Features

• First look: Windows 8 Release Preview

  By Loyd Case | 31 May, 2012 19:46

  I'm sitting in my breakfast nook, my Samsung Series 9 sitting on the countertop. I check the news, and then look at how the markets are doing. After that, I fire up IE 10 to check my morning blogs, which kills another 15 minutes or so. At that point, I swipe the home page to the list of apps and open Word. It's a little disconcerting to be in the Metro-style interface--in what Microsoft calls the "Windows Home Page"--and then suddenly be in the desktop as Word launches. But cognitive dissonance is likely to be a common phenomenon among experienced Windows users.

• Guide: How to use Microsoft Word as a desktop publishing tool

  By Helen Bradley | 30 May, 2012 08:21

  High-end desktop publishing programs, such as Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress, feature lots of tools to help designers produce stunning pages. But these programs are expensive, and novices require training to use them, factors that render their acquisition difficult to justify for most small businesses.

• Top 15 Cloud storage tips and tasks

  By Ian Paul | 07 May, 2012 11:31

  No single cloud service can do everything. Some shine when it comes to streaming a cloud music collection from the Web, but stink at syncing desktop folders. Other cloud services are great for sharing photos, but useless for reviewing a document's revision history.

• Opinion: Windows RT may be Microsoft's answer to Apple and Google in the BYOD game

  By Rob Enderle | 04 May, 2012 23:42

  There is an interesting post from the Microsoft Windows team on the Windows On ARM (WOA) version of Windows 8 that was recently renamed Windows RT-which reminded me why I'll never do Microsoft naming again. Windows RT is targeted directly at the iPad users who are bringing that product into the enterprise today on a wave of trend we are alternatively calling consumerization of IT or Bring Your Own Device ( BYOD) because we evidently can't come to a consensus on just one term.

• 10 predictions for what the CIO Role will look like in 2020

  By John Brandon | 04 May, 2012 01:39

  At the same time, we also know that technology will change dramatically. Who could have predicted even 10 years ago that the CIO would have to deal with complications such as cloud security and virtualisation? To find out how the role will change in eight years, we tapped industry leaders, analysts and CIOs themselves to discover what the challenges of 2020 for the CIO will be like. Here's what we found out.

• 10 commandments of Windows security

  By Daniel Dern | 24 April, 2012 09:15

  With the introduction of Windows 7, many PC and notebook users may feel more secure than they did using older versions of the Microsoft operating system. Newer OSs have more security features, offer better out-of-the-box security settings and have closed many of the historical security holes. Windows 7, for example, has changed the default User Account Control level so that it's harder for rogue programs to run without first explicitly gaining the user's permission.

• Guide: How to use Microsoft Word to create an e-book

  By Helen Bradley | 18 April, 2012 22:15

  Microsoft Word has lots of features that make creating ebooks easy. You can use styles to format an ebook or update its formatting to work on a different platform. You can use the References tool to create a table of contents automatically. And you can produce a design template that's ready for repeated use, so you can spend more time creating content and less time futzing with layouts. Once you've mastered these steps, you can create great ebooks effortlessly. I'll show you how.

• In depth: Nokia's great Windows Phone hope - Beauty without brawn

  By Galen Gruman | 10 April, 2012 20:13

  Nokia may sell more cellphones than any other company in the world, but it's been all but excluded from the United States for years -- and it's seen its global sales steadily shrink as the iPhone and Android smartphones have become the darlings of buyers in an increasing number of countries. Nokia's relevance has been fast receding, and its Symbian, Maemo, and MeeGo efforts became a pattern of failure for a company that just didn't get it. In response, a year ago, Nokia bet its future largely on Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's answer to Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

• How to buy a smartphone for your business

  By Ginny Mies | 06 April, 2012 23:00

  Shopping for a new smartphone is tough: With so many phones out there, finding the best one for your work life and your personal life can be headache-inducing. This guide highlights business features among the different operating systems, explains the best specs for business, and offers advice on the apps you should download once you purchase your smartphone.

• What will Windows 8 touchscreen laptops look like?

  By Melanie Pinola | 02 April, 2012 23:36

  Windows 8’s touch-centric interface will help to usher in a new wave of laptops with tabletlike touchscreens. To make it easier for users to tap and swipe on even superthin Ultrabooks, laptop makers will break out of the traditional clamshell shape and introduce laptops with more unusual designs.

• Windows 8 vs. Mountain Lion: Which OS succeeds at bringing mobile to the desktop?

  By Nick Mediati | 27 March, 2012 00:27

  With Windows 8 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Microsoft and Apple are both trying to bring features and concepts from their mobile operating systems to their desktop OSs.

• Microsoft: Don't hate IE 10

  By Tim Greene | 15 March, 2012 06:03

  Microsoft says its latest version of Internet Explorer clears out a lot of clutter and creates a more immersive browser experience when paired with Windows 8's touch environment, and that it can be navigated by mouse and keyboard as well, although from the sounds of it not as elegantly.

• Windows 8 Metro UI: 7 things you may just hate

  By Edward N. Albro | 07 March, 2012 01:50

  As everybody knows, the most striking thing about Windows 8 is its Metro interface - those brightly colored tiles that serve as both shortcuts to programs and live widgets reporting data from those programs.

• Windows 8 Metro UI: A bold new face for Windows

  By Nate Ralph | 07 March, 2012 01:49

  Change is terrifying, and few things in technology have a greater capacity to set us on edge than a fundamental reimagining of the Windows operating system--a piece of the PC that's as vital to our lives and productivity as our mice and keyboards. But change is afoot, and Windows 8 is designed to play a pivotal role in Microsoft's quest for relevance in a future awash with touch-centric devices.

• This year's mobile screens will stun and amaze

  By Mike Elgan | 06 March, 2012 02:28

  It seems like all phones and all tablets do all things for all people these days. Every single smartphone and touch tablet has become just about everything anyone could ever want in a mobile device.