iOS 5.1 Update Now Available for iPhone and iPad

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As we told you earlier, Apple announced that iOS 5.1 would be released today, and now it has been! And apperently it’s got a battery life fix included!

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The update includes:

  • Japanese language support for Siri
  • Photos can now be deleted from Photo Stream
  • Camera shortcut now always visible on Lock Screen
  • Camera face detection now highlights all detected faces
  • Redesigned Camera app for the iPad
  • Addresses bugs affecting battery life
  • and more…..

I’m downloading now! I really hope it does finally fix the battery issue.

Angry Birds Seasons Spring Update is upon us

The Spring update for Angry Birds Seasons has been released – there goes several more hours of my life!

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Spring is finally here, and the Angry Birds are celebrating with a trip to Japan for the Cherry Blossom Festival! Surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms, it’s a perfect time for a picnic lunch with friends and family. But the pigs are trying to have a picnic of their own — with eggs!

Can the Angry Birds save the day?

Puzzle through fifteen head-scratching new levels!

Enjoy the beautiful scenery in the shadow of Mt. Fuji!

Uncover two intriguing bonus levels!

Download Angry Birds Seasons from the Apple App Store

Apple Introduces iPhoto to iLife for iOS and Other Updates

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Apple has also announced the introduction of iPhoto it iLife for iOS along with updates to GarageBand and iMovie.

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This is the press release:

Apple® today introduced iPhoto® for iPad® and iPhone® and major updates to iMovie® and GarageBand®, completing its suite of iLife® apps for iOS. iPhoto includes breakthrough Multi-Touch™ features so you can use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and retouch your images using fingertip brushes and share stunning photo journals with iCloud®. iMovie now gives you the ability to create amazing Hollywood-style trailers as you record HD video on your iPad and iPhone. GarageBand introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun feature that allows a group of friends to wirelessly connect their iOS devices to play instruments and record live music together. Each app takes full advantage of the stunning Retina™ display on the new iPad for incredibly sharp and realistic images and video. The new iPad also features a 5 megapixel iSight® camera so you can record, edit and watch 1080p HD video all on the device.

“With the introduction of iPhoto, we’ve brought the entire suite of iLife apps to iOS and users are going to love it,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Whether brushing an effect onto a photo, shooting a movie trailer or jamming with friends to record a song, iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand let you make amazing creations on iPad and iPhone.”

iPhoto, Apple’s popular photography app, has been completely reimagined for iOS to take full advantage of the Retina display and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures on iPad and iPhone. Simple gestures can be used to select and compare photos side by side and flag your best shots. iPhoto gives you full control over color, exposure and contrast, and you simply touch the parts of the image you want to change. You can enhance pictures by adding beautiful Apple-designed effects with just a tap, or apply adjustments exactly where you want them with fingertip brushes. In addition to posting photos to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, you can beam photos between your iPhone and iPad; stream photos and slideshows to your Apple TV® with AirPlay®; and use iCloud to publish photo journals to the web and share your stories with friends and family in a whole new way.

iMovie now allows you to turn the HD video on your iPad and iPhone into beautiful Hollywood-style trailers, even as you’re recording. The new Theater view lets you preview and choose from nine templates in a range of genres including Fairy Tale, Superhero and Romance. Trailers feature gorgeous, customizable graphics with soundtracks written by legendary composers such as Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer and performed by world class musicians like the London Symphony Orchestra. You can also share your movie trailers to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook, and use AirPlay to stream them to Apple TV in high definition resolutions up to 1080p.

With the new Jam Session feature in GarageBand, you can invite up to three of your friends to get together and wirelessly connect your iOS devices to play and record as a group. Jam Session automatically synchronizes the tempo, key and chords of your Touch Instruments so everyone sounds great. After jamming, everyone’s tracks are automatically collected on your iOS device for you to edit and mix. GarageBand also introduces Smart Strings, a new Touch Instrument that allows you to play an entire string orchestra with just one finger, and the new Note Editor allows you to fine tune a Touch Instrument recording instead of replaying it from scratch. Integration with iCloud keeps your GarageBand songs up to date across your iOS devices, and you can share your finished songs directly to Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Apple today also updated its iWork® for iOS apps to take advantage of the stunning Retina display of iPad and to offer 3D charts so you can create and view impressive 3D bar, line, area and pie charts. Pages now includes support for landscape orientation on iPhone and iPod touch®, and Keynote® gains new builds and transitions including Iris, Shimmer, Wipe, Flame, Swing and Fade Through Color.

