Windows Archive

Microsoft to drop Nokia and Windows Phone brands

Thom Holwerda 2014-09-11 Windows 56 Comments

Now we can confirm that Microsoft will be completely dropping the "Nokia" branding from their devices, leaving "Lumia" as the hero brand for upcoming devices. In fact we understand that the Lumia 830 and Lumia 730 will be the final two devices to launch with "Nokia" branded on the phone. Future devices will most likely carry the "Microsoft" name along with "Lumia".

Furthermore the document also reveals that Microsoft is shying away from placing the Windows Phone logo next to their devices in promotions and advertisements, and will instead place the standard Windows logo alongside them (sans the "Phone"). In fact we understand, from a source with knowledge of the plans, that this is part of the preparation to leave the "Windows Phone" logo behind, as part of a gradual phase out of the Windows Phone name (and OS) which will merge with the desktop version of Windows in the upcoming updates (i.e. no Windows Phone 9).

This is verified by The Verge's sources inside Microsoft.

So, we now not only live in the crazy world where a version 1 Google product looks (and seems to work) way better than the comparable version 1 Apple product, but also in a world where Microsoft has a very simple naming scheme, and Apple just unveiled the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and Apple Watch Edition.

I will miss my worn-out Windows Mobile PocketPC Embedded 2003 Compact Standard Edition CE Service Pack 2 Pro jokes, though.

The Surface Pro 3: using it more and less than expected

Thom Holwerda 2014-09-07 Windows 69 Comments

And that's when it hit me, OneNote is the Pro 3 killer feature. This is what makes it not just another tablet or a laptop, it's OneNote and if you are not in the OneNote world, the competitive advantage of this feature diminishes the use of the device. But here is where it all made sense and not just with the Surface Pro 3.

I'll be on vacation in the US late October/early November, and since electronics are a lot cheaper in the US than here, I'm going to buy a new laptop while I'm there. I've been debating the MacBook Air, Acer S7, and the Surface Pro 3, but when I line up all my needs and wants, the Pro 3 comes out so far ahead it's just a humiliation for the other two.

The MBA is out of the question because I prefer the Windows version of Office (Office is hugely important for my line of work). On top of that, its display is far too outdated and low-resolution to warrant the total laptop's price tag. The choice between the S7 and the Pro 3 is more interesting, but in the end, I know the quality feel of Surface devices first-hand. The lightness and thinness really stand out too (this photo really illustrates just how thin the Pro 3 really is).

Software-wise, I will use the Pro 3 as a laptop, and I like using Windows 8.x as a desktop operating system, so after disabling the horrid Metro crap it'll be my ideal laptop. I'll of course play around with all these machines before making the actual choice, but on paper, it's no contest for me.

The whole OneNote stuff that this article highlights hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm currently not really a OneNote user, and I don't make a whole lot of notes as it is (my memory is creepy good - I remember almost every posted and submitted story on OSNews going back 8 years), but the idea of using the pen and quickly note down a thought and have it synced everywhere appeals to me.

I think the eventual sales figures for the Surface Pro 3 will not reflect its actual quality very well - much like how Windows Phone sales do not really match its quality either. It's the reality of the market, and it's easy to laugh it off 'because Microsoft', but remember that this reality affects many promising, quality products - which are not made by the big boys.

Guest post by 64647 2014-08-28 Windows 27 Comments

Microsoft has explained that they have removed more than 1500 apps from the store.

Every app store finds its own balance between app quality and choice, which in turn opens the door to people trying to game the system with misleading titles or descriptions. Our approach has long been to create and enforce strong but transparent policies to govern our certification and store experience. Earlier this year we heard loud and clear that people were finding it more difficult to find the apps they were searching for; often having to sort through lists of apps with confusing or misleading titles.

This process is continuing as we work to be as thorough and transparent as possible in our review. Most of the developers behind apps that are found to violate our policies have good intentions and agree to make the necessary changes when notified. Others have been less receptive, causing us to remove more than 1,500 apps as part of this review so far (as always we will gladly refund the cost of an app that is downloaded as a result of an erroneous title or description).

The upside is that the store becomes a better, less cluttered and misleading place; the downside is that the walled garden is stronger. Is a top down approach really what we want, or is there a a better, community driven, approach that could be taken?

