Dell exec: I urged Microsoft not to call its tablet OS Windows RT

Should Microsoft have called it ARM tablet OS something other than Windows RT?

That was Dell's argument, according to comments made by a top executive at the PC vendor.

At the Dell World conference last week, Dell's vice chairman and president of its PC business, Jeffrey Clarke, told analysts what he thought of the name Windows RT, as reported by the Australian Financial Review.

Clark said he warned Ballmer not to use the Windows brand name in the new tablet OS since it would confuse consumers into thinking it supports traditional Windows applications. Designed to run on ARM-based … Read more

'Perplexing' Surface pricing can be explained, analyst says

The more things change, the more Microsoft would like them to stay the same.

That's the gist of Horace Dediu's assessment of the tech giant's "perplexing" pricing strategy for its new Surface tablet, as its old mainstay, the PC market, becomes the PC-plus-tablets market. It's the tablet portion of that equation, you see, that's driving the growth in that combined marketplace. (See Dediu's charts.)

For the several decades of the PC era, Asymco's Dediu points out, Microsoft has benefited from the "tax" payments that accrued to it by way … Read more

Why Microsoft redesigned Windows

Windows 8 has its fans and foes, but Microsoft felt the time was ripe for a new look and feel for a product used by more than 1.2 billion people.

Julie Larson-Green, the new head of Windows product development, recently spoke with MIT Technology Review about the reasons behind the major changes in the latest version of Windows.

Touting the new Windows 8 Start screen, Larson-Green said that in the past Windows users worked at a desktop with a monitor. In her view, people typically launched one window, put it away, and then launched another window. But in Windows … Read more

Google: No immediate plans for Google Apps on Windows 8

Windows 8 users hoping for native Gmail and Calendar apps could have a long wait in store. But a report that circulated around the Web today saying Google had definitively "ruled them out" is wrong.

In an interview with British tech publication V3, Google Apps product manager Clay Bavor did say his team's products wouldn't come to the platform anytime soon.

"We have no plans to build out Windows apps," he said. "We are very careful about where we invest and will go where the users are, but they are not on Windows … Read more

Microsoft Surface tablet arrives at Best Buy today

The Surface RT tablet makes its official debut at Best Buy today.

Microsoft's Surface will be available for sale at Best Buy's Web site today starting at 2 p.m. PT. The device will then make it way to Best Buy retail outlets and select Best Buy Mobile stores this Sunday, December 16.

Staples also has revealed that it will start carrying the tablet as soon as today.

The move is part of Microsoft's strategy to expand the reach of Surface beyond its own stores. Company officials said that the expansion was initially targeted for early 2013. … Read more

Microsoft gobbles up AV ground

Microsoft Security Essentials may not have done well in recent independent tests, but it's now the global leader in security suite market share for the first time since it debuted in 2009, says Opswat's latest study.

Opswat gauges usage by looking at the software installed on computers running their AppRemover program. The data came from more than 150,000 computers.

When asked about the differences between Opswat's numbers and research and analysis firm NPD, Opswat marketing manager Elisse Lockhart wrote in an e-mail, "Our data looks at all applications installed on machines and aggregates various versions … Read more

Nokia engineer: Here's how to hack Windows 8 games

A Nokia engineer has posted an explanation on how to hack Windows 8 games.

Justin Angel, who currently works on Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 implementation in Nokia Lumia devices, recently posted the step-by-step guide on his blog, where he explained that the "use of innate Windows 8 security attack vectors" can allow a person with admittedly advanced knowledge to "compromise Windows 8 games revenue stream."

The issue is potentially major (and worrisome) for developers who have delivered titles to Microsoft's Windows Store. As Angel points out, games account for "51 percent … Read more

Windows 8, RT to receive more critical patches next Tuesday

Windows 8 and RT are set to receive their second lineup of bug fixes when next week's Patch Tuesday rolls around.

The patches are also aimed at the other current versions of Windows, including XP, Vista, and Windows 7, as well as Server 2003 and 2008.

Five of the patches are rated critical, while two are deemed important. The critical ones are designed to shore up holes in the OS that could allow an attacker to infect a PC with malicious code.

Assuming Windows Update is set to automatic, critical patches are automatically installed, while those considered important can … Read more

Lenovo exec: We didn't realize how big touch would be

Nearly every day seems to bring another dismal report about Windows 8 and the PC market.

If the forecasts and comments are to believed (and they largely are), few consumers are buying computers, opting instead for the iPad or other tablets. And if people actually want to buy the more innovative computers out there, like the ones with touchscreens, they have a hard time finding them in stores.

But Gerry Smith, who sat down to talk with CNET today after recently being named Lenovo's president of the North America region, said those suppositions are only partially true.

The industry … Read more