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HP Slate 6 Voice Tab Review| HP Android Tablets Finally|

Over two years after HP - a company we all know for its desktops and laptops - killed WebOS, it is taking another stab at the smartphone market. But this time HP is doing it with Android. The company today formally launched Slate 6 and Slate 7. Both are part of VoiceTab series, which means they support 3G connectivity and you can make calls using them. Both are first launching in India and are created keeping in mind the needs of customers in developing market.

We have Slate 6 with us for review today. It is a phablet with 6-inch screen and is meant for consumers who like to have one device through which they can make calls as well as enjoy web browsing, video playback and games on the large screen.

In India, the phablet category is quite crowded. Almost all phone makers have at least one phablet - a phone with a screen size of more than 5-inch - in the market. Can HP match or surpass the existing phablets with Slate 6?

Dive in for the answer.

Sleek and with a touch of gold
Getting the design of a phablet right is not easy due to its size. But with Slate 6, HP has done well. With a thickness of less than 9mm, Slate 6 is among the slimmest devices in its class. The slim design means it feels compact and easy to hold and carry despite its large screen. Another thing that helps is the weight. At 160gm, Slate 6 is surprisingly light for its size. It is definitely not a device that you will like to - or will be able to - use with a single hand. But it is not as unwieldy as Huawei Ascend Mate.

The phone has the usual rounded-corners, flat-box design but there are some design elements that make the Slate 6 stand apart from other devices in the market. The back cover, which can be removed, is made of plastic with matte finish. But the highlight of the back cover is the glass-weave finish. It looks really nice and gives the device a premium feel.

The plastic frame around the device has been given gold finish instead of the usual faux chrome that we find in other devices. The metal buttons too feature the same finish. The combination of black body and the golden frame gives Slate 6 an appealing look.

Despite all plastic design, the build quality of the device is very good. It doesn't have any flex. Back cover fits snuggly. Buttons feel firm and not loose.

Slate 6 is powered by a quad-core processor. HP says the processor runs at 1.2GHz. However, in our tests we never saw it go past 1.1GHz. Though this is a very minor difference and something that doesn't have potential to affect any performance. There is 1GB RAM in the device. It has 16GB internal storage - you can add more through a micro SD card, a 3000 mAh battery, a 5MP primary camera and a 2MP front camera. The 6-inch screen has a resolution of 720P (1280 X 720 pixels). The device is powered by Android 4.2.2. Slate 6 has support for two sim cards.

Let down by performance
For Slate 6, HP gets the design part absolutely right. However, on other - and more crucial - aspects it has missed a beat.

The biggest let-down is the overall responsiveness of the device. Unlike other phone manufacturers who love to customize, or rather over-customize, the Android experience on their devices, HP is using the stock version of Android in Slate 6. This is a good thing. Unfortunately, it looks like HP just didn't optimize the OS at all for the device. The user interface on Slate 6 has noticeable lag. This lag is visible while scrolling through the list of home page, or during multitasking. Also, apps take a few extra milliseconds to open. And so does the keyboard when you click in a text field.

Overall, Slate 6 feels a little slow. Yes, it works. You can browse all sorts of websites on it. You can play all kind of videos in all sorts of formats on it, if not through the default player then using an app like MX Player. The GPS in Slate 6 works reliably. But it all feels a little slower than it ought to be, especially compared to phones like Galaxy Grand 2 or tablets like Nexus 7.

What about games?
Slate 6 can handle casual games like Angry Birds Go with ease. But more demanding games like Asphalt 8 can be played with smooth frame rates only at low graphics settings. At high graphics settings there is visible lag and the game doesn't respond to controls well.

The performance story is repeated in the hardware. On paper, Slate 6 has good hardware. But in actual use we found it to be rather average. While the screen is adequately bright and shows decent colours, we have seen better. The viewing angles for the Slate 6 screen are below average and there is a noticeable shift in colours if you tilt your head or move the device while looking at it.

