The 5 best Windows 8 tablets and laptops you can buy today

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The clamshell laptop is finally joining the beige desktop in the museum of computer artifacts. The basic hinged design made its first appearance in a device called the Grid Compass way back in 1982, so no one can scoff at the clamshell's longevity. Nonetheless, times are finally changing, which means it's time for the pure clamshell laptop to ride off into the sunset.

The traditional clamshell is being replaced by a wide variety of designs that merge tablets and laptops into a single physical package. These Windows 8 hybrid devices should directly appeal to PC users who might otherwise buy thin-and-light laptops. First-generation hybrids are already shipping, and most of them are flawed in some way, but they nonetheless bring new use-case scenarios to a mobile computing paradigm that hasn't changed much in 30 years.

Sure, there have been attempts to upend the clamshell. Take Microsoft's Tablet PC initiative during the Windows XP era. But those early efforts were hobbled by bolting touch control onto an operating system that was poorly suited for touch interfaces. Windows 8 and Windows RT, however, are designed from the ground up for the touch experience.

Now that we've reviewed a good number of Windows 8 portables, it's time to step back, name the best models, and put them all in context. Given their intrinsic design compromises, none of them is a clear winner as a do-it-all system. But we can still look at five innovative designs, walk you through why you'd want one, and suggest which usage models may best apply to you.

The Yoga's screen rotates to a "tent" mode for easy presentations.

Sometimes you really need a full laptop keyboard, but you'd like to couple it with a Windows 8 touch experience. And, occasionally, you may need to use your system as a pure tablet—but you don't anticipate that being the machine's primary use. If any of this resonates with your personal needs, consider Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga. It's an excellent 13.3-inch Ultrabook that includes a multitouch, capacitive touchscreen for all the cool new gestures built into Windows 8.

The Yoga has what it takes to be a solid ultraportable laptop. The keyboard is excellent for touch typists. The battery life approaches 6 hours. The sound quality of the speakers is surprisingly good. And it weighs less than 3.5 pounds.

However, it's the display that really sets the Yoga apart. It's a full 1600 by 900 pixels, offering a good balance in pixel density between 1366 by 768 and 1080p (or 1920 by 1080, by any other name). The panel rotates 180 degrees, allowing the Yoga to be used as a full tablet (albeit with its keyboard exposed) or in the "tent mode," where you can use it to give presentations or easily share content.

The ThinkPad Twist's display rotates around a single hinge.

Road warriors need work machines that are lightweight, rugged and reliable. Lenovo has long promised these qualities in the ThinkPad, a laptop line that was first conceived by IBM in 1992, and has been targeted at business users ever since. And now we have the ThinkPad Twist, which brings Windows 8 touch gestures and a clever hybrid design to a laptop legacy that's always been a bit buttoned-up and stodgy.

As with most ThinkPads, the Twist is a tad heavier than a consumer-grade laptop. And at 3.5 pounds, the Twist—even with its 12.5-inch, 1366 by 768 display—is a bit heavier than Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga, which has a larger, higher-resolution screen. But what's nifty about the Twist's display is its hinge design, which lets this hybrid engage a tablet mode while still keeping the machine's keyboard protected. This makes the Twist more robust in tablet mode than the Yoga, whose keyboard remains exposed.

The base-model Twist ships with a 500GB hard drive and a 24GB caching SSD. Working together, the two drives deliver speedy startup times and copius storage. Lenovo does offer one model with a traditional SSD intended for storage, but it's a fairly scant 128GB. This SSD option, however small, will likely play well in larger businesses, where IT departments tend to lock down which applications can be installed.

Overall, the Twist brings the ruggedness of the ThinkPad line with some of the most usable features of Windows 8 tablets. The only significant omission is a 3G/4G mobile broadband option, which would make the Twist a more attractive hybrid for frequent travelers. Nevertheless, the Lenovo Twist is compact and reasonably light, which should allow it to travel well.

The Son Duo 11 is a tablet with slider keyboard built in.

The Sony Duo 11 looks like a tablet—most of the time. When you carry it around in its folded state, a seam conceals a sliding keyboard hidden underneath the bottom of the display. It's the laptop version of those old-school slider phones, complete with a compact, Chiclet-style keyboard.

Make no mistake: Touch typists will not like the keyboard on the Duo 11. Really, the most postiive thing I can say about the keyboard is that it's functional, offers tactile feedback, and is a little easier to use than an on-screen keyboard. For the most part, however, the keyboard is cramped and uncomfortable. Luckily, the sliding hinge seems durable enough. And given that that the Duo 11 will likely be used more in tablet mode than laptop mode, the slider bit works pretty well.

The entire affair weighs 2 pounds, 13 ounces—under 3 pounds, in other words. The 11.6-inch screen is an IPS display offering full HD (1080p) resolution. Sony also includes an N-trig stylus that supports 256 pressure levels, making it a useful adjunct for artistically inclined users. If what you need is a tablet for touch-sensitive art applications, the Duo 11 bears closer scrutiny.

