Microsoft has today announced that UK customers will only have to pay £24.99 for Windows 8 when it is released on October 26th, which is a huge wight of everyone’s shoulders who previously had worry’s that the software will cost around £40, due to the $39.99 expected price tag in the US.

Amazon has already begun taking pre-orders for the packaged version of the operating system, priced at £49, but if you do want to pre-order the OS, they should change this over time.

Screenshot’s for Skype’s new app for Microsoft’s renamed UI is being leaked across the internet, the Neowin team leaked the new app after they had the chance to use the new app for Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices.

Within the new application, Skype has been remodeled from ground up with a neater layout, and a new set of color schemes for each conversation, alongside this the app will also run in the background much like the current app.

Obviously the app has not been finished yet, but we should hear more soon.

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Microsoft has finally shipped the final code of the new Windows 8 OEMs, which means that anyone who is a MSDN or TechNet subscriber can download the RTM build and use the software from today, a good ten weeks before anyone else that doesn’t work at Microsoft or a tech company.

If you are a normal person however you will have to wait until the software is officially released on October 26th.

if you have got access to the RTM however, let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

Windows 8 will launch on October 26th but already details are emerging that the next OS will be codenamed “Blue”.

ZDNet reports that the next operating system for the PC will come with the codename “Blue, instead of the obvious “Windows 9″ brand, the news comes from sources to the blog who claim the update will be coming next year.

Which makes us wonder if Microsoft would start releasing yearly operating systems, much like Apple or would they just release this as a service pack.

Which actually makes sense as Microsoft have already set the upgrade price to $39.99 for previous Windows 7 users or testers, which shows that Microsoft may be leaning more towards Apple’s cheap and regular OS updates.

The next operating system, be it Blue or Windows 8 is rumored to be released sometime in summer 2013 and will likely have the same pricing structure as Windows 7.

Via [ZDNet]

I know a wallpaper leak isn’t much to go on for a new operating system, but its defiantly something to give you a better view of the OS, Techit posted the image of the wallpaper which you can see above.

The image has been confirmed to be the wallpaper for the final default wallpaper, and takes a different step for Microsoft, showing two daisy flowers with a clear sky behind them, which is unusual that it doesn’t include a Windows logo.

We can expect to see the wallpaper in real life before the next couple of weeks are over,and the final release for customers will make its way on October 26th.

Via [Techit]

Netflix is coming to Windows 8 and that’s all we have they havn’t released much more information unfortunatly.

Devloping, check out the liveblog for more.

Via [The Verge]

If you purchase a new Windows 7 PC between June 2nd and February 28th, Microsoft has confirmed this morning that you will be able to upgrade it to Windows 8 for £14.99 or as we already know $14.99 in the US upon launch date.

This deal is actually pretty a lot like the one Apple announced at the release of Lion, and will likely increase the amount of people purchasing a PC between those dates.

On the date Windows 8 is launched those who took advantage of this deal will receive a promotional code for Windows 8 Pro along with instructions on how you can update to the new OS, alongside all of that you will also get 90 days of Microsoft technical support.

Any PC running Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate between June 2, 2012, and February 28, 2013 and register it at www.windowsupgradeoffer.com.

[via TechRadar]

Microsoft have been very busy today only just debuting the Release Preview of Windows 8, and now they have outed the Release Candidate of Windows Server 2012, which is available for download from today.

The candidate is designed similar to the Windows 8, with a replaced Start Menu as well as the introduction of the new Metro UI, but it has also been reported that Microsoft have weirdly removed legacy code which allows the user to switch back to the classic desktop start menu, for reasons we are not sure about.

But the new Server OS will feature the new Resilient File System, which has been made to handle heavy-duty data and manage shared storage across multiple machines, alongside a hopeful backwards compatibility.

With Microsoft’s newest OS, Windows 8 leaked only a couple of days ago they have finally decided to make the Release Preview of Windows 8 available now, which means that they are a whole day earlier than what was expected.

The new operating System preview is the final test copy of Windows 8 to be released to the public, and will allow us to see what the OS will bring us before its eventual release date.