The story with camera is the same. The 5MP camera is capable of shooting usable images, but only in good light. The photos lack proper contrast and level of detail but at least you can share them on social media sites. In low light, even if it is evening, colour noise creeps into the images shot with Slate 6. The camera software too could have been better. The shutter speed is slow and acquiring focus, especially in close up shots, can take a few seconds if light is low. Overall, the camera performance is disappointing.

The device records videos in 720P. These are recorded in 3GP format and the quality of video recording is decent. The level of detail that is recorded is poor but at least the focus is maintained well.

The 2MP front camera works well during video chats.

Slate 6 has stereo speakers, placed on the top and bottom of the screen. However, the volume is on the lower side. At full volume, the audio is sufficient for games but if you intend to watch films on Slate 6, we recommend using it with a headphone. We also found the volume to be on lower side during calls, though the voice clarity was good and signal was maintained well even when we used the device on the go.

Slate 6 has a good battery life. Depending on your use, it will last anywhere between 12 to 16 hours. When paired with a 3G connection, the device gave us a battery life of around 14 hours while we used it for gaming, photography, web browsing, emails, calls and instant messaging.

Should you buy it or not
HP has priced Slate 6 at Rs 22,990. Given the performance issues we don't recommend Slate 6. Though these performance issues are likely to be software related and could be fixed in the coming days, we suggest you to stay away from Slate 6 until these issues are fixed.

Slate 6 is not a bad device. But there are better devices in the market.

If you want a big screen device, we feel Huawei Ascend Mate is a better, albeit a little more expensive, choice. But if you can compromise on the screen size, Lenovo K900 nowadays has almost the same price. It is a much better phablet than Slate 6 and Ascend Mate even though it has a screen size of only 5.5-inch. At the same time, you can also take a look at the Galaxy Grand 2, which has a screen size of 5.25-inch, but offers better experience than Slate 6.

Apple's new iPad with Retina Display - Review: The best tablet money can buy

The iPad is the kind of product that doesn't come around very often. Like Xerox, Walkman and, more recently, the iPod, it's when a particular product sees so much success that it becomes synonymous with the entire category. Less than two years after its launch, the iPad is already a category-defining product.

Not sure what we mean? Here's an anecdote. Only the other day someone walked into our office and popped the question - "Should I buy Motorola's iPad?" Hint: they were referring to the Motorola Xoom.

Back to Apple's iPad. The new iPad - yes, that's what it's called, not iPad 3 - more on that later - builds on the incredible success of its predecessors. Rather than offering something radically different, the new iPad retains the familiar and throws in some compelling upgrades.

What's in a name?
While the name new iPad has confused, and even amused, many Apple's intention is to bring the nomenclature of its mobile products in line with that of traditional computing devices. The 'new' in the name is surely transitional, and the next iteration would almost certainly be simply called 'iPad'.

The latest generation of Apple's ultra-portable laptop is called MacBook Air, just like the four generations before it. Why should the tablet be any different? Indications are that the next iteration of the iPhone would drop the number from its name as well. Years, instead of version number style monikers, would come to represent every product generation, such that the current iPad would be known as the iPad 2012 in the annals of time.

First impressions
The first thing you notice upon taking the new iPad out of the box is that it looks exactly like the iPad 2. It's not until you hold the new iPad in your hands that you notice something different - it's slightly heavier than its predecessors. People who generally use their iPad with a case or Apple's smart cover probably won't even notice the difference.

If you've never used an iPad before, do not let reports of the extra weight bog you down. Just like its predecessor, extended periods of holding the new iPad promise only joy and excitement, and not hurting hands.

As per Apple's specifications, the new iPad is slightly thicker than the iPad 2, but we couldn't tell the difference. We did, however, experience the new iPad's infamous heat. It definitely runs hotter than the iPad 2 because we don't recall our iPad 2 ever warming up to us like the new one does. It didn't deter us from holding the iPad for extended periods of time, so we filed this away under the 'minor irritant' category and moved on.

