You didn’t think Microsoft was going to launch Office for iPad without a Windows counterpart waiting in the wings, did you? Sure enough, Microsoft has just shown off its long-expected touch-native Office for Windows in beta form. The software shares a few interface elements in common with the iPad release, but not much — this is clearly built for Windows tablets, with a more traditional layout that expands objects to make them finger-friendly. There will be plenty of gesture support, though. You can circle an item with your finger to highlight it, and you can pinch and swipe to get around much of the productivity suite. Unfortunately, the folks in Redmond aren’t saying when this touch-ready Office will ship. The demo is just a preview of what to expect, so it could be a while before you’re using the software yourself. Filed under: Tablets , Software , Microsoft Comments

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Here’s what a touch-native Office for Windows looks like in action

The whole point of Windows 8 was to make Microsoft’s aging OS easier to use on touchscreen devices. Mission accomplished, we’d say ( more or less ). But now the folks in Redmond have a new challenge afoot: Make Windows 8 equally easy to use on tablets and traditional PCs. The company’s already made some progress — last year’s Windows 8.1 update was all about keyboard shortcuts, better multitasking and the return of the Start button (sort of). Now, with its latest update, Microsoft is going after mouse-and-keyboard users. In particular, you can pin Windows Store apps to the desktop Taskbar, and close out of a Metro app by pressing an “X” in the upper-right corner. Heck, you can even shut down without having to open the Charms Bar. Shocking, we know. It’s all very exciting, and indeed, you can see for yourselves soon enough; the update will arrive as a Windows Update download on April 8th, which means most folks will simply install it automatically. In the meantime, we’ve got a full primer after the break, along with a healthy dose of screenshots (we know you love your screenshots). Desktop Since this update is aimed mostly at keyboard-and-mouse users, let’s start where those folks are likely to spend a lot of their time: the desktop. For starters, depending on what kind of machine you have, the PC manufacturer might program it to boot into the desktop by default. Of course, that was already an option in Windows 8.1; the difference is that if you buy, say, a mouse-and-keyboard machine, like a clamshell laptop, the OEM can make that the default so that you never even have to bother with the settings. And yes, if you’d rather go straight into the modern Start Screen, you can do that too by unchecking a box in Taskbar settings. Speaking of the Taskbar, the rumors were true: You can now pin Windows Store apps to the bottom of the screen, along with traditional legacy programs. In particular, the Windows Store shortcut will come pinned by default on every Windows machine, though you can, of course, remove it if you’re so inclined. As for everything else, you’ll have to pin those programs manually. In fact, the default setting is not to show Windows Store apps on the Taskbar at all, which means another visit to the Taskbar settings is in order. Start Screen and Windows Store apps It’s not just Windows Store apps making a cameo on the desktop — the Start Screen has meanwhile gotten more mouse-friendly. Most exciting of all, perhaps, are those new power and search buttons you can see in the upper-right corner. That’s right, you no longer have to expose the Charms Bar to power down or restart your machine (search is a bit different, because all you ever had to do to bring up search results was start typing ). What’s interesting is that if you’re using a touch-first device like a tablet, the power button won’t be there; just the search icon. The reason: Users are apparently used to shutting down their mobile devices by holding down a physical power button, but with laptops they still expect a soft key. We won’t argue with that. But wait, here comes another revelation: right-clicking. Now, if you right-click on something like a Live Tile, you’ll see a pop-up menu right there, where your cursor is. That way, you don’t have to bring your mouse to the bottom of the screen, where the menu options would normally show up. Forgive us if we sound sarcastic here — we really don’t mean to — but there just isn’t much to say about this. It’s a welcome change, but also something that probably should have been part of Windows to begin with. Additionally — and this feels like a small change — anytime you install a new app you’ll see an arrow at the bottom of the Start Screen with a message that says something like, “12 new apps installed.” See? Fairly minor change. But it makes sense. Meanwhile, inside the Windows Store apps themselves, navigation will feel a little more similar to using Windows on the desktop. In particular, if you hover at the top of the screen, you’ll bring up the Title Bar, showing the name of the app, with an options menu on the left, and an “X” on the right to close out. Throughout, too, Microsoft has fine-tuned Windows so that all of the existing mouse gestures are more precise. For instance, in earlier builds of Win 8, it was perhaps too easy to move your cursor into the upper-left corner and accidentally pull up a list of open apps (remember that the back button in IE is located in the same corner, which makes it a tough spot to avoid). Now, following this latest update, mousework in Windows feels more… controlled. So, if you want to see that list of open apps, you can still poke around in the upper-left corner, but you’ll really have to push your mouse in there; you’re less likely to pull up the list by mistake. Ditto for bringing up the Charms Bar on the right, or menu settings on the bottom of the screen; they’re the same gestures, just with a little less sensitivity. Performance enhancements In addition to all the fun stuff (read: features we can capture in screenshots), Microsoft also made a bunch of under-the-hood tweaks that should improve performance, regardless of what kind of device you’re using. First off, Microsoft will be shipping its operating system to manufacturers as a compressed image, so that it takes up less space than it would have otherwise. Additionally, the so-called Process Lifetime Manager in Windows more aggressively suspends apps to reclaim memory. The keyword there, of course, is “suspend, ” as opposed to “terminate, ” which means although the OS should now be more memory-efficient, apps should still open quickly the next time you use them. Think of it as a deeper sleep state for apps, similar to what laptop makers have already achieved for Ultrabooks. Finally, Microsoft improved compatibility with IE, a tweak that should be especially good news for enterprise folks using Internet Explorer on Windows 7. Filed under: Software , Microsoft Comments