Pricing & Availability
iPhoto, iMovie 1.3 and GarageBand 1.2 are available today for $4.99 (US) each from the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore). Keynote 1.6, Pages 1.6 and Numbers 1.6 are available today for $9.99 (US) each from the App Store. Updates are available for free to existing customers.

iPhoto is a universal app that runs on iPad 2 or later and iPhone 4 or later. iMovie is a universal app that runs on iPad 2 or later, iPhone 4 or later and iPod touch (4th generation). GarageBand, Pages®, Keynote and Numbers® are universal apps that run on iPad (all models), iPhone 3GS or later, and iPod touch (3rd generation) or later. Some features require an iCloud account. Some features may not be available on all products. For more information please visit http://www.apple.com/ipad/from-the-app-store/apps-by-apple.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

The New iPad Launched

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So, the new iPad has been announced, and it’s called the iPad! Here are some more details.

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This is the full press release from Apple:

Apple® today introduced the new iPad®, the third generation of its category defining mobile device, featuring a stunning new Retina™ display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G connects to fast networks worldwide, including AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. Beginning today, iPad 2 will be offered at an even more affordable price starting at just $399.

“The new iPad redefines the category Apple created less than two years ago, delivering the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The new iPad now has the highest resolution display ever seen on a mobile device with 3.1 million pixels, delivering razor sharp text and unbelievable detail in photos and videos.”

The new iPad’s Retina display delivers four times the number of pixels of iPad 2, so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when held at a normal distance, making web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic. The 3.1 million pixels in the Retina display are more than one million more pixels than an HD TV, and with 44 percent increased color saturation the new iPad displays colors that are unbelievably richer, deeper and more vivid. Movies are now capable of playing at full 1080p HD-resolution, delivering an incomparable viewing experience on a mobile device.

The powerful new A5X chip with quad-core graphics was specifically designed by Apple to deliver a fast, responsive user experience while supporting the incredible Retina display. With double the graphics performance of the A5 chip, the A5X provides a superb balance between performance and power efficiency so users can enjoy all the benefits of the stunning new display while experiencing a smooth Multi-Touch™ interface, immersive gameplay, incredible visual depth and all-day battery life that iPad is known for delivering.

The 5 megapixel iSight camera features advanced optics for taking stunning pictures and recording full HD video. Backside illumination allows you to take great photos in low-light conditions and a new video image stabilization feature removes the bumps and shakes typically seen when filming with a hand-held device. Images can be enjoyed on the large Retina display, then edited, enhanced and easily shared with friends and family using the built-in Photos app on iPad.

iPad Wi-Fi + 4G with built-in next generation 4G LTE has the most comprehensive support for fast networks worldwide including HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA, and now both CDMA and GSM iPad users have the ability to easily roam internationally. The world-ready iPad delivers blazing download and upload speeds so web pages load incredibly quickly and email with large attachments can be sent and received easily. Personal Hotspot can be used to share the fast network connection on your iPad with up to 5 other devices using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB**.

With iOS 5.1, the latest update to the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, the new iPad has a number of new features and enhancements including: a redesigned Camera app with video stabilization technology; the ability to delete photos from Photo Stream; support for dictation in English, French, German and Japanese; and Personal Hotspot. iOS 5.1 also works seamlessly with iCloud®, a breakthrough set of free cloud services including iTunes® in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that works seamlessly with your iPhone®, iPad, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content and push it to your devices. When content changes on one of your devices, your other devices are updated automatically.

The new iPad also supports dictation, another amazing way to get things done just using your voice. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, then say what you want to say and the new iPad listens. Tap done, and iPad converts your words into text. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write Instagram captions.

