Thanks to some images that popped up over in Russian leakster WZor we get a glimpse of what Microsoft is working on for the first update to Windows 8.1.

In said leaked shots we see metro apps (in this case the Store) pinned on the taskbar in Windows 8.1 update 1 Desktop mode. An option dubbed ‘Show Store apps on the taskbar’ seems the likely culprit here – pictures after the break. Read more »

Research and analyst agency Kantar Worldpanel ComTech has outed a part of its yearly analysis of the tablet markets. According a tweet by the company, Microsoft Surface sales have gone up in the month of December.

For now, there’s no specific data to show just how of a brisk turn the Surface sales have taken. However, the research company says Microsoft is still “far behind” the market leaders. Read more »

Sharp has announced a new tablet running Windows 8.1. The RW-16G1 is a massive 15.6-inch tablet, designed more to be used on your desk than on the move.

The 15.6-inch display has a resolution of 3200×1800 and uses an IGZO panel. It also comes with a stylus with 256 step digitizer for pressure sensitivity. Inside, there is a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5-4200U processor with Intel HD Graphics 4400, 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. The RW-16G1 claims to have a battery life of up to 9-hours. Read more »

Google has released a new version of Chrome (32.0.1700.76) for Windows, OS X and Linux that brings with it some useful new features, such as showing activity of multimedia status on tabs, supervised users and special mode for Windows 8.1.

We often have dozens of tabs open on your browser and then one of them starts playing a sound and we have no idea which one is responsible for it. With the latest update, Chrome will now show a speaker icon on any tab that is currently playing a sound, so you know where to go to mute that annoying sound. It will also show a red dot if a tab is using your webcam and a blue rectangle if a tab is casting to your TV connected to a Chromecast. Read more »

The Nokia Video Director app was unveiled alongside the Lumia 2520 Windows RT tablet. The app offers a simple way to throw together videos, with transitions and background music.

A new teaser video reminds people who bought the 2520 to download the app (and the accompanying WP8 app to more easily grab videos shot with your phone). Read more »

Beats Electronics is launching its new Beats Music service in the US. The service will be available starting January 21 and will be available in single and family plans, the latter being exclusive to AT&T.

One of the highlights of the Beats Music service is the curated content tailored for your needs. The service uses algorithm and curation from its staff to suggest music to you based on what you like and listen to. Read more »

It’s no secret that Windows 8 hasn’t exactly been a resounding success. So what’s the best way to fix a failed OS? Start over. That’s what Paul Thurott, a Windows news maven, believes will happen in April of 2015 with the release of Windows 9.

Thurott believes that Microsoft’s Build 2014 developer conference will see the announcement of Windows 9 this April, with the release of the OS set for the following year.

Windows 8 came under a lot of fire for its wild redesign. The Start menu’s absence being the most notorious omission from Microsoft’s new OS. Well the beloved Start menu should be making a comeback in Windows 9, and it’s rumored that it may return even as early as the Windows 8.1 update. Read more »

XOLO is playing Pokemon with chipset provides, doing all it can to catch them all. The latest addition is AMD. The XOLO Win is a 10.1″ tablet running Windows 8, powered by an AMD APU that uses the same CPU core as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (Jaguar).

XOLO aims the tablet at youths and working professionals. Read more »

Micromax outed its new Canvas Laptab at CES 2014 and got a chance to take it out for a spin. The device is a part of a new trend of devices that’s able to dual-boot both Android 4.2.2 and Windows 8.1, and seamlessly switch between them.

It’s all thanks to Intel’s new “dual OS platform” technology that allows you to run both OSs on a single device, and we already saw it in action on the Asus Transformer Book Duet. Read more »

Intel’s keynote at the on-going Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas saw the announcement of a new technology, which the company calls ‘dual OS platform’. The newest innovation from the semi-conductor company allows you to run two of the most popular operating systems, Android and Windows, on a single device.

With Intel’s newest technology on board, you can switch from Android to Windows OS almost instantly by just pushing a button. Read more »

Asus has unveiled a new convertible device that’s set to dual boot between Android and Windows. More impressively the device can switch between them seamlessly in as little as 4 seconds.

Powered by 4th-generation Intel processors, the Transformer Book Duet has the standard folding form factor of ultrabooks, but also features the removable 13.3-inch screen that Asus is famous for. Read more »

Toshiba’s Kira Ultrabook has been available in the United States for quite a while now, and the good news for all the fans waiting in the United Kingdom is that the Windows 8.1 ultrabook will finally debut in Britain next month.

The Kira Ultrabook variant hitting the stores of the UK will feature an upgraded Intel Core i7 Haswell processor out of the box to make up for the delay. Read more »

Lenovo brought out more convertible laptops than just the refreshed Yoga lineup – the Miix 2 line got 10″ and 11″ models and for those who prefer bigger laptops, Lenovo brought the Flex 14D and 15D.

The Miix lineup consists of detachable laptop/tablet hybrids, while the screens on the Flex lineup can do a swivel motion of up to 300 degrees. Read more »

Lenovo updated the non-Pro Yoga convertibles, meet the Yoga 2 in both 13″ and 11″ versions. Both laptops now run Windows 8.1 on an Intel processor (the original Yoga 11 ran Windows RT on an ARM processor).

The Lenovo Yoga 2 is a mid-range version of the Yoga 2 Pro, which was unveiled in September. Read more »

Lenovo has announced a new 8-inch, Windows 8.1 tablet called the ThinkPad 8. The device is meant to compete with the iPad mini and is targeted at professional users.

The ThinkPad 8 has an 8-inch, 1920×1200 resolution display, although Lenovo does not bundle a stylus with this device. On the back the tablet uses an aluminum body and supports flip cover similar to the iPad’s Smart Cover that magnetically snaps on to the side. Read more »