Acer's Iconia W700 is a high-performance Ultrabook in tablet guise.

In the Iconia W700, Acer crams an Ultrabook into a relatively thin tablet. No one will mistake this device for an iPad or Microsoft's Surface RT, but in weight and thickness, it's pretty close to what Microsoft's Surface Pro will be. It's also 2.1 pounds; while that's significantly lighter than the Sony Duo 11, it still means that lugging it around propped on your forearm (as many tablet users do) may get tiring.

The tradeoff for the weight is robust, PC-like performance and features, including USB 3.0 and mini-HDMI video output. As with most tablets, it's got both forward-facing and rear-facing cameras.

As with Sony's Duo 11, the Iconia includes a full HD, 1920-by-1080 display. This delivers gorgeous-looking images and text, but it's also problematic for touch use when running desktop applications. It's simply difficult to put one's finger on desktop buttons and window bars that render so small. While Acer bundles a Bluetooth keyboard, the only pointing device is the touch interface itself—no mouse is included, and the keyboard lacks a trackpad. The W700 is really the purest, most recent incarnation of Bill Gates' vision of the Tablet PC.

But the real problem lies with the overall size, bulk, and weight. An 11.6-inch tablet, particularly with a 16:9 aspect ratio, will always be a little awkward to hold and use in landscape mode. Portrait mode is a little more usable, but often won't accommodate documents at their full width.

Nonetheless, despite all these caveats, if you're looking for a pure tablet that offers PC-like performance, the W700 delivers. It's a nice product, but we expect the Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro to eclipse the W700 early next year.

Microsoft's Surface RT offers covers with built-in keyboards

The Surface RT is Microsoft's bid for the tablet space currently owned by Apple's iPad. Sure, Android tablets may cost a little less and aspire to the same market, but none have been able to come close to the iPad in terms of ease-of-use and user adoption.

While the aspect ratio is more widescreen than Apple's, the 10.6-inch display seems a little more usable than the slightly unbalanced, 11.6-inch displays that dominate the Windows 8 tablet market. Windows RT is fast and responsive on the ARM-based, Nvidia Tegra processor. The Surface's 1366-by-768 resolution doesn't match the beauty of Apple's iPad Retina display, but most users probably won't notice.

In the Surface RT, Microsoft has introduced some clever touches, such as a built-in kickstand and the optional Type Cover, which integrates a flat, tactile-free, but extremely thin keyboard. The company also bundles a reduced version of Microsoft Office, but using those Office apps kicks you into desktop mode, which feels very weird on a device that's really meant to be a pure tablet. On the Surface RT, the Windows Start Screen is the native interface, and seems capable and usable.

Loyd Case first started writing about PC technology for Computer Gaming World, giving him a creative outlet for his obsession about PC performance. The PC industry -- and Loyd -- have never been quite the same since.
More by Loyd Case

View the original article here

The 5 best Windows 8 tablets and laptops you can buy today

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The clamshell laptop is finally joining the beige desktop in the museum of computer artifacts. The basic hinged design made its first appearance in a device called the Grid Compass way back in 1982, so no one can scoff at the clamshell's longevity. Nonetheless, times are finally changing, which means it's time for the pure clamshell laptop to ride off into the sunset.

The traditional clamshell is being replaced by a wide variety of designs that merge tablets and laptops into a single physical package. These Windows 8 hybrid devices should directly appeal to PC users who might otherwise buy thin-and-light laptops. First-generation hybrids are already shipping, and most of them are flawed in some way, but they nonetheless bring new use-case scenarios to a mobile computing paradigm that hasn't changed much in 30 years.

Sure, there have been attempts to upend the clamshell. Take Microsoft's Tablet PC initiative during the Windows XP era. But those early efforts were hobbled by bolting touch control onto an operating system that was poorly suited for touch interfaces. Windows 8 and Windows RT, however, are designed from the ground up for the touch experience.

Now that we've reviewed a good number of Windows 8 portables, it's time to step back, name the best models, and put them all in context. Given their intrinsic design compromises, none of them is a clear winner as a do-it-all system. But we can still look at five innovative designs, walk you through why you'd want one, and suggest which usage models may best apply to you.

The Yoga's screen rotates to a "tent" mode for easy presentations.

Sometimes you really need a full laptop keyboard, but you'd like to couple it with a Windows 8 touch experience. And, occasionally, you may need to use your system as a pure tablet—but you don't anticipate that being the machine's primary use. If any of this resonates with your personal needs, consider Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga. It's an excellent 13.3-inch Ultrabook that includes a multitouch, capacitive touchscreen for all the cool new gestures built into Windows 8.

