Microsoft has expanded its retail footprint and unveiled the Microsoft Store on eBay today, for those of you in the United States. The Microsoft Store on eBay offers consumers another convenient and safe online shopping experience for Microsoft products.

“Today, I am thrilled to announce the opening of the Microsoft Store on eBay in the U.S.! We are excited to work with eBay to help expand our retail footprint and give even more customers another complimentary, convenient and safe online shopping destination to purchase their favorite Microsoft first-party products – just in time for the busy holiday shopping season,” Microsoft’s Vice President Online Commerce Kevin Eagan stated in an official blog post today.

Since eBay features over 124 million active users globally, the made sense for Microsoft to capitalize on having its own products given special attention on the popular site. “Our customers can expect the same safe online shopping experience, return policy and free shipping from the Microsoft Store on eBay that they’ve come to expect on microsoftstore.com,” Microsoft explained.

“The Microsoft Store on eBay will sell Microsoft first-party products, as well as curated products appealing to the eBay community, resulting in a unique shopping experience entirely different from shopping in a brick and mortar store,” eBay stated in an official press release today. This store will offer Surface RT, Surface Pro, Xbox 360 and accessories, Kinect, Surface accessories, Microsoft keyboards and mice, and refurbished products. Interestingly, the store isn’t offering the Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2 – at least not yet .

The Microsoft Store on eBay looks very similar to the online Microsoft Store, so your shopping experience can be familiar. Head over to the store and check it out for yourself – they even have a Deals section!

As you’re reading this website, there’s an extremely high chance that you’re using at least one Microsoft product — the chances are that you use more than one. It would be a pretty safe bet for me to place money on the fact that most of you use Windows as your main operating system… I wouldn’t expect to win any prizes for insight there!

But it would be foolish to think that 100 percent of visitors to WinBeta are using exclusively Microsoft products. If you’re anything like the team here, you probably use a wide variety of devices.  I thought it would be interesting to share some details about the devices I use and see how it compares to everyone else.

As a writing, I spend a huge proportion of my time sitting in front of my computer. My operating system of choice is Windows; it has been for years. I have been known to dip into the world of Ubuntu from time to time, but I always return to the fold after a little while. Although I have a decent desktop machine — which dual boots between Ubuntu and Windows 8 (yep… this baby is yet to be upgraded to 8.1!) — I spend most of my time working on a laptop.

I find this gives me greater flexibility in terms of working in different locations as I can just grab my machine, take it wherever I’m going and pick up from where I left off. I have a netbook (oh yes!) running Windows 8.1, but the majority of my time is spent typing away on a Surface Pro. This is a device that took me a little while to get used to (and I still rarely make use of the touchscreen) but it is a great compromise between a tablet, a laptop and a desktop computer.

“My reliance on Windows for work means I just could not use a Chromebook full time”

But this is not the only operating system I use. I also have a couple of Chromebooks which make for a nice change from time to time. I’m yet to fully immerse myself in Chrome OS, but the Chromebook 11 is a lovely machine — providing you’re not one of the unlucky people to have one with an overheating charger. These are more of a curiosity for me at the moment than anything else. In terms of writing, they are perfectly competent machines, but my reliance on Windows for work means I just could not use one full time — well… I guess I could remotely access a Windows computer, but that’s too much like hard work when working away from home!

With mobile devices I’m a little fragmented. Going back a few years I owned, and loved, an iPhone 3GS. But it seemed that this was just a phase I had to go through, and I found that I feel out of love with iOS, my eye distracted by the lure of Android (oh, there was a brief flirtation with BlackBerry, but the less said about that the better!).

Android is still my mobile OS of choice at the moment. I have a semi-retired HTC Sensation which was replaced with an HTC One and then a Samsung Galaxy S4. What’s that? Microsoft make a mobile OS too? Yep, I know. I also have a Nokia Lumia 928, and it’s a device that confuses me. Back in the years before smartphones, I’ve got through more Nokia handsets than I care to remember! The 928 is a lovely piece of hardware. It is solid, pleasing to hold and feels incredibly well-built.

What lets it down for me is Windows Phone 8. Sure, it’s an improvement on Windows Phone, but I actually preferred Windows Mobile 6! I’m looking forward to upgrading to 8.1, but for the time being it just feels too restrictive to me. My opinion may change in time, but for now Android wins me over.

The same is true for tablets. While I have a Surface Pro, it’s a bit too heavy to me to consider using it as a tablet in bed. The significantly smaller and lighter Nexus 7 fits the bill for me right now. Being Android-based like my phone, it’s great to be able to keep my apps and settings in sync and it’s great for keeping up to date with news, browsing the web, watching videos and playing games. It does everything I need it to and more, and there are more apps than you can shake a stick at. There’s also an iPad 2 knocking around the house, but that’s rarely fired up these day. But I’m still more likely to pick up Apple’s tablet than my Surface Pro to use as a tablet (although an iPad Air would be tempting if it was rather cheaper!).

