windows

Looking for a laptop with battery life that lasts throughout the work day and all evening? Lenovo's new ThinkPad T440 uses dual batteries to achieve that feat. The 14-inch ThinkPad T440 comes in two versions -- the base T440 and the premium T440s. ... The former starts at just $899 and is available with Windows 7 or Windows 8. New ThinkPad Features Next-Gen Hardware Specifications The T440 weighs in at 1.76 kilograms, making it one of the lightest sub-$1,000 laptops on the market. For extra cash buyers can upgrade to a 1600 x 900 touchscreen display. The T440s, meanwhile, starts at just over $1, ... (view more)

Windows UAC Manager 2.0 Take control of the Windows User Account Control (UAC) feature on your Windows machine with Windows UAC Manager. This program automatically checks for the status of your UAC and then suggests a function (disable or enable). ... http://securityxploded.com Freemake Music Box 1.0.0.1 This free and versatile multimedia player is packed with useful features. It's a streaming music player, a lightweight audio player, and an organization and search tool all in one handy little package. Check out the intro video to learn more. http://www.freemake.com This freeware software program ... (view more)

Times are tough over at Microsoft. At least, it seems that way given consumer reaction to Windows 8 and the firm's new Surface tablet . Now, the firm's chief executive officer, Steve Ballmer, has announced plans to leave the company. But one very ... prominent economist thinks the Redmond, Washington-based firm is still in better shape than one of its main rivals: Apple. Apple Losing its "Quality Edge" In a recent New York Times piece, internationally renowned economist Paul Krugman suggested that Apple might have a more troubled future than Microsoft. His reasoning: conservative IT ... (view more)

Microsoft has released its first major update to the Windows 8 operating system, Windows 8.1 (or 'Windows Blue'), to manufacturers. That means the update is on track for its October 18, 2013 release. Microsoft's Windows SuperSite editor Paul ... Thurrott recently took to Twitter to announce that Windows 8.1 had been released to manufacturers (RTM). That means the update has reached Microsoft's quality standards and is ready to be installed on new PC systems. Microsoft had earlier stated that it would reach this milestone by the end of August, meaning the company is slightly ahead of schedule. ( ... (view more)

With the back-to-school shopping season upon us, Microsoft is dropping the price of its Surface Pro tablet computer. The $100 price drop is less substantial than the $150 the firm knocked off its Surface RT tablet, but it should arouse interest in a ... device that has received better reviews than its cheaper counterpart. The Surface Pro launched early this year and several months after the Surface RT. Unlike the Surface RT, which runs Windows RT, the Surface Pro runs a full-blown version of Windows 8. That means Surface Pro users -- unlike their Surface RT counterparts -- can download apps from ... (view more)

First, Microsoft threw in a portable keyboard that previously cost over $100. Now, the firm is trying to persuade consumers to buy the Surface RT tablet computer by cutting the price by $150. The Surface is Microsoft's first tablet computer based on ... the Windows 8 operating system (OS). There are two versions -- the Surface RT, which runs the slimmed-down Windows RT OS, and the Surface Pro, which runs a full-fledged version of Windows 8. Surface RT's Limitations a Problem for Consumers As you might expect, the Surface RT is much cheaper -- roughly $500 compared to the Surface Pro's $1,000 ... (view more)

On Thursday Microsoft unveiled its long-rumored restructuring plan , which will involve breaking Microsoft divisions into two major categories: devices and services. The restructuring plan also involves giving additional powers to a short list of ... talented managers. "Going forward, our strategy will focus on creating a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work and on the go, for the activities they value most," noted Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer in his announcement about the plan. The ... (view more)

The Windows chief Microsoft fired just a month after the launch of Windows 8 is getting a big stock payout from the Redmond, Washington-based firm. The only condition: he can't say bad things about his former company. Steven Sinofsky was President ... of Microsoft's Windows division from 2009 until late last year. Prior to that time he had contributed to the development of several other Microsoft products, including the Office software suite. Sinofsky was also partly responsible for Microsoft's Surface tablet computer, the SkyDrive cloud storage service, and Outlook.com. He originally joined the ... (view more)

Another Patch Tuesday, another 'critical' update for Internet Explorer. This month's Patch Tuesday provides fixes for a total of seven security issues, the most important of which involves Microsoft's popular web browser. Microsoft says its Patch ... Tuesday fixes affect most versions of the Windows operating system, the .NET Framework, Silverlight, the Office software suite, Visual Studio, and Internet Explorer (IE). Each of these security bulletins is marked 'critical,' which is Microsoft's highest security rating. A seventh bulletin has been marked 'important' and is associated with Microsoft' ... (view more)

Microsoft officially unveiled its first major update to Windows 8, Windows 8.1, at the recent Build 2013 developer conference in San Francisco, California. Leading the presentation was company chief executive officer Steve Ballmer , who also ... discussed Internet Explorer 11 and new Windows 8.1-based hardware. Although there was much for Ballmer to talk about, the focus was clearly Windows 8.1 , otherwise known as 'Windows Blue.' The first big update to the Windows 8 platform will bring back the Start button and also offers users the option of booting directly to the desktop. Microsoft Sets Out ... (view more)