Windows 8.1 first look: Finally, Windows the way you want it

	Microsoft teases 'Office Lite' for Windows' touch UI | Preston Gralla: Think 2013 has been bad for Microsoft? Just wait until 2015.
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	Windows 8.1 first look: Finally, Windows the way you want it With Windows 8.1 Microsoft finally recognizes that a big portion of the world actively dislikes the new "Modern" interface and Start screen, and lets people downplay it, bypass it, or make it work the way they like. It doesn't solve the basic problem of Windows 8 having dueling interfaces -- one for touch and tablets, and another for the desktop and mouse and keyboard -- but it gives desktop fans enough options to make the operating system much better to use. Read More WHITE PAPER: 8x8 Integrated Solutions with a Forward-Looking Partner Complexity is a reality of the fast-paced global economy, but it can lead to opportunity. Unified Communications provides powerful tools for companies to reduce complexity Read Now In this Issue Microsoft teases 'Office Lite' for Windows' touch UI Preston Gralla: Think 2013 has been bad for Microsoft? Just wait until 2015. Preston Gralla: Why touch is killing Windows 8 apps Microsoft restarts Windows push with 'refined blend' Windows 8.1 beta First look: Windows Server Blue beta shows compelling improvements INSIDER How to use Azure's new connectivity features Why Microsoft could let AppContainer take over Windows Preston Gralla: Windows 8.1 is a winner, but PC sales will plummet, says Gartner Ultimate ultrabook shootout Updated Microsoft Visual Studio tools focus on 'connected app' building Microsoft asks to disclose FISA requests to set the record straight WHITE PAPER: 8x8 6 Ways Your Small Business Can Save: Internet Phone Service Traditional phone systems present two main problems for businesses: limited features and high costs. As a result, small businesses are migrating to Internet phone systems that deliver advanced communication features over a broadband Internet connection. Read Now Microsoft teases 'Office Lite' for Windows' touch UI Microsoft today briefly previewed an Office application designed for the Windows "Modern," née "Metro," user interface, and said it would launch the touch-enabled suite next year. Read More Preston Gralla: Think 2013 has been bad for Microsoft? Just wait until 2015. With plummeting PC sales and Windows 8's struggles, 2013 is proving to be a year that Microsoft would like to forget. But there's evidence that it's nothing more than a preview of even worse things to come. By 2015  Windows will likely fall to the world's number three operating system. Read More Preston Gralla: Why touch is killing Windows 8 apps At his keynote speech at the BUILD conference today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hyped how important touch is to Windows and the future of computing. But because of Microsoft's reliance on touch, Microsoft and others have dumbed down Windows 8 apps so that many are barely useful. Read More Microsoft restarts Windows push with 'refined blend' Windows 8.1 beta Microsoft today shipped Windows 8.1, the free upgrade to Windows 8, with CEO Steve Ballmer calling it "a refined blend" of what many critics had called a jarring disconnect between its two radically different user interfaces. Read More First look: Windows Server Blue beta shows compelling improvements There's a lot to like in Windows Server 2012 R2, but the key question centers around how Microsoft will handle licensing, our reviewer says. That alone might be the gating factor for the eventual success of this OS release. Read More WEBCAST: 8x8 7 Reasons to Choose VoIP Thinking about a new phone system for your business? Be sure to watch this informative webcast. Steve Strauss, small business columnist for USA Today and author of the Small Business Bible, shares his useful and powerful expertise. Learn more. INSIDER How to use Azure's new connectivity features Here's what you need to know about the recent point-to-site and site-to-site VPN upgrades to Windows Azure. Read More Why Microsoft could let AppContainer take over Windows The UI that overlies AppContainer is pretty much the thing that makes Windows a desktop OS. What would it mean if the OS running on desktops weren't a desktop OS? Read More Preston Gralla: Windows 8.1 is a winner, but PC sales will plummet, says Gartner Microsoft is caught in the ultimate good news/bad news syndrome: Windows 8.1 will likely fix Windows 8's woes, but PC sales will still take a nose dive. So says two recent Gartner reports, and they may well be right. Read More Ultimate ultrabook shootout Our testing of eight Windows 8 ultrabooks reveals that users looking for a sleek form factor will have to accept tradeoffs Read More Updated Microsoft Visual Studio tools focus on 'connected app' building Microsoft kicked off its Build conference in San Francisco this week by releasing a preview of the next version of its Visual Studio IDE, as well as updates to other development tools. Read More Microsoft asks to disclose FISA requests to set the record straight Microsoft is seeking permission to disclose "aggregate statistics" about the number of requests for data it receives under the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, following a similar move by Google earlier this month. Read More
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