Display
It's not until you power it on that the new iPad really begins to shine. The all-new Retina Display is everything that it is made up to be, and more. This may feel like your old iPad but the moment you watch your first video, or simply open your favourite website (this one, of course) in Safari, we promise you'll hand down the iPad 2 to your kids faster than they can spell Chhota Bheem.

The official specs peg the Retina Display resolution at 2048x1536 pixels. That's more pixels than a typical full-HD screen (1920x1080). We could wax lyrical about the new display for hours, but nothing will convince you faster than this simple test. Walk in to the closest shop that has both, the iPad 2 and the new iPad, on demo and play any (full-HD) trailer using Apple's Trailer app. The difference between the two will be evident to even the most casual of observers.

The speakers seem unchanged from the iPad 2, loud enough, but not ones that would ever win an award for sound quality.

Camera
The other big improvement from the iPad 2 is the camera. The rear camera is now a 5-megapixel camera, capable of recording full-HD video, just like the one in iPhone 4. Image quality is noticeably better (see comparison shots below), and the lens seems capable of taking slightly wider shots as well.

See the difference in details captured between the cameras in iPad 2 (top) and new iPad. Notice the slightly wider shot as well.

The front-camera is beefed up too and it's perfect for FaceTime, Skype or anything else that you would want to do with a front-camera.

While we remain unconvinced about the need of having great rear-cameras in tablets, truth is, Apple would have been criticised if it had stuck with the generation-old camera. We are yet to see people hold their 10-inch tablets in the air to click photographs en-masse, but it's nice to know you have a quality option to fallback on should you have a "photography emergency".

Processor & GPU
Apple made a rather bold claim when it introduced new iPad's A5X processor with quad-core graphics, saying its performance blows the competition away. While NVIDIA was initially upset at Apple's claims and wanted to benchmark the A5X against its Tegra 3, but the fact that they have gone quiet since probably means they might have conducted the benchmarks in private and realised Apple was indeed right in its claim.

As it turns out, the additional processing power in the new iPad is not a luxury but a necessity. The apps you run may not feel any faster, but there's a lot more going on in the background, even when your iPad is simply displaying a webpage on screen.

The new Retina Display has four-times as many pixels as the iPad 2, which means refreshing the display is four-times the work. The quad-core graphics engine does a stellar job in handling this extra load, which means you'll almost never notice any lag in terms of performance.

However, we did stumble upon one such moment of "lag", while trying to take a screenshot of a full-HD iTunes rental video in action. There was a slight, longer than expected, delay between the time we pressed the home and power buttons and when the screenshot was taken. However, that was the only situation where we experienced any kind of a lag and the iPad handled everything else we threw at it flawlessly.

Apps/ Software
The new iPad has access to all apps that worked on the iPad and the iPad 2. However, apps updated to feature graphics optimised for higher resolution display of the new iPad will look a lot better than older apps. Overall, the iPad/ iOS ecosystem trumps all other competing tablet platforms (if you can call them that) combined, in terms of quality as well as quantity of apps available.

The new iPad also features voice dictation. We're not sure if it was the Indian accent or the speed at which we spoke, but our experience with dictation ranged from the outrageous to downright hilarious, with the most unexpected of results.

Battery Life
In a departure from usual next generation Apple products, the new iPad is, as mentioned earlier, heavier and thicker than its predecessor. With a faster processor and a bigger display to power, Apple decided to increase the battery size, even if it meant giving up the slimmer, lighter maxim it loves. The move seems to have paid off as the new iPad features the same incredible battery life that made its predecessors famous.

4G/ LTE
"What 4G/ LTE?" you might ask, and rightly so. As of date, India has only one 4G network, restricted to one city/ region, so the 4G/ LTE networking feature seems to be a non-starter. What's worse, even when 4G/ LTE takes-off in our country, the new iPad is unlikely to work in 4G/ LTE mode, since the chip inside is designed to work on a different spectrum than what the Indian networks are expected to use. Customers in UK and Australia are already experiencing the problem and Apple has been asked to stop advertising its models as 4G in these countries.

