Windows 8 - No Media Center Built in

Microsoft have slipped this one under the radar, it appears that all of you Media center PC owners that actually use Windows Media Center, will not be getting Media Center and its codecs for DVD playback and broadcast TV from Windows 8 instead you will have to pay for the add-ons.

However for people that bought the Pro version of Windows 8 will be able to get these add-ons for free until January 31st 2013, once the date has passed you will then have to pay for these extras if you should want them, Users that do want the freebies will have to input their product key on the Microsoft Website to get the files.

Microsoft Never released the actual cost of the add-ons only referring to it as "economical" but i can tell you that it will cost you an extra $10  for the content.

You can get the add-on from the link here, please let me know if you are able to get this without being on a pro version of windows 8.

Windows 8 Released

So today is the day that Windows 8 is released, but the big question is will you be buying it ?

The Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer called the introduction of Windows 8 a "bold, innovative" move that had been tested for more than 1.24 billion hours worldwide.

"No product anywhere receives this kind of testing anywhere in the world," Mr Ballmer told a New York audience.

But this new flavour of Windows has changed its appearance dramatically with the ditched start button and new full screen start screen. This screen now contains all the well known apps and extra ones that you can get from Windows Store.

Microsoft Windows business leader Tina Flammer said users would need to adapt to the new software menus, but it had been designed for an easy transition.

"Windows 8 was designed to be intuitive," she said.

"We know that without the traditional (start button) it is different. Every time we bring out a device the familiarity is different."

Microsoft faced further scrutiny at its Australian launch for differences around the software's pricing and packages.

While it wont be available to buy as a full product in stores over here it will be available as an upgrade.

The Windows 8 Pro upgrade package costs $69.99, she said, while the Windows 8 upgrade costs $39.99.

You can also upgrade from Windows XP,Vista and Windows 7 which is slightly different from Windows 7 that could only be upgraded from Windows Vista.

This version is going to be very important for Microsoft's Future in the Software business if this flops could it be the end for Windows, who knows i think not but it could severely impact them in future releases.

Earlier this week i Blogged about how to add the missing start button back this can be found here.

Stop your iPhone / iPod / iPad being tracked by advertisers

I recently discovered that our I devices have Advertiser tracking enabled by default within the iOS 6 Operating system, to the geeks this is basically identifierForAdvertising (IDFA) and identifierForVendor (IDFV), Apple had previously limited by denying app developers use of a device's UDID, but advertisers can now track and target users of the operating system.

To the non geeks this is basically tracking for Advertisers to target you to show adds that relate to your apps and what you search for on your phone.

To turn this off follow the procedure below.

Go into Settings > General > About.

Scroll down to Advertising.

You will see that Limit Ad Tracking is OFF by default, So what is the problem, if it is set to OFF you are open to the advertisers, simply slide it to ON and you will now be free from tracking.

You can click on the more info option at the bottom of the screen which basically tells you about what the Ad Tracking does, as per the image below.

Windows 8 / Server 2012 No start menu ! here is a solution

As windows 8 release is imminent you might or might not know that there is no start button, for some that are used to the old trusty start button fear not as there is a solution at hand.

The start button has been a prominent feature of windows since windows NT and windows 95, as Microsoft are stepping into a new world of touchscreen adn tablet computers, this could be an issue for many users who heavily rely on it.

From This 

To this

If you do buy a new PC or Laptop from the 26th of October you will more than likely have windows 8 Pre installed and if you are not wanting to learn all the new tips and tricks at the very beginning you will definateley want this app installed to help you get going.

Stardock have made applications for windows for years mainly the floating menu bar which gives you a Apple like bar at the top or bottom of the screen, the Start8 application can be purchased from stardocs website for $4.99 US to check it out click here.

If like me you will be staying away from this version of Windows as i believe it will be on the miss list, which us techies have been keeping for many years.

This will also work for Windows Server 2012 if you are an administrator this could be a breath of fresh air if your company insists on keeping upto date with the server side of things.

If you do get Windows 8 and you want to try this out let me know how you go. 

iPad Mini Announced

As i Predicted last week the iPad Mini was announced overnight by Apple, they had put on their website that there was going to be more to show and it was.

The new iPad which is 7" smaller version of the iPad 2 and 3, it has the same resolution as the iPad 2 (1024x768) and weighs in at just 308g and 7.2mm thick.

There is also a rumor that Apple have smart covers all ready and waiting to go on sale at the same time, it will feature the new iOS6 and the A5 Processor, Lightening Dock, but no retina display. 

Prices are starting at $329 for a 6GB model and go up to $429 for the 32GB model and $529 for the 64GB model all WIFI and the a little bit extra for the Mobile version, the good news is that it will be available for use on the new 4G LTE network in Australia and the rest of the world that has 4G LTE enabled.

This is Apple's addition into the 7" tablet market to compete with the new Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7, we will just have to see how the sales go, most of the die hard Apple fans will want to get in on the action and will already be lining up the purchase of the mini so look out for an abundance of the larger iPads for sale on eBay and the likes.

