SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp said on Wednesday its new, touch-friendly Windows 8 operating system will be on sale October 26, almost exactly three years after the launch of Windows 7. That means customers will be able to upgrade old PCs to the new system on that date, or buy new hardware with the software already
installed at stores such as Best Buy. The company generally does not announce public release dates until close to the event, but has often stated that it aims for a new version of Windows every three years. Microsoft said ear-lier this month Windows 8 would be released by the end of October.
Google grabs startup
PARIS: A French startup behind e-mail applications for Apple gadgets has been bought by Google as the internet titan increasingly tailors hit software to run on its rival’s hardware. Sparrow Co-Founder and Chief Executive
Dominique Leca announced on Friday that the Paris-based startup’s team will go to work on Gmail, Google’s free web-based e-mail service. “We’re
joining the Gmail team to accomplish a bigger vision,” Leca said. “While we’ll be working on new things at Google, we will continue to make Sparrow available and provide support for our users.” A Sparrow e-mail application for iPhones became available for purchase in Apple’s online App Store in March, and a version of the software for Macintosh computers has been available since early last year. “The Sparrow team has always put their users first by focusing on building a seamlessly simple and intuitive interface for their e-mail client,” a Google spokesperson said. “We look forward to bringing them aboard the Gmail team, where they’ll be working on new projects.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition came as Google ramped up software offerings that compete with custom programmes that Apple builds into its iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices.
Apple must run special ads
LONDON: Apple has been instructed by a British judge to run ads saying that Samsung did not copy its design for the iPad in the latest twist in the ongoing patent battles between the two tech giants, according to Bloomberg. Judge Birss, who ruled last week that Samsung did not infringe Apple’s designs because its Galaxy Tab tablets were not ‘as cool’ as the US company’s iPad, said Apple should publish a notice on its website and in British newspapers to correct any impression that the South Korean company copied Apple, Bloomberg said. The notice, which is in effect an advertisement for Samsung, should remain on Apple’s website for at least six months, the report said. The judge, however, rejected Samsung’s request that Apple be forbidden from continuing to claim that its design rights had been infringed, saying that Apple was entitled to hold the opinion, the news agency said. Samsung said in a statement after the hearing: “Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited.” Apple