Microsoft set to unveil Windows 9 on September 30th

Thom Holwerda 2014-08-22 Windows 22 Comments

Microsoft is planning to unveil its Windows 8 successor next month at a special press event. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the software maker is tentatively planning its press event for September 30th to detail upcoming changes to Windows as part of a release codenamed "Threshold." This date may change, but the Threshold version of Windows is currently in development and Microsoft plans to release a preview version of what will likely be named Windows 9 to developers on September 30th or shortly afterwards. The date follows recent reports from ZDNet that suggested Microsoft is planning to release a preview version of Windows 9 in late September or early October.

Microsoft is really stepping up its release schedule. Good.

HTC One M8 for Windows unveiled… For very few people

Thom Holwerda 2014-08-19 Windows 30 Comments

As expected, HTC has just announced a new smartphone with Windows Phone called the HTC One M8 for Windows. The new device is the same as the HTC One M8 with Android, albeit it comes with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 preinstalled.

Sounds great, especially since it may be possible to dual boot or switch operating systems once the XDA crowd gets its hands on this thing. But then...

The HTC One M8 for Windows is an exclusive device for U.S. carrier Verizon.

Yeah. Good luck, with that.

Windows ‘Threshold’ preview around late September

Thom Holwerda 2014-08-15 Windows 41 Comments

Microsoft is aiming to deliver a "technology preview" of its Windows "Threshold" operating system by late September or early October, according to multiple sources of mine who asked not to be named.

And in a move that signals where Microsoft is heading on the "servicability" front, those who install the tech preview will need to agree to have subsequent monthly updates to it pushed to them automatically, sources added.

I'm excited about this 'Windows 9', because experience has taught us that Windows releases follow an up-down-up-down pattern. Windows Vista was down, 7 was up, 8 was down, so hopefully 9 will be up again. The rumoured changes are all positive, but it's not like Microsoft does not have a history of over-promising and under-delivering.

The third smartphone ecosystem is ending with a whimper

Thom Holwerda 2014-08-15 Windows 131 Comments

Speaking of Windows Phone - it seems like it's not happening.

Telecom executives for years have trumpeted the need for a new cellphone platform to provide a counterweight to the dominance of Google's Android and Apple's iOS. Maybe it could be BlackBerry. Or maybe Windows.

Or maybe not. According to the data from IDC, the two top players are only getting stronger, grabbing 96.4% of global smartphone shipments in the second quarter, up from 92.6% a year ago.

Windows Phone’s share of shipments fell to 2.5% of the total from 3.4% a year ago, as shipments dropped by more than 9%. BlackBerry’s share fell to 0.5% from 2.8% - below the market share of the "other" category - amid a total collapse in shipments.

This is a two-horse race, and the rest is fighting over the scraps. Those scraps are enough for newcomers such as Jolla, who don't really need the massive numbers to keep a small company alive, but it's the death knell for platforms from larger, established companies with demanding shareholders.

So far, the whole Windows Phone experiment has been a disaster for Microsoft (and Nokia). They've had to pour so much money into Windows Phone just to keep it alive that it will take them 5-10 years before they will ever make any profit on the platform - and that's assuming it actually takes off. If it continues to muddle as it does now, it will remain a huge money pit - and at some point, shareholders and the new CEO will question its existence.

Microsoft has lost about $1.7 billion on Surface so far

Thom Holwerda 2014-08-07 Windows 78 Comments

Microsoft continued to lose money on its Surface tablets throughout its just-concluded 2014 fiscal year, adding hundreds of millions of dollars in red ink and boosting total losses to $1.7 billion since the device's 2012 launch.

It doesn't look like Surface has really been working out for Microsoft. I think the hardware's pretty great, the software is well below par (as a tablet!), but yet, people aren't buying them. Combined with Windows Phone's and Nokia's inability to make any form of profit, it looks like Microsoft's 'devices' focus has been a pretty big failure. At the glacial pace with which Lumia sales are growing, it might take the company several years before turning a profit and recouping all the investments made (e.g. Nokia acquisition).

Windows Threshold: here come the virtual desktops

Thom Holwerda 2014-08-05 Windows 65 Comments

Microsoft is considering bringing virtual desktops to Windows Threshold. The feature, which is already on other platforms like Ubuntu and OS X is currently being tested and is said to have similar functionality to that of Ubuntu. You can activate the desktops with a button on the taskbar (subject to change) and there are keyboard shortcuts that let you jump between active desktops.

Of course, this should have been done eons ago, but the fact they're considering it now is great news. Let's hope it's true.

Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 rolling out to developer Lumias

Thom Holwerda 2014-08-04 Windows 26 Comments

As promised, Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 is rolling out to Lumia phones with Developer Preview enabled.

