Microsoft reportedly working on brand new web browser for Windows 10

Microsoft is said to be at work on an all new web browser, codenamed Spartan, that could officially move the company away from Internet Explorer upon the launch of Windows 10. ZDNet reports that the new app is not Internet Explorer 12, the next iteration of Microsoft's longtime browser that we'd typically expect alongside another major Windows release.

Instead, it seems that the company is planning to start anew with a web browser that looks and feels "more like Chrome and Firefox" according to ZDNet. But despite a new appearance (and perks like extensions), this new browser would retain the foundations of Microsoft's current web technology. The new software will continue to utilize the Chakra JavaScript engine and Trident rendering engine, so Redmond isn't suddenly switching over to WebKit, the engine that's used by Apple's Safari. Other competitors like Google have moved off the WebKit path and created custom variants of the engine to serve their own development needs.

Don't expect to see Internet Explorer vanish, though. ZDNet says that IE 11 will still come bundled with Windows 10 for backward compatibility reasons, so Microsoft will in fact be shipping two browsers with its next big operating system. The next big Windows 10 event is scheduled for January 21st; that's when we expect to hear more about the software's new consumer-facing features and Microsoft's plans for Windows 10 on tablets and phones. Could this new web browser also be on the agenda? That's still up in the air, withZDNet reporting that Spartan may not be far enough along in development for inclusion in beta Windows builds.

Image & News Courtesy The Verge

Microsoft reportedly planning to close the app gap in a new way

Microsoft is rumored to add support for Android apps to Windows with Windows 10 public release. However, as it turns out, Microsfot may not add support for Android apps to Windows (and Windows Phone). Instead, the company has a new plan to close the Windows app gap. According to a new report from Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft’s DE (Developer Experience) team is planning to approach developers, startups and students to develop apps and support the Windows platform. Foley also included a short excerpt from an internal email by Steve Guggenheimer – Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President:

“DX has built a global ISV management capability over the past 18 months and now we will extend that capability to manage top ISVs in the field. In partnership with WPG (Worldwide Partner Group), we will also develop a broad programmatic approach to reach and engage a broader set of ISVs that scales from higher touch programs and offers through to self-service with MPN (Microsoft Partner Network). We must be selective in how we look at ISVs to drive the greatest adoption of our cloud and mobile platforms. We will no longer define ISVs in the traditional sense.”
 

Mary Jo Foley also stated that it is still unclear if Microsoft is going to add support for Android apps on Windows.

Source: WMPoweruser

AdDuplex finds that Windows Phone 8.1 is continuing to build momentum

The latest data from AdDuplex shows that Windows Phone 8.1 is continuing its momentum. After overtaking Windows Phone 8 earlier this year, the latest OS from Microsoft was found to be installed on 57.9 percent of all Windows Phone devices worldwide.

AdDuplex found that although the overall market share for Windows Phone 8.1 has risen, the country by country market share varied by a large margin. In the Netherlands, the OS has an overwhelming share of 75 percent, whereas in countries like South Africa it was found to be 31 percent. In the US, Windows Phone 8.1 is at 46 percent.

The data was collected from 4,832 Windows Phone apps running the AdDuplex's SDK v.2. In terms of market share of devices, the Lumia 520 continues to be the most popular with a share of 25.4 percent, although it is witnessing a decline from the 26.3 percent it commanded back in November.

The Lumia 630 also lost a few percentage points, likely due to the introduction of the Lumia 530, which now has a 3 percent market share. AdDuplex also found two new devices that are as yet unannounced. Microsoft's RM-1068 was found to be used exclusively in Brazil with a 4-inch WVGA display, and then there was a device from LG with model number LGVW820 boasting a 4.7-inch and a FWVGA (854 x 480) screen resolution.

For more statistics as well as a breakdown of Windows Phone's market share based on the country, head to the link below.

