Its finally that time. The time Live Messenger is phased out for Skype. If you are a Live Messenger user, here is a tutorual put together by Microsoft to help you make the transition with ease.

Not too long ago, we learned that Microsoft had plans to retire Windows Live Messenger in favor of Skype. Microsoft officially announced back in November of 2012 that Windows Live Messenger and Skype would become one and revealed that beginning April 8th of this year, the transition from Messenger to Skype would begin.

Microsoft’s main goal with Skype is to provide the best communications experience for everyone and making things simple for users while improving overall experience. Check out the tutorial below and get started with Skype!

Back in 1981 Microsoft’s founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen took a photo of them near several personal computers. Fast forward 32 years later, Microsoft’s two co-founders reunite for a classic photo refresh!

The photo was taken this week at Paul Allen’s Living Computer Museum in Seattle, Washington, and was taken during a celebration of computing pioneers at the museum. It is no doubt that these two men were pioneers of computing and this classic photo refresh is actually pretty neat.

It seems that the computers used in the re-creation of the classic photo shot are somewhat similar! As for Gates and Allen, notice how the major differences consist of Allen’s missing beard and tie.

For all you app developers out there, Microsoft has made available Update 2 for Visual Studio 2012. This new update features some “significant improvements” to Visual Studio 2012. Microsoft had originally released a preview of this update for you to test out and provide feedback back in January of this year, and now this update is final.

“Just as with VS2012.1 (which is installed as part of VS2012.2 for those of you who don’t already have VS2012.1 installed), this release contains important fixes as well as a wealth of new functionality, addressing feedback we’ve received from the community and aligning with key software development trends in the market,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Of the new features, there is a new “VS Blue” theme as well as performance enhancements when it comes to load time in the XAML designer. The new improvements deal with agile planning, quality enablement, Windows Store development, line-of-business development, and the general developer experience. There are also bug fixes and performance improvements.

Microsoft wants the Visual Studio experience be as streamlined an experience as possible for developers. For a detailed description of the update, hit the source link below, or hit the download link to grab the update!

With the launch of Outlook.com and the modernizing of Microsoft’s other online services, one thing was lacking attention. The Calendar on Outlook.com has retained the old Hotmail look for a while now. But no longer! Microsoft has announced that the Calendar on Outlook.com will finally receive its big update, rolling out this week.

“The Outlook.com calendar has been entirely redesigned with a modern, intuitive interface that puts you in control of your schedule. Our calendar service is faster than ever, helps you focus on the events and appointments and tasks you’ve added, and lets you take your calendar with you on any device,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Navigating through the new Calendar is a breeze and feels modernized, and now matches its email, address book, and SkyDrive counterparts. On top of that, the new Calendar features friend information from your social networks (Skype, LinkedIn, and Facebook) so you can see your friend’s birthdays on your Calendar automatically. You can even import your Google Calendar data!

The new Outlook.com calendar is rolling out now and will be available around the world this week. So head over to calendar.live.com and check to see if you have the update!

Last month, Microsoft revealed Windows Embedded 8 Industry during the Retail Tech Japan trade show. Windows Embedded 8 Industry is set to be the sequel to Windows Embedded POS Ready 7 and is a retail platform solution based on Windows 8.

In an official blog post, Microsoft has announced the availability of Windows Embedded 8 Industry and its three SKUs: Windows Embedded 8 Industry Pro, Windows Embedded 8 Industry Pro for Retail, and Windows Embedded 8 Industry Enterprise.

“Windows Embedded 8 Industry provides a fixed-image OS that is especially suited to power industry devices, control panels, kiosks, and yes, POS terminals. It provides a single image with lockdown features and embedded enhancements that will make the next generation of industry devices smarter, better connected, more secure, and more user friendly,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

With Windows Embedded 8 Industry, Microsoft touts app compatibility across devices as well as an easy means of deployment and an operating system that is easy to manage. Here is a breakdown of its features (per edition):

• Windows Embedded 8 Industry Pro. This is the ideal SKU to build ATMs and devices for the healthcare and manufacturing industries, creating a new class of industry-specific device with a sleek, powerful, modern OS.
• Windows Embedded 8 Industry Pro (Retail). This SKU provides specialized embedded functionality to get the most out of retail devices like POS terminals, kiosks, scanners and more.
• Windows Embedded 8 Industry Enterprise. Available through Volume Licensing in July, the Enterprise SKU provides embedded-specific features designed to integrate seamlessly with Windows 8 Enterprise.

