says it is fixing its iPhone software to prevent Google and others from bypassing the privacy settings chosen by users. The iPhone web browser, called Safari, supposedly blocks cookie-based tracking by default, but clearly there’s a flaw in that functionality.

“We are aware that some third parties are circumventing Safari’s privacy features and we are working to put a stop to it,” an Apple statement notes.

OK, but why surreptitiously enable user tracking on the iPhone? Google says it did this so that users could take advantage of a Google+ feature called “+1″ that is similar to Facebook’s “Like” functionality. ” “Last year, we began using this functionality to enable features for signed-in Google users on [the iPhone's version of] Safari who had opted to see personalized ads and other content–such as the ability to ‘+1′ things that interest them,” a Google statement explains. “We have now started removing these advertising cookies from Safari browsers.” 

Don’t be evil, indeed.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/google-secretly-bypassed-iphone-security-142304

Apple this week settled a class action lawsuit that accused the company of shipping its iPhone 4 handset with an antenna design so flawed that users could inadvertently kill the wireless signal simply by holding the device. Apple could ultimately pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to customers who purchased the buggy device in the US.

“Apple misrepresented and concealed material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4,” the class action suite claimed, “particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software.”

“This settlement relates to a small number of customers who indicated that they experienced antenna or reception issues with their iPhone 4, and didn’t want to take advantage of a free case from Apple when it was being offered in 2010,” an Apple statement reads. However, that “small number of customers” isn’t so small: 25 million people in the United States qualify for the settlement, according to the lead attorney in the case.

Under the terms of the agreement, Apple will pay each US-based iPhone 4 user $15 or give them a free bumper case. The company will notify customers of the choices via email sometime in April, and they’ll have 120 days in which to take advantage of their overdue apology.

Apple released the iPhone 4 in mid-2010 and immediately began getting complaints about the device’s reception quality and other issues. Many users experienced a so-called “death grip” in which holding the phone a certain way could kill the wireless signal, suddenly ending in-progress phone calls.

Apple ignored the issue for weeks and then hosted a hastily arranged press conference at which it tried to claim that signal loss of this type–called attenuation–was common with its competitors, too. However, more experienced wireless companies had learned decades ago not to place their antennas on the outside of devices for specifically this reason, and Apple was correctly blamed for choosing a pretty iPhone 4 design over usability. The company never admitted its error but offered customers free bumper cases–which prevent the signal loss–for a short time, hoping the issue would go away.

It never did, and in late 2011, the official biography of the late Steve Jobs revealed that Apple’s former CEO ackowledged the iPhone 4 design was flawed even though he never admitted so publicly. Apple quietly redesigned the iPhone 4 antenna twice, trying to fix the problem, first with an iPhone 4  version for Verizon in early 2011 and then with the iPhone 4S revision in late 2011.

Consumer Reports infamously never recommended the iPhone 4 because of this issue, which they were able to easily reproduce in their labs.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/apple-settles-antennagate-pay-iphone-4-users-142303

A Brazilian tech blog claims that Microsoft will be creating native SkyDrive applications for both Windows and Mac OS X, and burnishing the cloud storage system with paid tiers of up to 100 GB per year. I’ve not independently verified these claims, but given that SkyDrive will be deeply integrated with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, the claims bear examination.

This shot shows a web-based advertisement for Windows and Mac OS X client downloads for SkyDrive:

And here is a screen with offerings for 20, 50 and 100 GB of additional storage (Microsoft provides 25 GB for free).

There’s a suggestion in the post that the artificial division between SkyDrive and Windows Live Mesh (which offers a separate 5 GB of storage) is also ending, which also makes sense but isn’t further explained.

So is it real? I hope so as each of these points neatly solves SkyDrive’s main issues today. Cross your fingers: This looks like the SkyDrive many, myself included, have been waiting for.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/blog/supersite-blog-39/windows8/blogger-skydrive-native-apps-paid-tiers-coming-142299

In the latest episode of the Windows Weekly podcast, Mary Jo Foley, Leo Laporte, and I discuss lingering questions in the wake of Microsoft’s WOA revelations, why tech analysts, pundits, and enthusiasts are so often in the dark about Microsoft’s plans these days, more Windows 8 news, some Windows Phone “Tango” leaks and rumors, and Office 2010 University Edition.

Running time: 1:11:25

Download SD Video | SD Video (mobile) | Audio

Picks

Tip of the week: Use OneNote with the web
OneNote has always been a great note-taking solution, but in OneNote 2010 you can use cloud-based notebooks only, which is exactly what I’m doing. All your notes, accessible any time, and, thanks to new mobile OS support, from any device: Windows, Windows Phone, Android, iPhone, or iPad.

Software pick of the week: Facebook 2.3 for Windows Phone
The latest version of Facebook for Windows Phone brings this important mobile client up to date with the FB web changes. And it looks great.

Enterprise pick of the week: Windows Azure Active Directory (WAAD)
The equivalent of AD in Win Server is going to be big for those looking for true single sign-on across MS cloud and on-prem products.

