Android based Ouya gets updated again, fixes many bugs

Ouya the bestseller Android based gaming console has gone for update again bumping up the version number to  1.0.346.  Remeber the Ouya was launched only weeks earlier and there are many bugs which are yet to be reported to the makers.  

The new update fixes many bugs and gives a whole new game details page.  The changelog for version 1.0.346 is as under :

1. Game Details page has been re-designed:

2. Images and buttons now easier to navigate

3. Selecting (Pressing the (O) button on) an image will show it full screen

4. Description text no longer flows off screen.

5. “More Info” button allows user to read full description text

6. Longer titles now accommodated better

7. Queued downloads now display as “In Queue…”

8. Ratings system has been updated to use a more intuitive system of age ranges

9. Founders Icon for games now appears on the Game Details page. 

10. Game downloads can now be cancelled!

11. Downloads have been limited to 1 to increase performance while navigating during a download

12. Downloads are paused when a game is running to maintain best performance while playing. They resume automatically when exiting the game

13. Downloads now start in the order they were queued

14. Downloads give a clear indication when there is not enough space left to accommodate them

15. Added the ability to set a PIN code for purchases. Parents rejoice! This can be found in under MANAGE -> ACCOUNT -> PARENTAL CONTROLS

16. Added support for redeeming pre-paid cards. They can be redeemed when creating a new user, or from the MANAGE -> ACCOUNT -> PAYMENTS screen

17. Re-flowed in-game purchases to accommodate pre-paid cards. 18. Allows the user to fix purchase errors without leaving the game.

19. Logging out now allows users to log in or create a new user

20. PLAY category now sorts by most recently played or downloaded

21. Changed background image. Style points +1

22. Changed layout of Network screen to match the new user experience.

23. Changed the look of more dialogs to have the OUYA theme

24. Fixed bug that could cause the account screen to appear to not respond to user input

25. Fixed a bug that could occur when getting a system update while out of space

26. New repository with 3rd party game engine

27. Fixed changing passwords through Gamers Portal blocking users 

28. Fixed purchases not working when changing to a Dev account 

29. Fixed simultaneous button presses not registering in some MP games.

A long list from the makers but is a necessity considering it is a newly launched hardware.  

Unity Engine now comes to Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8

Game developers must be having their best phase ever.  Yesterday I  had reported that Valve had released its Source SDK 2013 with support for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headsetfor Linux and today Unity has announced support for Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.  This news comes just a month after Unity had made its engine available to developers for free.   

The move came from Microsoft and Unity at the Build 2013 DevCon and it was was announced that the highly versatile Unity 3D game engine will be supported on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. 

The release further adds that Unity will be developing new tools that will support Microsoft's next generation console and also actively be involved in the present ones.   It will bring together marriage of two technologies with Unity 3D game engine on one side and multiplayer matchmaking, SmartGlass, Kinect gesture recognition and Microsoft's Azure cloud technology on the other. 

The bad new is that only those developers who are working with  Microsoft Studios will get access to the developer tools for free.  Which means that other developers will have to pay for the services.

The Unity CEO David Helgason has noted that 

"I'm also happy to say that the Windows Store Pro publishing add-on will be free when released, You'll be able to port your games, ads, training and educational apps-any kind of Unity-authored content-to both the Windows Store Apps and Windows Phone 8 platforms with a Unity Pro 4 license." 

Will this birth of a new era in game developing, that only time will tell but the move is sure to elate the game developers community because of wide  popularity of the game engine.  Organ Trail: Director's Cut to turn-based RPG Knights of Pen & Paper, Surgeon Simulator 2013 are some of the games which have been developed using Unity.

Will keep you posted on any further developments in the gaming development world.

A delight for Game developers, Valve releases source SDK 2013 for Linux, supports Oculus Rift virtual reality headset

Valve had made a promise to the game developers some time back that it will release the source Software Development Kit for Linux.  Well it has made good its promise by releasing the same. The company has its Source software development kit, Source SDK 2013, which will now support Linux in addition to Windows and Mac OS X. However the mega news for gamers is that Valve has added support for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset in this edition of the SDK.

