Windows 8 has hit a new milestone. It's now the third most used operating system in the world, at least in the eyes of market tracker Net Applications.

For the month of June, Windows 8 scored 5.1 percent of all desktop OS Web traffic seen by Net Applications. That boost helped Microsoft's latest OS finally leapfrog over Windows Vista, which grabbed a 4.62 percent share last month.

The most recent figure showed a healthy gain for Windows 8 from its 4.27 percent share in May and continued growth since its official release in October. Over … Read more

Will new Windows 8.1 hybrids finally expose the iPad for what it really is, a mere tablet?

That's what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer suggested this week.

When speaking at the company's Build Conference on Wednesday, he described in colorful -- and maybe just a tad exaggerated -- terms how tablets don't measure up to laptops (or even pencil and paper).

Enter the "2-in-1," as Microsoft likes to call hybrids. During his keynote presentation, Ballmer brandished the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix as an example of a 2-in-1 he has used.

The Helix can be a pure … Read more

The Windows 8 Start screen is largely a love-it-or-hate affair. But even those who aren't too keen on the screen may welcome the new ways you can customize it in the Windows 8.1 Preview.

Right off the bat, Windows 8.1 offers a dedicated Customize button for the Start screen where you can tweak a variety of settings. Right-click anywhere on the Start screen to display the app bar and click on the Customize button. You can also right-click on any tile to open the Customize view.

The screen dims slightly. You can now drag and drop any … Read more

Those of you eager to check out the new Windows 8.1 Preview have a few choices as to how and where to install it. Let's cut right to the chase and review the different options.

Update Windows 8 If you're already running Windows 8, you can simply update it to Windows 8.1 via the Windows Store, as CNET's Jason Cipriani explained earlier this week.

One word of warning before you proceed, however. The Windows 8.1 preview is essentially a beta of the new OS and is by no means a finished or polished version. … Read more

While summer break has just started for students across the country, that means that the all-important back-to-school shopping season is not far behind. And with it comes a flood of new or updated systems -- everything from traditional laptops and desktops to tablets and hybrids.

But before swiping your credit card on a new ultrabook, all-in-one, or convertible, you're going to want to dive a little deeper into the spec sheets. That's because the latest Intel CPU upgrade -- code named Haswell, but officially known as "fourth-generation Core i series" -- is offering significant battery life … Read more

Steve Ballmer's not a man given to standing still on stage for long, but for a brief moment Wednesday morning, he struck a pose in front of some of the most devoted Microsoft developers with his left arm jackknifed, hand on hip.

It was a pugnacious posture, defiant yet also expressing confidence in Microsoft's public rebuilding of Windows. Microsoft's chief executive made the case at Build 2013 that while things may not always be smooth, the company was heading in the right direction.

Ballmer emphasized a new philosophy at Microsoft, offering up what he termed a "… Read more

The Windows 8 Start screen is a good starting point for Windows 8 devices with touch screens, but on PCs with standard screens, you might prefer to boot directly to the desktop. Previously, you could bypass the Windows 8 Start screen with Start8, but Windows 8.1 now lets you do it natively. Here's how:

Step 1: Right-click on the Windows 8.1 taskbar, then choose Properties.

Step 2: Click on the Navigation tab, then under the Start screen section, check the box next to "Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in."

The … Read more

The latest version of Microsoft's browser, Internet Explorer 11, comes complete with a host of touch features designed for Windows 8.1.

In a blog post announcing the launch of the preview version of IE11, Microsoft focused much of its time on the "touch optimized" feature set available. The browser includes a "stick to your finger" feature that allows users to pan, zoom, and swipe around a Web site. That swipe feaoture can also be used for folks to go back to a previous page or forward to a previously viewed page. In addition, the … Read more

If you've been screaming from the rooftops for Microsoft to return the Start button to Windows, you're going to be happy. On Wednesday, Microsoft unveiled Windows 8.1 at its Microsoft Build conference. The update brings a long list of new features, but most notably, the Start button returns!

Along with the announcement of Windows 8.1 and its new features, Microsoft also announced the release of a preview version for Windows 8.1. Anyone can download and install the preview, but keep in mind it's not final software and is likely to be full of bugs … Read more