Microsoft has disclosed the first details of Windows 10 - its next operating system (OS), BBC reports.
The name is a surprise, bearing in mind it represents a jump from the last version - Windows 8.
The software will run on a wide range of devices, from phones and tablets to PCs and Xbox games consoles, with applications sold from a single store.
It also marks the return of the Start Menu, which had been removed from Windows 8.
In addition to offering a list of the user's favourite applications, the menu also brings up resizable tiles - similar to those featured in Windows 8's touch-centric interface on PCs and tablets.
These provide a quick view of notifications from relevant applications, such as details of new emails, Facebook messages and weather forecast updates.
The company said the facility was intended to make the software seem familiar to both users of Windows 8 and Windows 7.
The behaviour of the OS will depend on the type of device with which it is being used. Unlike its predecessor, users will not need to switch between Desktop Mode and the touch-focused alternative.
However, they can still spread a number of "live tiles" across the screens of two-in-one laptop-tablet hybrids to make them easier to use with both a mouse and finger presses.
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Update: It seems that we might see the newest Windows as soon as September 30 in a preview event held by Microsoft. Also, we hope you like Cortana. Details below!
With Windows 8 and now Windows 8.1, Microsoft tried – not entirely successfully – to make tablets part of a continuum that goes from number-crunching workstations and high-end gaming rigs through all-in-one touchscreen media systems and thin-and light notebooks down to slender touch tablets.
The general consensus is that it still has a long way to go to produce a unified OS.
Despite rumors of an aggressive development and shipping schedule, there's no official word about what's in the next version of Windows, but there are plenty of rumors (many of them from Chinese enthusiast sites that claim to have leaked builds), plus more reliable information from job postings for the Windows and Windows Phone teams.
There are also patents, which may or may not be relevant, and some rare comments from developers on the Windows team. Here's what we've heard about Windows 9 and what we think is happening.
Cut to the chase
What is it? A complete update of Windows
When is it out? We expect it to be out in 2015
What will it cost? We really have no idea. But if Windows 8 is anything to go by, it won't cost much to upgrade.
Windows Blue turned out to be Windows 8.1 rather than a completely new version of the Windows OS – Windows 9 will be that new version.
As for interim releases, we'll probably also get Windows 8.2 before we get Windows 9. And we have already seen the initial update to Windows 8.1, called Windows 8.1 Update 1.
The new update features improvements to the Start Screen including the ability to boot straight into the Desktop, the return of shutdown on Start and a more familiar task bar to unify the old and new user interfaces. The update was announced at Build 2014, along with features teased for Windows updates to come.
It certainly seems there's a new development cadence for Windows in action. It seems that Microsoft is set to put out new releases of Windows, Windows RT and Windows Server every year, the way it already does for Windows Phone.
The next complete version of Windows is being referred to as Windows 9, though this may change. And a new codename has appeared – Threshold, possibly in refrence to moving across from our reliance on the desktop to a new world where the Start screen is at the heart of how we use Windows.
While still just a codename, Windows 9 was referenced by Microsoft in a job posting, spotted by MSFT Kitchen on March 13, 2013.
The ad, for a Bing Software Development Engineer, says that the team will be delivering products "in areas including Windows 9, IE11 services integration, touch friendly devices including iPad and more."
Windows 9 release date
As of right now, we expect to see Windows 9 in a preview build as early as September 30. The latest report from The Verge cites sources close to the matter with knowledge that press preview event will take place on that date. There are no details of where the event will take place or when exactly the preview build will be released, but we'll take it.
Microsoft communications chief Frank Shaw said the company wasn't ready to talk about how often Windows might come out when we spoke to him in January, but he agreed "you have certainly seen across a variety of our products a cadence that looks like that; Windows Phone is a good for example of that, our services are a good example of that".
We don't know if Windows 9 will be available as an upgrade from Windows 7 that you can buy as a standalone product or if you'll have to have Windows 8 to get the upgrade. But it may not be with us for a while yet – Windows business chief Tami Reller has talked about "multiple selling seasons" for Windows 8, meaning that we'll likely have several versions of it.
Some rumors have suggested late 2014 or early 2015 for a Windows 9 release, though the former seems wide of the mark. While claims and reports are all over the place, it seems like Windows 9 should drop before September 2015 at the latest.
In January 2014, well-known Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott said he believes the company plans to release Windows 9 (codenamed Threshold) in April 2015, less than three years after Windows 8.
The thinking appears to be that the Windows 8 name is now too tarnished and that – in contrast to Reller's comments above – Microsoft wishes to clear things out by releasing Windows 9 instead.
ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley recently echoed these reports, citing sources pointing toward a spring 2015 release for Windows 9.
In May, prolific Microsoft leaker FaiKee released two separate documents that he or she claims to be Redmond's full roadmap for Windows 9 and other products. The first of which, released to the My Digital Life forums, pointed to text reading "Windows 9 Windows Preview Release @ 2015 02-03."
That appears to point toward a preview release of either February or March 2015. The second leak was caught by Myce.com, and is a bit more vague in timing but less so in the actual text. That alleged official document detailed a preview release between Q2 and Q3 2015, so by September of next year at the latest.
In June, we learned from a ZDNet source that Microsoft would launch a preview build of the latest Windows in the fall. But most recently, WZOR struck again with a rumor that Windows 9 in full will launch in that same time frame. Naturally, a Microsoft representative snapped back at the rumor on Twitter.
How much will Windows 9 cost?
Not a cent. At least that's what Russian leaker collective WZOR claims to have heard. The group reports that Microsoft is considering pushing out Windows 9 for free, but cannot confirm at this time.
What the collective has heard exactly is that a prototype version is in the works in which a barebones version of Windows 9 will be available for free. For additional functionality, users would have to pay up through a subscription.