The good news is that the new iPad works just fine on 3G-mode out-of-the-box, with performance similar to its predecessor. The GSM version of the iPad (the one available in India) comes factory-unlocked, so you can pop in any compatible SIM. The iPad now also supports the Personal Hotspot feature, that lets you create a Wi-Fi network on the iPad for other devices (like your phone) to use.

Verdict
If you're in the market for your first tablet and not looking for bargains at the very bottom of pit, the new iPad is an absolute no-brainer. Apple products are, often incorrectly, perceived to be premium or expensive but nothing could be further from the truth in case of the new iPad. As of today, no other company could possibly deliver a tablet with iPad like specs at this price-point. Apple manages to do so thanks to its amazingly efficient supply-line and economies of scale.

If you have the original iPad, the present generation offers a compelling upgrade. The new display, cameras and the overall performance gain you'll experience compared to the original iPad, makes the new iPad worth your money.

Things are not so cut-and-dry if you have an iPad 2. At the end of the day, the only thing significantly better in the new iPad is the screen. So is that alone worth spending upwards of 30,500 rupees? Not if you use your iPad for email and browsing alone. However, if you love playing games or watching movies, you should give the new iPad a spin and take a call based on your spending ability.

With Android tablets still trying to get their act together in terms nailing down the hardware as well as the ecosystem to go with it, the iPad seems devoid of any genuine competition. In such a scenario, we can safely say the new iPad is the best tablet money can buy.

Pros

Stunning display
Battery life
Cameras
Apps

Cons

Wi-Fi+4G option slightly overpriced
4G option not compliant with Indian network(s)

Ratings
Design: 4.5
Display: 5
Performance: 4.5
Software: 4.5
Battery Life: 5
Value for Money: 4.5 Wi-Fi only, 4 Wi-Fi + 4G
Camera: 4.5
Ecosystem: 5

Overall: 4.5

Android vs Windows Phone 8 vs iOS: A ming boggling tech battle

The battle for dominance of the smartphone world is one that has been raging for a few years. Speed of connection is not the only consideration when you are surfing on the move; you also need to choose with what device to use that web access. The big three are going head to head again with official releases so how do they compare?

Interface

Windows

It was interesting to see Microsoft take a jab at Android during their Windows Phone 8 launch event. Windows Phone 8 improves on Windows Phone 7 by allowing users to further customize the home screen.

While I applaud Microsoft allowing users this massive level of customization, it’s actually pretty basic. The Live Tile idea makes the interface interesting because allows users to quickly view important information. The Windows Phone 8 interface is just another way to present information, as Android has widgets that do much the same.

Microsoft's offering bases itself around a system of 'LiveTiles'. These are used in a similar way to widgets on Android, providing information at a quick glance. Users of Windows Phone 7, or Windows 8 on tablets or desktops will feel right at home.

In terms of user customisation, much like iOS, Windows Phone 8 is relatively closed. Live Tiles can be resized, so that more important tiles can take up more screen real estate, and the tile colour can be any of 20 variations. It is also possible to change the lock screen, to bring up photos, or widgets and notifications.

iOS

The iOS 7 interface is a radical new look compared with previous iterations. Although with a clean and modern new look, the formula based upon simplicity is one that has been stuck to. Icons have had an overhaul, and there is transparency through apps, giving iOS devices a more unified feel.

Users familiar with previous iOS versions may be in for a bit of a shock, with elements such as the lock screen taking a new look. Elements now seem more rounded, and much brighter than before. On the face of it, things seem very different with iOS 7, but the real changes go deeper.

Apple Inc. is releasing a new iPhone that is said to be a ditto copy of the iPhone 5 on September 10 2013.

