While some may take exception with my criticisms of Microsoft’s Surface with Windows RT devices, one complaint is unassailable: The magnetic plug on the power supply doesn’t work properly. And if you don’t pay attention carefully when you make the connection, you may find yourself without battery power. Don’t be a statistic: Here’s how you can be sure you did it right....More
In a previous tip, I discussed how you could access Xbox Music’s cloud-based music locker service, Cloud Collection, to stream or download the music you previously purchased from Microsoft. But Cloud Collection also includes a music match component, by which you can make your other music available through the service to all of your PCs and devices. And while it’s a bit hard to use, it is available now....More
In the latest episode of Windows Weekly podcast, Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, and I discuss BUILD, the Windows Phone 8 launch, Windows Connections, and the end--finally--of our epic travel schedules....More
The integrated experiences in Windows Phone have always made it easy to share things with others using a variety of services. But in Windows Phone, the list of things you can share has grown yet again, and one of the new things you can share is your location....More
In Windows 8, Windows Explorer has been renamed to File Explorer and updated in significant ways. Most obviously, it drops the Aero Glass effects found in the previous two Windows versions and adopts a flatter new look that is more energy efficient. It also drops the command bar used in previous versions in favor of a new ribbon-based UI....More
In Windows Phone 8, the Bing Maps app is now backed by Nokia’s well-respected mapping technologies but looks and works much like the version in Windows Phone 7.x. Aside from using better underlying map data, the move to Nokia maps does comes with another major advantage: You can now download maps for offline use....More
Live from the Lucky Strike in Bellevue, WA, it's the Build Blogger Bash 2012! Special guests includes Todd Brix, Alex Wilhelm, Kip Kniskern, Rafael Rivera, Long Zheng, Tom Warren, Todd Bishop, Peter Bright, Mary Jo Foley, and Paul Thurrott....More
While befuddled new Windows 8 users certainly have a lot on their plate when it comes to using this operating system version, I have a few tips about getting up to speed quickly. Key among these is learning the new user interfaces that are available system-wide, in the Start screen, the desktop, and in all Metro-style apps. And the most important of these interfaces, by far, is the Charms....More
As part of the broader reimagining of Windows with Windows 8, Windows RT, and Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has redesigned its web-based Windows site to look more modern and visually attractive. And as part of that effort, Microsoft has also updated its Personalization Gallery, which offers Windows users free themes, desktop wallpapers, and language packs....More
As soon as I saw the HTC Windows Phone 8X back in September, I knew. I tried to be pragmatic, talk myself into the possibility that the Nokia Lumia 920 was a viable competitor, but it’s not. Let me just be clear here: There is the HTC Windows Phone 8X, and then there is everything else. And this handset isn’t just better than the Windows Phone competition. It’s better than all smart phones. And it will be my day-to-day phone going forward....More