Apple also introduced the iPhoto® app, along with major updates to iMovie® and GarageBand®, completing its suite of iLife® apps for iOS. iLife and the iWork® apps, Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers®, have all been updated to take advantage of the new iPad Retina display. iPhoto includes breakthrough Multi-Touch features so you can use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and retouch your images using fingertip brushes and share stunning photo journals with iCloud. iMovie now gives you the ability to create amazing Hollywood-style trailers as you record HD video, and GarageBand introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun new feature that allows a group of friends to wirelessly connect to play instruments and record music together live on their iOS devices.

iPad runs almost all of the over 585,000 apps available on the App Store™, including more than 200,000 native iPad apps, from a wide range of categories, including books, games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The iTunes Store® puts the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store at your fingertips with a catalog of over 20 million songs, over 90,000 TV episodes and over 15,000 movies. The new iBooks® 2 app for iPad lets users experience an entirely new kind of ebook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. iBooks created with Apple’s new iBooks Author offer gorgeous, fullscreen ebooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, unrivaled navigation and much more.

Pricing & Availability
The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for either AT&T or Verizon will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPad will also be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands on Friday, March 16. Customers can begin pre-ordering their new iPad today, and the incredible iPad 2 is now offered at a more affordable price of $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model.

iOS 5.1 and iTunes 10.6 are available today as free software updates. iPhoto, iMovie 1.3 and GarageBand 1.2 are available today for $4.99 (US) each from the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore). Keynote 1.6, Pages 1.6 and Numbers 1.6 are available today for $9.99 (US) each from the App Store. Updates are available for free to existing customers. By the end of March iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
**Personal Hotspot requires supporting data plan. Customers should check with their carrier for availability.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

So are you going to get one?

Apple Announce New Apple TV with 1080p playback

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Apple has just announced the new Apple TV and it finally supports 1080p playback!

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Apple TV is a tiny entertainment powerhouse that plays the content you love from iTunes, Netflix, YouTube and more on your widescreen TV. In up to 1080p HD. Just plug it in and discover a whole world of films, TV programmes, photos, music and more.

So the new Apple TV looks exactly the same as the Apple TV 2, the biggest difference being it can finally output 1080p!

It will be on sale 16th March for £99.

Are you going to get one?

This is the press release from Apple:

Apple® today announced the new Apple TV® featuring 1080p programming including iTunes® movies and TV shows, Netflix, Vimeo, photos and more in HD. With iTunes in the Cloud, customers can purchase and play their favorite movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store® and watch them instantly on their HD TV. The new Apple TV features a simpler, refined user interface making it easier than ever to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music with iTunes Match℠ right from iCloud®. With AirPlay®, users can stream or mirror their favorite content from their iPad® or iPhone® 4S to Apple TV.

“People are going to love streaming movies and TV shows in 1080p with the new Apple TV, and photos look beautiful displayed at the maximum resolution of your TV,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Apple TV is easier than ever to use with its new icon-based interface and the ability to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music right from iCloud.”

Apple TV users can choose from an incredible selection of programming including over 15,000 movies and over 90,000 TV episodes on the iTunes Store. Apple TV also offers great content from Netflix’s streaming catalog, live sports from MLB, NBA and NHL as well as Internet content from Vimeo, YouTube and Flickr.*

With iCloud, you can buy movies and TV shows on Apple TV and watch them on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC. iCloud also stores photos and pushes them wirelessly to all your devices including your HD TV via Apple TV. iCloud provides an incredibly easy way to get instant access to all of your content, no matter which device is being used.

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can use AirPlay to stream music, photos and videos from their devices directly to their HD TV with Apple TV. iPhone 4S or iPad users can use AirPlay Mirroring to show the screen of their device right on their HD TV, allowing them to stream web pages, spreadsheets or even games.**

Apple TV makes it easy to enjoy iTunes video, music and photo libraries from your computer right on your HD TV—and with iCloud you can instantly enjoy content that was purchased on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch as well. iTunes Match customers can now play their entire music library from iCloud—even songs they’ve imported from CDs. Users can also control Apple TV with their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using the Remote app, available as a free download on the App Store™ (www.itunes.com/appstore).

Pricing & Availability
Apple TV will be available on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $99 (US) through the Apple online store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple TV requires iTunes 10.5 or later. Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n Wi-Fi network or Ethernet network, a broadband Internet connection and a HD TV capable of 1080p or 720p and an HDMI cable that is sold separately. iTunes movie and TV show availability varies by country. Second generation Apple TV users can install the new Apple TV user interface via a free software update, available today. Third generation Apple TV hardware is required to play 1080p video.

*Content availability varies by country and may require account subscriptions.