Microsoft believes that its Windows 8 platform has opened up a wide range of possibilities. The software giant also believes that Windows Embedded 8 Industry is the “right product at the right time” to power the next generation of intelligent systems. Hit the download link below to grab the 180 day evaluation.

Microsoft is currently in settlement talks with Vringo, a small company who deals with software platforms for mobile social and mobile video services. Vringo originally filed a lawsuit against the software giant claiming they violated two patents dealing with search advertising.

Vringo sued Microsoft this past January and claimed Microsoft used Vringo’s own technology on Bing.com, which were covered by two patents, the same patents that Vringo defended in a case with Google, AOL, and other companies the previous year. Vringo and Microsoft are currently in talks to settle this case.

Vringo is accusing Microsoft for infringing on two of its patents that revolve around selecting and positioning advertising on internet search results. Vringo had won $30 million dollars in monetary damages from Google and AOL and was also granted “future royalties” that were estimated at “several hundreds of millions of dollars.” Google, on the other hand, refuses to admit defeat and is trying to appeal.

Microsoft recently launched its own patent tracker to provide “transparency” in the world of patents and urged other companies to do the same. “Transparency around patent ownership will help prevent gamesmanship by companies that seek to lie in wait and “hold up” companies rather than enable a well-functioning secondary market,” Microsoft stated. Too bad its not helping them right now with Vringo.

According to a Microsoft narrative writer, women are the “new core” when it comes to gaming. No longer are they a small percentage of the gaming market. Microsoft wants to create more diverse storylines and add more female characters and ethnicities for better gaming, especially for women.

“Women are not a small special market on the fringe of the core. Women are the new core,” claims Tom Abernathy, a narrative writer for Microsoft Studios. Abernathy believes that current games do not keep up with today’s social culture and the market for video games is changing too fast for developers and publishers to keep up.

“Our audience is leaving us behind. The world is changing, it has already changed, and we have not been doing a very good job of keeping up with it, Abernathy adds. Apparently 30% of US gamers are women! At least according to data from the Entertainment Software Association and game developer PopCap Games.

Having much more diverse games would obviously be good for the gaming industry as it allows for games to be given a wider audience. “Nobody in the room admits to being against making characters female or nonwhite. But they’re scared because they don’t know how to defend that choice to their bosses. Our industry, our art, and our business stand to gain in every sense simply by holding a mirror up to our audience and reflecting their diversity in what we produce,” Abernathy adds.

For those who own a Surface Pro, you may have noticed a new update available via Windows Update. The update is simply a low level driver update for the Surface Pro which improves SSD performance during boot.

The update is dated 03/28/13 and is for the Surface Pro. Microsoft did not offer specifics on why this update was needed except that it offered improved SSD performance during boot.

Since the launch of the Surface RT back in October of 2012 and the launch of the Surface Pro in February of 2013, Microsoft has been releasing monthly firmware updates as well as app updates to offer a better customer experience. Microsoft even promised continued support for both devices, so it is great to see this update from Microsoft.

If you have yet to install this update, head over to PC Settings, tap or touch Settings, then tap or touch Change PC Settings, then under PC settings, tap or select Windows Update. Did you notice any performance improvements after installing this update?

Art Text is a Windows Store app available for Windows 8 and Windows RT that helps users turn their text into art and help create logos, icons, web graphics, and buttons. The app runs for $9.99 and claims to be similar to Adobe’s Photoshop or Illustrator, without the steep learning curve.

“Art Text is a layer-based design application for turning text into art and creating logos, application icons, web graphics, and buttons. With Art Text you will get professional results without the steep learning curve of Photoshop or Illustrator,” the app description reads.

So what can you do with Art Text? Users can create catchy headings, unique titles for PowerPoint presentations, logos, or web graphics. Art Text features a template gallery packed with over 100 examples, as well as various materials, textures, and fills.

If you want to try out a cheaper and easier alternative to Adobe’s Photoshop, check out Art Text. It is $9.99 for a limited time, so hit the download link below to snag it!

With all the fuss over patents, especially between Microsoft and Google recently, the software giant has expressed its new-found belief that transparency is imperative when it comes to patents. On top of that, Microsoft has launched a patent tracker to showcase every single patent that the company owns.

“Transparency around patent ownership will help prevent gamesmanship by companies that seek to lie in wait and “hold up” companies rather than enable a well-functioning secondary market. Of equal importance, transparency is a prerequisite to enforceability of patent licensing pledges, whether to standards bodies or to the world at large,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Via the company’s new patent tracker, one can search an entire downloadable Excel file for Microsoft’s patents or simply search by patent number, patent title, country, and if the patent is held by Microsoft or a subsidiary.