For the uninitiated, the Source SDK can be used by game developers to develop new game mods. The support for Linux means game mods can now build and run clients on Linux computers. Earlier the Valve had support only for Windows despite the games being available for all platforms.  Linux will get dedicated servers support with this SDK.

Valve has made a lot of changes in the new SDK, the biggest being the entire source code is now hosted on Github the latest hit portal for developers and publishers. The company has also changed the license that makes it easier for developers to share their mods and changes to the SDK. 

The new SDK will however not ship the modding tools such as Hammer which is used for modelling and level design, it will have to ship with the respective game.  Valve has also phased out the launcher, instead, you will have to navigate to where the tools are stored as batch files and launch them. 

Steam’s new delivery service, Steam Pipe, is now supported by the sample mods, and existing mods’ gameinfo.txt can be changed to match the new format to support Steam Pipe support.  Valve will now support Oculus Rift which mean that game developers will have to run compatible mods with “-vr” on the command line to enable head tracking and run the mod in stereo on the virtual reality headset. Gamers will remember that Valve added Oculus Rift support to Team Fortress and Half Life 2 earlier this year.

To download the Valve's Software Development Kit (SDK 2013) visit here.

Voice calls, videos calls, P2P file sharing with new Mozilla Firefox browser for Windows, Mac and Android devices

A June parting gift from Mozilla, make voice calls and videos calls from the new Mozilla Firefox 22 browser for PC and Mac and Android devices.  Mozilla this week updated Firefox to version 22 and with it brings nice little changes to the browser.  For one it is very stable, and now supports video Chat, voice calling and P2P file sharing from within the browser itself.  The Peer to Peer (P2P) sharing has been made possible because of Mozilla guys have made WebRTC default in the new version.

For those who are interested in browser history and web based development, this update is really a big leap because the default  WebRTC will now allow developers to create web apps with built-in voice and video calling, and peer-to-peer file sharing without having to implement third-party plugins or software like Adobe Flash etc.  This also means that security wise your computer and browser are much safer.  Developers just have to add a few lines of codes to draw out the full potential WebRTC’s PeerConnection and DataChannel components to add video/voice calling and file sharing capabilities to the Web Apps being developed by them.

This update is also important for the App developers of Firefox OS for smart phones.  The browser also comes enabled with Asm.js optimisations, which is a subset of JavaScript that lets web apps run just like the inbuilt native programs. Which means the App and game developers can use the engine from within the browser to run 3D Apps and games.   

Mozilla first demoed this capability at the Game Developers Conference in March. The company teamed up with Epic Games to port the Citadel demo and Unreal Tournament to Asm.js, and showed off the two ports running natively in Firefox.

The Windows version of the browser now will display scaling options so that the text size is rendered as per the resolution.  which means the new Firefox browser will render text in a larger font if your display is HD and lower the rendition for normal displays.   The Mac OSX version now puts a download progress icon in the Dock. The WebGL rendering has also been improved.

The Android version now scales completely to present the full tablet UI on smaller screens which is really helpful if you have a 4.3 inch Android device.  The WebGL rendering performance has been also improved through “asynchronous canvas updates” according to Mozilla guys.   The release makes a interesting fact as Microsoft today released a preview of IE11.  Maybe the browser wars will start afresh now

Get the latest version of Firefox for the PC and Mac here. The Android users can download the App from Google Play here.

Just click 'Like' when you want to say ok, alright or will do with new Facebook update

You are faced with a situation when your friend on the opposite end asks you if you will come for a game or meet or anything and you hate typing the full thing out as 'Okay, I will come' or 'Okay' or even a 'yes'.  Instead you end up typing in 'k' which looks pretty ugly when you are on the messenger with your boss, colleague or a eminent persons.  Well the Facebook's recent update has solved your problems in a jiffy.  It has given a 'Like' button on the right hand side of the screen which you can input in case of all of the above you want to answer to your opposite member on the messenger.

Image courtesy techcrunch.com

With the new update, you will notice that the “Send” button has being grayed out when you have not typed anything, a thumbs up, or Like button has appeared. Now, instead of typing in “Okay”, “Alright”, or “That’s great, man. I approve”, you can simply hit the Like button and your friend will receive your approval as a Like button sticker.