Codename pick of the week: Geneva
From our “blast from the past files” — the ADFS and associated identity codenames in the Geneva family

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/podcast-2/windows-weekly-248-dont-142300

This week, Andrew Zarian and I recorded the latest episode of the What The Tech podcast a day late, on Wednesday, because of my travel schedule. And Mary Jo Foley, Leo Laporte, and I recorded the latest episode of the Windows Weekly podcast on Thursday, as usual, but I had to leave early, again because of travel. Ah well. As always, these episodes should be available now or soon, generally in both audio in video formats, on the web, and via iTunes, the Zune Marketplace, and wherever else quality podcasts are found. You can also find all of my podcast activities on the SuperSite for Windows.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/wininfo-short-takes-february-17-2012-142292

Microsoft confirmed on Friday that a rumored change to the Windows logo for Windows 8 is real, confounding tech enthusiasts, virtually all of whom doubted its authenticity. The new logo, which controversially dispenses with the flag motif Microsoft has long used, is a throwback of sorts to the original Windows logo, Microsoft claims. But I have to be honest. That “original” logo is one I’ve never seen before, at least not that I can recall.

Here’s the logo Microsoft says was used originally, in Windows 3.0. (Previously Windows versions didn’t include a logo.)

And here’s the new Windows 8 logo.

Is it flat, lifeless, and dull or the new hotness?  I guess we’ll see, but I’d remind people that we get used to things like this pretty quickly. Remember the uproar over the name Pentium? Of course you don’t.

And with that, I can check off the second of fifteen articles I was plotting out for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. I guess I’ll have to come up with another topic for the launch.  Shouldn’t be hard.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/introducing-windows-8-logo-142297

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Apple surprised tech enthusiasts this morning with an announcement about a coming Mac OS X update, dubbed Mountain Lion, that will ship this summer. There were absolutely no rumors to indicate such a release was coming, and—given the timing—one can logically assume that Apple is trying to steal some thunder from Microsoft’s eagerly awaited Windows 8.

“The Mac is on a roll, growing faster than the PC for 23 straight quarters, and with Mountain Lion things get even better,” said Apple Senior Vice President Philip Schiller. “The developer preview of Mountain Lion comes just seven months after the incredibly successful release of Lion and sets a rapid pace of development for the world’s most advanced personal computer operating system.”

That last bit is notable because Apple had previously announced (and then implemented) a plan to slow down Mac OS X releases, which for several years occurred on a roughly annual basis. Lion, however, was released two years after its predecessor, Snow Leopard, which arrived almost two years after its own predecessor.

Most interesting.

The Mountain Lion developer preview further blurs the line between the Mac and Apple’s far more popular iPad, adding iPad apps and features like Messages, Notes, Reminders, Game Center, Notification Center, Share Sheets, Twitter integration, and AirPlay Mirroring to the company’s legacy OS. Also like the iPad, Mountain Lion will include deep iCloud integration, Apple says.

But Mountain Lion isn’t only about bringing popular iPad functionality to the Mac. This release also includes unique new features, like Gatekeeper, which Apple hyperbolically describes as “a revolutionary new security feature that gives you control over which apps can be downloaded and installed on your Mac.” Mountain Lion also includes better support for Chinese users.

Although I had expected Apple to merge its iOS and OS X releases in a future major update—and still do—Mountain Lion isn’t that release. This upgrade looks very much like a surface-level minor update, which is typical for OS X releases. (Lion, however, was the rare major update.) Conceptually, it’s similar to Windows 8 in that it further brings Apple’s mainstream, legacy PC OS in line with its mobile products. But unlike with Microsoft’s more integrated approach, Apple is apparently continuing its dual OS strategy and maintaining OS X and iOS as two discrete, separate product lines.

The Mac OS X Mountain Lion developer preview is available to Mac Developer Program members starting today; the program costs $99 annually. The system will ship on new Macs starting in “late summer 2012,” and at that time existing users will be able to upgrade via the Mac App Store. Apple didn’t reveal pricing for the release, but the current OS upgrade, Lion, is bargain priced at just $30.

You can learn more about OS X Mountain Lion at the Apple website.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/apple-windows-8-os-mountain-lion-142285

This week, Andrew Zarian and I recorded the latest episode of the What The Tech podcast a day late, on Wednesday, because of my travel schedule. And Mary Jo Foley, Leo Laporte and I recorded the latest episode of the Windows Weekly podcast on Thursday, as usual, but I had to leave early, again because of travel. Ah well. As always, these episodes should be available now or soon, generally in both audio in video formats, on the web, and via iTunes, the Zune Marketplace, and wherever else quality podcasts are found. You can also find all of my podcast activities on the SuperSite for Windows.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/wininfo-short-takes-february-17-2012-142292

Cisco announced this week that it would appeal a months-old European Union approval of Microsoft’s $8.5 billion purchase of Skype. The firm isn’t trying to overturn the deal, but is rather asking EU antitrust regulators to place conditions on the purchase that would require Microsoft to make Skype interoperable with other video communications systems.

“We did not take this action lightly,” Cisco senior vice president Marthin De Beer wrote in a blog post explaining the action. “We respect the European Commission, and value Microsoft as a customer, supplier, partner, and competitor … [But] imagine how difficult it would be if you were limited to calling people who only use the same carrier or if your phone could only call certain brands and not others.  Cisco wants to avoid this future for video communications.”

De Beer says that video communications should be as easy as is email today, where users from disparate email services can seamlessly communicate with each other. But it’s not generally possible to make video calls from one platform to another, De Beer notes, which is frustrating for both consumers and business users.

There are of course antitrust overtones to the challenge.

“Microsoft’s plans to integrate Skype exclusively with its Lync Enterprise Communications Platform could lock-in businesses who want to reach Skype’s 700 million account holders to a Microsoft-only platform,” De Beer writes. 