Android

Android is currently sitting at version 4.2, which is another iteration of the popular Jelly Bean OS. Jelly Bean built upon the work done by 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, with everything being much smoother with 'Project Butter', and the introduction of Google Now.

Pretty much every OEM has placed a skin over the top of Android, take a look at HTC's Sense, Samsung's Touchwiz or Huawei's Emotion UI.

That said, nigh on every version builds on the use of multiple home screens populated with widgets, and apps being kept tidy in a 'drawer'.

Stock Android 4.2 doesn’t change anything visually but include internal improvements. Android still offers an excellent amount of customization while offering an easy to use interface. If you don’t like the stock experience, the Google Play store also features a lot of launchers that can replace the stock one.

Features

Windows Phone 8 offers a lot of interesting features that are comparable to other operating systems. The ecosystem that Microsoft is trying to present sounds excellent because it bridges Windows Phone 8 users together while allowing non-Windows Phone 8 users to participate. In the launch event, VP Joe Belfiore directly mentioned iPhone users would be able to see shared calendars.

Data Sense is a lot like Android’s Data Usage setting. It monitors how much data is used and adds Wi-Fi hotspot search. Microsoft’s claim that it will compress webpages for more site browsing is only a slight bonus because most data usage comes from apps. It’s nice of Microsoft to condense the amount of data used on mobile browsers, but I can’t see people browsing site to site once app developers release their native apps for Windows Phone.

Kid’s Corner is an interesting addition because it creates a sub-user account for kids on the device. It’s a great way for parents to control the usage of their device, but it's more likely that the majority of users will only have one user.

The Android 4.2 update adds more function to Google Now, which is available for anyone running Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). It adds Gmail scanning for flight info and package tracking as new cards. Google plans on continuously adding more cards for Google Now.

Another big feature added to Android 4.2 is the use of Knowledge Graph to provide better answers to searches. In terms of search, Android’s link to Google Search has been good, but Knowledge Graph will help improve the quality of results. Smaller updates include tablet-only multiple account support, gesture typing, and more functionality with notifications which don’t dramatically change the experience on Android.

iOS 6 hasn’t really shown the usefulness of the apps that Apple was proud to announce.Maps is still a work-in-progress and Passbook doesn't have many supporting apps. Siri received an update for more accurate results and you can use voice to post to Facebook, but there wasn’t anything drastically different. The latest OS does allow you to share photos in your Photo Stream and iCloud, but the cloud backup service isn’t transparent for most users.

Life in the Cloud

Microsoft is pushing Skydrive integration with Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. Content is automatically uploaded to Skydrive allowing you to access it through a browser. It’s great to see Microsoft starting to use Skydrive as a service bridging Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. The auto uploads will help photophiles a lot and the ability to create and edit documents in Office 2013 will be a benefit for users. Skydrive offers 7 GB of free storage, but still hasn’t defined exactly how well Skydrive will work between devices. Microsoft is really starting its push towards more a more seamless ecosystem for first party services.

Though Microsoft is pushing Skydrive as the best cloud-based system, Android has been cementing itself in cloud productivity with Google Drive for years. The focus on cloud syncing in Android makes it possible to easily switch from device to device with the same account and still have all your info and files. You can use the different productivity apps in Google Drive and see the updates push to the webapp with almost no delay. Android’s cloud service is built into the majority of its apps.

Apple’s cloud presence is a lot more minimal. There isn’t much cloud productivity inside any of the first party Apple apps because you have to buy the various iWork apps on both iOS and OS X. Google offers Google Drive apps for free, but syncing between Apple devices requires you to buy multiple versions of the same program on different devices. iCloud backups on iOS devices is still very convoluted. You can choose which app data to backup to iCloud, but all apps are set to backup by default which can fill your storage quickly.

Having data backups for certain apps is great like game data or user settings, but the 5 GB that Apple offers feels very small even compared to the same amount of space that Google offers. Apple claims having easy backup solutions, but there are issues with what Apple decides what will or will not count against the 5GB of storage. If you have a lot of apps, those 5 GB could be filled quickly without you even realizing it.

