In a move that more than likely should’ve caused a black hole or a rift in time, finally got the (yesterday) released Microsoft Windows 8 Developer’s Build to work on Apple OS X 10.7 via VMWare Fusion. The kicker was that VMWare Fusion 3.1.3 wouldn’t work; luckily enough, VMWare Fusion saw fit to releasing their $49.99 update to VMWare Fusion 4.0.1 today, one day after Windows 8 was made available for download and guess what?

It works!

Even though Microsoft stated that Windows 8 will work on an Intel Atom with only 1gb of RAM, I truly suggest giving it way more RAM than that. And the final install of everything is a shade under 7.5gb in total, with the Windows folder being around 4.93gb of space used. Off the bat, Internet Explorer 10 is included in the install. The new Start Menu is what looks like the Windows Phone 7 interface of oddly shaped squares that are somewhat interlocked together. But the regular, “looks like Windows 7″ desktop is still in there.

I’ll definitely have to give this a more in-depth look in a bit. But so far, this is only adding to my anticipation for Microsoft Windows 8.

[ Links: MSDN Windows 8 Developer Edition Downloads, VMWare Fusion 4.0 ]

Just got an update for your Zune software, didn’t see much of what it did? Neither did I until I started snooping around and found the above “Do More On The Web” option on the device portion of the options. It doesn’t do much more than state “This Feature Works Only With Windows Phone 7″ at the moment… and I’ve not one clue what else has been added.

[ Links: Microsoft, Zune, Windows Phone 7 ]

Microsoft has confirmed that as with previous Windows phones, Windows 7 phones will come with tethering enabled right out of the box. Brandon Watson, Microsoft’s Director for Windows Phone 7, confirmed the feature on the Windows Weekly Podcast, but noted that it will be up to the carrier whether the function is enabled or not. Since Windows 7 phones will only arrive for GSM carriers this year, that means AT&T and T-Mobile. AT&T of course cripples such functionality in Android phones to force you to pay AT&T an extra toll whereas T-Mobile does not.

The question then is: how hard will Windows Phone 7 make getting around these restrictions?

Update: Tethering may not come ready out of the box. More on this in a bit.

Link to the original article…

Microsoft unveiled their new Internet Explorer today, in beta form and it’s a definite leap above their prior 3 iterations of their browser easily. With HTML5 support, built-in integration with Windows 7 and 32-bit and 64-bit versions for Microsoft Vista and Windows 7 as well as support for hardware acceleration and a real clean interface, Internet Explorer 9 is nothing like the versions before it – it actually works well and lacks that sluggishness in the UI.

The improvements to Internet Explorer are as much about what you don’t see as what you do see. Internet Explorer 9 has a streamlined design, fewer dialog boxes to click through, more intuitive navigation, and many new features that speed up your web browsing experience. Features like Pinned Sites let you pin your favorite website directly to the taskbar for one-click access. Other features, like hardware acceleration, deliver an all-around faster browsing experience. With Internet Explorer 9, websites perform and feel more like the programs you use every day on your PC.

The bad part? If you’re still running Microsoft Windows XP, don’t even attempt it. And to be honest, the integration in Windows 7 is a tad bit more in-depth and seamless than with Windows Vista – but the experience is close enough between the two operating systems that I think it’s merely reflective on my like of Windows 7 and my intense dislike for Vista.

Seriously though? I’m impressed. It’s fast – I mean like Opera 10.6 fast – and the UI is not in the way at all. Combined with Adobe’s release today of their 64-bit Native Flash 10.1 Player nicknamed “Square” (download here), it seems like Internet Explorer might become an option once again for developers and people who have long abandoned Internet Explorer since the very early Mozilla/Opera days… like me.

Bravo Microsoft. You’ve all but shut up my typical hatred for all things Internet Explorer. Besides speed and support for new technologies though, let’s hope you’ve worked on the security of this browser just as well. That’s the other reason I disliked Internet Explorer.

[ Links: Beauty of the Web, Download IE9 Beta ]

Ooh, looky, looky. Microsoft has a teamed up with SRS to bring SRS 5.1 Surround Sound to their Silverlight platform. What does that mean in layman terms?

SRS views this as a significant step forward in its quest to make top-quality surround sound available anywhere and to anyone. It is also a significant development for the industry as, the largest player in the streaming media segment, Netflix, utilizes Microsoft Silverlight for all the content streamed and downloaded to end-user CE devices for consumption.

Via the new toolkit, it means that enhanced Netflix, web media and video content for not only your computer but also all Silverlight enabled handheld devices.

[ Links: SRS Silverlight ]

Out with Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, a 30 year Nokia vet and in with Steven Elop, former president of Microsoft’s Business Division. Due to leave September 20th for his new digs as the Nokia CEO, no replacement has been announced at Microsoft to replace Steven Elop quite yet. Steve Ballmer has released a letter (see below) that announces Elop’s resignation and how Microsoft will continue forward.

CNET – In a late night press release, Nokia said it has hired Elop to replace Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, who will leave his position on Sept. 20. Kallasvuo, a 30 year Nokia veteran, will also leave the company’s board but remains non-executive chairman of Nokia Siemens Networks.

“The time is right to accelerate the company’s renewal; to bring in new executive leadership with different skills and strengths in order to drive company success,” Nokia Chairman Jorma Ollila said in a statement.

