You know how when you buy a new PC it usually comes not just with the latest version of Microsoft Windows, but also umpteen different apps and special offers cluttering the desktop? There’s a decent chance you don’t actually want or need most of those programs — and they may even be slowing down your PC. That’s why Microsoft has…
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Microsoft is expected to release Windows 8 in the second half the year. We’ve heard a lot about the new features including a new Metro-style touch-friendly user interface, support for ARM-based chips, and a new Windows Store for apps. Now Microsoft has also unveiled that Windows 8 will come in four different versions: Windows 8 Windows 8 Pro Windows 8…
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BlueStacks is a utility that lets you run a number of Android apps on a Windows PC. You don’t need to reboot your PC or exit Windows at all — Windows apps and Android apps can run side-by-side. Out of the box, BlueStacks allows you to copy applications from your phone to your PC or you can download some apps…
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BlueStacks makes software that allows you to run Android applications on a Windows PC without rebooting your computer or switching operating systems. Last year the company launched a public alpha of its software, and today BlueStacks went beta. The latest version of BlueStacks adds support for apps it couldn’t previously run including Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds. BlueStacks also now…
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Microsoft has released a new security tool for Windows PCs called Windows Defender Offline Tool which you can use to scan you computer for malware before Windows even boots. Windows Defender Offline is currently in beta, and you can download the installer for free. You’ll then use that utility to set up a bootable CD, DVD, or USB flash drive so that…
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Ten years ago today Microsoft released Windows XP. And around the world, millions of people are still running the aging operating system on desktop, laptop, and tablet computers even though Microsoft stopped selling Windows XP directly to consumers a few years ago. You could probably make a case that Windows XP changed the way we think about operating systems. Or…
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Windows 7 has a relatively simple user interface, but have you ever wished it looked a little more like Android? Deviant Art’s hameddanger has put together an Android Skin Pack that gives Windows 7 a little bit of an Android-inspired makeover. The utility doesn’t let you run Android apps on a Windows computer, but it moves the taskbar to the…
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Last night Microsoft made the first developer preview version of Windows 8 available for download from dev.windows.com. As of this morning, CEO Steve Ballmer says the operating system has been downloaded more than 500,000 times. That certainly shows there’s a lot of interest in Microsoft’s new operating system. This is still an early version that’s been released for testing purposes…
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TechEd 2011 New Zealand is in full swing, and Microsoft looks to be playing a little bit of show-and-tell with the next generation of Windows and the devices that will run it. Among the devices shown was an unnamed quad-core Windows tablet. What else is known about the slate? Not much, other than that Microsoft’s Jeff Johnson stated that the…
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Microsoft has already showed that Windows 8 will offer a radically redesigned user interface meant for tablets and computers with touchscreen displays (although you’ll still be able to use the old-fashioned desktop, taskbar, and start menu view if you like). Now the company is starting to talk about some of the other features coming in Windows 8 on a new…
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Once upon a time a computer was a big ole thing that took up a whole room. These days we tend to think of computers as desktop, laptop, or even tablet devices that don’t take up a lot of space, but which don’t fit in your pocket. But smartphones today have far more computing power than so-called personal computers of…
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After that whole Vista mess, Microsoft learned a valuable lesson about hardware requirements and its operating systems. First, it’s a terrible idea to let your OEM partners ship systems that are barely capable of running the new OS you’re asking them to install on them. Second, if you can deliver a new OS that runs on hardware that could run…
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