| Microsoft announces $39.99 Windows 8 Pro upgrade offer for most Windows users Jul 2nd 2012, 19:07  Microsoft has already detailed the Windows 8 upgrade route for those buying a new PC, and it's now finally confirmed what everyone else will be paying when they upgrade their existing PC. Those running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 will able to download a Windows 8 Pro upgrade for just $39.99. That's a far cry from the company's earlier upgrade prices, which as recently as Windows 7 ran $50 and $99 for Home Premium and Pro upgrades, respectively. You will have to pay a bit more if you want packaged DVD version of the upgrade, though, with it running $69.99 at retail, and it sounds like both of those prices will be going up when the promotion ends on January 31st of next year. Not surprisingly, the upgrade process will vary depending on the OS you're currently using, with those making the jump all the way from Windows XP only able to bring their personal files with them. Microsoft announces $39.99 Windows 8 Pro upgrade offer for most Windows users originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  The Windows Blog | Email this | Comments | | Google's Patrick Brady tells us how the Nexus 7 went from 'start to finish in four months' Jul 2nd 2012, 19:00  At this past year's CES, we were inundated by tablet after tablet after, well, tablet. Some were big, some were small, and some were just right. A few, though, kind of faded into the wallpaper and didn't return. Such was a little prototype NVIDIA brought by for us to play with, a 7-inch tablet from ASUS with Tegra 3 power and an amazing price tag -- just $250. We got our hands on it briefly (as seen in the video below) and it was impressive, but it was never to be seen again. One month later, Google's Director of Android Partner Engineering Patrick Brady joined Matias Duarte in Taipei to meet with ASUS and to launch the project that would become Google's first Nexus tablet, the 7-inch, Tegra 3-powered Nexus 7 that is shipping soon for an even more amazing $199. Coincidence? Join us for a discussion with Patrick about how Google's mighty little tablet came to be. Continue reading Google's Patrick Brady tells us how the Nexus 7 went from 'start to finish in four months' Google's Patrick Brady tells us how the Nexus 7 went from 'start to finish in four months' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Kobo eReader Touch up for pre-order in Japan, hitting market with 'localized experience' July 19th Jul 2nd 2012, 18:32  Ever since Rakuten revealed its intentions to scoop up Kobo, the e-reader maker was clearly destined to hit the Japanese market. As noted a week or so back, the company's eReader Touch will be arriving the Land of the Rising Sun in July -- July 19th, to be exact. And, starting today, customers in that country can pre-order the reader for ¥7,980 (or $100 USD). Kobo's promised a "fully localized" experience on the reader, including local currency, content and a "robust" offering of Japanese books in time for launch. Continue reading Kobo eReader Touch up for pre-order in Japan, hitting market with 'localized experience' July 19th Kobo eReader Touch up for pre-order in Japan, hitting market with 'localized experience' July 19th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Kobo | Email this | Comments | | ComScore: iOS and Android market share continues to climb, RIM and Motorola continue to fall Jul 2nd 2012, 18:06  Ready for some hardcore smartphone market share numbers? ComScore's got 'em for the three-month period ending in May 2012, and you probably won't be terribly surprised by the outcome. First, let's tackle smartphone platforms: Apple and Google posted minor increase month-over-month at 0.5 and 0.1 percent, respectively (1.7 and 0.8 over a three-month span). Microsoft (consisting of Windows Phone and Windows Mobile) didn't budge between April and May, though it nudged up a tenth of a percentage point since February. RIM dropped 0.2 percent over one month, but it already experienced a much more painful sting -- 2.0 percent -- during the three-month period. Symbian also went through similar concerns, going down 0.2 percent month-over-month and 0.4 percent since February. As for specific manufacturers, Apple once again comes out on top, adding 1.5 percent to its customer base over the last three months for a total of 15 percent share. Samsung, still leading the pack in total market share at 25.7 percent, only grew by 0.1. Given the OEM's success in deploying the Galaxy S III to every major US carrier, we suspect that number will spurt up even higher over the next quarter. Among the companies losing share: LG, Motorola and HTC, losing 0.3, 0.8 and 0.2 percent, respectively. Continue reading ComScore: iOS and Android market share continues to climb, RIM and Motorola continue to fall ComScore: iOS and Android market share continues to climb, RIM and Motorola continue to fall originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | ComScore | Email this | Comments | |