Microsoft believes that transparency is important and without transparency, it would be impossible to determine is a company is ‘abiding by those commitments.’ Microsoft wants other company’s to jump on board this bandwagon and do the same.

We all know by now that Windows Blue is set to bring forth much-needed updates for Windows 8. But did you know that Windows Blue will also feature improved sync settings so you can have your custom Start Screen tile size and layout saved, as well as have it displayed on other devices?

According to a new report, Windows Blue will further enhance the Start Screen syncing feature already seen in Windows 8. Currently in Windows 8, you can save your Start Screen background across your Windows 8 devices via your Microsoft Account. With Windows Blue, you can save not only the color scheme but also the tile sizes and layout.

Windows Blue will also allow for syncing of File History, quick links, app secondary tiles, tethering, and device input personalization. Internet Explorer in Windows Blue will also see some new syncing functionality, including synced tabs across your devices. Bluetooth will also be associated with more than one Windows Blue device, once you pair it with one Windows Blue device.

The latest rumor states that we will see a public preview build of Windows Blue during the upcoming Build 2013 developer conference taking place in San Francisco on June 26th. It’s going to be interesting to see what new features we will see in that build, compared to the leaked Windows Blue build of 9364. These new sync features are a welcomed addition in enhancing our Windows 8 experience!

Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) in Windows Blue appears to be rocking a few new features which are yet to be talked about. These new features include a dedicated downloads list and a new feature called Tracking Protection. The downloads list is self explanatory, it allows you to remove, run, check the status and delete downloads. The Tracking Protection allows you to enable or disable the feature.

The new downloads list is a must have feature for those who don’t want to use IE11 on the desktop. The downloads list is accessible by tapping on the wrench icon and then tapping on View Downloads. This feature should have been in the Metro version of IE since the start. At least they’re working on it now.

The second feature is the option to enable or disable Tracking Protection. Currently, this setting is unchangeable in IE10, but with IE11 you can switch it on or off. The setting can be accessed from the Internet Options option from the settings charm when the app is open.

With the recent Windows Blue leak, many hidden features are beginning to emerge from the new operating system. It appears Microsoft may be working on a new way of searching in Windows Blue, the feature is still heavily in development and doesn’t work properly.

The Search charm in Windows Blue appears to be getting an update, as enabling a few hidden registry tweaks presents you with an incomplete version of the Search charm that allows searching on the web and locally. Currently, the web search feature is broken, along with most of the charms UI, however searching for local apps works just fine. Microsoft will obviously fix many of the problems seen in the video above before Windows Blue hits RTM.

This feature fits well with a recent rumour that claimed that Windows Blue would improve dramatically on searching via the Search charm. We can’t wait to see the final outcome of the charms new features!

Microsoft has hired a new President for the company’s North America Sales and Marketing role. In an official press release today, Microsoft revealed that the software giant has hired Oracle’s Judson Althoff to be the man in charge of sales and marketing in the good ol’ USA.

As the President of North American Sales and Marketing, Althoff will manage a team of sales, marketing, and services professionals across the United States and Canada. This group is primarily responsible for Microsoft earnings. In fact, this group managed to earn Microsoft a whopping $73 billion dollars during the fiscal year 2013.

“Judson has a track record of successfully developing, growing and leading global sales organizations with a culture of execution excellence. Judson’s proven leadership will enable us to continue to excel in delivering the best devices and services experience to our customers including businesses and consumers, Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner stated in an official press release.

Althoff was previously the Senior Vice President, Worldwide Alliances and Channels, reporting to Oracle President Mark Hurd. Althoff spent 14 years at Oracle. Althoff will begin his new role at Microsoft beginning Friday, March 29th and will report directly to Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner.

More Windows Blue news hitting the internet for your reading pleasure. This time, Microsoft has allowed users to automatically update their modern Apps from the Windows Store with the flick of a setting.

As you can see from the screenshot above, there is a setting in the Control Panel that allows a user to easily update apps automatically, without having to open up Windows Store and see an “update” link at the top-right of their screen anymore.

This is indeed a great feature, although it is so minor, because it allows users to automatically update their apps without having the need to check the Store every time or be bothered to update an app while browsing the Store. Currently, this feature is present in the leaked Windows Blue build 9364, which leaked yesterday.

