Out of the box, swiping four fingers upwards brought up Windows Aero Flip 3D and then swiping a finger across let us toggle between the windows.
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He doesn't spare his former coworkers from criticism, though: he warns that the split between the Windows 8-style UI and the traditional desktop is potentially confusing, notes the absence of useful Android and iOS features like touch-friendly app folders, and doesn't find the conventional Windows interface very practical with fingers alone.
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One evening when I entered the kitchen a restlessness seized me, and when I returned from the mall I hung a second mirror in the kitchen, between the two windows.
Robbie Bach, president of the entertainment and devices division at Microsoft, explained the difference between the Kin line and the Windows Phone 7.
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Between the original launch of Windows and the release of Windows XP, about one billion PCs were shipped worldwide.
The breadth of change in Windows 8 puts complaints about the differences between previous versions of Windows in some perspective.
There were more than five years between the launch of Windows XP and Windows Vista, and nearly three years between Windows Vista and Windows 7.
It's a tricky balancing act to pull off, and lots could go wrong -- for instance, it's not exactly clear how smooth it will be to switch between the two types of Windows, or if you'll even be able to get the old Windows on certain types of tablets (that is, tablets that run the power-efficient ARM processors used by the iPad and most other tablets today).
Only when the siphon starts opening doors and windows between universes, are the two able to be together.
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Another factor: confusions about the differences between Windows RT and Windows Pro, two flavors of Windows 8.
Now the relationship between the Mac OS and Windows is resembling what some Mac purists may describe as unnaturally cozy.
We're still a little unclear on how Microsoft plans to educate consumers on the difference between Windows RT and Windows 8.
Or if you like, between Windows and the MacOS. If one OS can establish itself as the market standard then this is going to bring very rich rewards in the years, possibly even decades, to come.
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He also announced a partnership with Dell, which will soon come loaded with Microsoft's Windows Live suite of software, and links between Windows Live and the social-networking site, Facebook.
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And we're still not sure consumers will understand the difference between this and regular Windows 8.
Both operating systems lie somewhere between the cathedral of iOS and the bazaar of Android in terms of their tradeoffs between integration and flexibility, with Windows Phone offering a broader range of hardware since it is licensed and has been in the market longer.
Another game, Fairway Solitaire, was shared between Windows Phone, Xbox 360 and Windows 8, allowing for the kind of pick-up-and-play dynamic promoted by SmartGlass.
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WP8 was announced over the summer and in an effort to keep everyone with the existing hardware (that would not support Windows Phone 8), Microsoft talked about an intermediate version of Windows Phone, running between the upcoming WP8 and the then current WP7.5.
We'll be keeping a close eye on how the November results alter the status quo -- between Windows Phone, LG's Optimus G and a cavalcade of multi-device launches, there's been potential for more than one tidal shift in the mobile world in the past few weeks.
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Those of you following the feud between Acer and Microsoft may remember last August, when Acer leveled criticism at the Windows 8 creator regarding their entry into the hardware market.
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Apple's approach means the market remains essentially cut down the middle - between the iTunes service, which works only on the iPod, and services which use a Windows Media format, essentially everyone else.
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But even these aren't a perfect solution, because the ones that work with the iPad can't send common Windows keyboard commands to OnLive Desktop, so you wind up moving between the keyboard and the touch screen, which can be frustrating.
When the shots rang out, Vollmer locked her classroom door, covered the windows, including the one in the door, then took the children into a nook between bookcases and a wall.
If the central banks were properly calibrating liquidity to maintain parity between the statutory gold price and the market gold price of the dollar and euro, then the trade at the gold windows would remain inert.
Windows 8 wants to blend the user experience between PCs and mobile as it includes touch capabilities.
Don't get us wrong, the 5103 still feels like a netbook, but toggling between windows and opening programs felt snappier than our Atom N450-packing Toshiba Mini NB305, though not as fast as the dual-core Atom D525-powered Eee PC 1215N or the AMD Athlon II Neo K325-powered Dell Inspiron M101z.
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Still, Facebook Home would seem to get around some of the challenges Windows Phone faces by not forcing consumers to choose between a people-centric, top-level experience and broader selections of phones and apps.
With the new version, users will be able to make and receive free2 1-to-1 video calls over Skype between their Android phone and other Skype contacts on the iPhone, Mac, Windows PCs and even TVs3.
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Making a couple of assumptions, I make the range of Windows Phone handsets sold in Q4 2012 as being between 9, 500, 000 and 13, 250, 000 smartphones.
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As well as porting between smartphone platforms, this should also allow far more games to go across the Windows ecosystem, with Windows Phone, Windows 8, Surface, and the Xbox.
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