I wonder how this will effect the upcoming Nokia N8, Nokia N9 and MeeGo plans.

[ Links: CNET, Ballmer's Letter to Microsoft Employees ]

Bamboo, Microsoft Windows Phone 7 and a seriously sweet design that makes the Apple iPhone look like a dinosaur… do want.

Following the success of original S-series Bamboo Phone I, Enever Design has developed a modern sophisticated version that uses bamboo casing to imbibe organic aesthetic that compliments the subtle detailing of an ordinary design. The S7 has been outlined with special emphasis on two things. Firstly, the unique camera oriented shape shape which also happens to be the best part of the phone to facilitate handy clicks and secondly, the ability to meet the demands of the soon to be launched Window Phone 7 mobile operating system.

Sporting microSD, micro SIM and micro HDMI, this little mobile monster comes with a 8 megapixel with Xenon flash and is due to come out later this year. Price is not known yet though.

[ Links: Enever Design S7 Windows 7 Phone via The Design Blog ]

If you have a WebOS, Apple iPhone, BlackBerry or Google Android OS based smartphone; it’s a safe bet that you’re always on the lookout for the best application that will extend your smartphone ability. And for all of the aforementioned operating systems for the various smartphones out there, there are some good apps and some are utter crap.

Whether you’re toting an iPhone, Droid, BlackBerry, or Palm Pre, it’s the apps that make your smartphone brilliant. And the app scene is booming. The iPhone still leads the app race, with more than 225,000 apps, but developers are churning out apps for other platforms as well. Google’s Android Market now has over 60,000 apps. Palm’s App Catalog for the Pre and Pixi has risen from hundreds to more than 2,000 apps during the past several months alone. And there are thousands of apps for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian phones.

PCMag.com has compiled a great list of 100 free apps for your smartphone broken down into: The Top 40 Free iPhone Apps; The Top 30 Free Google Android Apps; The Top 10 Free BlackBerry Apps; The Top 10 Free Palm webOS Apps; The Top 5 Free Symbian Apps; and The Top 5 Free Windows Phone Apps. What, no mention of Maemo!? Check it out now.

[ Links: PC Mag 100 Best Free Apps ]

Seems like loose lips have outed Microsoft’s pending E3 announcement of Project Natal finally getting a true name. That name? Kinect.

Ars spotted the story before USA Today yanked it, and managed to grab a few choice Kinect game details. Like Kinectimals (some sort of virtual big-cat training sim), Kinect Sports (Microsoft’s multi-activity answer to Wii Sports), Joyride (a kart-style racing game), Kinect Adventures (a river-raft sim), and Dance Central (presumably just what it sounds like). LucasArts and Disney are also planning Kinect titles, presumably to be announced during tomorrow press show.

Arstechnica grabbed the story while it was still up on USA Today’s site, now removed didn’t list the price point for Kinect though.

Read more over at Arstechnica.

[ Link: Microsoft XBOX 360, PC World, Arstechnica ]

MSI will unveil its next-generation tablet PC Wind Pad aimed at the Apple iPad at Computex Taipei 2010 to be held from June 1 to 5 in Taiwan.

Available in either Windows 7 OS or Android OS, the Wind Pad features a 10-inch LED touch screen, Intel Atom processor and Intel GMA 3150 graphics card.

Weighing 800 grams, it supports Wi-Fi/3G, GPS module, a webcam, a USB port and eight hours of battery life.

Link to the original article…

Despite announcing that Skype will debut group video calls for Windows users earlier today, Skype also announced that they will not be delivering a Skype application for the upcoming Microsoft 7 Phone platform, due for release later this year.

Things aren’t looking good for fans of Skype and the next generation of Windows Mobile software, that is expected to land later this year. Skype has announced that it has stopped developing for the coming OS.

This is really no surprise given that in February Skype pulled its Windows Mobile VoIP application for WinMo. Skype is focusing on developing for the iPhone, Symbian, and Android OS.

Say it ain’t so Skype.

[ Links: Slashphone, Skype Blogs ]

When Microsoft acquired Danger, the maker of the entry-level “smartphone” Sidekick, nobody knew what was going to come of it. Fast-forward 2 years, and the fruits of that acquisition finally come to light in the form of the Microsoft Kin One and Microsoft Kin Two. Both are aimed squarely at the “Upload Generation”, the teen to early 30′s group that uses their cameraphone and Twitter apps, alongside Facebook and even MySpace to chronicle their daily operations with their peers.

The Microsoft Kin One and Kin Two are now on sale via Verizon for $49.99 and $99.99 respectively after a $100.00 mail-in rebate once you sign a 2-year contract. Despite having questionable “smartphone” abilities, the Microsoft Kin platform does require the Verizon $29.99 a month data plan.

Despite having a somewhat “cool reception” in the blogosphere, these phones do come with pretty impressive numbers on the optics, Zune connectivity and playback, Bing search engine software which has been beefed up to include location aware portions as part of the new “Near Me” Bing functionality… it’s actually not an ugly phone and it’s still quite zippy performance-wise.

Let’s hope this paves the way to an even speedier Microsoft Windows 7 Phone release though. That’s the phone the more serious folks.

[ Links: Microsoft Kin Press Release, Verizon ]