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Valve launches Steam's Big Picture mode, celebrates with a sale
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Valve has announced the public launch of Steam's new TV-oriented "Big Picture" mode, which makes it easier for PC gamers to step away from their desk and enjoy titles from a couch. The new interface was first teased in early 2011 and finally hit beta this September...
Open source project catalogues Windows Store apps: 25,539 total
- The contents of Microsoft's Windows Store are now accessible via web browser thanks to the efforts of @vlkodotnet, the developer responsible for MetroStore Scanner. The project is purportedly open source and allows users without Windows 8 to slalom through thousands of…
Microsoft introduces browser-based Windows 8 app creator
- A recent Microsoft Research Connections blog post outlines some changes that have been made with regards to the tools that developers can use to create apps for Windows 8 or Windows Phone 8. Up to this point, developers were required…
Redesigned, speedier iTunes 11 now available for download
- One month after initially planned and with just a day to spare on its second deadline, Apple has finally released iTunes 11. The newest version of the company’s desktop media player and digital storefront has been redesigned from the ground…
VLC launches Kickstarter campaign for Windows 8 app
- The team behind the popular open-source media player VLC has announced plans to develop a native app for Windows 8’s Metro UI, and they’re looking to crowdsource funds for the project through Kickstarter. According to the team, although they currently…
Microsoft Security Essentials bombs tests, loses AV-Test certificate
- Microsoft Security Essentials was the only entry to fail AV-Test's certification between September and October -- an embarrasing slip for the once well-regarded virus protection solution. MSSE received a total of 10.5 out of 18 possible points, most notably falling short…
Pre-alpha build of webOS shown running on a Nexus S smartphone
- A team of volunteers at Phoenix International Communications have managed to port webOS onto a Samsung Nexus S. The feat was pulled off by running an app inside Android so it’s not a true-to-life port but either way, it’s a…
Dishonored beats sales expectations, deemed a new franchise
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With a fresh console generation around the corner, many large publishers have been hesitant to release new properties, especially those that lack mass appeal, but Bethesda's gamble on Arkane Studios' first-person stealth action title seems to have paid off...
Google enables larger attachments in Gmail with Drive integration
- Google is making it easier for users to send large files via email by integrating its cloud storage service Google Drive into Gmail. The move means users will be able to send files up to 10GB in size, or up…
Microsoft: 40 million Windows 8 licences sold so far, 85% launch the desktop on day one
- Microsoft has sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses after the operating system's first month of retail availability. Tami Reller, corporate vice president for Windows and Windows Live, revealed the number at a recent investor conference held by Credit Suisse but…
Doom 3: BFG Edition source code released on GitHub
- Game developer id Software has released Doom 3: BFG Edition’s source code to a GitHub repository under the GNU General Public License, giving the modding community a chance to tinker with the game’s engine and release their own creations without…
Next Windows Phone update to include VPN support, various fixes
- With the launch of Windows Phone 8 almost exactly a month ago, Microsoft is already looking forward to an interim update for the platform. Codenamed Apollo Plus, the update is said to include wireless and audio improvements, as well as…
Firefox 64-bit development quietly ended for Windows
- It appears Mozilla has quietly toe-tagged 64-bit builds of its Firefox browser for Windows. In a Google Groups discussion, managing engineer Benjamin Smedberg requested coders halt development on nightly builds of its 64-bit Windows distribution.
Loophole enables anyone to get a Windows 8 license for free
- Copies of Windows 8 Pro are freely available from Microsoft’s website for anyone who wants to try out the operating system. Normally, the software would expire after 180 days, a period that is meant to allow Volume Licensing customers to…
Nokia Here offers walking and driving directions on iOS
- Nokia is looking to capitalize on the much-publicized Apple Maps flop with the release of its own mapping alternative for iOS. Dubbed Here, the free HTML5-based app uses Navteq data (the same that a majority of in-car navigation systems use)…
Windows 8 user interface ripped apart by Nielsen Norman Group
- Windows 8 has once again come under fire over its questionable user interface. This time, it’s Jakob Nielsen from the Nielsen Norman Group voicing an opinion based on a recent case study conducted by the company. Simply put, Nielsen’s words…
Apple's OS X 10.9 to include Siri and Maps integration
- Apple’s OS X 10.9 is still a ways off -- it should arrive in third quarter of 2013 if the company sticks to its schedule from the past few releases. But early builds are already in testing and apparently they…
Opera Mobile unveils plans for download / streaming music service
- Opera Mobile, the Norwegian company behind the self-titled web browser, has unveiled plans for an all-you-can-eat subscription-based streaming music service to debut in Russia. The goal of Unlimited Music is to make tunes available in a simple and affordable way…
Microsoft launches 60-day trial for Office Professional Plus 2013
- Microsoft signed off on the release to manufacturing build of Office 2013 last month, meaning the coding and testing phase ahead of the productivity suite’s launch is over. Although general availability is slated for the first quarter of 2013, those…
Google improves Flash sandbox, Chrome safer than ever
- Google silently rolled out an update to Chrome which featured an unusual change, apparently one worthy of an announcement on the Chrome Blog: improved Adobe Flash plug-in sandboxing. The company claims its new method of fortifying Flash makes Adobe's plug-in…
BlackBerry Messenger gets free voice calls over Wi-Fi, available now
- Research In Motion is not expected to release its next generation BlackBerry 10 handsets until the first quarter of 2013, but the company has something for its loyal users in the meantime: free Wi-Fi calling over BlackBerry Messenger. Version 7.0…
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