Windows Blue is bringing forth a plethora of changes and tweaks to make your modern experience that much better. We recently learned about the File Manager app that Microsoft is working on. It is still in early stages of development but it is a good start nonetheless.

Yesterday, we reported the possibility of Microsoft working on a File Manager app for the next update to Windows 8. The references to this new File Manager app was seen in the leaked Windows Blue build 9364. Now, an image has surfaced showcasing the File Manager app.

If you are one of the lucky ones to get your hands on this leaked build, you will notice the presence of the File Manager app, but you cant run it. However, someone was able to get it running and now we get our first look at this File Manager app. (see screenshot below)

As you can see, the app functions like your typical file manager app. You can create new folders, rename folders, add an item into a folder, delete or rename files, etc. It still has a long way to go before it replaces the useful File Explorer in Windows 8.

This app also presents a threat to all those third party File Manager apps that are currently available in the Windows Store. With Microsoft creating their own app, the need for those third party apps will no longer be there. More on this as it develops.

The frenzy over Windows Blue has begun. It has been over 24 hours since the leak of Windows Blue build 9364 and new details are emerging about this update to Windows 8. Is it just for Windows 8? What about Windows RT or Windows Server?

According to references within Windows Blue, Windows 8 will not be the only operating system receiving Windows Blue. As a matter of fact, Windows RT and Windows Server will also receive the Blue treatment. Great news for those on a Surface RT.

Obviously Microsoft should update Windows RT with the same new features that Windows 8 will receive from Windows Blue. It only makes sense. Microsoft shouldn’t neglect Windows RT, especially Surface RT owners, if the company wants to boost sales of that device.

Aside from Windows RT, the update will also be for Windows Server as well. There is a reference to “Windows Server Blue” in a file called WindowsProducts.adml, which can be seen in the leaked build of Windows Blue.

While Microsoft has yet to reveal any information about Windows Blue or even confirm if Windows RT will receive Windows Blue, the leaked build is giving us all the indication we need. However, once the company makes an official mention, we will gladly keep you updated.

Windows Blue build 9364 was leaked earlier today and we got our first look at the upcoming update to Windows 8. One thing we know for sure is that the Start Screen will have better customization options, especially when it comes to re-sizing the Live Tiles. Now you can see it for yourself in this video.

In the video (below), you will see the new Start Screen tile interactions, which allow you to re-size a particular Live Tile to double its size or even to half its current size (resembling the Live Tile on a Windows Phone device). There are also other user interface tweaks when it comes to interacting with Live Tiles, as you will see in the video.

Keep in mind that this video was recorded on a device that had Windows Blue displayed via an RDP connection, therefore you will see lag. The operating system itself is pretty damn fast, as you can see from our exclusive video from when this news broke earlier today.

Windows Blue seems to have several user interface tweaks that make Windows 8 what it should have been. What other tweaks or features are you hoping to see in Windows Blue?

Thanks to @windows4live for the tip!

Many multi-monitor improvements are apparent in Windows Blue, and we’ve created a quick video demonstrating its usefulness! Windows Blue allows those who are using more than 1 monitor to have 2 or more apps open over 2 or more screens at the same time. This means you can have the Mail and People app open on both screens at once, or the Start Screen and Desktop!

Of course, as this is a pre-release build of Windows Blue, bugs are apparent. Just ignore them, we’re certain they’ll get fixed before the RTM version of Windows Blue. In the meantime, get excited, as we expect many more cool features to be part of Windows Blue!

Currently in Windows 8, it is not possible to have the Start Screen or any Metro app opened on one monitor while the desktop is in use on another monitor. The Metro app or Start Screen will disappear. In other words, the Metro app will not remain in full screen on the second monitor. This feature is apparently being worked on in Windows Blue and it partially works as of the leaked build from today.

The video was made with a Virtual Machine, which means both monitors aren’t really monitors (mind boggling!). Check out the video below!

It appears Windows Blue will be better suited for desktop PC’s, as the recent Windows Blue leak has revealed changes to the core that allows for 3 or 4 apps to be snapped on screen at one time, as well as 2 or more metro apps running across multiple screens! This is a feature many have been waiting for.

These changes, along with many more for Windows Blue are still in development, which means they are absolutely full of bugs. Other changes include more tile sizes, a wider variety of colours, and a dedicated mode which allows you to move, pin and unpin multiple apps at one time.

We hope Windows Blue will include many more awesome features for the desktop, but in the mean time, stay locked in at WinBeta.org!

