It has been rumoured for a while but Microsoft has finally officially revealed Cortana, the Windows Phone version of Siri or Google Now. The Halo AI inspired voice assistant will be available in the next Windows Phone 8.1 update which is due to arrive in the US in beta form …
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Qualcomm confirms plans to support Microsoft DirectX 12
Although Qualcomm took part in the announcement of Microsoft Corp.’s DirectX 12 application programming interface, the company’s plans regarding support of the new API were not completely clear. Last week an executive of Qualcomm confirmed that the future Adreno graphics cores will fully support DirectX 12. The current Snapdragon 800 …
Read More »Microsoft and Nokia deal won’t close until April
Microsoft's $7.17 billion Nokia buyout deal was announced late last year, the deal was expected to finally close this month however, regulators have delayed the finalisation until April as a few more approvals need to be made. Microsoft's Executive Vice President, Brad Smith, announced the small delay in a blog …
Read More »Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant described, caught on video
It is not a secret that Microsoft Corp. is preparing to finally roll-out a voice assistant called Cortana along with the upcoming update for Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. While the assistant is supposed to compete with Apple’s Siri as well as Google’s Google Now services, the newly released information …
Read More »Bill Gates, Satya Nadella opposed move to buy Nokia – report
Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of Nokia Corp.’s devices and services division is indisputably one of the most important deals in the history of the two companies. Nonetheless, this does not mean that the decision was initially supported by everyone at Microsoft. Apparently, Bill Gates, a co-founder of the software giant, and …
Read More »Xbox Live to come to Android and iOS?
Microsoft has Xbox Live features included in the Windows Phone OS, in-fact, you can even earn achievements for your account on some mobile games but now the company wants to make Xbox Live cross platform by bringing the functionality to Android and iOS devices. Some details of the plan were …
Read More »Microsoft to continue to use ‘Nokia’ and ‘Lumia’ brands
Nokia has been one of the most recognized brands in the last 15 – 20 years and it will not disappear from the market of phones after Microsoft Corp. acquires devices and services division of Nokia Corp. later this quarter. The software giant claims that it will continue to use …
Read More »AMD-based systems will come with pre-loaded Android simulator
In a bid to differentiate PCs powered by its accelerated processing units (APUs), Advanced Micro Devices plans to enable such systems to run programs originally designed for Google Android platform. To do so, AMD teamed up with BlueStacks, a designer of Android emulator for Windows. Select AMD-based tablets, 2-in-1s, notebooks …
Read More »WhatsApp to take on Skype with voice calls
WhatsApp might only have just announced its acquisition by Facebook for an eye watering $19 billion worth of cash, stocks and employee share options, but it's already got new developments planned. One of the biggest, is voice calls, which means the messaging service is no longer just challenging the likes …
Read More »Microsoft knew that users wouldn’t like the Metro UI
Microsoft has admitted that it knew most users wouldn't like the new Windows 8 Metro user interface but not for the reasons you might think, according to Jacob Miller, a UX Designer for Microsoft, “Familiarity will always trump good design. Even if something is vastly better, if it is unfamiliar it …
Read More »Tizen association gets 15 new members, still no hardware
Tizen Association, an industry consortium that supports the development of an open source Tizen software platform and operating system, last week announced that it had been joined by 15 new members. The expansion of the Tizen team will likely speed up its adoption and will make the platform more competitive …
Read More »Clash of Clans dev made a lot of money last year
Clash of Clans and Hay Day developer, Supercell, decided to let everyone know just how much money its two mobile games made last year, spoiler alert- it's a lot. 2013 scored the Finnish developer $892 million in revenue which has led to work on a new title due to release …
Read More »Bill Gates denies plan to return to a full-time job to Microsoft
Along with unofficial information regarding availability of Windows 9 code-named “Threshold” operating system either in late 2013 or in early 2014, an even stranger rumour emerged: Bill Gates was set to return to a full-time executive job to Microsoft Corp. While the co-founder of Microsoft is helping to find a …
Read More »GTA San Andreas coming to mobile next month
Rockstar has just announced that it will be releasing a remastered version of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas for Android, IOS, Windows Phone and Kindle next month. The fan favorite from the PS2 era was released back in 2004 and was the first game to feature the city, Los Santos, …
Read More »Microsoft wants an app catalog to rival Android and IOS by 2015
Windows phone has been lagging behind a bit when it comes to app availability on the platform but we could see a turn around as Joe Belfiore, the Vice President and Manager for Windows Phone Program Management, turned to Twitter to let it be known that the 3rd ecosystem is finally …
Read More »Google Play on a Blackberry?