Now that is what I call innovation.  Surprisingly, Facebook didn't publicise this feature as much as it did to its other features.  This one takes a cake because a 'like' sticker is much respectful then a 'k' or 'ok' for that matter.  

This button should be default for every messenger like WhatsApp, WeChat, native messenger on phone because it is really useful.

You can now insert JPEG and JPG images in comments on your Facebook Page on PC

In a announcement today, Facebook unveiled a facility for users to add JPEG or JPG images to their comments.  Facebook has done so by introducing some tweaks to its website.  This tweak will not only help you in communicating in a better way but also add fun quotient to commenting.  

Those who love replying using memes and images are in for a treat with Facebook’s latest tweak. By using the camera icon in the comment’s panel you can upload an image to the comments section of a status update, Facebook share or any other activity.

You can click on the image in the comment to view a larger version of it in the photo viewer but you cannot comment on it. Pages have not been given this feature just yet, you will only be able to comment on your friends’ status messages or group posts.  As of now GIFs are not supported in the upload image to comments tweak.  Users will also not be able to use this feature on the mobile web, iOS and Android Apps as of now but both GIFs and mobile support should come slowly know Facebook.

Android and iOS users can however view the images posted in comments by PC users.They can, however, view the image replies.

You can log in to your Facebook page from your PC and check out this feature.  If for some reason you can’t see the camera icon, don’t worry, Facebook has said that the tweak is being rolled out slowly and steadily to all users.

Jelly Bean 4.2.2 comes to Sony Xperia Z courtesy XDA's DooMLoRD

The leaked update for Sony Xperia Z has been released by DooMLoRD from XDA forums.  The official update is expected to come to your Xperia Z phones by end of this Month.  However if you want to see what this update will bring on the table you can try the DooMLoRD released firmware.  

This build has been prepared from the leaked update and is adated for the developer handsets so some things might not work properly and you need to have a unlocked bootloader.   The UI has not been changed in this update, the only noticeable changes are a customizable lock screen and  access to quick settings on the drop-down notification. 

Click here to visit and download link.  Remember the official version may be available pretty soon, so only die hard modders may try this out.

BlackBerry 10.2 to support Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Apps and Games on BlackBerry Phones

BlackBerry Blog today announced availability of SDK for runtime environment to run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Apps on BlackBerry 10.2.  The Beta release of the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and Plug-in for Android Development Tools for BlackBerry 10.2 brings support for Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. 

Some specific Jelly Bean features such as Fragments, embedded fragments, animation framework and hardware acceleration will also be supported in BB 10.2.    Developers can start testing apps on Jelly Bean and how they work on the BlackBerry platform by using the BlackBerry 10.2 Beta SDK OS from here. 

BlackBerry's Android Runtime tools have been updated to support Eclipse 4.2, Android Development Tools v22 and can now target Android SDK level 10 to 17.  You can get more details about  the Runtime for Android Apps here.

Share your any doc, photo and folder with your friends, colleagues and loved ones with new updated Dropbox

Dropbox today released a nifty little update for its App which now lets you share a link to any doc, photo, folder or to any of files online. As per the Dropbox blog to start off, Dropbox users will have to first right-click on to the content the user wants to share, and select "Share Dropbox Link". Soon after like shown in the image above, a tiny bubble will appear telling the user that the shared link is in their clipboard. Alternatively, users can press Control-v or Command-v to paste their link to get going.  

Looks like Dropbox can't put a foot wrong as of now regarding user experience.  The update also offers a new look with large buttons and a clean interface.  The update even brings about thumbnails of files that you have shared or just uploaded, making it easy for you to spot and revise them. The only problem as of now is that it is a little difficult to find out how much space you still have left and seeing the “pause sync” option is a bit of a task that requires a couple of more clicks.

If you have large files to share head over to Dropbox, sign in and download the App for your PC.

Run your Apps in 'Incognito Mode' in CyanogenMod ROM, a new feature from its developer

CyanogenMod has added another feather in its cap.  Now you will be able to load your Apps with a 'incognito' option where by you can control the access levels of the App.  Steve Kondik, the famous  developer of Cyanogen, has announced  this new feature for his Android ROM, the CyanogenMod. 