We already know that the preview will include various improvements on the built-in Metro style apps alongside some new ones from third-party developers.

We should have an overview for you in the next couple of hours so be sure to look out for that, and let us know in the comments what you think about the new OS, will you be buying it on release?

Unless you don’t keep up much with what happens in the tech world, then you may have heard of Microsoft’s newest OS called, Windows 8. The release preview to which was supposed to be available during the first week of June, but it seems that a Chinese edition of the Release Preview has already been circulating around the web prior to this official début.

The build is a lot like the Consumer and Developer Preview’s you may or may not have already seen, but includes some new apps alongside an updated boot screen, wallpapers, cursors and some much-needed multiple monitor desktop improvements.

Of course as this is just a preview it doesn’t matter too much that it has been leaked, with the full operating system rumored to be launched sometime in October.

[Via The Verge]

Remember when you where first picking out your Windows 7 disc and the man made you choose from a total of 6 different versions, well thats nothing compared to Windows 8 which will have a colossal total of 8 versions.

This many versions is most defiantly going to annoy a lot of people as it did with Windows 7, mainly because you would have to pick and choose between several versions with minimal differences between them.

When looking through the settings of Windows 8 Consumer Preview you will find a list of these versions, if you want to find it just go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\PackageIndex\Product, here is that list:

The biggest one that confuses a lot of people currently is the Enterprise Eval edition, which by it’s name could be a trail edition which is something we have never seen from Windows.

What do you think about these 8 new versions of Windows?

If you keep up with your tech news, you may know that Microsoft announced their newest Windows 8 Operating System a few months ago, and has today announced that the beta version for operating system will be available for download next February.

Alongside the beta download Microsoft will also release the new Windows Store, which will allow you to purchase Windows software and download them straight to your computer, much like the Mac App Store apart from the store that’s about all we know about what will be included in the beta.

As usual Microsoft has kept a very tight leash on the OS, but since its announcement there has been some leaked screen shots alongside some rumours stating users will be able to customise colours and backgrounds of the start screen, alongside some other improvements, but if your a developer you will be able to download a preview in September.

What do you think? Are you excited for the beta release?

Drop us a line or two in the comments below, and do not forget to follow us on Twitter @technuttyblog.

If you are a PC Gamer what Microsoft has just announced will certainly interest you, with Microsoft’s Larry Hryb confirming that the new Windows 8 OS will also feature Xbox Live, with this integration you will be able to access all of your games, music, moves and TV Shows on any Microsoft and Windows device.

Meaning it won’t just come to your Windows 8 PC but will also be added to your Windows 8 Tablet too, this is certainly a move I have been waiting a long while for Microsoft too play, just wondering if it is too late to reinvent to PC, Hryb said in his blog post:

“We are confirming that we will be bringing Xbox LIVE to the PC with Xbox LIVE on Windows. We are very excited about Xbox LIVE coming to Windows 8.

Bringing Xbox LIVE to Windows 8 is part of our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy.  At BUILD we are showing that it is easy for developers to create games for Windows 8 that take advantage of the power of Xbox LIVE.  We have much more detail to share about the capabilities of Xbox LIVE on Windows and look forward to the opportunity to do so in the near future.”

Alongside new integration with both the Xbox and the Windows Phone 7 platform, this will certainly bring a trend within the brand, but is it enough to get Microsoft’s OS back on the map?

What do you think? Is Xbox Live on the PC something that interests you?

Drop us a line in the comments below, and do not forget to follow us on Twitter @technuttyblog to receive all the latest new and review via tweets.

As some of you may know Microsoft hosted their BUILD conference today, becoming a pretty important day with Steven Sinofsky shown of a preview off Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows 8 to developers releasing over 1,500 changes to the OS since Windows 7, later this week developers will receive  a preview of the OS, some of the highlights include:

Touch-First User Interface

• Metro style. Windows 8 introduces a new Metro style interface built for touch, which shows information important to you, embodies simplicity and gives you control. The Metro style UI is equally at home with a mouse and keyboard as well.
• Touch-first browsing, not just browsing on a touch device. Providing a fast and fluid touch-browsing experience, Internet Explorer 10 puts sites at the center on new Windows 8 devices.