Microsoft says that regulators at the European Commission thoroughly reviewed the impact its purchase of Skype would have on competition and cleared the deal. “We’re confident the Commission’s decision will stand up on appeal,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/cisco-belatedly-appeals-eu-approval-microsoftskype-deal-142284

Sometimes, even the simplest of generalities makes sense. The trouble is, in our search for higher meaning, we often overlook the most obvious truths of all.

With that in mind, I wanted to step back for a second, stop trying to read between the lines of Microsoft’s obtuse public declarations, and think about what it is that the software giant is really doing with Windows on ARM, or WOA.

(Not clear on the recent WOA revelations? Check out my article, WOA! Windows 8 on ARM Revealed, for the details.)

And really, it’s very simple: WOA is for consumers and x86/x64-based PCs are for business.

Now, chances are, you’re thinking one of two things. The first goes something like, duh Paul, obviously. The second one involves poking holes in this statement as is finding a loophole will somehow disprove the rule.

But don’t be pedantic. And while I realize this doesn’t make for much of an epiphany, it really is that simple.

As you know, Microsoft will have two different user experiences in Windows 8, the new Metro-style UI that’s defined by WinRT, the Start screen, and Metro style apps, and the classic Windows desktop, with its Win32-based Explorer applications. These user experiences are discrete and different, and moving between them is jarring. There’s no seamless integration between them either: You can’t, for example, take advantage of WinRT Contracts from a classic desktop application. They’re essentially two separate environments, to the user.

So with a WOA-based device, the primary user experience is going to be Metro, with its friendly and simple touch-first UI. The desktop will be secondary and used less frequently. You know, in general.

With an x86/x64-based PC, the general overall experience will be reversed: Mostly the desktop, with just some Metro. That may change over time, and there are always exceptions–and edge cases, like desktop PCs with touch screens–but stay on target, people. We’re speaking generally here.

And let’s be clear, WOA-based devices are indeed devices. They’re designed as sealed environments, with third party desktop application development and deployment purposefully prevented so as not to muddy the waters. If you as a developer wants to target this new generation of devices, you need to go Metro. Period. If you as a user want to find and buy new apps, you go to the Windows Store. And you get Metro apps.

There will be exceptions from a usage perspective, like the WOA slate devices that come with clip-on keyboards or hybrid laptops with flip-around screens. But the people who use such devices are as versatile as are these types of devices. That is, few people really just a consumer or just a business user. Instead, we move in and out of these personas over the course of the day. So will such devices.

For consuming entertainment, light web browsing, email, and Facebook interaction, a slate-type WOA device will be just fine. And yes, that’s enough even for some people in a work environment. But for much actual work, including content creation, a keyboard and precision pointing device (mouse/keyboard) will be required. Need a legacy Windows application? You need a real PC, not a WOA device.

Metro targets the consumer end nicely, and we already know that the classic desktop works well for business/content creation use. There will be pure WOA devices, with no keyboard or mouse. There will be WOA devices with clip-on or Bluetooth accessories. There will be laptops and desktops with touch screens. System on a Chip (SoC) designs based on Intel platforms. All kinds of things that hit the gray areas. I get it.

But speaking generally, those devices that expand beyond what I call a pure WOA device (i.e. thin and light slates) aren’t devices anymore, they’re PCs. And when you use a device like that, your use of traditional desktop applications will likely increase. When you don’t, when you just use a WOA slate as you would an iPad, it’s just a device, and you will stick largely to Metro.

If I could head off into speculation land a bit, I think one could make a case for Microsoft branding its WOA-based systems as being some form of Windows Home Edition while its x86/x64-based offering could be in the Professional Edition camp (or whatever).  This not only ties nicely into long-running branding norms for Windows, but it also neatly differentiates the two versions. You want to work? You can sort of do it with Home Edition, sure, but if you’re serious, you’re really going to want to go with Professional.

Consumer vs. work. Home vs. business. Consumption vs. content creation. However you break it down, the message is still the same. WOA is for the former, and x86/x64 PCs are for the latter. Again, generally speaking.

I know, I know. It’s almost too simple. But sometimes it’s better not to overthink things.

WOA is for consumers and x86/x64-based PCs are for business.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-secrets-understanding-woa-142281

Apple surprised tech enthusiasts this morning with an announcement about a coming Mac OS X update, dubbed Mountain Lion, that will ship this summer. There were absolutely no rumors to indicate such a release was coming, and given the timing, one can logically assume that Apple is trying to steal some thunder from Microsoft’s eagerly-awaited Windows 8.

“The Mac is on a roll, growing faster than the PC for 23 straight quarters, and with Mountain Lion things get even better,” said Apple senior vice president Philip Schiller. “The developer preview of Mountain Lion comes just seven months after the incredibly successful release of Lion and sets a rapid pace of development for the world’s most advanced personal computer operating system.”

That last bit is notable because Apple had previously announced, and then implemented, a plan to slow down Mac OS X releases, which for several years occurred on a roughly annual basis. Lion, however, was released two years after its predecessor, Snow Leopard, which arrived almost two years after its own predecessor.

Most interesting.

The Mountain Lion developer preview further blurs the line between the Mac and Apple’s far more popular iPad, adding iPad apps and features like Messages, Notes, Reminders, Game Center, Notification Center, Share Sheets, Twitter integration and AirPlay Mirroring to the company’s legacy OS. Also like the iPad, Mountain Lion will include deep iCloud integration, Apple says.

But Mountain Lion isn’t only about bringing popular iPad functionality to the Mac. This release also includes unique new features, like Gatekeeper, which Apple hyperbolically describes as “a revolutionary new security feature that gives you control over which apps can be downloaded and installed on your Mac.” Mountain Lion also includes better support for Chinese users.

