Operating Systems

Technical specifications of the world’s first media tablets based on Mozilla’s FirefoxOS platform have been published. As expected, Mozilla and its manufacturing partner Foxconn Electronics, plan to initially address emerging markets with tablets featuring FirefoxOS. As a result, the hardware that powers the slate is hardly impressive. The first tablet …

Microsoft Corp.’s latest Windows 8 operating system has failed to meet expectations of millions of customers as well as the software giant’s own sales projections. Needless to say that Microsoft is working hard on improved Windows and today the first details emerged about the code-named “Threshold” operating system that is …

Until now, Intel Corp.’s success on the market of Google Android-based smartphones and tablets has been pretty mediocre since x86 microprocessors could not bring a lot of advantages to mobile devices. However, Intel’s latest system-on-chips support 64-bit processing capability, something no one else can offer for Android. Moreover, Intel has …

Valve recently announced its first wave of pre-built Steam Machines all coming from different manufacturers in different configurations but here at KitGuru we know that most of you prefer to build your own system so if you were interested in building your own ITX PC running Steam OS then you'll …

Apple and Samsung this week agreed to hold mediation talks ahead of the third trial between the companies in two years that starts in March. The companies proposed to discuss possible settlement by chief executive officers of the two firms as well as their senior legal counsels. The talks do …

Various market rumours pointed at Alan Mulally, current chief executive officer (CEO) of Ford Motor Co., as a potential candidate to be Microsoft Corp.’s next head, despite of the fact that he never disclosed plans to leave his current position. This week, the man who led reshaping of Ford several …

Google Android is slowly, but surely, becoming the most popular operating system for media tablets thanks to support from various hardware makers. But in addition to Apple’s iOS and Microsoft Windows, Android may face competition from an unexpected rival – Mozilla’s Firefox OS – now that it is promoted by …

Last year LG Electronics acquired assets related to the webOS operating system from Hewlett-Packard. Rumours about possible TV-sets based on the operating system started almost immediately after LG finalized the deal, but the company did not confirm the information. Nonetheless, a leaked photo of a TV, published on Thursday, clearly points …

If you've been waiting around to find out when the Steam Machine hardware beta would start then you're in luck, it starts this Friday. However, if you're living outside of the US and were hoping to get in on it, then get ready to make a sad face. Valve's original …

Mozilla released the notes from their latest Firefox planning meeting showing that they plan on releasing a version of Firefox for Windows 8's ‘Metro' user interface system. The preview release will officially arrive as part of the companies Firefox 26 release on December 10th. If you want it earlier, then …

Windows 8.1 is going to make its debut on October 18th, according to Microsoft. It will get released in New Zealand first at 12am. Windows 8 users around the world will be able to download and install 8.1 as a free update via the Windows Store. Yes, ‘free' and ‘Microsoft' …

Windows 8 has certainly split opinion, some love the new interface changes while others refuse to move from the much beloved Windows 7. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hopes this will change with the release of Windows 8.1 later this month. He has called the new update a ‘more refined blend' …

Microsoft have been listening to their customers this year. When they announced the Xbox One and all the DRM and lock out practises they were incorporating the user base went ballistic. The problems were so widespread for Microsoft that they ran back to base and came out with a new …

Microsoft confirmed yesterday that they have cut prices of Windows 8 and Windows RT licenses to hardware partners building smaller sized tablets as an incentive to drive sales. Analysts have been discussing if the cuts are enough to dramatically lower tablet prices and drive sales and are unsure if Office …

After a lot of complaints – Microsoft have decided to bring back the Start Button in the Windows ‘Blue' update. Microsoft finally announced that the much discussed menu system will make a reappearance in Windows 8, in Version 8.1. Antoine Leblond, the corporate vice president of Windows Program Management, delivered …

Windows 8 has been the operating system to split opinion. While many people hate the interface changes, there are a select audience who claim it was a good move forward for Microsoft. Sadly sales figures have verified the poor response from the end user and the operating system has failed …

Remember Windows ME? Windows Vista? Windows 8? Microsoft would rather you didn't and to help brush your memory of the last one further under the mat, it's already planning the release of the sequel. It's called Windows Blue and it's coming later this year. It's not a complete overhaul like you might …

As our recent research has highlighted, Windows 8 is still proving very unpopular with the enthusiast audience. Our last poll for instance showed a 82% result in favour of Windows 7. The Kitguru audience however are generally more experienced, knowledgeable people, well above the average punter walking into PCworld in …

It looks as if Microsoft are finally listening to their customers and they will be bringing back the Start Menu in their Windows 8.1 release later this year. Additionally they plan on allowing the end user to boot directly to the desktop, rather than dealing with the tile based Metro …

Microsoft have acknowledged the existence of Windows Blue, the operating system they hope will win the hearts and minds of the enthusiast audience. Microsoft's vice president of corporate communications Frank X has made a mention of Windows Blue. He wrote in a March 26th blog post “With a remarkable foundation …

While you would think that China, with its restrictive web and seeming dislike of personal freedoms, would be all about locked down operating systems, it's not. In fact, it's such a fan of Linux, that the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, is teaming up with British firm Canonical, …

The upcoming version of Windows is currently under development and an early build of it has leaked online. Windows Blue as it is codenamed is based around an early build, V9364. Screenshots have leaked online which show that there are more interface changes. The build is 32 bit and is …

LG have bought the webOS operating system from Hewlett Packard and will be using it in upcoming television sets, commercial displays and perhaps even cars. They said they won't be using it in tablets or smartphone however. LG's CTO Skott Ahn said “The open and transparent webOS technology offers a …

Last week my colleague Colin Beatty wrote an article on Windows 8, with information and statistics gleaned from 3 months of our poll statistics. Many of the comments posted in the article were actually emailed to me directly from Kitguru readers via our Facebook page system. Since we published The …

It would be fair to say that Windows 8 hasn't received the warmest of welcomes among the enthusiast users who visit tech sites like Kitguru. Over the last three months we have ran several polls on Facebook and we are currently running one on the main Kitguru.net website. The results …

There are really only two big players now in the smartphone market – Apple and Google with the iOS and Android operating systems. Analytics firm IDC released information last night which shows that the mobile operating systems from Google and Apple are claiming a whopping 91.1 percent of the global …

The latest bug in iOS6.1 is causing issues for corporate servers due to ‘excessive logging' on Exchange servers when a user connects for mail and calender services. A report on Microsoft Technet says “I had a user upgrade to 6.1 and immediately after he finished, his phone/IPAD started causing excessive …

Microsoft Windows 8 has not met with the most successful launch for the company and according to data released by analytics firm Net Applications the market share is still very low. According to the new figures released, Windows 8 only has 2.26 percent of the desktop operating systems market. Windows …

In response to a very poor showing around the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft has decided that it must squeeze whatever pennies are available from the few sales that are left in the desktop version of its tablet operating system. Expect big price rises for an operating system you have …

Apple have updated their mobile operating system to bring the refresh to iOS 6.1. The company have added fixes and security patches but there is no significant improvement to their flawed Maps software. The move to 6.1 should have been more significant for the company – after all it is …