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Music discovery app Shazam launches for Windows Phone 8

Windows Phone 8 users can now add more music to their lives, courtesy of Shazam.

Officially unveiled Thursday in the Windows Phone store, the Shazam app works its musical magic by identifying the song currently being played in proximity to your phone. You can then buy the song through Microsoft's Xbox Music service or through Nokia Music if you're using a Nokia Lumia phone.

Shazam adds a social aspect as well. You can share and comment on your musical discoveries with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. You can also tag any song so that other people can … Read more

For Windows 8.1, a half-step toward a Start button

When Microsoft rolls out Windows 8.1, the update to its struggling, 7-month-old operating system franchise, the company will not be bringing back the Start button as many users have been requesting.

But the company has acquiesced some. The company announced this morning that it will introduce something that a person close to Windows engineering is calling a "Start tip" that users can click on to go back to the Start screen in Windows 8.1. The "tip" is a Windows logo that that sits on the left hand side of the toolbar when Windows 8 … Read more

Download the official Windows 8 user guide

If you're new to Windows 8, there's finally a user guide available from Microsoft to help you learn the basics. The PDF document is named the Windows 8 End User Training Brochure. The 36-page user guide goes over basic Windows 8 topics like the Start Screen, touch-screen gestures, and navigating apps. It also touches on more advanced topics as well, like BitLocker, File History, and Windows To Go. Perhaps the most useful sections of the document, however, are the touch, mouse, and keyboard shortcut lists.

The document is short enough that you could print it for quick reference. … Read more

Review: Windows Migration Assistant for Mac allows for easy file migration

Apple's Windows Migration Assistant for Mac lets users transfer network files from a PC to their Mac and offers all the ease of use and effectiveness you'd expect from a Mac tool.

Apple Windows Migration Assistant for Mac downloads as an EXE file and you'll need to install it on the PC you want to grab files from. Even though the app is around 5MB in size, the download took longer than expected. The installation was smooth, though, as there was a native installer present. For the transfer to work, both Mac and PC need to be … Read more

Putting the start in the new Windows Blue Start button

I know there are still doubters out there, but from everything I've heard, the rumored Start Button is going to be part of Windows Blue, aka Windows 8.1.

I've heard from one of my good sources that the Start Button, as well as a new boot-straight-to-desktop option are included in the most recent internal "Milestone Preview" builds of Windows 8.1.

What we haven't heard many leaks about is how this new Start Button will work. While sources have emphasized that the Start Button won't work the way the current Windows Start Button … Read more

Microsoft's 256GB Surface Pro tablet to land in Japan on June 7

A 256GB version of Microsoft's Surface Pro will be available to Japanese consumers, starting June 7.

Microsoft's Japanese Surface Web site already lists the tablet with the 256GB version selling for 119,800 yen ($1,171) and the 128GB version going for 99,800 yen ($975). The 256GB edition will make its debut in Japan, while the 64GB model apparently won't be sold in the country at all.

Both versions come with Windows 8 Pro and Office Home and Business 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook). The Surface Pro tablet will also treat Japanese buyers to … Read more

Galaxy S4 Mini could arrive soon

CNET Update is watching the skies:

In this episode of Update:

- Mark your calendars for June 20, when Samsung may show a mini version of the Galaxy S4.

- Kill the Buzz once and for all with help from Google.

- Prepare for a new YouTube app on Windows Phone 8.

- Discover more storage with the Verizon Cloud app.

- Bite your nails over who will win the battle for Hulu.

- Be ready for hurricane season with the NOAA Hi-Def Radar app.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey … Read more

Top 5 Windows 8 tablets

If you've been waiting to buy a Windows 8 tablet until the options and prices reached a competitive level, then wait not longer. Windows 8 tablets and hybrid laptops have finally hit a sweet spot, and there are models now that cover everyone from the casual Web jockey to the full-on PC gamer.

So check out the above video and head over to CNET's list of Windows tablets and hybrids for more information.

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Google to build YouTube app for Windows Phone 8

Microsoft and Google seem to have found common ground in their recent skirmish over YouTube on Windows Phone 8.

The pair announced Friday that they are going to build together a version of a native YouTube application for Windows Phone 8 that will meet Google's terms of service. The new app will be available in the Windows Phone Store in the "coming weeks," according to a Google spokesperson.

A quick play-by-play recap for those new to the latest Google-Microsoft feud: On May 8, Microsoft fielded a YouTube application that it built itself for Windows Phone 8. The … Read more

Cause of PC malaise? Designs not 'compelling,' says Intel

PC designs have been lackluster, offering no good reason to upgrade, according to an Intel executive speaking at the company's Spring Analyst Summit in London.

Navin Shenoy, vice president and general manager of the Mobile Client Platform division, was responding to a question from an analyst when he said the following on Thursday:

We think the usage patterns aren't the driver for elongation [of the PC upgrade cycle]. It's more that we haven't had products in the marketplace that were compelling in any way to the existing product, either from a form factor point of view, … Read more