That said, ZDNet's Foley has heard the opposite: different SKUs of Windows will be offered for free or at different prices to OEMs and consumers, but that the desktop version will indeed have a sticker price. A recent, subsequent leak provided by WZOR seems to not only corroborate Foley's sources, but render its previous report moot.
Windows 9: Return of the Start Menu
Teased during the Build 2014 keynote address, the long-missed Start is basically guaranteed to make its return in Windows 9. Since that preview of the Start menu, replete with both Desktop and Modern UI elements, a screenshot (seen below) of an updated version of the feature has surfaced – ba-dum, chhh – through the MyDigitalLife forums.
Regardless of whether the snap is legit, since Microsoft has publicly promised the return of the Start menu, it should be safe to expect its debut in Windows 9 ... whenever that is.
Next Part >>>
Source (techradar.com)
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Toyota recently announced its response to Tesla Motors’s fully electric vehicle with a hydrogen powered car that will be available in 2015. The hydrogen fuel cells only emit harmless water vapor. The first model of the vehicle will be a 2015 Sedan that is priced at $70,000 and will be first launched in Japan, which is right in line with the release of the Tesla Model S. The Toyota hydrogen car claims it will have a 430 mile cruising range and a refueling time of three minutes: both figures are better than the traditional batteries and gas-powered vehicles.
After the eco-friendly vehicle is released in Japan, it will be distributed in Europe and North America. California will be the first state to receive the Toyota hydrogen car because of their proven willingness to embrace new car technology, and the state has already begun investing in hydrogen fueling stations. The car manufacturer stated that their biggest challenge is to make the cars as, or more, convenient than traditional vehicles to use on a daily basis.
The design for the new clean energy vehicle has been finalized. The sedan’s design is modeled after the earlier FCV concept. The price of the Toyota hydrogen car is just an estimation as an official price has not yet been finalized. The baseline price of the Tesla S is $60,000 and includes a lifetime of fuel costs. Toyota believes that they will have the upper hand with the technology’s claim of a faster fueling time, greater range, and less of an environmental impact.
The Toyota Hydrogen Car which will be made available in 2015 is much more efficient in refueling than the Tesla Supercharger, which takes more than an hour to deliver a charge that enables a range of 300 miles. Toyota’s alternative energy vehicle is pumped with hydrogen gas which takes approximately four minutes. Once in the tank, the hydrogen is gradually mixed with oxygen inside the car. The combination produces an electro-chemical reaction that powers the car for over 400 miles, which emits only harmless water vapor.
The 2015 Toyota hydrogen car will be made available by April in Japan, but there are complexites with the technology. The cost and difficulty of gathering, storing, and delivering the hydrogen gas at a high pressure is more difficult and costly than gas. Observers have noted that it will be difficult for the major car manufacturer to compete with Tesla’s fueling infrastructure; which offers charging stations at customer’s home, parking areas, rest stops, and offers solar power charging capabilities to save money.
The 2015 Toyota hydrogen car will only be available to cities that already have some sort of hydrogen fueling infrastructure already. Automotive observers have stated that Toyota’s biggest challenge is not developing and releasing a workable model, but ensuring that customers are always near a refueling station. Environmentalists do favor the Toyota hydrogen car when compared to Tesla’s all-electric vehicles due to the fact that the energy in Tesla vehicles is very likely to come from environmentally harmful sources, like coal.
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ONLINE RETAIL GIANT Amazon is expected to announce its debut smartphone, likely to launch under its Kindle brand, at an event in Seattle on 18 June, with the firm looking to challenge the likes of Apple and Samsung.
We've rounded up everything we already know about the Amazon Kindle smartphone so far, and will update this as we learn more, so keep this page bookmarked.
Release date
It's pretty much confirmed that Amazon will launch a Kindle smartphone at the firm's 18 June event, which it teases in the below video, but there's no word yet as to when the device will hit shelves.
However, given Amazon's track record of prompt device release dates, it likely will arrive before the end of the month, despite the Wall Street Journal having previously claimed that it will go on sale in September.
Price
Amazon's smartphone, much like its Kindle tablets, likely will be cheaper than its top-end rivals, such as the iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5. It's unclear how much the smartphone will cost - but it's expected to be priced similarly to the Google Nexus 5.
Specs
Of course, with Amazon yet to unwrap its debut smartphone, the handset's specifications remain to be announced. However, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the device - telling us almost all we need to know about it.
The screen is expected to be the Amazon smartphone's standout feature, with rumours claiming that it will boast a 4.7in HD 720p screen, complete with three-dimensional features. According to reports, the display will support glasses-free 3D images, which it will achieve by using Retina tracking technology embedded in four front-facing cameras. This also will apparently allow users to navigate the device by moving their eyes.
The WSJ reported in April, "The 3D screen technology can sense the movement of a person's eyes and whether the screen is moving closer to a user's face, according to people familiar with the matter. In response, the phone will be able to automatically zoom into images as it moves closer to a user's face and could manipulate text and images as a person moves the phone."
Beyond its screen, the Amazon smartphone reportedly will look a lot like Apple's iPhone, with leaked images (above) pointing towards a boxy, glass-coated casing, complete with exposed screws on its rear. It;s unclear what material the device will be built from, but given that it's likely to be cheaper than its competitors, we'll put our money on plastic.
The Amazon smartphone likely will arrive running Google's Android 4.4 Kitkat mobile operating system, although the firm will skin this in its heavy custom user interface, similar to that found on its Kindle smartphones. This skin likely will provide the phone with Amazon's "Mayday" feature, and will offer access to Amazon's Appstore, which has tripled its content over the past year.
Other rumoured specifications include a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a yet-unspecified dual camera set up, and support for 4G LTE.
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