19/03/2013

What does a great Windows 8 gaming laptop need?

A recent question from a reader brought up an issue we've been discussing around the office recently -- the lack of Windows 8 laptops that include both a touch screen and a high-end GPU. Our reader's question, excerpted below: May I ask for your advice on purchasing a gaming PC? I'm considering the Alienware M14x, but the only thing holding me back is the absence of a touch screen and I can't seem to find powerful laptops with a touch screen. Do you think touch-screen laptops will soon become the standard? It's true that the handful of serious gaming laptops we've reviewed thus far with Windows 8 have all lacked a touch screen. It's a feature that is standard for nearly every other category of laptop now, and in fact, I can't think of a Windows 8 laptop we've reviewed that arrived with even an entry-level discrete graphics card and a touch screen. That's a real shame, because the PC gaming market is about as exciting as any time I've seen it in many years, with new games such as XCOM: Enemy Unknown and the upcoming BioShock: Infinite presenting themselves much better on PC than the current generation of dated living-room console hardware. With touch screens so prevalent in other Windows 8 laptops, and, frankly, required to avoid navigational frustration in Microsoft's new operating system, it's rare (but not impossible) to find even a mainstream laptop that offers GPU options. Clicking around the various PC makers' Web sites, some reasonable user-configurable options I've found include a Dell Inspiron 15z, which can be upgraded with a Core i7 CPU and an Nvidia GeForce 630M GPU, currently discounted to $999; and a Sony Vaio E14 with a similar Core i7 plus AMD 7670M graphics for $909. Both include touch screens, but you have to hunt and peck to find the right combination of base model and available upgrades, and neither is truly a high-end gaming system. I'd love to see something like the no-compromise Origin PC EON17-SLX upgraded with a touch screen -- the Windows 8 version we reviewed late in 2012 would have greatly benefited from it. And not necessarily because it's required by many mainstream games, but because it would make the system more useful and up-to-date for nongaming tasks. Similarly, we're currently testing a new Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 laptop, which includes an Nvidia GeForce 650M, Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, backlit keyboard, and a clever swappable bay for accessories. So far, it's a laptop I like a lot, but the lack of a touch screen keeps it from being a system one can recommend for both gaming and everyday Windows 8 use. The answer may come from something like the Razer Edge, a Windows 8 gaming laptop/tablet hybrid. The hardware is expected to ship soon, but the system is more tablet than laptop. Plus, the expected battery life is short, and the small screen won't satisfy gamers looking for a full-time rig. I have no doubt the next generation of most of these gaming laptops will move to touch screens, if only because the Windows 8 UI is so annoying to use without one. But for now, PC gamers are literally out of luck if they're looking for a do-everything touch screen system that also offers a no-compromise gaming experience. In the meantime, highlighted below are the Windows 8 laptops with discrete GPUs we've reviewed thus far in the Windows 8 era. For more information about Content in Microsoft office 2010/2011/2013 & Windows 7/8 at the Cheapest Prices in Australia, please visit us online at :

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Promoting developer ecosystem in India: Microsoft

Bangalore: Global software major Microsoft is promoting a developer ecosystem by empowering its about 1,000 independent software vendors (ISVs) in India with tools, technologies and training to compete in a global marketplace. "We have played a big role in developing high-end skills of ISVs, IT professionals and students. As a result, our partners have greater opportunity to create modern apps (applications) connected to cloud services that make information more accessible to users on any device at any time," Microsoft India general manager Joseph Landes said at a technology event here. The software behemoth is making significant investments in working with 1.2-million developers worldwide to create the second-largest developer ecosystem for developing apps on its latest platforms -- Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Office 2013, Office 365 and Windows Azure. "Our aim is to provide the developer community with a supportive environment to drive path-breaking innovation globally on our range of platforms, which open up countless opportunities to shape the app ecosystem across multiple devices, giving developers the chance to maximise their revenues," Landes at the Indian subsidiary's 'TechEd 2013' premier tech event. Other initiatives like 'Tech Days,' the 'I Unlock Joy,' 'Mobile Acceleration Week' and the first-ever women app developers event in India highlighted the company's commitment towards the developer community to lead innovation by building applications on Windows platform. The two-day event evoked huge response from IT students and budding entrepreneurs to keynote speeches, demos and workshops from experts and helped them catalyse their business potential. With the employability rate in the Indian IT services sector falling three times to 16.4 percent from 29.4 percent in 2012, there is a need for educational institutions to produce industry-ready candidates, which otherwise may become an impediment for growth for want of trained manpower for product-based and research-based projects. "As the Indian IT industry matures, it is imperative that skill building should be the focus area for progressive growth and to bridge the opportunity divide amongst youth in India," Landes said in his address. On the eve of Windows 8 launch Oct 26, 2012, Microsoft hosted Windows AppFest in this tech hub and made history by setting a world record for the 'most participants in a software development marathon in one location'. The record has been set at 2,567 developers coding non-stop for 18 hours. Developers from India and overseas participated in the event for building, designing and testing apps for the Windows platform with global mentoring and technical resources at hand. For more information about Content in Microsoft office 2010/2011/2013 & Windows 7/8 at the Cheapest Prices in Australia, please visit us online at :

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Microsoft Windows Phone 8 support to end in 2014

Microsoft will stop supporting Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.8 by September 2014. The information is available on Microsoft's website and was initially discovered by Engadget who discovered that Microsoft is now only providing 18 months of mainstream support for its mobile operating systems. Windows Phone 8 can currently be found on Nokia's Lumia 920 and the HTC 8X both of which will no doubt have replacements by the middle of next year. As yet there has been no word on what the next version of Windows Phone will be with the company focusing more on bringing Windows 8 to consumers following its official launch last year. While Windows 8 looks to be a success on desktops and laptops Microsoft is reportedly struggling to promote the operating system on tablets after it was revealed that the company had apparently only shipped 1.5 million Surface tablets in the last quarter of 2013. Windows 8 RT is the tablet-optimised version of Windows 8 which offers a more streamlined experience but at the cost of being able to run full Windows 8 applications. For more information about Content in Microsoft office 2010/2011/2013 & Windows 7/8 at the Cheapest Prices in Australia, please visit us online at :

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