The new feature will ask the users for an option to run apps in 'incognito' mode. It will be a simple privacy feature that is designed to let users have more control over the data that is generally accessed by apps.  Another beauty is that the new setting will be available for each application rather that a batch.  So you get to choose the Apps which you don't want to give access to your personal data rather than a blanket setting for all Apps.

Kondik was quick to point out that he wasn't providing a way to block ads or spoof device information, like IMEIs. Instead, this is a feature to simply let users have more control of their privacy on smartphones.

Kondik has listed following features that the new Incognito Mode will support :

1. Return empty lists for contacts, calendar, browser history and messages

2. GPS will appear always disabled to the running application

3.When an app is running incognito, a quick panel item is displayed in order to turn it off easily

4. No fine-grained permissions controls as you saw in CM7; It's a single option available under application details

So another beautiful feature, which I feel should also be available in regular OS of smart phones.  But like always, the modders go where no OS has gone before.

How to update your iOS 6xx device to iOS 7 version, a video tutorial for you

Here is a video tutorial to upgrade your iOS 6xx device to the newly announced iOS 7 beta version and check out all the features I have given here.   Please remember, do not upgrade the phone if you have jail broken it.

And if you don't like the Apple's new offering you can always downgrade your phone back to  iOS 6.1.X (6.1.4 for iPhone 5, 6.1.3 for iPhone 4S) check this video tutorial

Bing and iOS collaborate to topple the Search King Google, Siri in iOS 7 to beature Bing as default search engine

The search engine wars have now crossed a new level with Apple announcing at the WWDC 2013 that Bing not Google will be the default search engine that will power Siri on iOS 7.  

So it is now confirmed that besides a new look and new visuals the Siri will get a new search master too.  Up until now Siri used Google to bring out answers to your questions.  But coming fall with the roll out of iOS 7, Siri will use Bing as search engine to answer your queries.

This is actually a confirmation from the Apple top management that it no longer wants to ally with Google.  However the cosying up with Microsoft put up another question in users minds.  Will PC and Mac converge in near future?  Well that seems like a distinct possibility now but not in immediate future.

Another question to be answered by Microsoft is that is Bing capable of delivering the powerful search results that Google can?  This can only be answered after the release of iOS 7.  If it doesn't, well, it will cause the same mess up iOS 6 and Apple Maps caused way back in 2012

Yahoo! Search goes for a makeover and gets a modern look but only in US for the moment

This is the image of the newly designed Yahoo! search in the United States of America.  Yahoo! seems to have let go its decade old search interface in keeping with changing times.  The new design as per Yahoo will give out relevant results front and center, and is consistent with their newly designed homepage. In addition to a new design, Yahoo! also claims to have fed it some under-the-hood performance improvements that enables the pages to load faster.

The modern design is also includes a new  navigation bar at the top of the page allowing users to toggle between the Yahoo! mail, news, sports, finance and other Yahoo! sites easily.  And Yahoo! had said that it will improve on the navigation bar to give the user total Yahoo! experience from within the page

Laurie Mann, SVP, Search of Yahoo! said this to say

"Over the coming months, you’ll see more from Yahoo! as we work to deliver a search experience that combines utility with beauty and gets you to your results faster. Today’s news is just our first step," 

Looks like with the acquisition of Tumbler and the complete refurbishment of Yahoo!  Marissa Mayer will take Yahoo! back to its old glory days.  The email interface was changed in the month of December, 2012 and now the search interface, makes it seem that  Yahoo! is fast peddling its redesign schemes.

If you haven't checked the latest Yahoo! mail interface do it now.  And by the way if you want to check out the latest Yahoo! search interface, type yahoo.com and select yahoo.com when prodded at the top of the page. 

Gmail for iOS gets brand new 'Inbox' in the latest update. gets a thorough professional UI

Google today updated its Gmail App for iOS and has rolled out a brand new 'inbox'.  With this the version number of the Gmail iOS App is now 2.3.1.