The Yoga has what it takes to be a solid ultraportable laptop. The keyboard is excellent for touch typists. The battery life approaches 6 hours. The sound quality of the speakers is surprisingly good. And it weighs less than 3.5 pounds.

However, it's the display that really sets the Yoga apart. It's a full 1600 by 900 pixels, offering a good balance in pixel density between 1366 by 768 and 1080p (or 1920 by 1080, by any other name). The panel rotates 180 degrees, allowing the Yoga to be used as a full tablet (albeit with its keyboard exposed) or in the "tent mode," where you can use it to give presentations or easily share content.

The ThinkPad Twist's display rotates around a single hinge.

Road warriors need work machines that are lightweight, rugged and reliable. Lenovo has long promised these qualities in the ThinkPad, a laptop line that was first conceived by IBM in 1992, and has been targeted at business users ever since. And now we have the ThinkPad Twist, which brings Windows 8 touch gestures and a clever hybrid design to a laptop legacy that's always been a bit buttoned-up and stodgy.

As with most ThinkPads, the Twist is a tad heavier than a consumer-grade laptop. And at 3.5 pounds, the Twist—even with its 12.5-inch, 1366 by 768 display—is a bit heavier than Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga, which has a larger, higher-resolution screen. But what's nifty about the Twist's display is its hinge design, which lets this hybrid engage a tablet mode while still keeping the machine's keyboard protected. This makes the Twist more robust in tablet mode than the Yoga, whose keyboard remains exposed.

The base-model Twist ships with a 500GB hard drive and a 24GB caching SSD. Working together, the two drives deliver speedy startup times and copius storage. Lenovo does offer one model with a traditional SSD intended for storage, but it's a fairly scant 128GB. This SSD option, however small, will likely play well in larger businesses, where IT departments tend to lock down which applications can be installed.

Overall, the Twist brings the ruggedness of the ThinkPad line with some of the most usable features of Windows 8 tablets. The only significant omission is a 3G/4G mobile broadband option, which would make the Twist a more attractive hybrid for frequent travelers. Nevertheless, the Lenovo Twist is compact and reasonably light, which should allow it to travel well.

The Son Duo 11 is a tablet with slider keyboard built in.

The Sony Duo 11 looks like a tablet—most of the time. When you carry it around in its folded state, a seam conceals a sliding keyboard hidden underneath the bottom of the display. It's the laptop version of those old-school slider phones, complete with a compact, Chiclet-style keyboard.

Make no mistake: Touch typists will not like the keyboard on the Duo 11. Really, the most postiive thing I can say about the keyboard is that it's functional, offers tactile feedback, and is a little easier to use than an on-screen keyboard. For the most part, however, the keyboard is cramped and uncomfortable. Luckily, the sliding hinge seems durable enough. And given that that the Duo 11 will likely be used more in tablet mode than laptop mode, the slider bit works pretty well.

The entire affair weighs 2 pounds, 13 ounces—under 3 pounds, in other words. The 11.6-inch screen is an IPS display offering full HD (1080p) resolution. Sony also includes an N-trig stylus that supports 256 pressure levels, making it a useful adjunct for artistically inclined users. If what you need is a tablet for touch-sensitive art applications, the Duo 11 bears closer scrutiny.

Acer's Iconia W700 is a high-performance Ultrabook in tablet guise.

In the Iconia W700, Acer crams an Ultrabook into a relatively thin tablet. No one will mistake this device for an iPad or Microsoft's Surface RT, but in weight and thickness, it's pretty close to what Microsoft's Surface Pro will be. It's also 2.1 pounds; while that's significantly lighter than the Sony Duo 11, it still means that lugging it around propped on your forearm (as many tablet users do) may get tiring.

The tradeoff for the weight is robust, PC-like performance and features, including USB 3.0 and mini-HDMI video output. As with most tablets, it's got both forward-facing and rear-facing cameras.

As with Sony's Duo 11, the Iconia includes a full HD, 1920-by-1080 display. This delivers gorgeous-looking images and text, but it's also problematic for touch use when running desktop applications. It's simply difficult to put one's finger on desktop buttons and window bars that render so small. While Acer bundles a Bluetooth keyboard, the only pointing device is the touch interface itself—no mouse is included, and the keyboard lacks a trackpad. The W700 is really the purest, most recent incarnation of Bill Gates' vision of the Tablet PC.

But the real problem lies with the overall size, bulk, and weight. An 11.6-inch tablet, particularly with a 16:9 aspect ratio, will always be a little awkward to hold and use in landscape mode. Portrait mode is a little more usable, but often won't accommodate documents at their full width.

Nonetheless, despite all these caveats, if you're looking for a pure tablet that offers PC-like performance, the W700 delivers. It's a nice product, but we expect the Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro to eclipse the W700 early next year.

