Operating systems

When should you buy a laptop? That's always a very difficult question--buy too soon after new technology hits, and you miss out on refinements and price drops. On the other hand, you certainly don't want to spend upwards of $1,000 on a device that feels outdated just months later. It's an even more difficult decision in the wake of Microsoft's look at Windows 8 in Barcelona, Spain.

For Mac users, the decision's generally simple: wait for the new version, and buy, buy, buy. MacBooks, like iPhones and iPads, only come in so many versions, and they rarely drop in price anywhere.

Windows PCs? Well, that's another story. … Read more

Microsoft today held a jam-packed session at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, detailing Windows 8 and its plans for the future.

Throughout Microsoft's nearly two-hour showcase, the company often used the term "fast and fluid." Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft's president of the Windows Division, as well as a few of his colleagues, slung around the term to show how seamlessly Windows 8 performed tasks, like opening applications and letting users interact with multiple apps at the same time.

The speed and fluidity of Windows 8's new design, along with the many differences consumers will find … Read more

Editor's note: We used ScribbleLive to cover Microsoft's presentation today at Mobile World Congress. You can see highlights in the story that follows, or skip down to the embedded ScribbleLive module to replay the event along with commentary from our readers and CNET reporters. You can also click here for a summary post of what was announced.

BARCELONA, Spain--Compromises are out when it comes to computers, Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky said here today as he unveiled the beta for the Windows 8 operating system.

Consumers have been faced with too many decisions, the president of Microsoft's Windows … Read more

Microsoft just went a long way toward getting Windows 8 Consumer Preview users to download boatloads of apps.

The company said today at its address at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, that all applications in its Windows Store will be available for free. There is just one catch, however: the deal will only be available in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Microsoft didn't say how many applications are currently available in its Windows Store, but did point out that more titles will be coming to the marketplace over time. Once the official retail version of Windows 8 launches, … Read more

Microsoft unveiled the Windows 8 beta today in Barcelona, Spain. If you're excited about interactive tiles for your apps, the Windows Store, or the future of Windows, Microsoft has made this "Consumer Preview" available for free--just as they did with Windows 7.

You can download it from Microsoft's own site or CNET's Download.com, and be sure to check out CNET's official First Take.

Microsoft pulled back much of the scaffolding and secrecy surrounding Windows 8 today at Mobile World Congress. I've been using the Windows 8 beta (download), officially known as the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, for the past week, and it's by far the most integrated and capable operating system Microsoft has ever put out. The question is, will enough people care?

There's a phenomenal amount of change here to discuss, but if you're looking for a quick summary: Windows 8 is a breeze to use. It's tricked out with social networking and synchronization, it's robust … Read more

It may seem odd that Microsoft executives are traveling all the way to Barcelona, Spain, to debut the beta version of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system at a mobile device show.

But Microsoft, which has launched tablets and mobile phones long before rivals only to see others dominate those businesses, is hoping that the next version of its desktop operating system will reverse years of stumbling.

"It's an acknowledgement that mobile is what Microsoft needs to address," said Rick Sherlund, an analyst with Nomura Securities.

Tomorrow, the software giant will debut the Windows 8 beta, something … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Telefonica today showed off B2G, the Mozilla browser-based operating system for mobile phones, saying it's good enough to sell to today's feature-phone customers later this year.

You may or may not agree. To help you judge, here's a video of Carlos Domingo, Telefonica Digital's director of product development and innovation, demonstrating a prototype phone at a press conference today at the Mobile World Congress show here. At the event, Telefonica announced its mobile OS pact with Mozilla.

Having watched the demo myself, the phone looked workable but awfully pokey. And touch input-- specially the keyboard--was … Read more

BARCELONA--Half of Telefonica's customers are in Latin America, where smartphones are scarcer than in wealthier parts of the world. But the mobile network operator hopes Mozilla's new browser-based operating system, B2G, will change that.

"What we're selling the most in these countries is feature phones, which is ridiculous, said Carlos Domingo, Telefonica Digital's director of product development and innovation, in an interview at the Mobile World Congress show here in Barcelona, Spain. "We think we can bring smartphones to the masses in developing countries with this approach."

How affordable, exactly? The B2G phone … Read more