The highly professional looking INBOX lets you control it rather then other way around.   This brand new 'inbox' is similar to what is being offered on PC to desktop users with you getting to choose what goes where.  This will be particularly beneficial to the users who receive heavy amount of emails.  The new categories which are introduced are social notifications, deals and offers, confirmations, and so on.  This way your all Facebook, Google+ and other social mails will be clubbed under one window.  The important mail will be received in the Primary mail box.  And the offers etc. will go into Promotions mailbox.  

After you update to the latest version, the Primary inbox will show up when you launch launch the app. They can also toggle between the different inboxes as per their requirment.  The Gmail iOS app that has been been optimized for iOS 5.0 or later and will work with iPhones and iPads

What's more the update also brings new notifications options for iOS users, thanks to which, they can opt for being notified for messages, only important messages, or for none at all. They can set these changes in a per account basis. Additionally, these changes can be customised from the in-app settings page.

This is a fun way of checking your mail.  I am already using this method on PC and like it very much.  So head over here to Apple Store to download the latest Gmail for iOS App.

PC users can also opt for the professional INBOX by going to settings ( a little gear at the top right) and choosing configure INBOX from there.  Thats it, you now have a professional looking INBOX like the one described above.

Facebook embraces file sharing, launches Pipe a 1GB file sharing integration with Facebook

The world of cloud storage and file sharing gets more crowded from today with Facebook announcing the launch of Pipe, the Facebook integrated App to be available from today.  Pipe has been in testing mode with a year of invite only and beta status at the Facebook labs.

The launch of Pipe adds a new dimension to the cloud and file sharing platform as with Pipe you get to share your files on a peer to peer network from within the Facebook page itself. 

The app incorporated within Facebook has been developed by a Berlin-based company called Pipe Dream Technologies. Since it is fixed inside your Facebook account, it lets you connect with your friends and share files up to 1GB in size in real time on the social networking website just like that.  No hassles, no sign ins or no permissions.  

You will simply need to drag and drop a file into the Pipe app to send it to a friend. Pipe should be available on the App Center on your Facebook page right now, so you can start sending out files to your contacts today onwards. 

Pipe establishes a P2P connection with your friend’s computer when both of you are online. The app makers assure that neither does Pipe make use of any servers to establish contact between two computers, nor do your files pass through Facebook. This ensures that there is no third party involved and you can send you private files at no risk.  In case a contact is offline and you need to send him or her a file, Pipe will store the file in a locker for your friend to retrieve it later. These lockers however have a limit of 100MB of data but you can make use of as many of them as you like.

Simon Hossell, Founder and CEO of Pipe had to say this on the launch

“We’ve worked really hard to make Pipe this simple. Anyone can use it. The user just drops a file in the Pipe and their friend receives it. We’ve made the technology invisible,”  

While Pipe is limited only to desktops as of now, mobile versions of the app seem to be in the works. The CEO says that while the iOS version of Pipe is almost ready, an Android version is still being developed.  So there you go, file sharing gets a new dimension and now you have the required privacy for sharing your files.  Can't wait till Google Drive and Google+ are reverse integrated!!

Skype for Windows 8 gets a upgrade; send 720p video and receive 1080p one with the latest update

Even as Microsoft and Adobe released Adobe Reader for Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has now upgraded its video calling service, Skype with enhance videographics.  The new updated Skype will have better video messaging and HD support.  

As per Microsoft blog, depending upon the network, users can send HD video of upto 720p and receive upto 1080p video.  While this should improve the overall quality and performance of the video call, HD video support is only available “in select scenarios,” according to Microsoft. These depend on the sender’s camera, available network bandwidth, and the receiver’s setup on x86 devices.

Microsoft says, that the video messaging has been improved to provide stability in this release, and also tweaked how notifications work so that video messages are easier to find for those who receive them.

Microsoft has also fixed the following issues in this release:

File transfer: Sender missing file sent history if restarts app before completing the send. Crash after the sender initiates file transfer and moves back to conversation.
Call connect: Crash when reconnect attempts in some situations.
Notifications: Crash when clicking on notification in some situations.

There are still at least two known issues in this release, both related to video messages: they aren’t displayed in chat history and their thumbnails redirect to record flow instead of playback when cache has been cleared. Microsoft has not shared a date by which it expects to squash these bugs or when it plans to take video messaging out of preview for its Windows 8 Skype app.