Microsoft's Surface RT offers covers with built-in keyboards

The Surface RT is Microsoft's bid for the tablet space currently owned by Apple's iPad. Sure, Android tablets may cost a little less and aspire to the same market, but none have been able to come close to the iPad in terms of ease-of-use and user adoption.

While the aspect ratio is more widescreen than Apple's, the 10.6-inch display seems a little more usable than the slightly unbalanced, 11.6-inch displays that dominate the Windows 8 tablet market. Windows RT is fast and responsive on the ARM-based, Nvidia Tegra processor. The Surface's 1366-by-768 resolution doesn't match the beauty of Apple's iPad Retina display, but most users probably won't notice.

In the Surface RT, Microsoft has introduced some clever touches, such as a built-in kickstand and the optional Type Cover, which integrates a flat, tactile-free, but extremely thin keyboard. The company also bundles a reduced version of Microsoft Office, but using those Office apps kicks you into desktop mode, which feels very weird on a device that's really meant to be a pure tablet. On the Surface RT, the Windows Start Screen is the native interface, and seems capable and usable.

Loyd Case first started writing about PC technology for Computer Gaming World, giving him a creative outlet for his obsession about PC performance. The PC industry -- and Loyd -- have never been quite the same since.
More by Loyd Case

View the original article here

Over 25 million active Outlook.com users, and today we’re making it even easier for Gmail users to switch

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

"The best reason yet to ditch Gmail" - Farhad Manjoo, Slate.com

Since the new Outlook.com launched in July, the positive feedback has been overwhelming.  Outlook.com was recently named one of Time Magazine's "50 Best Websites of 2012", won PC Magazine's Best Software and Internet Web App awards and has received a number of other accolades around the world.  To date, over 25 million of you are already actively using the new Outlook.com:

We found that about a third of Outlook.com users are active Gmail users trying Outlook.com for the first time.  We wanted to learn more, so we hired a research firm to recruit hundreds of Gmail users - people that use Gmail as their primary email service - and asked them to try Outlook.com.  We asked the Gmail users to sign-up for Outlook.com addresses, forward email from Gmail to Outlook.com, and try Outlook.com's best features.  The Gmail users loved it.  Specifically, they shared the following opinions with us:

They prefer Outlook.com's clean user designOutlook.com does a better job of blocking spam and it outperforms Gmail when it comes to helping manage unwanted messages like newsletters and daily dealsOutlook.com makes it easier to share photos and Office documents

The best part was, after spending just five days with it, 4 out of 5 of these Gmail users said they would switch to Outlook.com.

As millions of people have made the switch to Outlook.com, they've told us about the features that made the transition easier:

Keyboard Shortcuts: customers can choose to set up keyboard shortcuts in Outlook.com to mirror the shortcuts in the Outlook desktop app, Gmail and others.Quick access to search operators: quickly find mail by clicking "/" and then using "To:", "Subj:", etc. Tab/Send: rapidly send messages by clicking the "tab" key from the compose window to automatically shifts focus to the "Send" button Conversation threading: you can also optionally turn on conversation threading (i.e. the ability to see all responses in a conversation via just one view).

But it's still early days.  We continue to listen to feedback on what enthusiasts want next - including making the switch from Gmail even easier - and build those features.  So over the next few weeks, Outlook.com users will start to see these new features in their inboxes:

One-click Archive: from the inbox, select messages and click the Archive button to move the selected messages to the Archive folder (or any other folder of your choice). It's a fast and simple way to move messages out of your inbox to find later.

More and more keyboard shortcuts: Outlook.com has dozens of keyboard shortcuts and we're adding even more. And better yet, we don't need to list them all in this post because you can now find all available keyboard shortcuts by simply typing a question mark when you're in your inbox.

More customization of your inbox: we added several new ways to make your inbox look and work the way you want.

   We added more color themes:

 

We added the ability to toggle between "Reply" and "Reply All" as the default option.  We also heard that, after deleting a message, some people want to return to their inbox and others want to see the next     message. Now you can set that default option, too.  Both options are available via the Options page. 

Outlook app for Android: Many of us use Outlook.com as much on our phones as we do on a PC. For devices like Windows Phone and iPhone that support Exchange ActiveSync, you have built-in support for Outlook.com - no download necessary. Android devices aren't consistent in their native support for Exchange ActiveSync, so starting today you can install an Outlook.com for Android on your mobile phone. The new app is free and works on all Android 2.x devices and higher.

If you're one of the tens of millions of people that have made the switch to Outlook.com, we thank you.  We're committed to making Outlook.com the best email service and we appreciate the feedback you continue to provide. 

If you are a Gmail user and are still on the fence, take a look at our new features and give Outlook.com a try with just a few simple steps. 

Thanks again for using Outlook and, as always, keep the feedback coming.

David Law--Director, Product Management, Outlook.com

View the original article here

Reserve your copy of Windows 8 Pro and Pre-order Windows 8 PCs today!

