iTunes refresh delayed till 'end of November'

We were all a little shocked when Apple failed to deliver a redesigned iTunes at its last keynote. The company promised a major revamp of the service would land in October yet, here we are with one day left in the month, and no iTunes overhaul in sight. Today Tom Neumayr, a spokesperson for the Cupertino firm, confirmed to AllThingsD that the software release had indeed been pushed back by a month. Only a few short days ago CFO Peter Oppenheimer was touting the refresh during the company's earnings call saying, "We look forward to looking to launching a redesigned iTunes. The new iTunes has a dramatically simpler and cleaner interface." But he made no mention of a delay. Neumayr says the goal now is to release the update before the end of November stating that development is "taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right." While the issue primarily cited in Neumayr's statement is "seamless integration with iCloud" we wouldn't be shocked if it's rumored internet radio service also is playing a role in the delay. Read the complete statement below.

"The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November."

[Source: Engadget]

Windows Phone 8 handset UK availability and pricing detailed: free starting from £21 per month

We've heard how Windows Phone 8 is all about you, and seen all the devices bearing the new OS at launch. What's left, however, is where you can get one on the other side of the pond and, more importantly, how much it's going to cost you. Nokia has separately announced that both the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 will be launching in the UK (and France) later this week. More specifically, though, it looks like every UK carrier will be getting at least three handsets, with the almost-ready-to-launch EE getting both of HTC and Nokia's handset pairs. We've got all the (current) pricing details and availability dates after the break.

[Source: Engadget - Click here to read the full story]

Microsoft adds WP8 app to Windows Store just in time for launch

If you're aiming to get your hands on one of the many Windows Phone 8 devices launching later today, it would be nice to be able to sync it with your Windows 8 PC, no? Redmond has you covered in the nick of time, as it's just released the free Windows Phone app to its Windows Store. That'll let you get music, photos, or video over to your computer and back, use Windows 8 apps to share things like searches, automatically save photos or videos taken with your phone to your PC and check your phone's storage to see how it's being used. It'll also let allow you to download phone apps and learn more about your device, while pulling off a trick we've saw first with Apple, then WP7 -- letting you track down your smartphone if it goes missing. You can grab it at the source, then all you'll need is a WP8 (or 7.8) handset -- so stay tuned for our liveblog at 10:00 am PST / 1:00 pm EST to see when that might happen.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft offering free Media Center upgrade to Windows 8 Pro users until January 31st 2013

Home theater PC enthusiasts weren't too thrilled when Microsoft announced that it was stripping Media Center and its codecs for DVD playback and broadcast TV from Windows 8 in favor of a paid add-on. The folks from Redmond are offering a temporary reprieve, in an effort to reward early adopters. Windows 8 Media Center Pack is for free to customers who purchase Windows 8 Pro... at least until January 31st 2013. This promo requires that you enter your product key at the company's website in order to receive your free upgrade. Sadly, when the discount period for Pro upgrades ends, so too does the ability to score Media Center for free. Microsoft never revealed the price for its Media Center Pack, only referring to it as "economical." While we appreciate affordable software, there's nothing more cost effective than a freebie.

[Source: Engadget]

Windows 8 is in stores today -- are you buying a copy?

That special moment has come which usually rolls around only once every three years: Microsoft has released a new version of Windows. For the version 8 update, though, the stakes are higher than ever. Redmond isn't just trying to convince legions of existing Windows users that they should break their PC update cycles. It's trying to reclaim a foothold in a tablet space that's now dominated by Apple and Google -- and it's dipping into self-designed computers for the first time with a Surface tablet that theoretically represents Microsoft's perfect vision. But how well is Windows 8 resonating with you? Did you download a copy as soon as the servers were warmed up, or do you see it as a calamity that restricts a perfectly good platform?

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft turns Surface tablet into a skateboard, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky takes it for a spin

Gorilla Glass 2 and a chassis forged from magnesium lend Microsoft's Surface slates some durability, but the firm's decided to prove just how tough its tablets are by turning one into a skateboard. The wheeled slice of Windows 8 is said to have been rolled out during a tour of Redmond's Surface skunkworks, but Windows chief Steven Sinofksy couldn't resist hopping on the board today and tweeting a pair of photos. You can pre-order your deck now, though something tells us this mod isn't covered under Ballmer and Co.'s warranty.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple announces redesigned iTunes for Mac, Windows and iOS devices

It's gone through quite a few minor revisions as of late, but Apple has today taken the wraps off a fairly big redesign of not just iTunes for OS X and Windows, but iOS devices as well. The latter will be making its debut with iOS 6 on the 19th, and you can expect a simpler interface in all incarnations -- "dramatically simpler," according to Apple's Eddie Cue -- with a carousel up top paired with a flattened grid of icons below. The desktop version also sports a new mini player, which now boasts search functionality while staying decidedly minimalistic, and a new "Up Next" feature lets you cue up songs and see what's coming at a glance. Those UI changes naturally extend to the store component as well, and Apple is also promising improved performance throughout. No firm release date for the desktop version just yet, but Apple says we can expect it sometime in "late October."

