Microsoft updates Windows 8 Mail, Calendar, People apps

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Microsoft will release an update to its native Mail, Calendar and People apps for Windows 8 and Windows RT starting tonight with new features and, perhaps more importantly, “big improvements to performance.” That’s the word from the company this morning in a post outlining a series of enhancements to the built-in apps — including new… Read More…

Microsoft defends Windows RT, says strategy ‘just gets stronger over time’

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Following reports of lackluster sales of the Surface RT tablet and other Windows RT devices, Microsoft is speaking up in defense of the version of its operating system that was designed to go head-to-head against the iPad and other tablets. In an interview with CNet News, published overnight, Microsoft Windows executive Mike Angiulo said the… Read More…

Microsoft update boosts Surface RT wireless, typing and trackpad

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Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday update, issued today, delivers a series of fixes and updates for users of the company’s Surface RT tablet, including fixes to Wi-Fi reliability, improvements in the typing experience with the keyboard cover accessories, and trackpad improvements. The firmware upgrades, noted earlier by ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, are documented on this Microsoft Surface… Read More…

Surface Pro surfaces in stores — but sorry, there’s no Surface RT trade-in program

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It’s launch week for Surface with Windows 8 Pro — the new Microsoft tablet that uses an Intel Core i5 processor and, unlike the previous Surface with Windows RT, runs legacy Windows applications. Despite a report that Surface RT users would be able to trade in their existing tablets toward the price of a Surface… Read More…

IDC calls Microsoft Surface reception ‘muted, at best’ — fewer than 1M units shipped

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A new report from the IDC research firm says that Microsoft’s Surface tablet, with its initially limited distribution, wasn’t able to crack the top 5 in worldwide tablet shipments in its debut quarter — registering 900,000 units, or less than 2 percent of the tablet market. Another research firm, iSuppli, tells CNet News.com that actual… Read More…

Windows RT: Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, Asus to help Microsoft challenge iPad

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Dell, Lenovo, Samsung and Asus are among the PC makers that will release computers running Windows RT, the variation of Windows 8 that works with the ARM architecture common in mobile devices and tablets, Microsoft announced this morning. The first of the machines are expected to hit the market this fall. Today’s announcement filled in some… Read More…