Thursday 17 October 2013

Windows 8.1 released: How to download for free, and a guide to the new features



Windows 8.1 released: How to download for free, and a guide to the new features

Windows 8.1 Start screen

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This morning, Microsoft released Windows 8.1. Windows 8 users can upgrade for free by visiting the Windows Store; if you have another operating system, the upgrade will cost you the same price as Windows 8 itself: $120 for the normal version, or $200 for Windows 8.1 Pro. Windows 8.1 is a fairly major update for both tablet and laptop/desktop users, providing a better experience both within the Metro interface on touchscreens and with the mouse and keyboard on the Desktop. Using the mouse and keyboard within the Metro interface, however, still sucks — and the Start button and menu, though technically reinstated, are not back in spirit.

Downloading and installing Windows 8.1

To download and install Windows 8.1, follow our guide for Windows 8, 7, Vista, and other operating systems. For the most part, installing Windows 8.1 is quick, painless, and risk-free, so you don’t need to worry about backing up or other preparatory measures. Do make sure you have plenty of free hard drive space, though (20GB+), and if you’re coming from Windows 8.1 Preview, be sure to read the caveats in our guide.
Windows 8.1, split-screening Desktop and PC Settings

New features and major changes in Windows 8.1

As the name implies, Windows 8.1 is more of a revision to Windows 8 than a major update. The new Metro interface is still front and center, and still awful to use with a mouse and keyboard — but, as a concession to those without touchscreens, you can now configure Windows 8.1 to boot straight to the Desktop. The Start button also makes its illustrious return, but all it does is bring up the Metro interface. The Start button can be configured to bring up a rejigged All Apps view, which is kind of like a full-screen Start menu, but it’s still a piggish to navigate with a mouse. If you make extensive use of the real Start menu in Windows XP/Vista/7, you will want to install a third-party Start menu replacement (which still work perfectly with Windows 8.1).
On the Metro side of things, there are extensive updates to configurability and usability. The Metro Control Panel (“PC Settings”) can now be used to change most important settings. You can now split-screen multiple apps, and you’re not restricted to the size and location of the splits — apps can be any width, including 50/50. Multi-monitor support for Metro has improved, too, allowing you to have multiple apps split-screened on multiple monitors.
The Start screen is more configurable, the Lock screen is more functional (it now makes a great digital photo frame), and lots of stock apps have received much-needed updates. The Windows Store has been tweaked, but it’s still pretty rough.
New Windows 8.1 search
Bridging the Metro and Desktop divide, Windows 8.1 brings built-in SkyDrive integration (to Metro and Libraries in Explorer), and Search has been significantly bolstered, especially when it comes to web-based search results. There’s also a new option to show your Desktop wallpaper behind the Metro Start screen, which makes a surprisingly big difference when it comes to the jarring juxtaposition between the two interfaces.

Why did we have to wait two years for this?

In short, Windows 8.1 takes Windows 8 — which really was an abomination for mouse-and-keyboard Desktop users, and only slightly better on tablets — and makes it usable. The irony, though, is that almost all of the changes made to Windows 8.1 were originally pointed out two years ago by beta testers of the original Windows 8 Preview.
Windows 8, the tablet angel
When you consider that Windows 8 and 8.1 have been in development for a grand total of five years, and Microsoft has been making operating systems for more than 20 years, and Windows 7 was one of the best OSes ever released, it’s really hard to imagine how Microsoft got the original release of Windows 8 so, so wrong. (Personally, I think Microsoft only implemented the Metro interface very late into the development of Windows 8, when Apple’s iPad started to blow up… but that’s another conversation for another day.)
Still, I suppose the main thing is that Windows 8.1 is finally usable. Better late than never, and all that — but it would’ve been a lot better if Microsoft had released Windows 8.1 last year. It’s now a matter of whether Windows 8.1 is strong enough on the tablet to unseat iOS and Android, and a big enough upgrade on the desktop to encourage Windows XP and 7 users to upgrade. I am uncertain on both counts.
When (or if) you install Windows 8.1, be sure to check out our collection of Windows 8.1 tips and tricks, especially if you’re using a conventional mouse-and-keyboard PC.

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Wednesday 16 October 2013

Tata Sky announces Everywhere TV live streaming app for Android and iOS

Direct-to-home television operator Tata Sky today launched a new application that allows watching live television programmes on mobile phones as the company looks to popularise its brand further. Tata Sky says the app, meant for both Android and iOS, will be coming soon, and will be released during the festive season.Named 'Everywhere TV', the company said it will charge Rs. 60 per month from its existing customers, who can initially watch over 50 channels on their mobile phones.
"The idea is to let our subscribers watch TV while they are travelling or when they are out of home. All that they need is a good 3G mobile connection or a Wi-Fi connectivity," Tata Sky Chief Commercial Officer Vikram Mehra told PTI. He said the move is part of the company's plans to popularise the Tata Sky brand further in tune with the ever evolving customer demands.
"We started the 'a la carte' option to let customers choose what channels they want to watch, we introduced the recording option so that they can watch programmes later. Now, our next step is to let them watch live while on the move via mobiles," Mehra said.

Bullish on the new offering, he said the company had done a research and found that the amount of time subscribers spend on commuting is 76 minutes every day.

"Most of the people travelling in train or by car watch some kind of video content on their phone. This shows that there is a huge potential for Everywhere TV," he said.

Further, it was found that 88 per cent of subscribers had either a smartphone or tablet or both. Also, they have either an Apple or an Android smartphone, which shows that there is a huge potential for TV on the go, Mehra added.

"In the next three months, we will double the number of channels on offer on the 'Everywhere TV'," he said, adding the future plan was to get over 200 channels on it.

Initially, most of the Hindi and English channels will be available on Everywhere TV but later on regional channels will also be included, the company said.

On the potential customers, he said apart from the usual adult Tata Sky subscriber, the mobile TV will also attract attention from students who are in hostel as this would offer them a cheaper option to access live TV.

Tata Sky is investing Rs. 900 crore this fiscal on upgrading technology as it targets a 30 percent growth in subscribers. 
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Sunday 13 October 2013

The new Nexus 5 leaks ,a hands on video pops up

It's 2013. Everything leaks.



This is a hands-on video of the Nexus 5!

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Rumours say that the next nexus is going to be released on October 15

We all know that the next nexus is going to be released this month  but the latest rumours say that it is going to be released on October 15 with ofcourse latest Android 4.4  named Kitkat.

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