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Microsoft expanding Surface Pro availability to 19 more countries

After a couple of months of silence, Microsoft officials are sharing more about expansion plans for the company's Surface devices.

Surface Pro will launch before the end of May in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It will launch in Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, and Thailand before the end of June, according to an April 23 post on the Surface Blog.

Surface Pro distribution issues have plagued Microsoft since the company initially launched the devices in early February 2013.

In … Read more

How to lock the Windows 7 Start menu (if you really must)

Three things I don't get:

Face tattoos The popularity of books, movies, and TV shows about vampires and zombies Windows users' devotion to the Start menu

The one thing all three of these mysteries have in common is that they will eventually run their course and fade away -- well, maybe not the face tattoos, at least not without a series of laser treatments.

Since the introduction of Windows 8 late last year PC users have been clamoring for the return of the Start menu. There's more to the widespread disdain for Win8's Start screen than just … Read more

Windows 8 meets 8-inch tablet? Possible Acer Iconia W3 leaks

At the Microsoft Store, 10-inch tablets rule. But that may be about to change.

Earlier today, a French-language site posted lots of images (now removed due to an Acer request, the site says) of what it claims is a future Acer Iconia W3 8-inch tablet.

If accurate, that would be a Windows 8 first for a global top-tier vendor and would put Microsoft and its hardware partners in the tablet screen-size sweet spot.

This product, as reported, does not use the limited RT version of Windows 8. So, this would give you full-blown Windows compatibility on a device that can … Read more

What does Microsoft's Windows 8.1 plan mean for developers?

Since I blogged last week about Microsoft mulling the return of the Start Button and a boot-directly-to-desktop option in Windows Blue, I've heard from a number of developers wondering what the latest Windows plan means for them.

One of Microsoft's goals with Windows 8, sources have said all along, was to try to convince the developer community that it is/was still worth writing "killer apps" for Windows. But if Blue, aka Windows 8.1, allows users to opt to boot straight to the Desktop and avoid the Metro Start Screen as much as possible, doesn'… Read more

Windows 8.1 Start button may not offer actual Start menu

Windows 8 users hoping for a return of the traditional Start button and Start menu in Windows 8.1 may be disappointed.

Rumors have floated recently that Microsoft may revive the familiar Start button in the Windows 8.1 update scheduled for release later this year. A new report today from The Verge claims that "sources familiar with Microsoft's plans" have confirmed the return of the Start button.

But -- and there always seems to be a "but" -- the new Start button apparently will not trigger a traditional Start menu but instead simply bounce … Read more

Windows 8.1 may make it easier to customize the Start screen

Windows 8.1 will add new features to help you customize the Start screen -- at least it allegedly will, based on tidbits from the latest build.

The Windows 8.1 Pro Preview build 9374 recently leaked dims the entire Start screen when you click or tap on the Customize button, according to WinBeta. Selecting a specific app tile then turns its light back on, allowing you to modify that specific tile. The goal is to focus the attention just on the tile or tiles that you're tweaking.

Based on the new build, Windows 8.1 also will offer … Read more

Cloudmarks for Mac 1.8.9 Review

Those users who keep bookmarks in several accounts need a way to access them without going to those respective Web sites. Cloudmarks for Mac functions adequately to help those users, but offers few additional options for others.

The program is available as a free Safari plugin with no payments required. Download and setup completed as expected from an outside Web site. Cloudmarks for Mac has no interface of its own, but instead installs a small icon on the main Safari bar, which is easy to identify. Clicking on the icon opens up a separate menu, allowing selection from a number … Read more

Windows 8 'touch-ups,' please

I like the Surface Pro. It drips with potential. That's the good news.

The bad news is that Windows 8 touch doesn't do the Surface Pro justice.

Try this. Use an iPad for an hour; then jump to Windows 8 touch. It's a not an easy switch.

Windows 8, at times, strikes me as Windows 7 touch with a Metro splash-screen bolted on. (Yes, there were Windows 7 touch laptops -- I've used them).

Here's the short version of what I'll write below: Aside from the browser and some interesting touch-based transitions done from … Read more

Nokia's wireless chargers perk up local coffee shops

Last September, Nokia kicked off the launch of its Nokia Lumia 920 with promises of exposing more people to wireless charging -- an available, but underused capability -- by bringing it to spots where people go.

Specifically, Nokia said it would sponsor wireless charging stations using the Qi protocol at Virgin America airport lounges and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf stores.

Earlier this week, I finally saw Nokia's power-promotion installed at my favorite Coffee Bean location on San Francisco's busy Market Street. What a sorry sight it was.

Market Street is a bustling downtown location, so I'm … Read more