News & Reviews:   Windows 8.1

If you’re still running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 on your PC for some reason, then we’ve got some bad news should you also play games on Steam. This is because Valve has made a surprise announcement saying that the aforementioned Microsoft OS will no longer be supported by Steam.

If your phone is running on Windows Phone 8.1, chances are you might want to update it to Windows 10 Mobile. ASAP. Microsoft has confirmed that they are preparing to shut down the app store entirely in mid-December. 

It isn't big news that Microsoft's Windows 8 hasn't been doing well. Despite losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars both in terms of Windows 8 and Windows RT based devices as well as software, Microsoft has kept plugging at it with the latest update being Windows 8.1, but even this doesn't seem to be taking off. Rumours have recently surfaced that Microsoft may be scrapping all the changes Windows 8 did and come back to the old Windows 7 interface. One of these rumours comes from Paul Thurott who is quite well known for Windows related news. What sets his rumour apart is that he predicts Microsoft will come out with Windows 9 in April 2015. According to him the announcement will come in April 2014 with the roll-out release next year. As a dedicated computer desktop user I can't say that I've been thrilled by the rather intrusive Windows 8 redesign, but it has been getting a following for it's various touchscreen devices. We still don't know what tech specs or features the Windows 9 revamp will have but it is rumoured to have three major points along with an optional Metro 2.0 feature. Stay tuned for more updates.

The Toshiba Encore is probably the 2nd touchscreen tablet in the first wave of 8-inch Windows 8 tablets and devices below or around $300. Toshiba recently announced the Encore with features that include Windows 8.1 and the free Microsoft Office package. Other tech specs include dual microphones, a 2MP front camera certified by Skype, an 8-inch HFFS display with multi-touch and 1280 x 800 pixel resolutions, a quad-core Intel Atom Bay Trail processor and 32GB worth of storage. Connection-wise the tablet packs in a Micro USB 2.0 port, micro HDMI port, dual-band WiFi and a GPS. No exact Malaysia release dates were available but it is expected globally in November 2013 for $329.99 (RM1096). The tech specs make the Toshiba Encore a very tempting device, but we'll hold off judgement until we see what sort of keyboard and other accessories the tablet will be packing.