Maps

Given the kerfuffle surrounding the launch of iOS Maps on iOS 6, there was a disappointing lack of map based announcements with iOS7, although 'developers have been making great improvements to Maps', which will bring features such as being able to push mapping info from a Mac of MacBook to an iDevice.

There has been no such problems for mapping on Android, given that Google has managed to port across its Google Maps desktop browser application so successfully.

Google maps provides one of the most comprehensive mapping apps available, as well as being able to provide information through its Local app, and sat-navving via the Navigation app. Google's recent acquisition of Waze is going to throw in user based traffic updates as well.

Microsoft has also got a decent map app. Bing maps brings over many features that were prevalent throughout Nokia phones of old, including Nokia's turn-by-turn directions from Nokia Drive. Other useful features include downloading maps for offline use, pinning favourite locations and Local Scout (similar to Google's Local).

Multi-tasking

iOS7 brings more changes to the Multi-tasking window as well. No longer does a swipe from the bottom bring up recently used apps, but a newer interface that shows information from the app screen, as well as the app icons along the bottom.

Google's multi-tasking has been handled for a long time through the long press of the home button, if the device has one, or through the dedicated button on total touch screen devices. This brings up a quick window of what was last on the app whilst you were using it, and can be swiped to dismiss.

Windows Phone 8 has a similar method of bringing up its multi-tasking window. Long pressing the back button brings up the multi-tasking screen, allowing users to flick across to the app they wish to use.

Verdict

It is impossible to draw firm conclusions.

iOS is a stable and intuitive platform. It is the most immediately easy to use mobile OS. But it is limited: even with the plethora of apps available our tester found it difficult to complete tasks involving Office or Flash. The iOS7 launch is arguably as important to the Cupertino-based firm since Steve Jobs first took the stage in 2007 to launch the original iPhone. A number of previous devices (iPhone 4, 4S, 5, iPad 2, 3, 4, iPad Mini and iPod Touch 5th generation) will be getting the update, with the OS also being a major precursor to the upcoming iPhone 5S/6, iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2. Apple therefore has a very large existing customer base ready to upgrade, with those on earlier iDevices also potentially looking to the launches of the next line of products. iOS is also highly successful in the business market, as well as the personal market. It is therefore almost impossible to say that iOS7 will be a flop, after all the trouble that Apple maps gave iOS6, it is still very popular.

Android is Apple's biggest worry, making strides through the mobile market.Android handsets are still the most popular on a world wide scale, but only just over a third are actually running Jelly Bean, with the fragmentation the major negative point against what is a highly versatile platform. Google Play offers a comparable selection of apps and media, it is a genuine rival to Apple's platform. But this customisable OS remains a compromise: it is not as polished as iOS, and it offers not as much in the way of true functionality as does Windows 8 Pro.
Windows Phone 8 has the most to prove among the three operating systems. Since the device and OS is an entire step forward from Windows Phone 7.5 because it requires new hardware to experience, Microsoft has to sell the usefulness of the device and the connectivity between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Releasing alongside Windows 8 and highlighting the connectivity between each OS, Microsoft has an uphill battle convincing users to switch from Android or iOS. It can do it all, but the learning curve is steep. There is literally nothing you can't do on a Windows 8 phone that you can do on a PC including editing your documents with the Microsoft's gem product- Office.

Windows 8.1 Debut | A old Windows in a new Style | Features and Review

Many of you might be thinking of Windows 8 as a big time flop after Windows Vista. Ever enterprises that switched to Windows 8 are going back after seeing that the new metro design is a big fuss and no use. Microsoft must keep up its top position in PC market in order to survive in the software world. One wrong step and thats good bye Microsoft.

Microsoft has released its Windows 8.1 Preview for use by developers and customers. It is supposed to be a free update to Windows 8 later this year. Microsoft has come up to meet customer grievances and allow some major software makeover. Some rumors state that it has already been distributed to OEMs. When Windows 8 was first launched, many of us lauded the new Metro design but some felt that such drastic redisigns may make the UI unfamiliar to naive users.