Starting today, you can reserve a packaged DVD of the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $69.99 USD ERP* (U.S.) at select retailers. When you receive your copy of the Windows 8 Pro upgrade, you’ll see that the packaging takes a fresh approach, in the reimagining of Windows. Your package will feature one of 5 vibrant illustrations - you can check out all 5 here on Facebook. We moved to paper based materials (the exception of course being the upgrade DVD inside) which allowed us to make an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption. And we’ve reduced the packaging weight by 41%.

In the U.S., you will find this offer at Amazon.com, Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot and the Microsoft Store and many more. I suggest checking with your local retailers.

However, if you want to wait until October 26th you will be able to upgrade online via Windows.com using the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant for just $39.99 USD ERP*. Online upgrade to Windows 8 Pro is supported for 140 countries worldwide, with 37 languages, and 23 supported currencies!

You will want to upgrade your PC to Windows 8 Pro sooner rather than later - this upgrade promotion for Windows 8 Pro both online and at retail runs only through to January 31st, 2013.

Also starting today, you will be able to pre-order new Windows 8 PCs and devices from OEM partners such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony.

If you purchase (or have purchased) an eligible Windows 7 PC anytime between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013 you will be able to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99 USD ERP** (U.S.) which will be redeemable starting October 26th. For more details on the Windows Upgrade Offer, see this blog post.

* Offers limited to five upgrade licenses per customer. To install Windows 8 Pro, customers must be running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. The prices displayed are estimated retail price and the transaction may be completed in a different currency. The actual price of the offer will vary by region since it is dependent on a variety of specific factors including exchange rate, local taxes, duties, fees, local market conditions, other pricing considerations, and may vary by each independent reseller. The actual price you pay may be more than the advertised price due to these additional factors. Shipping and handling charges may apply to packaged DVD. 

** The price displayed is an estimated retail price and the transaction will be completed in a different currency. The actual price of the offer will vary by region since it is dependent on a variety of specific factors including exchange rate, local taxes, duties, fees, local market conditions, other pricing considerations, and may vary by each independent reseller. The actual price you pay may be more than the advertised price due to these additional factors. For complete details visit http://windowsupgradeoffer.com.

View the original article here

Reserve your copy of Windows 8 Pro and Pre-order Windows 8 PCs today!

Starting today, you can reserve a packaged DVD of the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $69.99 USD ERP* (U.S.) at select retailers. When you receive your copy of the Windows 8 Pro upgrade, you’ll see that the packaging takes a fresh approach, in the reimagining of Windows. Your package will feature one of 5 vibrant illustrations - you can check out all 5 here on Facebook. We moved to paper based materials (the exception of course being the upgrade DVD inside) which allowed us to make an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption. And we’ve reduced the packaging weight by 41%.

In the U.S., you will find this offer at Amazon.com, Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot and the Microsoft Store and many more. I suggest checking with your local retailers.

However, if you want to wait until October 26th you will be able to upgrade online via Windows.com using the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant for just $39.99 USD ERP*. Online upgrade to Windows 8 Pro is supported for 140 countries worldwide, with 37 languages, and 23 supported currencies!

You will want to upgrade your PC to Windows 8 Pro sooner rather than later - this upgrade promotion for Windows 8 Pro both online and at retail runs only through to January 31st, 2013.

Also starting today, you will be able to pre-order new Windows 8 PCs and devices from OEM partners such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony.

If you purchase (or have purchased) an eligible Windows 7 PC anytime between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013 you will be able to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99 USD ERP** (U.S.) which will be redeemable starting October 26th. For more details on the Windows Upgrade Offer, see this blog post.

* Offers limited to five upgrade licenses per customer. To install Windows 8 Pro, customers must be running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. The prices displayed are estimated retail price and the transaction may be completed in a different currency. The actual price of the offer will vary by region since it is dependent on a variety of specific factors including exchange rate, local taxes, duties, fees, local market conditions, other pricing considerations, and may vary by each independent reseller. The actual price you pay may be more than the advertised price due to these additional factors. Shipping and handling charges may apply to packaged DVD. 

** The price displayed is an estimated retail price and the transaction will be completed in a different currency. The actual price of the offer will vary by region since it is dependent on a variety of specific factors including exchange rate, local taxes, duties, fees, local market conditions, other pricing considerations, and may vary by each independent reseller. The actual price you pay may be more than the advertised price due to these additional factors. For complete details visit http://windowsupgradeoffer.com.

View the original article here

Inspiring the youth of today through Digital Media

It’s so important to give young people the opportunity to express themselves creatively.

One such initiative which is doing just that is Adobe Youth Voices, a programme by the Adobe Foundation which aims to empower youth from underserved communities with digital media skills so that they can comment on their world, share their ideas and take action on issues that are important to them. More specifically, the programme encourages young people to express themselves through documentary videos, photography, print media, radio diaries, animation, web communications and other media.