While I had expected Apple to merge its iOS and OS X releases in a future major update, and still do, Mountain Lion isn’t that release. This upgrade looks very much like a surface-level minor update, which is typical for OS X releases. (Lion, however, was the rare major update.) Conceptually, it’s similar to Windows 8 in that it further brings Apple’s mainstream, legacy PC OS in line with its mobile products. But unlike with Microsoft’s more integrated approach, Apple is apparently continuing its dual OS strategy and maintaining OS X and iOS as two discrete, separate product lines.

The Mac OS X Mountain Lion developer preview is available to Mac Developer Program members starting today; the program costs $99 annually. The system  will ship on new Macs starting in “late summer 2012,” and at that time existing users will be able to upgrade via the Mac App Store. Apple didn’t reveal pricing for the release, but the current OS upgrade, Lion, is bargain priced at just $30.

You can learn more about OS X Mountain Lion from the Apple web site.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/apple-windows-8-os-mountain-lion-142285

In a new post to the Windows Store for developers blog this week, Microsoft’s Jonathan Garriques discusses the process developers will undergo when they submit new Windows 8 Metro-style apps to the Windows Store. According to  Garriques, the process is designed to be as simple, transparent, and predictable as possible.

In this way, the process differs wildly from the unpredictable and opaque system that Apple developers face. And that’s by design: Garriques says that Microsoft listened to a diverse cross-section of developers to ensure that its own approach was superior.

“We broke down the submission process into two phases,” he writes in the Windows Store for developers post. “At first, the developer is in the driver’s seat, learning, submitting, and reviewing their own data, working at their own pace. However, once you submit the app for certification, you are in the passenger seat, tracking the progress of the app, but unable to affect that progress or outcome in the same way as before. We needed a plan to increase confidence in this second phase, while transparently tracking the status of the app during the certification process.”

One of the big design decisions Microsoft made in response to developer feedback was to make it easy for them to visit the developer portal before they even started working on an app. That’s because the submission process often inspires developers to make changes to their apps. This system also allows developers to ensure that their app name is unique and untaken before developer starts, and lets them reserve their name in advance.

Access to this portal is of course available directly in Visual Studio 11, the tool developers use to create Windows 8 apps.

“We felt that it was important to be transparent and upfront about the entire process of submitting to the Store, setting expectations visually that there are multiple concepts to cover, and including rough estimates of about how long each step might take,” Garriques notes.

Obviously, the Windows 8 app submission process won’t be of direct interest to most Windows users or to readers of this site. But I think it’s telling that in “reimagining Windows” as thoroughly as Microsoft is doing in this release, it’s also reimagined such a core, if behind-the-scenes, part of the Windows 8 story.

I’d imagine that Microsoft’s couple of years of experience with the Windows Phone Marketplace helped guide its decision making as well, though Garriques makes no mention of that.

Check out the original post for the full details, of course.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/blog/supersite-blog-39/windows8/microsoft-discusses-windows-store-app-submissions-142273

Microsoft on Tuesday issues nine security updates addressing 21 separate flaws in products such as Windows, Internet Explorer, .NET, Silverlight, and SharePoint. Several of the fixes address critical flaws, including some that could aid in so-called drive-by attacks.

The fixes come as part of Microsoft’s regularly scheduled Patch Tuesday event. And the software giant noted that it has now been providing these regular fixes, and the associated guidance, for a bit over ten years.

“Today we released nine security bulletins,” a blog post from the Microsoft Research and Defense team’s Jonathan Ness reads. “Four have a maximum severity rating of Critical with the other five having a maximum severity rating of Important.” 

Two of the updates stand out.

Security bulletin MS12-010 addresses four critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s web browser, Internet Explorer, including some that could be used in drive-by attacks. None of the security flaws fixed by this update were previously revealed to the public, so no known attacks exist. That could change with the publication of the fix, however.

MS12-013, addresses a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Windows and could also lead to drive-by attacks that launch Windows Media Player via a web browser. The possibility o f this flaw being exploited is considered remote.

If you’re interested in more information about these and the other flaws fixed by this month’s Patch Tuesday, Microsoft as usual will host a webcast today, on Wednesday, at 11 am PST.

Separately, Microsoft looked back at 10 years of Patch Tuesday bulletins in a post to the Microsoft Security Response Center blog. (Microsoft refers to Patch Tuesday as Update Tuesday.)

“Update Tuesday, which brings us here today, is one of the most prominent results of that famous Bill Gates memo that put security at the center of Microsoft’s development and support efforts just over 10 years ago,” Microsoft’s Angela Gunn writes in the post. “We Trustworthy Computing folk tend to look more to the future than to the past, but on the 10-year anniversary a few of us sat down to talk about incident response, the security ecosystem, and how Microsoft collaborates with the industry.”

Links to those discussions can be found in the post, MSRC looks back at ten years, and the February 2012 bulletins.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/microsoft-fixes-21-security-flaws-10-years-trustworthy-computing-142274

In a new post to the Building Windows 8 blog this week, Microsoft discussed its plans for minor accessibility improvements in Windows 8, particularly in the Metro environment and for touch-based devices.

Microsoft claims that while these features are inspired by a need to make Windows accessible to those with physical handicaps, they make Windows 8 better for everyone.