More Ways to Engage With Powerful, Connected Apps

• Powered by apps. Metro style apps built for Windows 8 are the focal point of your experience, filling your entire screen so there are no distractions.
• Apps can work together. Apps communicate with each other in Windows 8. For example, you can easily select and email photos from different places, such as Facebook, Flickr or on your hard drive.
• Your experience syncs across your devices. Live roams all the content from cloud services you use most — photos, email, calendar and contacts — keeping them up-to-date on your devices. With SkyDrive, you can access your files, photos and documents from virtually anywhere with any browser or with Metro style apps in Windows 8.

Enhanced Fundamentals

• The best of Windows 7, only better. Windows 8 is built on the rock-solid foundation of Windows 7, delivering improvements in performance, security, privacy and system reliability. Windows 8 reduces the memory footprint needed — even on the lowest-end hardware — leaving more room for your apps.
• Preserving power-user favorites and making them better. For those who push the limits of their PC, Windows 8 features an enhanced Task Manager and Windows Explorer and new, flexible options for multimonitor setups.

New Developer Opportunities

• Windows Store. The Windows Store will allow developers to sell their apps anywhere Windows is sold worldwide, whether they’re creating new games or familiar productivity tools.
• Build using more languages. Windows 8 lets you leverage your existing skills and code assets to create great experiences using the programming language you prefer.
• Rich hardware integration leads to richer experiences — particularly for games. DirectX 11 gaming power underlies Windows 8, allowing the easy creation of full-screen games with smooth, flicker-free action.

New Generation of Hardware

• One Windows — many shapes and sizes. Support for ARM-based chipsets, x86 (as well as x32 and x64) devices, touch and sensors means Windows 8 works beautifully across a spectrum of devices, from 10-inch tablets and laptops to all-in-ones with 27-inch high-definition screens.
• Always connected. With Windows 8, new ultrathin PCs and tablets turn on instantly, run all day on a single charge and stay connected to the Internet so your PC is ready when you are. Next-generation system on a chip (SoC) support will also enable greatly extended standby and low-power states.
• Tap the full power of your PC. Windows 8 runs on PCs and is compatible with the devices and programs you use today on Windows 7, without compromise, to deliver the performance you expect of a PC.

What do you think? Are you looking forward to get your hands on WIndows 8? Are you a developer, what do you think of it?

Drop us a line or two in the comments below, and do not forget to follow us on Twitter @technuttyblog to receive the latest news and reviews as they are published.

Via [Technobuffalo]

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If you are jealous of one of those brand new fast boot laptops, want to get one for yourself but don’t have that kind of money, well there is some good news as Microsoft has released information showing Windows 8′s new super speedy boot times which will boot in an absolutely speedy 8 seconds.

Microsoft released a new post on their building Windows 8 blog, the director of program management for Windows, Gabe Aul said that the new OS has a “fast start-up mode which is a hybrid of traditional cold boot and resuming from hibernate.”

Within the post Gabe also noted what Microsoft wants to do with their new mission:

“Our challenge then, was to design a way to meet all of these desires on today’s PCs without requiring some special new hardware. These were our goals:

• Effectively zero watt power draw when off
• A fresh session after boot
• Very fast times between pressing the power button and being able to use the PC.”

“Now here’s the key difference for Windows 8: as in Windows 7, we close the user sessions, but instead of closing the kernel session, we hibernate it. Compared to a full hibernate, which includes a lot of memory pages in use by apps, session 0 hibernation data is much smaller, which takes substantially less time to write to disk.

Using this technique with boot gives us a significant advantage for boot times, since reading the hiberfile in and reinitializing drivers is much faster on most systems (30-70% faster on most systems we’ve tested).”

The fast boot option is defiantly a reason for my to upgrade to Windows 8 as soon as it is released and personally I cannot for it I just hope Microsoft don’t charge through the earth for it and as long as it is backwards compatible I will certainly buy it for my current PC and Laptop.