The Adobe Foundation recently announced the winners of the first-ever Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards. The only global youth competition of its kind, the Aspire Awards showcases the very best of digital media created by teens, aged 13-18, who have demonstrated outstanding creativity and skill using video, print and/or audio to convey perspectives on issues that are significant to them.

There  were more than 800 submissions, with entries accepted in eight categories spanning animation, documentary, music video, narrative video, poetry/experimental video, audio, graphic design and photography.

A global panel of teen peers, youth media professionals, educators and media industry experts, including photographer Neil Bennett, spoken-word poet Sarah Kay and director Robert Kenner were responsible for judging all this fabulous work.

The lucky winners received prize packages containing Adobe software, laptops provided by Dell, HD camcorders donated by Samsung, Flip Mino HD video cameras, and a donation to their charity of choice. In addition, winners will get the opportunity to showcase their projects publicly through art galleries, Digital Arts Magazine, plus partner film festivals and exhibitions worldwide, including the Seattle International Film Festival, the Sarajevo Film Festival and many more. What an incredible opportunity!

I’ve had a look at all the winners and amongst my favourites are Fermin Martinez from Puerta Joven (Mexico City, Mexico) who snapped up a Gold Award for this great video in the Animation category and Christian Ogando from the Urban Arts Partnership (New York, United States) who won a Gold Award for his Propaganda Posters in the Photography category.

This great initiative demonstrates just how effective digital media is at helping people across the globe make their mark and speak out about the issues that are important to them.

Have you expressed yourself in a creative way using digital media? If so, get in touch!

Liz Wilkins is Senior Marketing Manager for Education at Adobe Systems UK. Her involvement with Adobe Education products has seen her work closely with a range of educational institutions, championing the use of digital media tools in the curriculum, and their integration into a number of subject areas in order to better prepare students for the future demands of the workplace. Liz works closely with teachers and administrators integrating software, curriculums, and instructional resources as well as certification options and professional development tools. Through promoting digital literacy in cross-curricular education, teaching essential career skills, and streamlining administrative processes Liz has experience working in partnership with a diverse portfolio of schools and further education institutions.

View the original article here

Windows 8 Previewed Today at BUILD

The keynote finished a few hours ago at BUILD where Steven Sinofsky and other members of his engineering leadership team shared a detailed preview of the next major Windows release codenamed “Windows 8” to the thousands of developers in attendance here in Anaheim.

As I look around the room (and look at all the tweets), it seems that everyone is excited by what they just saw. As Steven said during the keynote, Windows 8 is computing reimagined. It’s Windows reimagined. We’re not just showing developers an early look at Windows 8; we’re also giving them access with a Developer Preview release. Steven Sinofsky has published a blog post on Building Windows 8 today that discusses the Developer Preview (including when and where to get it) and building apps for Windows 8 – I suggest reading the post for context.

I was given a chance to get my hands on the Samsung prototype PC with Windows Developer Preview we’re handing out to developers at BUILD today. This was my very first opportunity to play with the Windows 8 preview so once I got the PC, I rushed back to my hotel room eager to get started (it was like Christmas for a geek!).

My experience with the Windows 8 Developer Preview began at a new setup process that brings in the new Windows Metro design style. This is where I had to go through a series of screens to pick a name for my PC, connect to a wireless network, and then choose to sign in with my Microsoft account (my account I use to sign in to Hotmail, SkyDrive, etc.). In signing in with my Microsoft account, Windows 8 created my account on the PC based on profile information from Live such as first and last name and profile picture (which would later become my user tile at the top right of my Start screen). For signing in with my new user account in Windows 8 – it even used my Microsoft account password. Because I used my Microsoft account, I didn’t have to create a separate username or password for my PC. Your Windows 8 PC settings and apps will roam with you from one Windows 8 PC to another via Live – however that functionality is not currently enabled in the Windows 8 Developer Preview. While you can choose not to use your Microsoft account in setting up a new user account in Windows 8, you’ll definitely want to at least consider it for additional “cloud awesomeness”.

Once the process completed, I then signed in to my new user account in Windows 8.

Immediately upon signing in I’m taken to the Start screen of Windows 8’s new Metro style UI. This was a “wow” moment. The very first thing I did was take my finger and slide left to right. It was instinct. This is how you navigate the Start screen. Everything on the Start screen is on a single level. Everything was very responsive and quick. The Start screen is my gateway to all my apps and content on my PC. Instead of icons representing my apps, each app is represented by a tile. Unlike icons, these tiles can be live with activity from within the app. Instead of having to open the app and drill down into it, the most important information is surfaced through the app’s tile (a “Live Tile”). Why should I have to open a weather app just to see what the current weather is? In the above screenshot of my Start screen, you can see that I have several apps pinned to my Start screen that are displaying information.