Over the weekend some leaked images of an upcoming Blackberry 10 update showed off Google's Play Store running on the device. Blackberry 10.2.1 might reveal a partnership with Google, bringing the Play Store to the Blackberry Z10 and Q10 smartphones. Blackberry has always struggled with its App store, Blackberry App …
Read More »Xbox One Gold subscription gets you free Xbox Music
If you're a current Xbox Music user and have been mulling over whether to upgrade your 360 to a One this Christmas, it might be worth considering that you won't have to pay for that music subscription if you already have a gold account on the new console. Announced by …
Read More »Microsoft has revealed exactly what happens with the data Kinect collects
Microsoft has had a tough time getting potential buyers to forget about all of the privacy concerns the internet has raised in regards to Kinect but today the company has finally let users know exactly what happens with the data Microsoft can collect in the new Xbox Live privacy statement. …
Read More »Microsoft investors want to oust Bill Gates
You'd think they'd be grateful to the man that helped the long term ones build their fortunes, but it looks like some of the biggest investors in Microsoft don't want just Steve Ballmer to step down, but his pal and the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates himself. While it seems …
Read More »41MP Nokia Lumia 1020 UK release date confirmed
Nokia Lumia followers will be happy to hear that the company have confirmed their release date in the United Kingdom. There has been much talk about the smartphone already, thanks in part to the 41 megapixel camera built into the product. The release date is set for September 25th, although …
Read More »Halo’s Cortana is Microsoft’s Siri alternative
If you've thought that Microsoft's Windows phone platform was lacking a voice activated search feature like Apple's Siri, then don't worry, it won't be like that for much longer, as Cortana, the AI chick from the Halo series is going to be your new digital companion. Cortana will spread herself …
Read More »Android has never looked stronger
The battle for smartphone and tablet sales is never ending. With the news this week that Blackberry may be about to give up completely we take a quick look at the overall marketplace. The Blackberry handset is still selling as well as Apple did when they launched their App store, …
Read More »Nokia Lumia 625 now available in the UK
Nokia today announced the UK availability of the Nokia Lumia 625 smartphone offering affordable 4G connectivity through a large 4.7” screen for a leading entertainment experience. The key features of the Nokia Lumia 625 include: Choice of 5 semi-transparent changeable shells – available in orange, bright green, yellow, white and black A …
Read More »Ballmer admits Microsoft built too many Surface RT’s
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has admitted that they built too many Surface RT tablets and that they are not selling as many Windows devices as they would like. The company held an internal town hall event last week. They discussed the $900 million hit for Surface RT tablets and the …
Read More »Nokia Lumia outsells Blackberry
Nokia have generated an operating loss of £98.8 mllion in the second quarter and revenues have fallen 24% as they have struggled to turn their handset business around. It isn't all bad news for the company however as their Lumia smartphones have outsold rival Blackberry. This is seen as very …
Read More »Kreyos Meteor Smartwatch – voice controlled
Many analysts have said that 2014 will be the year of the smartwatch, but I am still have my doubts. Most people who wear watches do so out of the love of swiss engineering, or because they want to show off a fancy design. The latest smartwatch to hit the …
Read More »Microsoft to bring Age Of Empires to iOS and Android
Microsoft Corp will be bringing their popular Age Of Empires PC game to the Apple iOS and Android market thanks to a tie in with Japan's KLab Inc. They expect that sales will be strong for such an iconic game. The Microsoft gaming business is focused almost entirely now on …
Read More »Kingston MobileLite Wireless Review
Today we are looking at the Kingston Mobilelite Wireless, a portable SD card reader with WiFi capabilities. Zardon reviewed the Kingston Wi-Drive earlier this year and found it to be “a very useful device at a very competitive price point.” Like the Wi-Drive, the Mobilelite Wireless is aimed at Android and …
Read More »Best Buy adding 600 Microsoft Mini stores
Our American readers will be interested to hear that Microsoft have teamed up with retailer Best Buy to bring the ‘Microsoft Store' experience instore. Later this month Microsoft mini stores will be opened inside Best Buy branches – a total of 500 in the U.S. and another 100 in Canada. …
Read More »Google rumour: WhatsApp buyout for $1B
If you use a modern smartphone there is a good chance that you will have the excellent WhatsApp installed. This very popular software is sought after by Google who are said to be contemplating a $1B takeover deal for the company who create it. Digital Trends apparently have access to …
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