When Windows 8 was first launched, there were many who lauded the new UI, but at the same time there were those who felt that the change was too drastic and that there were some elements of the older Windows operating system that Microsoft should have kept around, the Start Button being one of them. Well the good news is that if you have been waiting for Windows 8.1, it could soon be rolled out because according to Win8China, word is that Microsoft has already issued the latest build of Windows 8.1 for final testing. This particular build is said to be the last build before the update is pushed out to the masses, so we expect that if this is the case, it will not be too long before Windows 8 users are notified that it is time to update their operating system. Windows 8.1 is expected to be a pretty important update since Microsoft believes it will “refine the vision of Windows 8”. The consumer preview has been available for download but for those who have not bothered, hopefully it will not be too long before the update begins its rollout!: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2013/08/windows-8-1-reportedly-being-issued-to-oems/

Boot to desktop, Start button, and easier navigation

Two of the biggest complaints of Windows 8 was having to deal with the modern-style Start screen when logging in, and the lack of a Start button. For users on a traditional PC without touchscreen capabilities, it made no sense and was confusing. Microsoft listened, returning a Start button, boot to desktop, and giving users the ability to make the new modern-style interface less in your face. This should be welcomed by users of computers with a mouse and keyboard who prefer to stay in the desktop environment. It's not set up by default, but it's simple enough to configure.

Tweaking the settings in the navigation menu allows you to make Windows 8.1 navigation muc...

On the desktop, right-click the taskbar and select Properties to open "command central" for tweaking Windows to get it just the way you want it. It provides options to bypass the Start screen and go straight to the desktop when you log in, sort programs so your desktop ones appear first on the list, and disables aspects of the modern UI so it isn't as invasive.

Windows 8.1 allows you to sort all apps more easily and keep your desktop background on th...

Another subtle but effective change in the navigation settings is the ability to sort all apps more easily, set desktop apps to be listed first, and keep your desktop background on the Start screen.

New lock screen features

The lock screen slide show allows you to display your photos which is a nice customization...

The lock screen in Windows 8 was mediocre at best. It allowed you to get app notifications, and while that function is still there, more have been added. You can now accept Skype video, voice, and text calls, and access your device's camera, much like you can with iOS and Android. And another cool feature is the ability to create slide shows from images and photos stored on your local device or in the cloud on SkyDrive.

Full SkyDrive integration

SkyDrive is integrated fully into Windows 8.1 and the modern-style app includes better fil...

In Windows 8.1 you no longer need to install a separate desktop version of SkyDrive. It's all integrated into the modern interface and the desktop. It's also integrated into the new search feature, which makes finding your files much easier. The modern-style SkyDrive app now lets you save files for offline access, and provides easier management of your stored files.

New built-in Bing apps and utilities

Bing Food & Drink includes recipes, wine and cocktail guides and celebrity chef advice

When it comes to built-in apps in Windows 8, Microsoft's own Bing apps were probably the best developed and most usable. Apps like News, Sports, Maps, Weather and others are still in 8.1 but have been improved over the past year. The two most impressive are Bing Health & Fitness and Bing Food & Drink. The Health & Fitness app provides a diet and exercise tracker, nutrition plans, prescription drug information, health news and a lot more. Bing Food & Drink offers recipes, meal plans, cooking tips from celebrity chefs, wine and cocktail guides, and the ability to create your shopping list.

Reading List is a new app that allows you to share articles from other apps like IE 11 for...

Another notable new app is Reading List, which lets you collect articles from Internet Explorer 11 and save them for offline reading. To use it, open the modern version of IE, bring up the charms bar, and select Share charm. Other apps include Alarms, Calculator, and Sound Recorder, which weren't in the first iteration of Windows 8, believe it or not.