“New technologies and designs are especially difficult for people with disabilities to adopt because many new technologies are not made accessible when they are first released to the public,” Microsoft senior program manager  Jennifer Norberg writes in  the post. “We have heard this concern about previous versions of Windows and we want to ensure that everyone can experience Windows 8 right away by providing a comprehensive accessibility platform for the desktop and Metro style features.”

Microsoft describes the following accessibility improvements in Windows 8:

Improved Narrator. On multi-touch systems, the Narrator screen reading utility  can read what’s under your finger. It offers better performance, and supports more languages and voices. More UI Automation features support Narrator now as well, allowing more system components and features within Windows be read by Narrator. You can even install Windows 8 using Narrator, and Internet Explorer has been updated to continuously read web pages, respond quickly to commands, and interact with hyperlinks. Best of all, there’s a new hardware trigger for Narrator on Windows logo’d devices: Just hold down the Windows key button and tap the Volume Up button.

Simpler Magnifier. The Magnifier utility is now easier to use on touch-based systems. It supports both touch and multi-touch.

Be sure to check out the accompanying video, which ironically is the only one of the 24 videos released on Building Windows so far that includes any form of captioning. However, they’re not true captions, but are instead hard-coded into the video, so they’re there whether you want them or not. 

As the parent of a deaf child, I find Microsoft’s ignorance of these issues to be alarming, embarrassing, and personally insulting, to be honest. There are technical solutions for soft captioning and subtitling videos, and why Microsoft isn’t using them in 2012 is beyond me.

I further wonder if the video playback solutions in Windows 8 will include any form of captioning support, as Apple has done for years in Quicktime and iTunes, and in iOS. Frankly, I doubt it.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/blog/supersite-blog-39/windows8/microsoft-discusses-windows-8-accessibility-features-142275

Apple announced Monday that an independent team of labor rights experts has begun voluntary audits of the company’s China based suppliers. These companies, which build all of Apple’s products, have been the target of recent outrages over widespread, years-long worker abuses.
It’s a bit unclear how much more stringent these audits will be when compared to Apple’s earlier, much-criticized audits. The organization conducting the audits, the Fair Labor Association, has only one technology-based corporate member, Apple, and that’s a recent addition. And since the audits are voluntary, some “final assembly suppliers”–i.e. the builders of Apple’s products, might prevent auditors from visiting certain sites.

That said, some of the biggest human rights abusers, including Foxconn factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu, China, are apparently being audited. One might expect the resulting reports to be somewhat eye-opening, given recent news stories about factory conditions, worker abuses, and employee suicides.

Shenzhen is referred to as “Foxconn City” in China. The company employs 230,000 workers in that city alone. It employs over 1 million workers in China overall.

Apple says the FLA will interview thousands of employees about working and living conditions at the suppliers’ facilities. They will inspect manufacturing areas, dormitories and other facilities, and will conduct an extensive review of documents related to procedures at all stages of employment, according to Apple.

The FLA will post its findings and recommendations in early March, Apple says.

With Apple’s heady margins, profits, and revenues, some are beginning to ask why the company can’t afford to build its products in the United States. Large car makers from Europe, including BMW and Volkswagen, build vehicles in the US, for example.

And of course Apple isn’t the only company building all or some of its products in China. Companies such as Dell, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Sony, Toshiba and many others have products assembled by Foxconn, Quanta, Pegatron, and other similar companies  in China. But Apple is of course the biggest of these companies by far.

Apple’s stock coincidentally hit a record $500 on Monday.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/firm-inspecting-apple-supplier-facilities-china-142258

Apple announced Monday that an independent team of labor rights experts has begun voluntary audits of the company’s China based suppliers. These companies, which build all of Apple’s products, have been the target of recent outrages over widespread, years-long worker abuses.
It’s a bit unclear how much more stringent these audits will be when compared to Apple’s earlier, much-criticized audits. The organization conducting the audits, the Fair Labor Association, has only one technology-based corporate member, Apple, and that’s a recent addition. And since the audits are voluntary, some “final assembly suppliers”–i.e. the builders of Apple’s products, might prevent auditors from visiting certain sites.

That said, some of the biggest human rights abusers, including Foxconn factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu, China, are apparently being audited. One might expect the resulting reports to be somewhat eye-opening, given recent news stories about factory conditions, worker abuses, and employee suicides.

Shenzhen is referred to as “Foxconn City” in China. The company employs 230,000 workers in that city alone. It employs over 1 million workers in China overall.

Apple says the FLA will interview thousands of employees about working and living conditions at the suppliers’ facilities. They will inspect manufacturing areas, dormitories and other facilities, and will conduct an extensive review of documents related to procedures at all stages of employment, according to Apple.

The FLA will post its findings and recommendations in early March, Apple says.

With Apple’s heady margins, profits, and revenues, some are beginning to ask why the company can’t afford to build its products in the United States. Large car makers from Europe, including BMW and Volkswagen, build vehicles in the US, for example.

And of course Apple isn’t the only company building all or some of its products in China. Companies such as Dell, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Sony, Toshiba and many others have products assembled by Foxconn, Quanta, Pegatron, and other similar companies  in China. But Apple is of course the biggest of these companies by far.

Apple’s stock coincidentally hit a record $500 on Monday.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/firm-inspecting-apple-supplier-facilities-china-142258

I apparently can’t follow my own advice: I recently purchased an ASUS Zenbook, one of a handful of first-generation Ultrabooks currently in the market and the one, I think, that most closely resembles Apple’s MacBook Air. And while I’m very enthusiastic about the Ultrabook form factor overall, I’m not sure I can recommend this particular rendition, at least not universally.

