Two new tablets released by Microsoft – one running on ARM, the other on Intel Ivy Bridge.
Windows 8 on Microsoft Surface – is beauty skin-deep?
By choosing to step back into hardware we can assume Microsoft are hoping these products will follow in the footsteps of the hugely-successful Xbox consoles…
Their latest foray into the hardware market was announced this week trumpeting the arrival of two tablet lines running Windows 8 RT and Windows 8 Pro respectively. The level of technical detail is hardly of a forensic level, but there’s enough there to tweak our interest.
Both of these tablet product lines are constructed around an all-magnesium case, have 10.6 Gorilla glass displays and a magnetically attached cover that doubles as a full multi-touch keyboard and trackpad.
The Windows 8 RT tablet has an ARM-based architecture, connectivity comes via Wireless Networking, micro HDMI, microSD and USB 2.0 and a choice of 32 or 64GB of solid-state storage. This kit is packed into a case 9.3mm thick and weighs in at 600g – almost identical to the third gen iPad (9.4mm and 652g).
The Windows 8 tablet is Intel-based with an Ivy Bridge Core I5 with either 64 or 128 GB of storage, USB 3.0, Mini Display Port, pen input support and a higher resolution display (1080p). It’s a little more chunky that its stable mate – 13.5mm thick and 900g
The release dates are tied to the Windows 8 launch, so we expect sometime around mid-autumn 2012 for the RT and the end of the year for the Pro.
If you are considering developing for these devices we provide scheduled and on-site courses in Windows 8 Development and Windows 8 Metro style App Development
Scribbled by Ian
Audacity v 2.0 released for WIndows, Linux and Mac OS X
If you’re recording and tweaking media clips for your Android or iPhone apps, Audacity 2.0.0 an indespensible tool. It goes from basic recording, trimming and fading ins and outs, to adding compression / normalization, eqs and filters, and a fair range of effects as well as pop and hiss removal, out of the box.
Free stuff is good. And good free stuff is even better. That’s why Audacity is absolutely great. It’s a lightweight, free (as in “freedom”), cross-platform audio recording and editing program which can handle Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files.
If you’re recording and tweaking media clips for your Android or iPhone apps, it’s an indespensible tool. It goes from basic recording, trimming and fading ins and outs, to adding compression / normalization, eqs and filters, and a fair range of effects as well as pop and hiss removal, out of the box.
Depending on your audio recording hardware it can also function as a fully-fledged multitrack recorder.
Changes you’ll find in version 2.0.0 include:
- Significantly effects improved
- Multiple clips per track.
- Tracks and selections can be fully manipulated using the keyboard.
- New Device Toolbar to manage inputs and outputs.
- Timer Record feature (that’ll give you time to leg it from the computerback to the Microphone).
- New Mixer Board view with per-track VU meters.
- Automatic Crash Recovery .
- Fast WAV/AIFF file import.
- FLAC now fully supported.
- Added support for optional FFmpeg library for import/export of AC3/M4A/WMA and import of audio from video files.
Scribbled by Tom
Windows Presentation Foundation 4.5 (WPF) Training Course
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is Microsoft’s API for creating Windows Applications with highly functional and good-looking user interface. This course provides comprehensive coverage of WPF with XAML in .NET 4.5, and also highlights differences from traditional Windows Forms development.
Windows 8 Developer Preview out now
A Developer preview of Windows 8 is available for download from today in both 32 and 64 bit versions….
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/
We’ve not had much chance to play with it yet – we’ll post our thoughts when we’ve given it a thorough seeing-too…
Scribbled by Ian
A Developer preview of Windows 8 is available for download from today in both 32 and 64 bit versions….
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/
We’ve not had much chance to play with it yet – we’ll post our thoughts when we’ve given it a thorough seeing-too…
Scribbled by Ian
iCloud Storage API – Developer beta version available
Apple’s next release of the mobile platform operating system, iOS5, will include extensive integration with its iCloud online storage service.
The beta version of the iCloud Storage API gives developers the tools to enable data and documents to be pushed to and retrieved from the Cloud, from compatible devices (iPhone, iPad, iTouch with the relevant updates installed). iCloud also supports OS X Lion and Microsoft Windows users.
We’re covering the best new features of iOS5 in our iPhone/iPad app development training …
Apple’s next release of the mobile platform operating system, iOS5, will include extensive integration with its iCloud online storage service.
The beta version of the iCloud Storage API gives developers the tools to enable data and documents to be pushed to and retrieved from the Cloud, from compatible devices (iPhone, iPad, iTouch with the relevant updates installed). iCloud also supports OS X Lion and Microsoft Windows users.
We’re covering the best new features of iOS5 in our iPhone/iPad app development training course.
Please do get in touch if you have any questions.
Scribbled by Tom
020 3137 3920