Snap for everyone

Even the previous restrictions of 1366x768 resolution for snap to work has been lifted as evident from Windows 8.1 Preview. Also, now you can stretch one app to 3/4th of the screen and the other to 1/4 of the screen.

Summing up

This is a look at just a few of the new features in Windows 8.1 with tips that should help you get started more quickly. If you're using Windows 8 currently, and not too thrilled about it, the 8.1 update will provide easier navigation, new apps and other welcome features. The 8.1 update is for Windows RT too, which finally includes Outlook 2013. The update is free to all current Windows 8 users and is due to be released later this month.

Previewing Windows 8 | Windows 8 Microsoft | Windows 8 Features | Best Operating System ever |

Previewing Windows 8

What's next?

“We reimagined Windows,” says Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows andWindows Live Division at Microsoft. Steven recently unveiled the touch-first user interface of Windows 8, along with a whole host of other new features.

The company also highlighted a variety of new features in Windows 8, including the following:

Touch-First User Interface

•	Metro style. Windows 8 introduces a new Metro style interface built for touch, which shows information important to you, embodies simplicity and gives you control. The Metro style UI is equally at home with a mouse and keyboard as well.
•	Touch-first browsing, not just browsing on a touch device. Providing a fast and fluid touch-browsing experience, Internet Explorer 10 puts sites at the center on new Windows 8 devices.

More Ways to Engage With Powerful, Connected Apps

•	Powered by apps. Metro style apps built for Windows 8 are the focal point of your experience, filling your entire screen so there are no distractions.
•	Apps can work together. Apps communicate with each other in Windows 8. For example, you can easily select and email photos from different places, such as Facebook, Flickr or on your hard drive.
•	Your experience syncs across your devices. Live roams all the content from the cloud services you use most — photos, email, calendar and contacts — keeping them up-to-date on your devices. With SkyDrive, you can access your files, photos and documents from virtually anywhere with any browser or with Metro style apps in Windows 8.

Enhanced Fundamentals

•	The best of Windows 7, only better. Windows 8 is built on the rock-solid foundation of Windows 7, delivering improvements in performance, security, privacy and system reliability. Windows 8 reduces the memory footprint needed — even on the lowest-end hardware — leaving more room for your apps.
•	Preserving power-user favorites and making them better. For those who push the limits of their PC, Windows 8 features an enhanced Task Manager and Windows Explorer and new, flexible options for multimonitor setups.

New Developer Opportunities

•	Windows Store. The Windows Store will allow developers to sell their apps anywhere Windows is sold worldwide, whether they’re creating new games or familiar productivity tools.
•	Build using more languages. Windows 8 lets you leverage your existing skills and code assets to create great experiences using the programming language you prefer.
•	Rich hardware integration leads to richer experiences — particularly for games. DirectX 11 gaming power underlies Windows 8, allowing the easy creation of full-screen games with smooth, flicker-free action.

New Generation of Hardware

•	One Windows — many shapes and sizes. Support for ARM-based chipsets, x86 (as well as x32 and x64) devices, touch and sensors means Windows 8 works beautifully across a spectrum of devices, from 10-inch tablets and laptops to all-in-ones with 27-inch high-definition screens.
•	Always connected. With Windows 8, new ultrathin PCs and tablets turn on instantly, run all day on a single charge and stay connected to the Internet so your PC is ready when you are. Next-generation system on a chip (SoC) support will also enable greatly extended standby and low-power states.
•	Tap the full power of your PC. Windows 8 runs on PCs and is compatible with the devices and programs you use today on Windows 7, without compromise, to deliver the performance you expect of a PC.

Beyond seeing highlights of the work done on devices by partners including AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, attendees at BUILD also received a Samsung prototype PC with Windows Developer Preview to aid them in creating and testing apps. Developers will also be able to download the Windows Developer Preview via the new Windows Dev Center later this week. Webcasts of sessions will be posted on the BUILD site as well.

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Download the Windows 8 Developer Preview