In line with past rumors, Microsoft sent out invites for a dedicated Windows 9 press gathering. The hotly anticipated event will take place in San Francisco.

Redmond’s upcoming announcement will also focus on enterprise. Read more »

The Windows 9 leaks just keep on coming. Following yesterday’s screenshot fest of the new Microsoft operating system, now we are greeted with a video showing how the new Start menu functions.

While this is by no means a final product, we can get the idea behind the new Windows 9 Start menu. It’s a blend between the classic and Metro versions of the menu. Read more »

Screenshots of the upcoming Windows 9 have leaked from its Technical Preview release. The screenshots show a refreshed user interface with some new, flat iconography, alongside the long awaited return of the classic Start menu.

Codenamed Threshold, Windows 9 is anticipated to bring some new features as well. One of them is the highly anticipated option to add a bunch of workspaces. Akin to Linux, those workspaces can hold different applications and make switching between different working environments a breeze. Read more »

Remember HP’s Windows-powered ultra low-cost 14-inch laptop that was supposed to be a Chromebook’s worst nightmare? Well, the HP Stream has finally become official today.

There is one huge caveat, though. While it was previously said to cost just $199, in fact it will start at $100 more than that. $300 still isn’t a huge sum to pay for a laptop, but it’s also not crazy cheap. Read more »

Following the VivoTab 8 Note, Asus also revealed the VivoTab 8 (M81C). The Windows 8.1 tablet features an 8″ IPS display with a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and an amazingly low under-$200 price tag.

Inside, there’s an Intel Bay Trial Atom Z3745 quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM (2GB also available as an option) and 32GB of storage. At the back and front, there are identical 2MP cameras as well as stereo speakers. Read more »

Not wanting to let other companies have all the device-launching fun these days, HP decided to introduce four new or updated products of its own. First up, we have the new Envy x2, coming to succeed the detachable tablet of the same name that was introduced back in 2012.

The new Envy x2 comes with Intel’s Core M processor, and will get both 13.3″ and 15.6″ screens. The keyboard dock has been redesigned, now coming with a fabric wrapping. Read more »

Lenovo unveiled the Horizon 2s and Horizon 2e, two tabletop PCs. Both have screens around 20″ big and can work as an All-in-one PC or you can lay it flat on a table so that up to four gamers can use it simultaneously. Yes, gamers, the two Horizons are particularly well inclined to playing games.

The Lenovo Horizon 2s is the slim option of the two. It is 15mm thick and weighs just over 2.2kg, barely a third of the previous Horizon 2 device. Read more »

Asus has just outed a pair of tablets – one 13.3″ and one 11.6″ – during its press conference at the IFA 2014 expo in Berlin.

The Zenbook UX305 is marketed as “the world’s slimmest 13.3-inch QHD+ laptop,” while the EeeBook X205 is set to offer quad-core Intel Atom device at under €200. Read more »

Toshiba unveiled its own ultra-affordable Windows 8.1 tablet, the Toshiba Encore mini (model number WT7-C16). Priced at just $120, the Encore mini sports a tablet sports a 7″ 1,024 x 600 screen with 16:9 aspect ratio and 5-finger capacitive touch sensor.

The tablet is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom Z3735G processor (1.33GHz clockspeed, 1.83GHz Burst Frequency). Read more »

Acer’s latest foire into Windows convertibles is the R13 laptop. It has a QHD (2560 x 1440) touchscreen display and an Intel Haswell chipset. The most curious thing about it is that Ezel Aero Hinge that has dual-torque design and allows the display to be rotated and the ultrabook to convert into six distinct body-to-screen configurations.

You can use the R13 laptop in the notebook, stand, tent and three other positions. Both the top plate of the device and the display are covered by Gorilla Glass 3. Read more »

Windows 8 wasn’t accepted as warmly as Microsoft would have liked but a Developer Preview of Windows 9 is expected at the end this month. It’s so close that the team behind Microsoft’s Weibo account has the teasers ready, we know because they jumped the gun with one of them.

The image above – a combination of the Windows logo and the version number – was posted on the Microsoft China account with a text hinting at the lower left corner. Read more »

Microsoft recently reported that a large number of its Windows Store apps are misleading users with inaccurate titles and descriptions. This has prompted the company to purge more than 1500 apps from its app catalog.

The removal of the apps in question comes as part of an attempt by Microsoft to improve the quality of its app selection, and is also reflected by the company’s updated app certification requirements. Read more »

Microsoft is expanding the availability of the Surface Pro 3 (which recently got a price cut) with 25 new countries (up from just 3!). The Docking Station is available for pre-order in those same regions.

The company calls the Surface “the tablet that can replace your laptop” and has an infographic to prove the need for its hybrid device. The company surveyed 2,900 professionals in eight Asia-Pacific markets and found that half travel between different cities for their work and four out of five carry three different devices devices. Read more »

Microsoft has slashed the prices of its Surface 2 and Surface 3 tablets. The second-gen Surface 2 is getting ready to celebrate its first birthday and is now selling $100 off across its range for the occasion.

Currently, the 32GB Wi-Fi Surface 2 retails for $349, down from $449. The more versatile LTE model with 64GB storage costs $579. However, you might think twice before getting one when you see the Surface 3 new pricing. Read more »

According to a report in The Verge, Microsoft plans to unveil Windows 9 on September 30. The Redmond giant is tipped to be planning a press event, where a developer preview of the OS will be revealed.

The late September release date has been mentioned in past reports. Read more »