**AirPlay requires an iOS device running iOS 4.2 or later. AirPlay Mirroring not supported on original iPad.

Learn more from the Apple website

CloudBerry Labs releases CloudBerry Backup Version 2.7

CloudBerry Labs has today releases CloudBerry Backup for WHS (v1, 2011 and SBS 2011) version 2.7.

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The new release comes with few important enhancements.

1. Rackspace Cloud Files and OpenStack Object Storage support. This is a new storage option in addition to Amazon S3, Azure, Google, etc for those who already have Rackspace and other OpenStack compatible accounts.

more info : http://blog.cloudberrylab.com/2012/02/introducing-cloudberry-backup-for.html

2. Intelligent Bandwidth Scheduler. that that allows you to control the bandwidth throttling in real-time based on the time of the day and day of the week. With this feature for instance, you can set the backup to consume all available bandwidth during the off hours and on the weekends while consume only 10% of available bandwidth during the working hours allowing you to use the network for other tasks.

more info : http://blog.cloudberrylab.com/2012/02/cloudberry-backup-intelligent-bandwidth.html

3. Restore only new files option that allows you to restore only the files with newer modification date could be restored. This is particularly important in the Sync scenario, where you want to have your target folder look exactly as the source.

more info : http://blog.cloudberrylab.com/2012/03/how-to-restore-only-newer-files-with.html

4. Memory usage optimization

Apple Announces the New iPad

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After months of rumours, speculation and in some cases just down right nonsense, Apple has finally announces the all new iPad, and I want it.

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picture via Pocket-Lint

A few of the new features include a retina display with 2048 x 1536 pixels, which is the best available on any tablet today. That equates to 3.1 million pixels!!!!

HD video recording is now at 1080p resolution with the rear camera being 5 mega pixels.

The new iSight camera also includes image stabilisation and noise reduction, face detection and auto focus.

It also has an A5X chip, with quad-core graphics.

There is even voice dictation included via a microphone button on the keyboard.

It will have the same 10 hour battery life as the iPad 2 with 9 hours on 4G.

And if you are in an area with 4G there is 4G LTE (shame I am in the UK really).

It will be 9.4mm thick, which is a little thicker than the iPad 2 and will weigh 0.64kg.

The New iPad is priced at just $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB. And $629, $729, and $829 for 4G. This is the same prices as for the iPad 2.

And it’s available March 16th in the US and a week later in the UK and Europe.

And pre-orders start today, so go get one ordered!

All I can say is I want, I want, I want!

What about you?

Apple Announces iOS 5.1 – Coming Later Today

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Today Apple has announced that iOS 5.1 will be released today.

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No specifics on what it contain yet, other than Siri for the Japanese market.

More news shortly…..

Google+ App for iOS Gets Updated to Version 1.0.10.4565

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Google have just updated it’s Google+ app for iOS devices.

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What’s New in Version 1.0.10.4565

– Landscape support while composing a post
– Working links in Messenger
– Bugfixes and performance improvements

Go get it now from the Apple App Store.

WHS Add-In: Lights-Out support for Mac OS X – Testers Wanted

Martin Rothschink, the developer of the great Windows Home Server add-in Lights-Out has been in touch asking for beta testers for the an agent for Mac OS X. Care to help out?

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The new Lights-Out Agent for Mac OS X implements a similar feature set as the Windows based Lights-Out client:

– Automatic server wake-up via WOL
– Manual server wake-up via WOL
– Manual server wake-up via Internet
– Manual server standby
– Configuration of client monitoring
– Supports WHS v1 and 2011

People who are interested in the Mac beta should send a short email with some information to support@homeserversoftware.com

Can you include the following information in your email:

WHS version used         : v1 or 2011

Number of Windows clients:

Number of Mac clients    :

Which Mac OS X is used   : 10.5 or 10.6 or 10.7

StableBit DrivePool Moves to Beta M4 Build 5843

There has been another beta build from CoveCube! StableBit development marches on – now its beta M4 build 5843.

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Here is how CoveCube describes this application:

  • Combine all your hard drives into one big storage pool (except the system drive with the OS).
  • Add and remove drives from the pool at any time without re-partitioning or manually moving folders.
  • Create duplicated folders on the storage drive pool that are protected against single drive failure. If a drive fails on which a duplicated file was stored, the contents of that file will remain readable even without the drive.
  • All your data is stored in standard NTFS files. You can always access your files even if the Windows Home Server completely crashes or this add-in can’t be used.