It’s worth noting that the Start screen shouldn’t be considered a glorified “app launcher” – because it’s not. You can pin your favorite contacts, photo albums, music playlists, websites and more to the Start screen as well. Essentially – you can pin items from within apps to the Start screen. In the Windows 8 Developer Preview, some of this functionality isn’t there yet though.

During the keynote today, you saw several Live-connected apps such as Mail, Calendar, Photos, People, and Messaging that were demoed – these are not included in the Windows 8 Developer Preview.

I can customize the Start screen too. When I first logged into Windows 8, the Start screen was populated by apps that were included in the Windows 8 Developer Preview which included a handful of sample apps developed by interns that are designed to show off what can be done with apps in Windows 8. Below is a photo of many of those interns in the front row at today’s BUILD keynote!

Those apps include a weather app, stock app, news app, Tweet@rama, Socialite and more. It also included all the developer tools needed to begin making Windows 8 apps. Some of the apps I did not personally want on my Start screen. To remove those apps, all I had to do was take my finger and swipe down on the tile. 3 app commands appear from the bottom where I can choose to unpin the app.

Tiles can either be large (rectangular) or small (square). To resize a tile, you do the same thing as you would to unpin it by swiping your finger down over the tile.

Of the apps included in the Windows 8 Developer Preview, I really like Tweet@rama because I do a lot of tweeting (and reading tweets) and I have grown quite fond of the game Word Hunt where you use your finger to swipe out words under a certain time. And I also like Socialite.

 

These apps are what we’re calling Metro style apps (and they are different than your desktop app like Adobe Photoshop). They are full screen and completely immersive in the experience of the app. With Metro style apps, you can “immerse” yourself in the experience without having chrome getting in your way.

When I swiped from right to left on the right side of the screen with my finger, I noticed the clock and date showed up which includes icons for wireless connectivity and battery life on the lower left and then also a series of commands that slides out from the right. This icon bar has 5 of what we’re calling “charms” that provide access to essential Windows features: Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings.

If I ever want to search my PC for something, all I have to do is bring up charms and choose the Search charm. From there, I can search my PC for anything I want including apps, settings, and of course files.

However I can also search within apps too. For example – I wanted to check out all the latest tweets from BUILD using the #bldwin hashtag. I typed #bldwin into the search box, chose Tweet@rama and got tweets from people using that hashtag.

Everyone is sharing content with loved ones whether its photos in email or to Facebook or links to articles found online in a tweet. Windows 8 makes it easy for apps to share to each other. In my case, I wanted to share the link to the BUILD website from within Internet Explorer to Twitter.

I brought up the charms and clicked on the Share charm and then chose Tweet@rama and it automatically placed the link to the BUILD website into a message I then tweeted to my followers. The idea here is that Windows 8 can enable apps to work together to complete scenarios.

The Start charm is an easy way back to the Start screen.

With the Devices charm, this is where I can choose certain devices on which to share my photos, music, or videos or manage printers. I didn’t have any devices around me when I wrote this blog post to try this out unfortunately. Our hardware partners can write their own Metro style apps that can be utilized to manage their devices which can happen directly through this charm.

And of course the Settings charm gives me quick access to the settings within each app but also access to wireless networks, volume control, screen brightness, notifications (turn them off) and to shut down or restart your PC or put it to sleep.

To configure my PC just the way I want it – Windows 8 has a Metro style Control Panel app for quick access to what matters to customers, things like personalizing your Windows 8 PC by changing your user tile photo or lock screen background. I changed my lock screen background to one of my favorite shots of Mt. Rainier I recently took.

In regards to the lock screen – I discovered as I was going through options for the lock screen that you can choose a special app that displays a detailed status on the lock screen and up to 6 other apps that would display status badges. I can imagine seeing a status badge for a Twitter app letting me know I received a Direct Message or a “@” reply.

Windows 8 also allows you to create a “Picture Password” to unlock your PC from the locks screen (see above shot). Choose a photo and 3 points or gestures on that photo that will unlock your PC instead of using a password (although you can switch to password if you need to).

Other options in the Metro style Control Panel are wireless (you can put your PC into “airplane mode” when traveling), privacy for controlling which and how apps access your personal info, search history, share and send options, devices, PC sync, HomeGroup and Windows Update just to name a few.

Speaking of notifications, I got a first-hand look at how notifications work in Windows 8 by plugging in a USB drive. A little notification popped up at the lower right hand corner with a familiar Windows “ding”.

It asked me what I wanted to do with the storage device I just plugged in. I clicked on the notification and gave me a list of options to choose from.

Here is what the alarm notification looks like from the alarm sample app:

I can’t talk about Windows 8 without talking about Internet Explorer 10. In Windows 8, there is a Metro style version of Internet Explorer that makes web browsing so fast and fluid – especially with touch.

