Telegram coming to Windows Phone in January – promises to be faster and more secure than Whatsapp

Telegram just announced on Twitter their messaging app is coming to Windows Phone in January 2014. Telegram lets you send messages, photos and videos to people who are in your phone contacts (and have Telegram). It’s already available on Android and iOS.

How is Telegram different from the popular messaging app, Whatsapp? Telegram’s team claim they are faster and way more secure.

Telegram is supported by the founders of Russia’s biggest social networking platform, VKontakte. Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram is cloud-based, decentralized and heavily encrypted. To get technical, they support two layers of secure encryption based on 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, RSA 2048 encryption and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange.

On top of that, Telegram is free and will stay free without ads or subscription fees, forever. Telegram is a non-profit project. The team says they do not intend to sell ads, bring revenue or accept outside investment. If Telegram runs out of money, they’ll rely on users to donate or add non-essential paid options.

Are you looking forward to Telegram for Windows Phone or are you sticking with Whatsapp? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Telegram, Via: WinBeta

via Blogger http://wetechgeeks.blogspot.com/2013/11/telegram-coming-to-windows-phone-in.html

Flipboard arrives on Windows 8.1 with Live Tile integration and more

Flipboard has finally launched for Windows 8.1, allowing users to finally discover the news reader app that makes it such a hit with tablet users on other platforms.

Developers have built the app from the ground up to match the Windows 8.1 look and feel, and take advantage of some the platform’s specific features such as adding Flipboard as a Live Tile to their tablet’s start screen. Flipboard for Windows 8.1 also make it possible to pin your favorite Flipboard magazines and sections to the start screen, so that you can access your favorite content speedily.

A range of gestures offer plenty of functionality – for example, you can subscribe, refresh, and edit by swiping up, or access modules such as ‘contributors’ and ‘people also read’ by swiping down within a section. Microsoft’s windows 8.1 also offers a split-screen experience naming it Snap View, allowing you to read a Flipboard article  while performing another task on the same time such as watching a movie.

Since launching in 2010, the free app, lauded for its elegant user experience and ease of use, has been downloaded to around 90 million mobile devices.

A feature rolled out earlier this year that allows users to create their own digital magazines for sharing, or private use, proved a particular hit with the Flipboard community, with 100,000 magazines created within its first 24 hours of going live. Another recent feature enables users to utilize the magazine tool for the creation of e-commerce catalogs for wish lists or as a way of creating a shopping list of gifts.

Judging by the popularity of Flipboard on other platforms such as iOS and Android, the Windows 8.1 version will be welcomed by Windows 8.1 device owners. Here below check out the video for a brief overview of Flipboard for Windows 8.1:

via Blogger http://wetechgeeks.blogspot.com/2013/11/flipboard-arrives-on-windows-81-with.html

Microsoft Windows 8.1 upgrade will be available to download today

Microsoft is releasing its long-awaited Windows 8.1 upgrade as a free download for existing Windows 8 users starting on Thursday. Windows 8 was a dramatically different operating system that attempts to bridge the divide between tablets and PCs Windows 8.1 refines the new Windows experience with Microsoft implementing some feedback it received from users and added some features of its own on top. Here’s what’s new in Windows 8.1.

Return of the Start button: Microsoft is bringing back its iconic Start button in Windows 8.1 Desktop mode. However, the implementation is not the same as pre-Windows 8 environment where the Start button would pop open a menu of apps and other settings. Instead, clicking on the button would lead users to a different Start screen where they can see all the apps that have been installed on the machine without Live Tiles.

Boot to desktop: Now users will be able to directly boot their machine to desktop mode. Earlier Windows would only boot to the new user interface and users had to manually shift to the desktop mode every time.

Multitasking: Windows 8.1 changes will let  users resize the apps according to their preference and even have more that two apps snapped at any given point of time provided their display is high resolution enough.

Search: Windows 8.1 brings universal search that would search for keywords on files stored locally, those stored on SkyDrive, keyword reference in apps, online search, photos and even Wikipedia. This is a huge feature, one that users would end up using a lot.

Windows Store: Microsoft is also talking about easier discoverability of apps from the Windows Store. Installed apps will also download automatically and the limits on re-installs have been removed.

SkyDrive: Microsoft’s cloud service, SkyDrive, was already integrated with Windows 8 and it gets even more tightly knit in Windows 8.1. Now all files will be automatically backed up on SkyDrive, which will also sync the user’s system settings, so whenever the user logs in from a different PC, those settings are already implemented.

Other improvements: There are a lot of other improvements like Internet Explorer 11, which now allows unlimited tabs and syncs bookmarks across devices. There are improvements made to the keyboard and some new pre-installed Microsoft apps. The lock screen can work as a personal photo frame of sorts. One can even have animated background on the Start screen and there are more size options for Tiles that can be resized more easily when not using a mouse.

The Window 8.1 update is free for current owners of Windows 8. Simply go to the Windows Store app to find it. It may take a few hours for updates to reach everyone.

via Blogger http://wetechgeeks.blogspot.com/2013/10/microsoft-windows-81-upgrade-will-be.html

Microsoft is taking pre-orders for Windows 8.1 ahead of October 18 launch

Microsoft has opened pre-orders for its latest operating system Windows 8.1 on its website, ahead of its launch on October 18. The update coming later in October that’s designed to make it easier for people to absorb the radical new interface that arrived with Windows 8.

The new release, which will be offered as a free upgrade to Windows 8 users through the app store, will officially go on sale on October 17 at 4 AM Pacific Time. But for any OS version earlier than that you will need to purchase Windows 8.1. Users can pay $120 to order the Windows 8.1 upgrade DVD or a digital download. Windows 8.1 is retailing for $119.99, while Windows 8.1 Pro is going for $199.99.

“Windows 8.1 is not designed for installation on devices running Windows XP or Windows Vista,” Microsoft cautions on the Windows 8.1 pre-order page, but those customers can buy Windows 8 now and then get a free upgrade to 8.1.

Windows 8 alienated many customers with an operating system that booted into a start page covered with high-contrast app rectangles rather than the familiar desktop with its start button. In late August, Microsoft officially wrapped up the development of Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1, and announced that it had started to release both versions to hardware manufacturers.

Upgrades could involve a lot of work. Windows 7 users and Windows 8.1 preview version users will have to reinstall their software with the final version of Windows 8.1.

via Blogger http://wetechgeeks.blogspot.com/2013/10/microsoft-is-taking-pre-orders-for.html

MetroSidebar The new generation of Windows Sidebar

The story started when microsoft decided to remove Windows Sidebar from its operating systems for some security issues, so we decided to create a new software to replace the Windows Sidebar, which is secured and takes advantage of the new Modern UI (Metro).

MetroSidebar takes advantage of the new Modern UI, so it celebrates a simple and clean user interface that’s beautiful to look at and easy to use.
One room is not enough to enjoy all the amazing tiles. With MetroSidebar you can group your tiles in many rooms.
Organize your tiles how you like!
Make MetroSidebar truly personal by adding, removing, arranging, even grouping tiles in the rooms.
MetroSidebar can be updated automatically when a new version is available so you can get new features and tiles.
To display MetroSidebar, just move the mouse into the top/bottom right corner.
MetroSidebar is totally free, just download, install and enjoy it!

System requirements:
Operating system: 32- or 64-bit version of either Windows 8,Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP
Installed Microsoft.NET Framework 4 

Download

via Blogger http://wetechgeeks.blogspot.com/2013/09/metrosidebar-new-generation-of-windows.html