[Source: Engadget]

Windows 8 RTM will include 'do not track' by default for Internet Explorer 10

Many advertisers weren't thrilled when Microsoft proclaimed that 'do not track' would be the default forInternet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, but that reaction hasn't made the folks in Redmond flinch. Brendon Lynch, the company's Chief Privacy Officer, announced that the 'do not track' default is already baked into the code of the October-bound operating system that has been released to manufacturers. Upon booting Windows 8 for the first time, users will be greeted with a choice between "Express Settings" or "Customize," the former of which has "do not track" enabled. IE 10 on Windows 7 will receive a similar treatment, with a "prominent notice" about the setting being switched on appearing alongside a link to additional information. Despite Microsoft's efforts, it's possible that advertisers could ignore the web browser setting if they feel their negotiations have been for naught. Considering the response to Microsoft's initial default announcement, we suspect this won't be the last development in the saga.

[Source: Engadget]

Windows 8-optimized versions of Windows Photo Gallery and Movie Maker released

Microsoft is releasing its Windows Essentials 2012 package this week, an update to its existing Windows Live Essentials applications. The company is dropping its Windows Live branding this time around, a decision that is echoed across its upcoming Windows 8 operating system. Although Essentials 2012 includes Mail, Messenger, SkyDrive, and Writer, Microsoft is making the most changes in its Photo Gallery and Movie Maker apps.

Movie Maker has been designed to work with the new hardware accelerated graphics changes in Windows 8, improving the performance of the app. The updated app also includes a new video stabilization feature that includes wobble correction for shaky videos. Microsoft has also worked with AudioMicro, Free Music Archive, and the Vimeo Music Store to make it easy to find music online with the proper rights to include in Move Maker videos. A new waveform visualization in the app also makes it easier to trim and cut sections of video to match a music track. Other enhancements in Movie Maker include some new text effects and outputting to h.264 video by default.

Photo Gallery is the second app that contains noticeable changes. An auto collage feature now lets you create a collage of photos automatically, merging images in a collection of photos. Vimeo is also supported as a publish partner this time around, allowing users to upload videos from Photo Gallery and Movie Maker straight to the video sharing site.

[Source: The Verge]

Windows 8 may not let you boot to the desktop, demands you accept not-Metro

If you were hoping that you could force Windows 8 to bypass the don't-call-it-Metro homescreen and boot straight to the familiar desktop you've come to know and love, we've got bad news. Word on the street is, Microsoft has removed this ability from the latest builds of the OS -- so you're gonna have to stare at a pile of tiles when you boot up, whether you like it or not. According to Rafael Rivera, one of the authors of Windows 8 Secrets, there is a work around that involves creating a shortcut to the desktop and scheduling it to run at boot. But, it appears that even enterprise customers will be blocked from making the standard desktop the default environment. While Redmond is no doubt implementing such a policy to enforce consistency, it could prove to be a source of frustration for big businesses, which are notoriously resistant to change. We'll just have to wait for the final release to find out for sure.

[Source: Engadget]

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 Winners

Back on the 20th July we posted a video review of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X6 (see video below). This superb collection of applications really does deliver a well rounded package to give the creative designer some very powerful & intuitive tools. Please do check out the video & the Corel website.

In the video, we also gave viewers the chance to win one of three CorelDRAW packages. With so many entries, I would like to personally thank everyone who took part.
The winners are detailed below, congratulations go out to;
@TekCrazy7
@5bobert2
@geogant

Microsoft details on Windows 8 Touch Mouse gesture support

Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it's planning to support additional functionality in Windows 8 for its existing Touch Mouse, but the company is detailing the exact gestures this week. The new support, that will arrive once Windows 8 is available, will include a one finger swipe to scroll up and down in documents, a two finger movement to manage apps and display the Windows 8 charms, a three finger movement to zoom in and out, and a thumb gesture to navigate forwards and backwards through apps.  Microsoft says the updated gestures will "help make navigating through Windows 8 a breeze." The company isn't detailing exactly when this support will be made available in driver form, but it appears updated drivers will be available once Windows 8 is released this fall.

[Source: The Verge]