Internet Explorer 10 builds upon the awesome work we did with Internet Explorer 9 with web standards and GPU-accelerated HTML5. Web sites load quickly. You’ll notice in the above screenshot that I can easily switch between tabs in Internet Explorer on Windows 8. I can also pin my favorite websites directly within Internet Explorer or to my Start screen.

I found myself tweeting in Tweet@rama and someone I follow mentioned the weather in Seattle. Being that I’m in Anaheim, I wanted to check the weather here. Because I had opened the weather app earlier, to bring it up again all I had to do was swipe my finger from the left to right on the left side of the PC. Doing this lets me quickly go through my open apps.

However, I can also slowly pick a app from the left and ”snap” it while using another app so they run side by side. You’ll notice in the above screenshot, Metro style apps can run in a smaller window size when running snapped to another app (the main app). I was able to quickly look at the weather in Anaheim AND keep tweeting at the same time.

So what about desktop applications? Applications that ran on Windows 7 will run just fine on Windows 8. Matter a fact, for the writing of this blog post I went and downloaded Paint.NET for my screenshots. It installed flawlessly and once it was finished installing, it appeared on my Start screen just like any Metro style app would. I tapped on it and it fired up in Windows desktop just as it would in Windows 7. You still have your Windows desktop in Windows 8. It just behaves like an app on the Start screen.

One other thing to highlight: everything I talked about above was done using touch however I also went through the same scenarios and used a mouse and keyboard as well and it works just as well.

Eventually, developers building Windows 8 apps will be able to make their apps available for purchase and download via the Windows Store. However, the Windows Store is not available in the Windows 8 Developer Preview.

There is so much more in the Windows 8 Developer Preview than I can cover in this post. However I’ve decided to keep this focused on the new user experience of Windows 8. The Start screen is like what the Start button was to Windows 95. It really is a reimagining of Windows. I have to say that Windows 8 will change how I use the PC.

For a long time, I will remember the first time I logged in to Windows 8 and saw the Start screen come up. The Start screen is what I am most excited about right now with Windows 8 but then again I’ve only had less than a day to play with it. There is so much more to discover.

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How to uninstall Adobe Photoshop CS3 completely - how to uninstall this software today

Adobe photoshop cs3 is an essential element of the Adobe Systems, which is essentially used for the Assembly and the creation of high quality images. This program is widely used around the world as it has sophisticated features that are truly exceptional - especially its ability to produce images that are exceptionally good. But it was noted that it is not as easy to use that it claims to be, and it out of your computer may be difficult too. Because this file is deleted from your system, some elements and foreign have been damaged or corrupted can be left in your system causing the system to have problems. Therefore, it is important that you remove successfully this program and files may be left behind to make sure that your PC will not issues meet with this program will be probably trigger once it is not removed correctly.

How to uninstall Adobe Photoshop CS3 correctly

There are two possible ways to uninstall Adobe Photoshop CS3 - manually and automatically.

Manual removal tutorial

The first method is to manually remove via the applet "Add & remove programs" in Windows. To do this, you can follow these steps:

Press "start" and then look for the "Control Panel".

Once this load, select the "Add & remove programs" or "Uninstall a program" If your operating system is Windows Vista & 7.

Applet add & remove programs, find the program Adobe Photoshop CS3 and then click "remove".

After this, you must do the things listed in the window of the statement to ensure the withdrawal of this program. However, using the program add & delete delete not completely all components of the program.
Remains of files should be deleted as well and you can do this by selecting "start" and then go to "my computer". Then, you must locate "C:\Program files\" and find the remains of files. Once you have identified and selected files, click on "SHIFT + DELETE." To complete the process, restart your computer. Once all phases are properly followed, Adobe Photoshop CS3 and leftover files should be completely out of your system.

Automatic Virus removal

The second and most recommended technique by uninstalling Adobe Photoshop is the automatic method that uses an automated tool that will completely erase applications and the remnants of files needed to be deleted. A program called "program final uninstaller" is a very suggested tool. To uninstall via this mode, you must first download the tool from the internet. Then proceed by install in your computer. Once it is installed, select "scan" and look at the list of "Installed programs", choose "photoshop". Check the box located on the left and press "Clean". This will eliminate totally Photoshop and its remnants of your PC.

Final and extremely critical to step is to clean the registry. The registry is where all the important files, settings & options and information are recorded and preserved. Files may have been left by uninstalled programs can be stored in this database - especially if you do this via the manual uninstall method. Windows accesses the files that must be read to load programs smoothly through this vast database. Once this registry gets corrupted, damaged or infected, Windows cannot read the files, thus causing your system to have problems. To resolve this problem, you must download and run a registry cleaning program, which will be carefully analyze your system and eliminate the errors and problems that will make your PC just as quick and efficient than expected.

You can Uninstall Adobe Photoshop CS3 from your PC using the tutorial and tools on our Web site. You can click here to uninstall Adobe Photoshop CS3 on your system for good.