The biggest feature is Live Folders, which allows users to dynamically create folders on the Start screen. Other new features include the Apps Corner, SMS merge and forwarding and much more. It should also add Cortana support for the UK and China, and India, Australia, and Canada residents can check out the US version of Cortana officially for the first time.

The update is not rolling out for owners of non-Lumia devices - HTC 8X and 8S owners, for instance, are not getting the update. There's no word from Microsoft yet as to why Lumia devices are getting the preferential treatment.

Microsoft reveals Update 1 for Windows Phone 8.1

Thom Holwerda 2014-07-30 Windows 17 Comments

As expected, Microsoft is finally revealing all there is about Update 1 for Windows Phone 8.1. Known internally as GDR1 for 'general distribution release,' this update is one of two for the 8.1 operating system in 2014. The news comes out of Beijing, China where Microsoft's Joe Belfiore announced the release during his keynote, in addition to the expansion of Cortana to the UK and China.

Coming next week for Preview for Developers. If Microsoft can keep this pace of updates up, they've got something very good going. A very welcome contrast to the slow and monolithic approach the company took in the first few years of Windows Phone's existence.

Folders, new resolutions coming to WP 8.1 Update 1

Thom Holwerda 2014-07-27 Windows 19 Comments

Microsoft has accidentally spilled the beans on Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1, and it's going to be a relatively small update for users, but a big one for OEMs and thus the platform. The number of user-facing features is small (Windows Phone is finally getting folder support!), but it increases support for different resolutions and screen sizes - up to 7".

More features might be coming that aren't yet leaked, but the focus of the update is clear: hardware support.

And then there were three

Thom Holwerda 2014-07-25 Windows 33 Comments

I'm lucky. My financial situation allows me to buy several phones and tablets every year to keep up with the goings-on of all the major - and some of the minor - platforms currently competing for prime real estate in your precious pockets. It also means that I am lucky from a psychological point of view - by being able to buy several devices every year, I never fall into the all-too-common trap of choice-supportive bias. I don't have to rationalise my device purchases after the fact, so I won't have to employ all sorts of mental gymnastics to solve any states of cognitive dissonance caused by hardware and software flaws - the number one cause of irrational fanboyism.

And so, I try to rotate my phone of choice around as much as possible. I enjoy jumping from Android to my N9, then onwards to Sailfish, back to Android, and then have some fun with Symbian on my E7 - and beyond. I've got a long list of platforms I want to add to the collection - one white BlackBerry Passport please - but in general, I'm pretty well-rounded.

The bottomless money pit that is Windows Phone

Thom Holwerda 2014-07-23 Windows 103 Comments

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed that his company will amalgamate all major versions of Windows into one operating system. Speaking on the company's quarterly earnings call today, Nadella told analysts Microsoft will "streamline the next version of Windows from three operating systems into one single converged operating system." Describing the implications of the change, Nadella said "this means one operating system that covers all screen sizes."

Not exactly news, but it's good to have it explicitly out in the open like this. And if they're going to want to keep focusing on consumers, they're going to need some pretty big changes. They sold fewer than half a million Surface devices in the last quarter, and only 5.8 million Lumia devices. That last figure is misleading, though, as it only covers two months due to the Nokia deal. Even adding another month, it's safe to say it's well below 10 million.

This actually raises an interesting question: has Microsoft actually ever made any profit off Windows Phone? Especially taking into account the huge amount of money they had to pour into Nokia's devices division every quarter just to keep it alive? And now they also need to earn the costs of the acquisition back.

At some point, someone is going to have to make the tough calls here. What is the future of Windows Phone - and how long will that future be? How long will Microsoft be able to pour resources into the bottomless money pit that is Windows Phone?

Lenovo stops selling small Windows tablets due to lack of demand

Thom Holwerda 2014-07-18 Windows 19 Comments

Lenovo has stopped selling Windows tablets with screen sizes under 10 inches in the U.S. due to lack of interest.

Lenovo has stopped selling two small-screen Windows tablets with 8-inch screens: the ThinkPad 8, which was announced in January and a model of Miix 2, which started shipping in October last year.

This is not a quip, but an honest question: is the size qualifier here really necessary? I.e., do Windows tablets sell in any meaningful number at all, regardless of size? Windows laptops and desktops surely still sell well, but Windows tablets?