“I still consider myself primarily a Microsoft user”

That said, I am very much looking forward to getting my hands on the Nokia Lumia 2520 when it launches. Thus far I have limited myself to fully-fledged Windows on a tablet in the form of my Surface Pro, so it will be interesting to try out a “proper” dedicated tablet running the RT variant of Windows 8.1.

With this mix-bag of devices and operating systems, I still consider myself primarily a Microsoft user. I’ve never been much of a gamer, but I have owned both an Xbox and an Xbox 360 over the years (both were used mainly as media servers). The Xbox One is grabbing my attention though, and I’m looking forward to playing with one. It could be the console that gets me back into gaming (the last time I was seriously a “gamer” was when the SNES was king!).

So — how about you? Let us know about your set up. Do you rely on different hardware for different tasks, such as Windows for your desktop, Android for a tablet and iOS for a phone? How many of you are completely dedicated to Microsoft? It would be interesting to know if you think Microsoft has anything to learn from the likes of Apple, Google and Linux — or if the influence could work the other way as well. Share your thoughts in the comments below!

It’s only been 3 weeks since Nokia World was hosted in Abu Dhabi, and we got to see the Nokia Lumia 1520, the Nokia Lumia 1320, the Nokia Lumia 2520, and many other new apps and features. One of the new apps is the Nokia Storyteller app. This app will be available on both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8, with a beta already being released on the Windows Phone Store. The thing is, you will need to have Lumia Black to download the app.

The Nokia Storyteller app complies with Nokia’s initiative of all-photography on mobile devices. The app displays where and when all your pictures were taken. This is ideal for people who travel a lot, or tourists, because this app can recall missing memories they had at the point where they took the image or the video.

The Nokia Storyteller app is now available as a beta in the Windows Phone Store, but users can’t download it since Nokia has told us that this will work with Lumia Black. Only users who have Lumia Black and GDR3 will be able to download the app.

To get a better look at the app, Windows Phone Central has a hands-on video explaining its features.

It’s rather odd that Nokia has released this app before the Lumia Black update, but Nokia might be slowly teasing us, since they already have the Nokia Beamer app in the Windows Phone Store. It’s only a matter of weeks until we see Nokia’s Lumia Black update appear on our phones, I guess we’ll just have to wait.

Microsoft has announced the expanded availability of Office 365, the company’s cloud-powered office productivity suite, to seventeen new markets and four new languages. In total, this would mean that Office 365 is now commercially available in 123 markets.

“Office 365 is expanding availability to 17 new markets and 4 new languages.  Office 365 is now commercially available in 123 markets, additionally 120-day trials are available in 18 markets where paid subscriptions may become available in the future,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

The new markets with paid subscriptions include: Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Lebanon, Jamaica, Bolivia, Brunei, Nicaragua, Honduras, Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Georgia, Ghana, Mauritius, Iraq, Bermuda, Rwanda, Belize, Cameroon, Moldova, Mongolia, Zimbabwe, Cape Verde, Fiji, Kyrgyzstan, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Angola, and Libya. 

The new Office 365 120-day trial markets include: Palestinian Territories, Congo (DRC), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Botswana, Namibia, Curaçao, Faroe Islands, Monaco, St. Kitts and Nevis, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Afghanistan, and Tanzania. 

The four new languages include: Indonesian, Kazakh, Hindi, and Hebrew. This brings the total number of languages to 40.

Today is a big day for Microsoft’s Windows operating system. For those who do not remember, November 10th, 1983, was the day that a young Bill Gates introduced Windows 1.0 to the world as an operating system that would help start the PC revolution and change the way we use computers to this day. Today, we celebrate the 30th birthday of Windows.

“Microsoft works on the first version of a new operating system. Interface Manager is the code name and is considered as the final name, but Windows prevails because it best describes the boxes or computing “windows” that are fundamental to the new system.Windows is announced in 1983, but it takes a while to develop,” Microsoft explains on the Windows history website. Apparently, haters believed this new “Windows” would become “vaporware.”

Two years after the initial announcement, Microsoft shipped Windows 1.0 on November 20 of 1985. This marked a radical change from typing DOS commands to simply moving a mouse to point and clicking your way though “windows.” Bill Gates, at the time, described this as a “unique software designed for the serious PC user.”

For those who remember, Windows 1.0 only required a minimum of 256 kilobytes (KB), two double-sided floppy disk drives, and a graphics adapter card. A hard disk and 512 KB memory is recommended for running multiple programs or when using DOS 3.0 or higher.

Eventually, the “Program Manager” shell in Windows was evolved into the “Windows Explorer” desktop shell which made its debut in Windows 95. Enhancements were made to the shell as the years went on and ultimately was set aside for the new Modern user interface and Start Screen in Windows 8.

Windows now commands over 90% of the operating system market share, surpassing competitors such as Apple OSX and Linux.

We’ve embedded two videos for you below to relive the old memories in celebration of Windows’ birthday. In the first video, we can see a young Steve Ballmer promoting the first version of Windows. In the second video, we can listen to all the default startup sounds of Windows through the ages. Enjoy and lets wish Windows a happy birthday!