Source: SlideShare (AdDuplex) 

News Courtesy Windows Central

Action Center is now Security and Maintenance on Windows 10

Remember the flag on the taskbar of Windows? It’s no longer called “Action Center”. With Windows 10, Microsoft has renamed it as “Security and Maintenance”. There isn’t anything new on the renamed Action Center, however. Microsoft has simply renamed it to suit its features.

Microsoft will unveil more consumer focused features at its Windows 10 event on 21st January. It’ll be interesting to see if the company adds any new feature with the upcoming 2015 build.

Image & News courtesy WMPoweruser

Indian Railways Releases Official Ticketing App For Mumbai And Chennai Suburban Trains

Indian Railway has now released a new app that allows booking unreserved suburban tickets on smartphones. As of now the Mobile UTS app has been introduced in Mumbai and Chennai suburban areas only. This new app was developed in-house by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). The passenger has to book the ticket in the mobile phone and print the ticket on the ATVMs installed at the journey originating (Source) stations. The tickets can be booked through Mobile UTS only through Railway wallet.

Features:

1. Quick Booking – Book Ticket using frequent travel routes.
2. Normal Booking – Book Ticket for any suburban routes.
3. Cancel Ticket – Cancel a Ticket before taking Ticket Printout @ Kiosk.
4. Booking History – Show already booked tickets with rebook option.
5. Profile – Manage the passenger profile and check R-Wallet balance.

Download the app here from Windows Phone Store for free.

Image & News Courtesy WMPoweruser

Review – Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard

We give a lot of attention to the Surface Pro 3 here at Windows Central, but I realize that not everyone uses one or plans on getting one. There are many other great Windows 8 tablets out there that do not have their own keyboard option available, so today I am taking a look at the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard.

It is cute little devil with a lot to offer the tablet user who is often running around from place to place.

Design

Much like its companion, the Wedge Mouse, the Wedge Keyboard is a compact and minimalistic device made up of matte black plastic keys accompanied by a shiny silver trim.

The entire keyboard is about the size of the Type Cover's keyboard on the Surface Pro 3. It includes many of the same dual-function F1-F12 buttons as the Type Cover as well, like Search, Charms, Settings, and Devices, but also includes music/volume controls. Esc doubles as the keyboard's power button, and there is an additional key that works like a right-click in applications.

On the bottom of the Wedge is a riser that gives the keyboard a slight tilt for better ergonomics. This bump also houses the tray for the two AAA batteries that provide power and is where the Bluetooth pairing button resides.

All you need to know about Lumia Denim update for Windows Phone!

Editor: Sam Sabri

Microsoft announced Lumia Denim at IFA 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Lumia Denim is the latest firmware for Lumia handsets and brings a handful of new features like passive-listening Cortana, 4K video, Rich Capture and more.

During development, Lumia Denim was codenamed 'Debian Red.' Lumia Denim follows the naming convention used by Microsoft, nee Nokia, for their firmware in Lumia handsets. The firmware names go in alphabetical order, starting with A for Lumia Amber, B for Lumia Black, C for Lumia Cyan and now D for Lumia Denim.

Lumia Denim is most notable for bringing a handful of new features to the Lumia Camera application on Lumia handsets. Camera speed is by far the area with the biggest improvement brought on by Lumia Denim, with between shot times of milliseconds. Here's the full list of camera changes coming with Lumia Denim (to supported handsets)

• Speed: Never miss a moment with Lumia Camera and its fast camera startup and capture speeds. Take numerous photos with just milliseconds beyond shots.

• High definition: Using Moment Capture, a long press of the camera button within the app automatically starts 4K-quality video recording at 24 frames per second. Each frame is of high image quality at 8.3 megapixels, allowing every single video frame to be selected and saved as a still image.

• Intuitiveness: Get the best shot every time with Rich Capture, which simplifies picture-taking with auto HDR and Dynamic Flash. With Rich Capture, people can avoid the hassle adjusting camera settings; they can shoot first and edit and select the perfect shot later.