As a backgrounder, you may recall that I experimented with using a 13-inch MacBook Air with Windows last year. That experiment, which I ultimately deemed a failure, led to two articles, MacBook Air + Windows 7, Part One: The Best Of Both Worlds? and MacBook Air + Windows 7, Part Two: An Imperfect Storm.

The MacBook Air is a fine machine, but it’s not ideal as a Windows laptop. First, it’s expensive, with a base model, 11-inch version starting at $999 and the more mainstream 13-inch variant starting at $1299. Compare those prices to the PC world, where the average cost of a Windows laptop is now about $450. (That said, Ultrabooks tend to cost closer to $1000.)

Adding to the misery is the non-standard MacBook Air keyboard, which takes some getting used to and isn’t necessarily insurmountable, the lack of optimal Windows drivers (which we can all agree Apple does on purpose), lackluster power management controls (again, just on Windows and no doubt related to the previous point), and the fact that you really need to keep at least a minimal Mac OS X partition on there to perform vital firmware upgrades. This latter point cuts into disk space, which is crucial given the relatively low storage allotments on the SSD-based Air.

What this all adds up to is that the MacBook Air is not an ideal Windows machine. But it’s still very clear that this device is beautiful to look at and, thanks to its thin profile and low weight, an ideal travel companion. If only it were better suited to running Windows.

Enter the Ultrabook.

On the face of things, the Ultrabook is a bald-faced attempt to copy Apple’s design for the MacBook Air and apply it to Windows-based PCs. And there’s some truth to that, of course. But as I wrote last August in Intel’s Ultrabook Scheme: Is This The Future Of PC Computing?, the Ultrabook is really a platform with a roadmap, and that roadmap specifies three generations of devices that will culminate (for now, at least) with Windows 8.

At the time this article was written, any Ultrabook you see in the market–the ASUS Zenbook I’m using, the original Ultrabook, the Samsung Series 9, the Acer Aspire S3, or the Toshiba Portege Z835–is a first generation Ultrabook. And that means they sport second generation Intel Core i-Series (“Sandy Bridge”) processors. They’re thin and light and get decent battery life, and many–like the ASUS–are a bit too much about copying the MacBook Air.

Second generation Ultrabooks will ship throughout 2012. What separates them from first-generation devices is that they will include more efficient third-generation Intel Core i-Series (“Ivy Bridge”) processors. So they should, in general, offer better performance, better battery life, and, most important, allow for even thinner and lighter form factors. That said, most of these machines won’t move very far beyond the basic look and feel of the MacBook Air.

Representative second-gen Ultrabooks include the Acer Aspire S5, Dell XPS13, HP Envy 14 Spectre, Lenovo ThinkPad T430u, Samsung Series 9 (2012), Sony VAIO Ultrabook, and many, many others. Over 100 such machines will ship this year, and most were announced in January at CES.

If you’re in the market for an Ultrabook, I generally recommend waiting for at least a second-generation model, assuming this isn’t a buying emergency. But lingering on the horizon is the third generation Ultrabook platform. And this is where things get really interesting.

Third generation Ultrabooks will be hybrid devices where the “guts” of the PC sit behind the screen, not under the keyboard. This means they can be used as pure tablet devices, slates, sans keyboard. But when you plug that slate piece into a keyboard dock, they become laptops. These hybrid devices will ship with Windows 8 in late 2012. I believe the first models will use Ivy Bridge processors, but it’s conceivable that an even more efficient Intel chipset will arrive by early 2013 too.

You may have heard of the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, a hybrid Windows 8-based machine of a different stripe; if not, check out my overview in Windows 8: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Flip. This device is not technically an Ultrabook, but it does share many Ultrabook design points and also suggests a future of more diverse Windows-based devices.

True third generation Ultrabooks will more closely resemble an iPad with a clip-on keyboard base. There are also some interesting Android-based tablets hitting the market that offer this type of functionality; a good example is the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime.

We’re still some months away from these new devices, of course. For now, I’m using an ASUS Zenbook UX31, which is very good but not spectacular. (I’ll be replacing it with a second-gen Ultrabook when possible, ideally the ThinkPad T430u.)

The ASUS is a lot less expensive than a comparable MacBook Air at about $999. It’s attractive looking, if a bit too similar to the MacBook Air. Separating it from Apple’s device is a metallic finish I don’t really care for but others seem to like, USB 3.0 ports, and killer audio for a portable machine. On the flipside, there’s no backlit keyboard, which I’d prefer.

Actually, the keyboard is a bit of a sore spot, all the more so since I’m used to the stellar keyboards found on Lenovo’s superior ThinkPads. The keys are flat and shallow, as on a Mac, and really need to be struck fully to work. It’s not ideal for someone who types a lot, as I do.

Much about the machine is excellent. Its thin and light and I enjoyed both of these aspects on a recent business trip to Colorado. It was much easier to travel with than the ThinkPad Edge 420S I’ve been using for the past year. Performance and battery life are both excellent, with the latter coming in somewhere close to 7 hours. The device springs to life from sleep in about a second, which is amazing for a Windows PC.

Like most Ultrabooks, expansion is tight. There are two USB-type ports, but to get Ethernet you have to use a bundled USB-to-Ethernet adapter, stealing one port. ASUS also tosses in a nice micro VGA-to-VGA adapter, and there’s a micro HDMI adapter if you want to add your own. An SD card slot rounds out the holes.