Download the latest version of Skype for your Windows 8 here.

Vijay Prabhu

Adobe Reader available for Windows Phone 8, download it now!!

The PDF Reader was officially released today for Windows Phone 8 by Adobe Inc.  Microsoft, via its blog, informed that the App will include cut, paste and copy abilities.  

You can also zoom in on the PDF files to the exact para and open password protected files from this App.  Bookmarking is also supported so you can scroll large tomes of PDF documents with ease.  The in-PDF links can be opened within the App with a long press on the link.  The only disadvantage is that as of now the App is only available in English.

The salient features of the Adobe Reader for Windows Phone are 

• Quickly open PDF documents 

• View password-protected PDFs and sticky notes

• Search text to find specific information 

• Select single page or continuous scroll modes 

• Easily zoom in on text or images for a closer view

• Use bookmarks to jump directly to a section in your PDF document

• Tap on links in a PDF to open linked web pages

• Quickly navigate through large documents using thumbnails

• Select and copy text from a PDF file to the clipboard

The Adobe  Reader for Windows Phone 8 version can be downloaded free of cost here.  

Vijay Prabhu

Google Drive for iOS updated, now lets you add comments and image swiping, download now!

After the last update two months ago, Google today updated its native Google Drive App for iOS devices.  The new update now supports comments and image swiping.  

Image courtesy engadget.com

As a user, how is this going to help?  Ok, the comment support for Google Docs files means that now you can now create, view and reply  and resolve comments directly from within the App.   Which effectively means that you can do this within the App with multiple friends onboard.  

The updated Drive App also lets you browse through all your images on your iPhone or iPad by simply swiping through them.  All these come in addition to the 15GB free space Google Drive provides to individual username.

The features in updated Google Drive for iOS

-Edit and create documents and spreadsheets with Docs and Sheets

-Share photos and files with friends and family

-Always have the latest version of your documents, whether at home or in the office

-Pin files to make them available offline

-Keep photos and videos from your device in Drive so you have everything if it breaks or is lost

-Access your stuff from a new device without having to transfer or download anything

If you own a iOS device, get the updated Google Drive from here.  Please comment in on the changes in the App and their use to you.

Vijay Prabhu

HTC One gets Android 4.2.2 update, adds new features but still has the Sense UI 5.0

There were hot comparisons between HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S IV which often lead to a flamming war on threads.  However one area which S IV won thumbsdown was the OS.  HTC One was launched with Android 4.1 whereas S IV came with Android 4.2.  However after criticism for not launching the latest available OS, HTC has now come up with a update for HTC One devices.  They are being upgraded to Android 4.2.2.  

And the upgrade comes with some very good features.   Perhaps the best feature is the option to have a battery percentage in the status bar instead of just a icon showing the battery levels.  You have to activate it through the power settings.  Other changes include slight tweak in the overall system, adding a Android EQS and a few more toggles including a power saver mode which now thankfully will not be visible at the top of notifications.

One more change is you can now customize the function of long press of home button from Google Not to a menu button.   is a bit odd, but Android 4.2.2 will reportedly bring some more customization. 

Notable changes can be summarised as follows :

Showing the battery level % on the battery icon

Android EQS

Android daydream

Long press of home button can be used as menu button

Changes to app drawer and dock

What the HTC One users will really hate is retaining of HTC Sense UI 5.0 with the current update.  The HTC One users have long been demanding a update to the Sense UI, but HTC seems to have blind eyed the demand.

In my opinion, the changes are rather cosmetic without any change in the user experience.  But these are my opinions.  Upgrade your HTC One to Android 4.2.2 if you have already not done so.  

Vijay Prabhu

Microsoft to change from Tile Menu to Start Menu in Windows 8.1, only just

Image courtesy engadget.com

Never liked the Windows 8 tiled menu? You are not the only one, I myself had upgraded to Win 8 from 7, but after a while got tired of looking at the tiles, searching for my Apps and then reverted back to Win 7.  Having a smart phone like interface for Windows 8 may have its admirers, but it did not have the numbers Microsoft would have liked.  So what does Microsoft do? 