There is no firm date of the actual release of the iPad mini but it wont be to long away given Apples track record, so maybe this time next month, but definitely before Xmas to boost those sales.

Remove the Facebook colour change scam from your profile

Recently i have been spammed by my friends on facebook that have the "You Can Now Change The Color of Your Facebook" this is whats known as a Facebook Scam or Rouge App, this basically is an App that you have allowed to connect to your profile and spams all of your contacts telling them they can change their colours of their profile.

It doesn't work and can be removed by following this process.

Login to Facebook on your computer, go to the top right corner and click on the little drop down arrow as per the picture below.

Go to Account Settings then click on Apps on the left hand side, this will then load all of the Apps that have access to your profile.

One the list of Apps has loaded simply scroll down to the App that you want to remove and click on the little X at the side of the App it will then pop up asking you if you want to remove the app, make sure that you check the box that says "Delete All your Activity on Facebook".

You have now removed the Rouge App and it wont spam all of your friends anymore, you can follow this guide to remove any Apps that you no longer want on your Facebook.

Microsoft Surface Prices and Release Dates Announced

This one is for all you non Apple lovers, Microsoft have finally released information about their up and coming tablet computer called Surface, it will be running windows RT which is basically Windows 8 for tablets.

There are 2 versions of the surface a 32GB and 64GB model, the 32GB model is $559 or $679 with a Touch Cover, the 64GB version comes with a Touch Cover for $789, you can purchase the Touch Covers separately for $139.99 they come is 5 different colours (Black, White, Red, Blue and Pink), Or you can pick up a Type Cover for $149.99. All pre-sales are limited so if you want one you will have to be quick and they go on sale on the 26th October 2012.

For more info head over to the Surface website at www.surface.com  If you are a keen Microsoft fan (not many are these days) then it is a little pricey for what you get but the eventually had to bring something out to compete with apple.

iPad Mini - Is it coming out next week ?

Like the iPhone 5 rumors are wide spread about the imminent release of the iPad mini, could it be as early as next week or are Apple just playing a bluff.

Its rumored that there are to be 12 versions of the new iPad, each in white and black so to us that would mean 8,16, 32 and 64GB models maybe and also the normal WIFI only 3G and 4G LTE versions.

Whilst the price is still unknown and what plans and carriers they will  be available on, be sure to keep an eye out as they wont be to far away in my opinion.

Windows 8 Soon to be Released

We're almost there. 12 more days until the big reveal. But that doesn't mean there aren't still a few final Windows 8 secrets to be disclosed. Two of those are the price and the packaging, which online retailer Newegg has just let slip. 

There are four packages listed: Windows 8 Professional Upgrade ($69), Windows 8 Pro Pack ($69, product key card only), Windows 8 OEM ($99) and Windows 8 Professional ($139), with the latter two being available in both 32- and 64-bit versions (for the same price). 

If you go into the product page, however, we can see that the original price for the upgrade and product key card only versions is listed as "$199" suggesting that this might either be a launch offer, or subject to change. Don't forget though, there's still the chance to upgrade for an even lower price, for those who qualify. You can officially reserve your copy of Pro from today for $69.99 at all the main retailers, but if you can hold back on that impulse purchase for just a little longer, you'll be able to upgrade to Pro online for $39 (until January 31st 2013).

iPod Nano 7th Gen

Apple will release the new iPod Nano 7th Gen this month, they like to reinvent their products very regularly as we know but what is so special about this new iPod.

The new iPod weighs a mere 31g which will more than likely feel like you don't even have it in your pocket but don't let that draw you away from purchasing one, it has lots of new features and a new bigger 2.5 inch touchscreen with 16:9 aspect ratio better showing those movies that you might have on there.

There are no click wheels on this iPod just a simple home button like on the bigger iPod and the iPhone's  although it has a circle in the middle unlike the square on the iPod and iPhone, and the power button looks nice on the top of the device and on the upper left there is a nice rocker button With this you can adjust volume and, by pressing in the middle, play/pause music or engage in any of the Morse code-like commands for shuffling or skipping tracks. 

On the bottom are the three forms of connectivity, two ports and a tiny window through which the Bluetooth 4.0 antenna talks. On the left is the 3.5mm headphone jack and on the right, the new Lightning connector, As on the iPhone 5 and the new iPod touch.

It has a similar setup to the older Nano with regards to the iOS like interface and has 2 pages of apps, you can rearrange these to your liking . The Nike+ app is still there and has been made even better in this version by having everything built into the device. You no longer need to clip on a receiver or put an accelerometer on your shoe to track your walks or runs, you can even connect Bluetooth heart rate monitors wirelessly. although the lack of the integrated clip will be seen as a slight step backward by those whose running shorts lack pockets. 

The Spec is below

Type	Media Type	Audio Playback Time	Video Playback Time	Price
Audio / Video Player	Internal Storage 16GB, Flash	Upto 30 Hours	Upto 3.5 Hours
Audio Codec Support	Dimensions	Weight	Released	From $149
AAC, MP3, WAV	3.01 x 1.56 x 0.21 in	31g	2012/10