• Quality: Capture high-quality smartphone images in low light with the latest-generation imaging algorithms.

Image and News Courtesy Windows Central

Samsung to show off Windows 8.1 all-in-one PC with curved display at CES 2015

Samsung will be showing off two new Windows 8.1 products next week at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, including an all-in-one PC with a curved display.

The Samsung Series 7 AIO will have a 27-inch curved display with a resolution of 1920x1080. Inside, there's an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, with both a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD for storage. A price and a specific launch date for the Series 7 AIO have not been announced

Samsung will also showcase their upcoming and latest version of their Series 9 notebook line at CES 2015. The 12.2-inch laptop is just 11.8mm thick and 950g in weight, which the company claims is the thinnest and lightest notebook it has ever made. The display has a resolution of 2560x1600. Inside there's an Intel Core M 5Y10C processor with a clock speed of 2GHz. There's also 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for storage inside. The battery life is supposed to last up to 12 hours.

The new version of the Series 9 notebook should start showing up for sale on Samsung's website sometime this week but a price tag was not revealed.

Image and News Courtesy Windows Central

New Lumias via Denim support downloading OS updates to memory card

When it comes to updating the operating system, the Windows Phone experience leans towards the positive when compared to the competition. Apple's iPhone notoriously need a huge heaping of space due to backups and Android, like all things, can vary from device to device.

However, one area that is of concern is Windows Phones with low internal memory. Even though some phones have a micro SD card for expansion, they can prove to be problematic for OS updates if there is not enough internal space. One minor fix in build 14219 of Windows Phone 8.1.1 aka Lumia Denim is the ability to install those updates using the expansion card.

The news comes through Microsoft's support channels, which note the addition:

"Lumia software update OS version 8.10.14219.341 (formerly Denim), or above enables support for downloading phone software updates to an SD memory card. The supported devices list includes: Lumia 530/530 Dual SIM, 630/630 Dual SIM, 635, 636, 638, 730 Dual SIM, 735 and 830. The feature will be available for possible software updates coming after 8.10.14219.341."

New report claims Windows 10 for desktop could have two browsers: IE11 and 'Spartan'

Windows 10 will reportedly have two different web browsers for desktop users when it is released in the fall of 2015. One will be the current Internet Explorer 11 for backward-compatibility with older websites, while the other will be a brand new, light-weight browser that is currently being developed under the code name "Spartan".

The report comes from the usually reliable Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet, where she cites her unnamed sources inside Microsoft. Both browsers will still use versions of Microsoft's Chakra JavaScript engine and its Trident rendering engine. The new browser, which Foley hints won't be called Internet Explorer 12 when it is released, is rumored to have a new flat user interface similar to Google's Chrome or Mozilla's Firefox. Reportedly browser extensions are also supported.

Microsoft reportedly working on a fix for Lumia 930 display woes

By Daniel Rubino

The Lumia 930 is likely to go down as one of the most divisive Lumias to date. It has not quite lived up to theLumia 920 legacy, and there are still numerous reports of overheating and screen discolorations. The latter issue is likely due to the use of AMOLED instead of LCD and Lumias have always had some purple tint issues with those types of displays.

How to change the language on Windows Phone 8.1

 

By Mark Guim


Have you ever held a Windows Phone device 8.1 with a language you didn't understand? Perhaps you purchased a device overseas, or someone accidentally changed your settings. I tried setting up a newLumia 535 over the weekend, but it came out of the box with the Chinese language. Going through the menu was difficult, but I eventually found a way to change the language to something I understand. Want to know how I did it? Watch our quick how-to video.

The latest Surface Pro 3 TV ad is full of praise and adulation

By John Callaham


The Surface Pro 3 is the subject of yet another new TV commercial from Microsoft that, for once, doesn't compare it to the MacBook Air. Instead, the focus is on the high praise the 12-inch tablet has received from some media outlets.