Like smartphones, I'm pretty sure this market is dominated by iOS and Android, and Lenovo throwing the towel in the ring here doesn't bode well for any possible third ecosystems - and that sucks.

Windows Phone 8.1 released for Lumia devices

Thom Holwerda 2014-07-15 Windows 28 Comments

Starting today, the Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphone family will receive the Lumia Cyan software, the new Windows Phone 8.1 update and Lumia features upgrade that will make your Lumia an even more personal, fun and indispensable part of your life.

Windows Phone 8.1 is a must-have - those of us who have been running the developer preview thing know that quite well. The update will come to Windows Phone 8 Lumia devices over the coming weeks in Microsoft's usual staggered rollout. I haven't seen any information yet regarding non-Microsoft Windows Phone devices.

Microsoft removes Google Search from new Lumias

Thom Holwerda 2014-07-15 Windows 34 Comments

Microsoft has disabled an option to set Google as the default search engine on its latest Lumia Windows Phones. The option is currently supported on the majority of Nokia's Lumia devices, thanks to an advanced setting in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 8.0. Microsoft acquired Nokia’s phone business in April, and the company's first handsets, the Lumia 630 and Lumia 930, are shipping without the option on Windows Phone 8.1. Microsoft has never allowed Windows Phone users to alter the physical search button behavior, which defaults to Bing, but Internet Explorer users could enable the setting to use the address bar to search within Google instead of manually navigating to the search engine or using the Bing default.

Oh my god Microsoft give it up already.

Windows ‘Threshold’: no more Metro for desktop users

Thom Holwerda 2014-07-01 Windows 59 Comments

There's a lot of information coming out about the future versions of Windows - and it's looking like Microsoft is listening to its users. First and foremost, it seems like the Metro interface will be disabled completely when Windows runs on traditional laptops and desktops; however, Metro applications will still run in windows on the desktop.

The Desktop/laptop SKU of Threshold will include, as previously rumored, the Mini-Start menu - a new version of the traditional Microsoft Start menu, an early concept of which Microsoft showed off at the company's Build developers conference in April. It also will include the ability to run Metro-Style/Windows Store apps in windows on the Desktop. Will it turn off completely the Metro-Style Start screen with its live-tile interface, as Neowin is reporting, and make the tiled Start Menu a toggleable option from the Mini Start menu? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Meanwhile, convertible devices will work pretty much like Windows 8.x does today, switching between the two modes. Microsoft will also do the inevitable: merge its phone and tablet operating system into one product.

The combined Phone/Tablet SKU of Threshold won't have a Desktop environment at all, but still will support apps running side by side, my sources are reconfirming. This "Threshold Mobile" SKU will work on ARM-based Windows Phones (not just Lumias), ARM-based Windows tablets and, I believe, Intel-Atom-based tablets.

These are all looking like some very decent changes, and something they should have done from the get-go. In fact - they should have never tried to shove Metro down desktop user's throats to begin with. They should have moved Windows Phone over to NT (which they did anyway), and scale that up to tablets.

I am, though, quite interested in what the Metro-on-desktop apologists are going to say now. For entertainment value, of course!

How to continue getting free security updates for Windows XP

Thom Holwerda 2014-05-31 Windows 53 Comments

Microsoft has stopped providing XP users with security updates, forcing them to either upgrade to another, newer operating system, or gamble with their safety. While the latest usage figures show that a large portion of users are moving away from XP, there's still a sizable number of users who aren't - or can't.

If you're an XP user, or know some XP users, there's a trick which makes it possible to receive security updates for the aging OS for another five years - right up until April 2019.

I have a better solution. No registry hacks required!

New Windows 8.1 SKU: Windows 8.1 with Bing

Thom Holwerda 2014-05-23 Windows 23 Comments

As we move forward, many of these lower cost devices will come with a new edition of Windows called Windows 8.1 with Bing. Windows 8.1 with Bing provides all the same great experiences that Windows 8.1 offers with the Windows 8.1 Update, and comes with Bing as the default search engine within Internet Explorer. And of course customers will be able to change that setting through the Internet Explorer menu, providing them with control over search engine settings. This new edition will be only be available preloaded on devices from our hardware partners. Some of these devices, in particular tablets, will also come with Office or a one-year subscription to Office 365.

Windows 8.1 with Bing is exactly the same as every other Windows 8.1 SKU - except for the fact that OEMs cannot change the default search engine - users still can, though. The price for OEMs will be lower, which makes me wonder why on earth OEMs would go for the other SKUs.