It appears the recent Windows Blue build that leaked onto the web is indeed real, as screenshots from the build have began leaking online. Along with the screenshots, it has been revealed that Windows Blue will indeed support a smaller tile size, just like in Windows Phone 8. Also, metro apps can be ran side by side evenly now, instead of having one of the apps in a smaller size.

The new personalization and larger tile sizes are a surprise to many, but are very much welcomed changes. We assume this build has many more goodies to be discovered. These changes, are all apart of the build which recently leaked onto the internet. We are yet to confirm these images are real, so look at them with the knowing that they could be fake.

The build that leaked had been compiled at build 9364, which is rather recent. This means this build will have a few features noticeable that Windows 8 doesn’t. Keep checking back at WinBeta.org for more as it happens!

Are you running Windows 8 or Windows RT and love shopping at Staples? Well, this app was made just for you! Check out the new Staples app for Windows 8 and Windows RT, its free and available for download in the Windows Store.

The new Staples app makes it easy for one to shop for products, redeem coupons and rewards, view order history, update your shopping lists, and search for the toner ink you need, all within the comfort of your Windows 8 or Windows RT device.

“Staples customers are very excited about the new computers and tablets featuring Windows 8, and we’re enhancing the Staples.com experience for Windows 8 users. Staples makes things easier for small businesses by using the latest technology, and the Staples Windows Store app enables customers to shop Staples even faster,” Steve Bussberg, Senior VP of Staples.com stated in an official press release.

The Staples app even features the weekly advertisement so you can see your local store’s advertisement deals. Users can also search for store locations near them as well as build and save shopping lists for easy ordering and reordering. The app also utilizes the ability to pin certain aspects of the Staples app onto the Start Screen, such as ink and toner finder, a printer finder, and shopping lists.

“Staples Windows 8 was built to provide an enhanced shopping experience on a touch medium like tablets and convertible desktops while also optimizing for a mouse and keyboard control,” the app description page states.

We gave the app a try and enjoyed the responsiveness and usefulness of the app. This app actually makes us want to shop at Staples a little more than before! Hit the download link below to grab the Staples app from the Windows Store! Happy shopping!

Thanks Mark for the tip!

Microsoft has issued a warning for everyone to be on the lookout of a malicious email, claiming to be from the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, only to be malware instead. The email contains an attachment that users are enticed to run to “validate their email account.”

“Due to a new vulnerability which is exploited by hackers to steal your online details. Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit in 2013 has hereby developed a new security measure. All users of the Internet and Microsoft products are hereby required to validate there email account information irregardless of their Internet service provider or Host company,” the email reads. You can read the full email below. Antivirus firm Sophos has labeled this attack as Troj/Agent-AANA Trojan horse. If you have received this email, simply delete it and do not open the attachment.

CeBIT 2013 is currently taking place in Germany and a ‘clone’ of the Surface Pro has appeared at the event. While the device runs Windows 8 x86, its features are very similar to the Surface Pro.

The device looks similar to the Surface Pro, and even has a kickstand! The device is 13.3 inches and runs a Core i3 or i5 processor with 4GB RAM and either 32GB or 64GB SSD. The device even features a 5MP camera on the back and a 2MP camera on the front, a SIM card slot, SD card reader, mini HDMI, and 2x USB 2.0 ports. The device is OEM (created by a company called “HKC”) and has a placeholder name at the back of the device so you could stamp your own brand name. The price runs you about $350 for the Core i3 edition. No idea how well this device does on performance. Imitation is a form of flattery right?

Microsoft has announced the acquisition of cloud monitoring startup MetricsHub, which helps consumers manage their cloud services as well as automates cloud performance management. MetricsHub is now available in the Windows Azure Store.

“I am excited to announce that we are welcoming cloud monitoring startup MetricsHub – a participant in the Microsoft Accelerator, powered by TechStars – to Windows Azure. As an innovator in Active Cloud Monitoring, a technology that automates cloud performance management, MetricsHub helps customers more efficiently manage their cloud services at a lower cost,” Microsoft’s Bob Kelly stated in an official blog post. For those that don’t know, Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure, which takes place in India, is a four month program that is designed to help tech start-ups make it big when it comes to the Cloud, Internet, and Mobile. Microsoft provides a state-of-the-art work space, elite mentors from the industry, and necessary tools for these start-ups. MetricsHub requires little effort on the part of customers and allows for customers to only pay for what they need and maximize services they use. Hit the source link below to explore MetricsHub or head over to the Windows Azure Store to check it out.