Thor: The Dark World, the second movie in the Marvel series, which chronicles the mythical Norwegian god, debuts today. Expected to follow in the line of blockbuster hits, the movie has received considerable media attention. While Microsoft, like any company, is always looking for a bit of publicity, the software giant teamed with Marvel Studio to also bring about a bit of cheer.

However, in this particular Thor adventure, there are no bad guys to swing the mighty hammer at, and no destruction will be wrought. Instead, Microsoft communications property Skype allowed “fans the chance to submit their burning questions to the cast of Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World and also Kevin Feige, the producer and President of Marvel Entertainment.” Needless to say, the response was overwhelming, with many videos even featuring fans dressed in costume. You can watch the results here.

Those selected in this contest also got a treat beyond just having their question answered — “of course, every movie has a premiere, and this time Skype was a part of not just one, but two! Some of our Moment Makers had the chance to attend and make moments of their own.” So far, this all sounds like a lot of fun, and a great opportunity for fans. But not all of what Microsoft did was about fun and games, there was a more somber note.

“We also transported the action and excitement of the red carpet to patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. A giant monitor showcased a special Skype video call that brought the heroes of Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World together with the children at the hospital. A special area in the hospital was transformed to resemble Thor’s mythical home of Asgard, immersing the children in Thor’s world as they watched a special, simultaneous showing of Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World.”

Microsoft, while it gets little attention, does a fair amount for charitable reasons. One could argue that it’s for appearances sake, but consider founder Bill Gates’ work with his foundation and the promise to give away his fortune for the good of others. Perhaps, despite the frequent “evil corporation” tag, the company can earn a bit of slack from the media, at least once in a while.

December 3rd will be a special day for developers, especially Visual Studio developers. Visual Studio 2013 is set to launch officially on December 3rd. The launch is based in London, which also happens to host the New Developers Conference.

For those who visit the launch, there will be a free pre-conference workshop for developers who aren’t even attending the New Developers Conference.

To spice up the launch, there will be some members from the VS team in the US present, along with London-based Microsoft reps.

“Join us on the 3rd of December for the launch of Visual Studio 2013 and find out how these tools will help you create your applications or to modernize existing applications.”

What launch doesn’t succeed without top members being on stage? There will be the Senior Director of VS Product Marketing, Nicole Herskowitz, along with David Carmona, the Director of VS Product Marketing.

Windows Phone Central have a rough outline of what topics will be covered, they will be listed below.

• Agile development and what is new in TFS
• Building applications for Windows 8.1 and Windows phone with Visual Studio 2013
• Introduction to our Testing Tools
• Develop and Test Applications on Windows Azure
• Develop Web Applications with Visual Studio 2013
• Application Lifecycle Management using Visual Studio

You can sign up with the link provided here. If you’re going, be sure to send us some pictures!

Office “Gemini” is the codename for the next big update to Office, in which we are expecting a Metro/Modern version of the Office productivity suite. The “Gemini” range of Office updates are rumored to roll out sometime next year, around the spring or summer time.

Similar to Office Web Apps (and Office 365 subscription model being the center of the Gemini strategy), this new version of Office will run on multiple platforms. According to a new report from ZDNet, Microsoft is reportedly working to build the Word, PowerPoint, and Excel apps from the ground up. Microsoft is internally calling these apps as WinRT apps.

“To get the core Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps to work natively on touch platforms, Microsoft is basically having to start almost from scratch. The Office team is having to redo the UI to include an updated ribbon model. They’ve had to rethink what a touch-first (as opposed to afterthought “touch mode) interaction experience should be,” the report states.

These WinRT apps are not intended to replace their desktop counterparts, as Microsoft plans to continue to develop and innovate on the desktop front. The report also indicated that InfoPath may circle the drain in the near future, but Microsoft has yet to confirm this. The new interface Microsoft is working on is set to be the center of the new Office on all platforms, including competitors platforms.

So what is taking so long? According to ZDNet, it has a lot to do with the company’s new and evolving product strategy, along with internal politics. However, the projected release date is sometime during spring or summer of 2014. Could we see a multi-platform Office or simply a touch-centric Windows Store style apps? We will just have to wait and see.

Microsoft is already working on two new Office apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Currently code named as Office Reader, this app provides a cross format tool for consuming different formats of content. The Office Lens app for Windows Phone allows one to scan and convert a picture using optical character recognition. 

The Microsoft archives have been in operation since 1989, building up into an ever-growing record of the companies past releases and achievements. This is a company with a great deal of history so it’s great to see that it is being preserved — the job falls to archivist Amy Stevenson.

It is her job to catalog, store and preserve all manner of noteworthy memorabilia — everything from Bill Gates’ “conversation chairs” to 5.25 inch floppies for the first version of Windows.

If you fancy taking a trawl through the archives, you can get a taster in the Microspotting video posted on Channel 9.

There are some great historical pieces to be found in the archives. Some of it speaks volumes about Microsoft while other say more about the technology and culture of the day. Oh… and there’s a massive Clippy costume which is just a bit weird.

Check out the video. If you’re anything like us, you’ll be overcome with waves of nostalgia.