The answer is simple, go for the middle path.  And that is what Microsoft has done with Windows 8.1. Microsoft will publicly show off the improvements it has made to Windows 8.1’s Modern UI sometime tomorrow.  

Its been 7 months since the launch of Windows 8 and bowing to the popular opinion Microsoft has made many changes in the Windows 8.1.  It will be available free to the Windows 8 users through the Windows Store.  Touch was the essence on which Windows 8 was built and 8.1 will continue the legacy.   Some of the changes that have been incorporated in Windows 8.1 are given below.

The Start menu

This is one issue which formed the crux of many threads in various fora.  It has had its critics and likes but not having the control panel easily accessible is the biggest drawback of Windows 8.  Microsoft  seemed to have realised that!  But it is only visible in a tiny line buried at the end of the Microsoft blog.  In Win 8.1, you’ll now be able to choose from different views to boot into and select your own options.  Its a change but only just.  

Microsoft also says the “hint” icon displayed when hitting the lower-left corner of the screen has now been changed so that a Windows logo appears, and it will always be visible in the Desktop mode. So this somewhat evokes the old Start button, but doesn’t quite reinstate it.

The Start screen

The Start screen will now consist only of tiles that you want to pin there. The earlier "All apps" view was much better organised but also difficult to find. This view now pops up with a swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen that is if you aren't using it by default from boot menu.  Another thing Microsoft has done is that the newly installed Apps tiles will be highlighted similar to what we have in Windows 7.  So ultimately the start screen will show only the tiles you want to see.

With the tiling system, the tiles in Windows 8 were prone to be accidentally moved or displaced.  With Win 8.1, that has been solved to a extent because in Win 8.1 you will need to tap the tile and hold or right-click to move them around.  Win 8 also offers a wider range of tile sizes to choose from. The new small and large squares make the Start screen look very similar to Windows Phone 8’s main menu. Multiple selection of tiles was a much needed relief, for you can now resize, move and even get rid of several tiles in one go.   However there is no information in the blog whether  all tile animations can be turned off in one shot.

There are also more choices for the Start screen’s background. There are more colours and new “tattoo” patterns (including animated ones), but users will most likely appreciate the ability to use any customised image as the background and also have a single  image as desktop wallpaper and Start screen background. 

PC settings

As I had noted above Windows 8 made a simple task of getting into the system a presumably difficult one for users because Control Panel was not easily accessible to users.  With Windows 8.1, Microsoft says that would not be much of a problem right now.  Though explicit shortcut to Control Panel has not been provided, but Microsoft indicates that there should be nothing in the Control Panel that cannot also be found outside the desktop, including hardware setup, power management and domain management.

The lock screen

You can now run a Slideshow as a screensaver when your device is lock.  The slides can contain anything you have stored on the hard disk or in you cloud accounts.  Windows 8.1 also gives you ability to take photos from the webcam even when the device is locked.

Multitasking

The Snap feature in Win 8.1, is now not limited to specific screen sizes. You can snap two apps next to each other and drag the bar between them arbitrarily. You can also have two instances of the same app snapped next to each other on screen, such as two document windows. PC users with more than one monitor will be able to snap even more apps together on screen, run different full-screen apps on different monitors and even leave the Start screen permanently visible on any one monitor. 

Windows Store

Free apps will be easier to find and the homepage will have pinned lists of top picks and new entries. Related apps are now listed in an app’s detailed view, along with more descriptive information about it. Apps can update themselves in the background instead of requiring a user to check for updates. 

Others

Internet Explorer has been further updated to version 11. Microsoft assures that touch response is improved, pages will load faster, there’s no limit on open tabs and you can choose to have the address bar visible at all times.  

Search and cloud integration

Searching for anything from the Start screen or within the Modern UI will now bring up a Bing results page with results from the Web, your synced SkyDrive and social accounts, and apps. Results will come with “Quick Actions” shortcuts for doing things such as playing media files. The new search experience is described as “the modern version of the command line!” by Microsoft.

Microsoft has said that the preview will be launched on June 26, coinciding with the Microsoft DEVCON and you may get your hands on the new build soon after that.

Vijay Prabhu