There’s no optical drive. I happen to prefer such a design, which of course contributes to the device’s thinness. But if this is a need, you’ll want an external drive.

The ASUS trackpad is decent for what it is, but I prefer the accuracy of the ThinkPad’s “eraser head” nubbin, so I brought along a mouse, somewhat obviating the ASUS’s inherent weight and size benefits.

If you are in the market for an Ultrabook right now, for some reason, the ASUS Zenbook is a good choice. Its not perfect–what is?–but I think it represents the apex of the first generation Ultrabook market, such as it is. If you can wait two to four months, you should. You’ll soon have a cornucopia of second-gen Ultrabook options from which to choose, and many of those, I think, will offer significant advantages over what’s available today.

Looking even further ahead, Windows 8 will unleash further Ultrabook designs, including hybrid machines that could be truly interesting, especially if Windows 8′s Metro-style environment takes off with users. We’ll see. But whatever happens, the next year is going to be an amazing one for portable computing.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/macbook-airs-ultrabooks-windows-8-142262

I apparently can’t follow my own advice: I recently purchased an ASUS Zenbook, one of a handful of first-generation Ultrabooks currently in the market and the one, I think, that most closely resembles Apple’s MacBook Air. And while I’m very enthusiastic about the Ultrabook form factor overall, I’m not sure I can recommend this particular rendition, at least not universally.

As a backgrounder, you may recall that I experimented with using a 13-inch MacBook Air with Windows last year. That experiment, which I ultimately deemed a failure, led to two articles, MacBook Air + Windows 7, Part One: The Best Of Both Worlds? and MacBook Air + Windows 7, Part Two: An Imperfect Storm.

The MacBook Air is a fine machine, but it’s not ideal as a Windows laptop. First, it’s expensive, with a base model, 11-inch version starting at $999 and the more mainstream 13-inch variant starting at $1299. Compare those prices to the PC world, where the average cost of a Windows laptop is now about $450. (That said, Ultrabooks tend to cost closer to $1000.)

Adding to the misery is the non-standard MacBook Air keyboard, which takes some getting used to and isn’t necessarily insurmountable, the lack of optimal Windows drivers (which we can all agree Apple does on purpose), lackluster power management controls (again, just on Windows and no doubt related to the previous point), and the fact that you really need to keep at least a minimal Mac OS X partition on there to perform vital firmware upgrades. This latter point cuts into disk space, which is crucial given the relatively low storage allotments on the SSD-based Air.

What this all adds up to is that the MacBook Air is not an ideal Windows machine. But it’s still very clear that this device is beautiful to look at and, thanks to its thin profile and low weight, an ideal travel companion. If only it were better suited to running Windows.

Enter the Ultrabook.

On the face of things, the Ultrabook is a bald-faced attempt to copy Apple’s design for the MacBook Air and apply it to Windows-based PCs. And there’s some truth to that, of course. But as I wrote last August in Intel’s Ultrabook Scheme: Is This The Future Of PC Computing?, the Ultrabook is really a platform with a roadmap, and that roadmap specifies three generations of devices that will culminate (for now, at least) with Windows 8.

At the time this article was written, any Ultrabook you see in the market–the ASUS Zenbook I’m using, the original Ultrabook, the Samsung Series 9, the Acer Aspire S3, or the Toshiba Portege Z835–is a first generation Ultrabook. And that means they sport second generation Intel Core i-Series (“Sandy Bridge”) processors. They’re thin and light and get decent battery life, and many–like the ASUS–are a bit too much about copying the MacBook Air.

Second generation Ultrabooks will ship throughout 2012. What separates them from first-generation devices is that they will include more efficient third-generation Intel Core i-Series (“Ivy Bridge”) processors. So they should, in general, offer better performance, better battery life, and, most important, allow for even thinner and lighter form factors. That said, most of these machines won’t move very far beyond the basic look and feel of the MacBook Air.

Representative second-gen Ultrabooks include the Acer Aspire S5, Dell XPS13, HP Envy 14 Spectre, Lenovo ThinkPad T430u, Samsung Series 9 (2012), Sony VAIO Ultrabook, and many, many others. Over 100 such machines will ship this year, and most were announced in January at CES.

If you’re in the market for an Ultrabook, I generally recommend waiting for at least a second-generation model, assuming this isn’t a buying emergency. But lingering on the horizon is the third generation Ultrabook platform. And this is where things get really interesting.

Third generation Ultrabooks will be hybrid devices where the “guts” of the PC sit behind the screen, not under the keyboard. This means they can be used as pure tablet devices, slates, sans keyboard. But when you plug that slate piece into a keyboard dock, they become laptops. These hybrid devices will ship with Windows 8 in late 2012. I believe the first models will use Ivy Bridge processors, but it’s conceivable that an even more efficient Intel chipset will arrive by early 2013 too.

You may have heard of the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, a hybrid Windows 8-based machine of a different stripe; if not, check out my overview in Windows 8: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Flip. This device is not technically an Ultrabook, but it does share many Ultrabook design points and also suggests a future of more diverse Windows-based devices.

True third generation Ultrabooks will more closely resemble an iPad with a clip-on keyboard base. There are also some interesting Android-based tablets hitting the market that offer this type of functionality; a good example is the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime.

We’re still some months away from these new devices, of course. For now, I’m using an ASUS Zenbook UX31, which is very good but not spectacular. (I’ll be replacing it with a second-gen Ultrabook when possible, ideally the ThinkPad T430u.)