This version’s change log:

1.0.0.5843
———-
* [D] Fixed incorrect number of copies sometimes being created for files in duplicated folders, depending on directory layout.
* [D] Fixed oplock delay when writing to duplicated folders.
* [D] Fixed an issue that was preventing the client backup engine from creating new data files under
certain circumstances, depending on directory layout.

Download Stablebit Drivepool build 5843 here

Skype 5.6 for Mac Available Now

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There is a new version of Skype for the Mac available – version 5.6 which enables full screen mode in Lion.

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New features and improvements in Skype 5.6 for Mac include:

  • Automatic Updates
  • Improved UI for group video calling
  • New full screen mode in OS X Lion
  • Ability to delete conversations
  • Ability to disable Audio Gain Control

Automatic Updates
Skype will now automatically upgrade to newer versions when minor and critical updates are released. This will keep you on the cutting edge with Skype’s newest features.

UI improvement in group video calling
Switch between dynamic mode and non-dynamic mode in group video calls with 5 or more participants. With dynamic mode on, the person who is speaking is automatically moved to the top of the screen.

Support for full screen mode in OS X Lion
Now, you can take advantage of full screen mode in Skype. This feature eliminates distractions from the Dock and Menu bars, while enhancing your interaction with your loved ones.

Ability to delete conversations
Delete messages within a conversation, as well as remove conversations from the sidebar and your history.

Ability to disable Audio Gain Control from Preferences
Disable the automatic adjustment of your microphone setting in your preferences in order to reduce the background noise during conference calls.

Download Skype 5.6 for Mac from here.

Microsoft Releases Windows Embedded Standard 8 CTP

Preview the next version of Windows Embedded Standard – a componentized version of Windows 8 with additional technologies that extend the power of Windows to Intelligent devices.

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Windows Embedded Standard 8 enables OEMs to build differentiated devices that address the specialized needs of their enterprise customers.

Devices powered by Windows Embedded Standard 8 are the foundation for Intelligent Systems enabling new insights, productivity and opportunities to create lasting competitive advantage. We’re making it easier than ever for devices to extend enterprise business intelligence with improved device management, servicing and data connectivity.

Key benefits of the CTP include:

  • Create modern, fresh user experiences with Metro style applications and touch interactions from Windows 8.
  • Compete more efficiently by taking advantage of the scale provided by the Windows 8 hardware ecosystem.
  • Meet hardware bill-of-materials targets. Select the software components you need to create custom OS images for your devices.
  • Use the enhanced security and lockdown features to protect your device, data, and network. Deliver extended mobility with new power management and wireless technologies in Windows 8 that keep your devices connected, no matter what they’re doing. Deliver stunning Web experiences with HTML5 support in Internet Explorer 10.
  • The connectivity options you want, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile and USB 3. Near-Field Communication support enables an entirely new, easy way to exchange data with users.
  • The intuitive interface allows users to easily interact with tap-to-pay vending machines or download manuals from a service kiosk.

Learn more and download from here.

Amazon Kindle App Available for Windows 8

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Ian Dixon over at TheDigitalLifestyle.Com noted a new Kindle app in the Windows 8 store today…read on for details.

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Ian Dixon published an article today about a Kindle app now being available for Windows 8.  Here is what he had to say:

Hopefully this must be my first of many Windows 8 news posts, today the Kindle app for Windows 8 has been released. It look a bit of digging to find it in the app store ,I had to select the Kobo app then change the filter to show app book apps but I am sure it will get propagated around the store over time.

Once installed you sign in with your Amazon account and all your books are listed under the Cloud view and then if you start reading a book it automatically downloads the whole book. The books are synced up with Whispersync and you can add bookmarks and notes to the books. One nice feature is that you can pin your book to the start screen for easy access which will be great on a tablet. I imagine it works really well on a tablet, it works well with a mouse but I could workout how to change pages with via the Keyboard.

Overall it looks like Amazon did a good job showing off what a Metro app can do.

Ian has some really nice screenshots in his article, so make sure to cruise on over to his post and check them out!  And if you have Windows 8 loaded, check out the Kindle app!