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Windows 8.1 update aims to win over mouse-and-keyboard users, arrives April 8th as an automatic download

We’ve been waiting for it for quite sometime, but now Amazon is finally ready to make its play for the living room. Fire TV is not a barebones device like the Chromecast, it’s a powerful platform with ties to the broader Amazon ecosystem. Inside the slim black plastic box is a quad-core CPU with a full 2GB of RAM — that makes it more akin to a high-end smartphone than your typical streaming device. And its incredibly slim, shorter than a dime and with barely enough clearance for the small selection of ports around back. Developing… Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD , Amazon Comments

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Amazon announces Fire TV streaming set top box

American 3D printer manufacturers have stolen a lead on the competition, but a Japan-based alliance is looking to fight back… it’ll take a year or two, is all. The group includes universities, 27 companies including the likes of Panasonic, Nissan and Kawasaki, as well as the Japanese government. Rather than cheerfully-colored figurines and trinkets, the group plans to use titanium-based materials to craft complicated components like airplane parts and artificial joints for medical use. For the government’s part, it’s promising 3.8 billion yen ($36.5 million) this year, with each member organization adding another 500, 000 yen per year to the research group. According to the Nikkei, work will focus on advanced tech that will allow 3D-printed components through (awesome-sounding) “molten metal powders.” The aim is to have prototype machines by 2015, with some 3D printers ready for sale as commercial products. Final finished machines for making medical equipment and aircraft manufacturers will apparently take another four years to perfect. Filed under: Misc , Science Comments Source: Nikkei

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Japan looks to next-gen 3D printers for a return to manufacturing success

You’re not the only one who’s ever bought silly things from Amazon while drunk. Good thing Amazon has several return methods, the newest of which lets you send back that banana slicer through the company’s strategically placed delivery lockers . According to The Wall Street Journal , the e-commerce giant will now let you return duds that way, so long as you get a drop-off code from its Online Returns Center first. You’ll need that code to open a cabinet on the locker, where you can stick in a box (up to12x12x12 inches in size) that holds and conceals your embarrassing purchase. The WSJ says this move could save Amazon some serious cash, as up to a third of online purchases are usually returned and shipping’s one of the company’s biggest expenses. After all, carriers can retrieve items and deliver new orders at the same time whenever they visit a location. Unfortunately for customers, Amazon charges the same amount for locker returns as it does for UPS drop offs. We imagine it’s still a welcome development for folks who live or work near one of those lockers, though — whatever makes it more convenient to send back that Borat mankini , right? Filed under: Misc , Amazon Comments Via: Wall Street Journal Source: Amazon

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Amazon delivery lockers now also accept returns