The ASUS is a lot less expensive than a comparable MacBook Air at about $999. It’s attractive looking, if a bit too similar to the MacBook Air. Separating it from Apple’s device is a metallic finish I don’t really care for but others seem to like, USB 3.0 ports, and killer audio for a portable machine. On the flipside, there’s no backlit keyboard, which I’d prefer.

Actually, the keyboard is a bit of a sore spot, all the more so since I’m used to the stellar keyboards found on Lenovo’s superior ThinkPads. The keys are flat and shallow, as on a Mac, and really need to be struck fully to work. It’s not ideal for someone who types a lot, as I do.

Much about the machine is excellent. Its thin and light and I enjoyed both of these aspects on a recent business trip to Colorado. It was much easier to travel with than the ThinkPad Edge 420S I’ve been using for the past year. Performance and battery life are both excellent, with the latter coming in somewhere close to 7 hours. The device springs to life from sleep in about a second, which is amazing for a Windows PC.

Like most Ultrabooks, expansion is tight. There are two USB-type ports, but to get Ethernet you have to use a bundled USB-to-Ethernet adapter, stealing one port. ASUS also tosses in a nice micro VGA-to-VGA adapter, and there’s a micro HDMI adapter if you want to add your own. An SD card slot rounds out the holes.

There’s no optical drive. I happen to prefer such a design, which of course contributes to the device’s thinness. But if this is a need, you’ll want an external drive.

The ASUS trackpad is decent for what it is, but I prefer the accuracy of the ThinkPad’s “eraser head” nubbin, so I brought along a mouse, somewhat obviating the ASUS’s inherent weight and size benefits.

If you are in the market for an Ultrabook right now, for some reason, the ASUS Zenbook is a good choice. Its not perfect–what is?–but I think it represents the apex of the first generation Ultrabook market, such as it is. If you can wait two to four months, you should. You’ll soon have a cornucopia of second-gen Ultrabook options from which to choose, and many of those, I think, will offer significant advantages over what’s available today.

Looking even further ahead, Windows 8 will unleash further Ultrabook designs, including hybrid machines that could be truly interesting, especially if Windows 8′s Metro-style environment takes off with users. We’ll see. But whatever happens, the next year is going to be an amazing one for portable computing.

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/macbook-airs-ultrabooks-windows-8-142262

Regulators from the US Department of Justice and European Commission on Monday separately approved Google’s proposed $12.5 billion purchase of Android handset maker Motorola Mobility. Google is now expected to close the deal soon.

“This is an important milestone in the approval process and it moves us closer to closing the deal,” Google vice president Don Harrison wrote in a blog post. “We are now just waiting for decisions from a few other jurisdictions before we can close this transaction.” The DOJ approved the deal shortly after Mr. Harrison’s post, removing the final major obstacle to the deal.

“After a thorough review of the proposed transactions, the Antitrust Division has determined that each acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition and has closed these three investigations,” a DOJ statement reads. “The division concluded that the specific transactions at issue are not likely to significantly change existing market dynamics.”

Though the DOJ cleared the purchase without objections, the EU regulators noted they were concerned that Google would continue Motorola’s aggressive defense of its mobile patents, stating that  they “keep a close eye on the behavior of all market players in the sector, particularly the increasingly strategic use of patents.”

Google, however, said last week that it would make Motorola’s patent technologies available for license at “fair and reasonable” rates.

Microsoft had opposed the purchase, which was announced six months ago in August 2011.

“We are encouraged by the European Commission’s expression of serious concern around the misuse of standard-essential patents and the consequences to competition and to Internet users worldwide,” Microsoft executive vice president and general counsel Brad Smith said in a statement. “Google’s letter sent last week to standards bodies only intensified these concerns, and we welcome the Commission’s scrutiny of Motorola’s past and Google’s future conduct related to standard-essential patents.”

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/googles-purchase-motorola-mobility-approved-eu-regulators-142263

Regulators from the US Department of Justice and European Commission on Monday separately approved Google’s proposed $12.5 billion purchase of Android handset maker Motorola Mobility. Google is now expected to close the deal soon.

“This is an important milestone in the approval process and it moves us closer to closing the deal,” Google vice president Don Harrison wrote in a blog post. “We are now just waiting for decisions from a few other jurisdictions before we can close this transaction.” The DOJ approved the deal shortly after Mr. Harrison’s post, removing the final major obstacle to the deal.

“After a thorough review of the proposed transactions, the Antitrust Division has determined that each acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition and has closed these three investigations,” a DOJ statement reads. “The division concluded that the specific transactions at issue are not likely to significantly change existing market dynamics.”

Though the DOJ cleared the purchase without objections, the EU regulators noted they were concerned that Google would continue Motorola’s aggressive defense of its mobile patents, stating that  they “keep a close eye on the behavior of all market players in the sector, particularly the increasingly strategic use of patents.”

Google, however, said last week that it would make Motorola’s patent technologies available for license at “fair and reasonable” rates.

Microsoft had opposed the purchase, which was announced six months ago in August 2011.

“We are encouraged by the European Commission’s expression of serious concern around the misuse of standard-essential patents and the consequences to competition and to Internet users worldwide,” Microsoft executive vice president and general counsel Brad Smith said in a statement. “Google’s letter sent last week to standards bodies only intensified these concerns, and we welcome the Commission’s scrutiny of Motorola’s past and Google’s future conduct related to standard-essential patents.”

Article source: http://www.winsupersite.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo/googles-purchase-motorola-mobility-approved-eu-regulators-142263