October 27, 2010
Two-year wait for Windows 8, MS blurts
The Register
John Oates writes that we may have to wait a while for the next release of Microsoft Windows.
“A posting on Microsoft’s Dutch site suggests we’ll have to wait until 2012 for the next release of Windows. Microsoft declined to comment and the message was rapidly deleted, but was grabbed by Ina Fried at CNet and a host of bloggers. The post, celebrating the first birthday of Windows 7, said that Microsoft was hard at work on Windows 8 but the release was about two years away. In place of the offending paragraph the Dutch site now says that Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is currently in testing and will be released in the first six months of next year.”
Adobe AIR 2.5 adds Flash to Android, TV and RIM tablets
The Register
Gavin Clarke shares Adobe’s future product plans.
“Adobe is working with Microsoft to deliver AIR on Windows Phone 7, Adobe told The Reg. The company missed a cut-off date for the release of Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system, launched this month. Flex Framework and Flash Builder will be updated to work on Apple’s tablet-tastic iOS in an unspecified follow-on release, but Flex Catalyst won’t follow suit. Adobe said it picked the BlackBerry tablet because RIM is being very aggressive and ‘really wants to get into the game.'”
Size Does Matter With the 11-inch MacBook Air
Wired
Brian X. Chen shares details about Apple’s new MacBook Air.
“Apple’s Air taps a few sweet spots that most netbooks never come close to. The widescreen display gives room for a standard full-sized keyboard and glass trackpad, so it doesn’t feel crampy; the clickety-clackety of the keys are nice and Apple-y. The screen is a higher resolution at 1,366-by-768 pixels (compared to 1,024-by-768 pixels on most netbooks) to give a sharp, clear picture. It’s also disconcertingly quiet – there’s virtually zero fan noise. But, even though the 11-inch Air is roomier and sexier than a netbook, it still feels claustrophobic over extended periods of use. Staring at a crisp 11-inch screen induces squinting, and the idea of doing any serious work on this note is painful.”