After previous revelations about Windows Threshold, a release we might think of as .2, some more information has emerged about Microsoft plans for the future. And if you were worried that Windows 8.1 didn't go far enough in appeasing desktop users on traditional PCs, I think I have some good news for you. I first discussed Windows Threshold last week in Microsoft to Take Windows to the Threshold. According to Mary Jo Foley, Threshold is a wave of updates that will bring Windows 8.x, Windows...

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An image of the handset waspublished in November by @evleaks, showing a Lumia style device with no apparent capacitive buttons for navigation. We’re told that Normandy supports Android applications like Skype, and other popular top apps.Nokia has been developing the Android powered phone despite Microsoft’s plans to acquire the company’s handset business. It’s now unclear whether Nokia will release the handset before the Microsoft deal is finalized, or whether Microsoft...

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If you dont like the idea of people spying on you, you really shouldnt be using any console from this or the previous generation, mate. If you believe Kinect is the mega corporate demon spy machine, youre totally blind. Your iPhone, Android, PS3, Xbox 360, Facebook, Twitter, ISP, cellphone company – they all have clauses in their T&Cs that say they are able to monitor usage including video, audio and text. So wake up Plug your kinect in and use it – its brilliant. Stop being such...

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As Ive blogged previously, while Microsoft is moving toward a One Windows vision, that vision is more along the lines of one Windows core, but multiple SKUs, or versions, according to my contacts. SKU actually stands for stock keeping unit, for those wondering. This new strategy doesnt necessarily mean there will be a different SKU for every kind of Windows form factor out there. Instead, as Microsoft moves forward with its Threshold Windows wave, there might be just a few Windows SKUs built on...

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Microsoft is considering making Windows Phone and Windows RT available free of charge to device makers. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to that free future versions are under serious consideration by OS chief Terry Myerson. We understand the plans aren’t fully set in stone, but they’re part of broader changes Myerson is planning for the future of Windows. Microsoft is currently planning and developing future updates, including aThreshold update...

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So is Nokia really working on an Android based phone and would Microsoft really go ahead with such a device? The answer to the first one is definitely yes, and, surprisingly, the answer to the second question may be yes as well. As reported by the Verge and also confirmed to by sources at the Finnish phone maker, the Normandy project has survived despite Nokias plan to sell both its Windows Phone unit and the low end mobile phone business to Microsoft. As to whether Microsoft will let the...

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Windows SuperSite Paul Thurrott blogged earlier this week that his sources had indicated Microsoft might be planning to make two key user interface changes to a coming version of Windows. One of these is the ability to float Metro Style Windows Store apps on the desktop. The other was to bring back the Start Menu, alongside the recently re introduced Start Button. Ive seen a number of commentors wondering why Microsoft might reintroduce the Start Menu, since the Windows 8.x Start screen the...

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As you build new apps or improve existing apps, its important to understand as much as possible about the store where your apps will be offered. We frequently get questions about the best categories, the best markets, top languages, and so on.We started sharing information in the Explore Store Trends section of the Windows Store Dashboard, including some user demographics and catalog information. Very few developers used these reports, and we received feedback that the presentation was not...

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