windows rt

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet is the most popular single Windows 8/RT device, according to ad-based statistics.

"Surface is already the most popular single device running Windows 8/RT with 11 percent of the overall 'market,'" according to AdDuplex, a Windows ad-serving business.

While hard numbers for Microsoft's tablet are still a mystery, analysts have indicated that sales at Microsoft stores were relatively strong, at least initially.

And online, the $499 model was sold out for about a week.

Earlier this week, however, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer seemed to temper sales expectations when he said that … Read more

Microsoft's digital book pact with Barnes & Noble is already bearing fruit.

A little more than a month after the two companies officially formed a partnership geared toward digital reading, Nook apps for Windows 8 and Windows RT have arrived at the Windows Store. B&N CEO William promised last month that a Windows 8 app was "imminent," but it was not available at the time of the new operating system's launch last month.

As part of the two companies' pact, Microsoft agreed to invest $300 million for a 17.6 percent stake in a … Read more

Windows RT users now have a Google search app to call their own.

Yesterday the search giant unveiled a Google Search app optimized for Windows RT tablets. The company had already launched a search app for Windows on October 23, but that version lacked support for Windows RT devices.

Available in the Windows Store, the RT edition of Google Search mimics its Windows 8 counterpart. And since it's exclusive to RT tablets, the emphasis is on touch-screen gestures.

You can search by tapping and typing in the search field or by using your voice. You can run an image … Read more

Windows 8 and Windows RT will receive their first security fixes when next week's Patch Tuesday rolls around from Microsoft.

The patches are designed to prevent "remote code execution," which means they'll plug holes in the OS that could let someone remotely run malicious code on a PC.

Beyond securing Windows 8, the fixes cover just about every other version of Windows, including XP, Vista, and Windows 7 as well as Server 2003, 2008, and 2012.

The rollout includes six security patches, four of which are considered critical, one important, and one moderate. Most of the … Read more

Among the top free apps listed in Microsoft's new Windows Store right now are IHeartRadio, Newegg, Kindle, and... Remote Desktop.

Remote Desktop may not be sexy, but it does allow Windows 8 and Windows RT users to connect to a remote Windows PC and access resources from it. And on the Windows RT front, given its restrictions on use of almost any existing Win32 applications (other than Office 2013 Home & Student, Internet Explorer 10, and some other Microsoft-developed utilities), Remote Desktop sounds -- at least in theory -- like a great way for users to continue to use … Read more

The Microsoft Surface is more computer than tablet. If you favor keyboards, that's a good thing. But the Surface has a lot to offer touch screen fans as well.

Like a tablet, you tap and slide your fingers on the Surface touch screen to open apps and access settings. Like a PC, you can enter keystroke shortcuts on the Surface Touch Cover and Type Cover keyboards to reach those same programs and system options.

Get the best of both the tablet and computer worlds by using these handy screen gestures and keystroke combinations for the Surface. (Note that the … Read more

Windows has a bad rep for gobbling up storage space on PCs. Ditto Surface.

The $499 32GB Surface tablet actually leaves you with only 16GB free storage space for things like music, photos, and videos, according to Microsoft documentation.

So, what's devouring all of that flash storage space? On a 32GB Surface, Windows reports 29GB available. Subtract 5GB for Windows recovery tools, then another 8GB for Windows RT, Microsoft Office, and built-in apps. That leaves 16GB for the user.

On the 64GB model, you're left with 46GB.

Microsoft does offer advice on the same FAQ page about how … Read more

Acer is pretty peeved with Microsoft's hardware push and continues to let the software giant know it.

The latest comments from the Taiwanese computer maker again criticize Microsoft's recent push to compete with its hardware partners.

According to a rough translation from Google, Linxian Lang, Acer's manager of Greater China operations, compared making hardware to food. He described the process to "hard rice" that's "not so easy to eat."

Of course, the translation is riddled with errors, but the general sentiment is clear: Acer thinks Microsoft should stick to what it does … Read more

Windows 8 is all about touch. And that means a lot more touch laptops and hybrid devices are popping up at PC stores in the U.S.

Microsoft's brick-and-mortar and online stores are among the most aggressive at stocking up on touch-capable Windows 8 portables. Its online store now shows eight traditional (non-hybrid) clamshell laptops with touch screens. Those include the $499 Asus VivoBook X202E, the $899 Sony Vaio T13, and the high-end $1,349 HP Spectre XT TouchSmart.

Throw hybrids, or so-called "convertibles," into the mix and the number jumps to 16. Convertibles -- which include … Read more