The idea of a Chromium based Edge probably came from Mobile

When Microsoft announced a new browser replacing the clunky Internet Explorer with a refreshed, lightweight and modern browser, the industry had a lot of expectation from the new browser, Microsoft Edge. Though, what followed was a release of a half baked browser with the initial version of Windows 10. The blue logo with "e" didn't help with the visual cues for user as well. That combining with the lack of extension and customization, Microsoft had a browser which needed some serious attention.

It's been three plus years since that happened, Microsoft has been refining Edge and adding new features to it but rather slowly as compared to the competition. The updates came with the major Windows 10 updates, that happened at irregular points of time before Microsoft decided to stick to two releases from last year. Extension support came almost after one year and the selection is still limited. Meanwhile, the demise of Windows 10 Mobile relieved the Edge team of updating it's mobile browser but Microsoft knew they had to keep their browser relevant to users, only way to achieve that was to release the browser to other mobile platforms. Hence they released Edge for iOS and Android, only this time, the browser was based on the web engine supported in the platforms, WebKit for iOS and Blink for Android.

The top 3 YouTube apps for Windows 10 devices

"What !? Windows 10 doesn't have a official YouTube app?" This is something I have heard from my friends, specially in the case of Windows 10 Mobile. For the record, Windows (phone) never had a official YouTube app. Thank Google for that. But that doesn't mean that there is no way to access YouTube. You can do so using your web browser to access the mobile site for occasional browsing and watching videos. This won't suffice if you want save videos offline, get notification from your favorite channels and other advanced features which you can find in the official YouTube app in other platforms.

Fortunately, there are several beautiful third party apps that are equivalent to the official apps. Here is a list of such apps.

1) Tubecast

Multitasking : A video running in the bottom left corner while browsing other videos.

Tubecast is one of the finest and full featured YouTube client that you will ever find in Windows. The interface is clean and slick. You can log in using your Google account and bring your favorite channels at the finger tips. You can also comment in a video without leaving the screen and the app supports swipe gestures making navigation a breeze in touch enabled devices. Offline videos (Preload) are supported and you can choose between SQ,HQ or HD for saving that video. It has a live tile and supports push notifications to keep you updated.

Microsoft Edge will become my primary browser but WHY ?

If you have been following me for a long time, you probably know that Chrome has been my browser of choice since I started blogging but that is about to change for several *good* reasons. With the recent tests and improvements made to Edge, it is time to reconsider the options available in the market.

What's wrong with Chrome ?

Chrome once represented what a modern browser should be. Be it the extensions and themes support or the simplicity of it's UI combined with good performance kept me hooked to it for a long time in my desktop. It still has all these features with Sync using Google account being a very useful feature for Android users.

WhatsApp for PC : Hands on and the (im)possibility of UWP app

WhatsApp announced their desktop apps for PC and Mac, which is nothing more than a web wrap of WhatsApp Web but with notifications directly in your computer.

Opening the app presents you with the same UI that you find in WhatsApp Web. The login process is also similar, you open WhatsApp in your phone and scan the QR code, voila ! All your chats are synced to your desktop.

The application has a set of options in the menu bar. Under WhatsApp menu you have "new chat", "new group", "Profile status" and "Log out" which are pretty obvious and useful. The "+" sign also allows you to start a new chat with your contacts.

Windows 10 costs upto $199 after the offer ends, Upgrade now !

Microsoft has confirmed that the free upgrade to Windows 10 will be ending on July 29 as it was announced last year during the launch. As of now 300 million devices are in Windows 10 and Microsoft plans to get on 1 billion devices to Windows 10 in the next few years, for this target. free upgrade is supposed to act as a catalyst to the growth of the new platform. With less than three months remaining for the offer, the pricing of Windows 10 has reached the internet.

Here is the how the pricing of Windows 10 looks like after the offer ends

After July 29, 2016

Windows 10 Home: $119.99

Windows 10 Pro: $199.99

The pricing is very similar to how Microsoft priced their previous generation operating systems. Even the retail editions of Windows 10 which are available for purchase in Microsoft Store lists the same pricing. So it is pretty obvious that Microsoft would not change the pricing. In case you are wondering what are the differences between Home and Pro editions, you can find them here.

Microsoft has been very committed to actively update Windows 10 with new features and reliability updates. November update ( aka TH2 or build 10586) brought a plethora of improvements over the initial version such as improved snapping,colored title bars and more optimizations to the overall performance and reliability.

Determine the Windows Experience Index in Windows 8.1

As most of you know that Windows 8.1 removed the ability to use Windows Experience Index(WEI) in System properties. WEI was introduced in 2006 with Windows Vista to assess the performance of your computer. It rates your computer's important components such as Processor,Graphics,RAM,Primary Hard disk and Desktop graphics in a grade scale. Microsoft had intentions to make it an important part of Windows. They wanted applications to come with a label with a minimum/recommended WEI rating which would practically let users to know if the application would run fine in their computer. It's still a part of Windows 7 and even Windows 8 but not in Windows 8.1 as Microsoft removed it for some undisclosed reason.

But not all the components of WEI was removed in Windows 8.1, they left the WEI engine intact but just removed the GUI in properties. This was a very helpful tool for some people so they wanted this feature back and that's why WinAero's developer built this tool which gives WEI the same old familiar GUI. Winaero WEI brings back all the features and has some additional goodies too. It lets you to take a screenshot or save it as a HTML page or even upload it in the internet to share. You can download this tool from here . It supports Windows 8.1 32-bit and 64-bit with or without Update 1. 

Office for iPad : Optimized for Apple

If you are using Apple iPad then you most probably have heard about the launch of Microsoft Office for iPad. Microsoft says that this is not a port of the Windows version but a completely built iPad version which will work great with touch input in all the apple devices.

Julia White, Microsoft’s chief of Office Division Product Management, presented the new Office for iPad during an event focused on cloud services in San Francisco, with the new CEO Satya Nadella also taking the stage to discuss about Redmond’s efforts in this particular market.White guarantees that everything has been built from the ground up to work on the iPad, and “this is definitely not the Windows app ported to the iPad.” Everything is “very natural on the iPad,” she pointed out.

“What makes these apps unique is that they strike just the right balance between being unmistakably Office and being designed for the iPad. If you use Office on a PC or Mac, the iPad apps feel very familiar, so you are comfortable and confident using these apps right away. The Ribbon layout and experience is familiar, with the most common commands under Home, and Chart commands automatically show up when you select a chart,” it says.

Office is available as a free download from iTunes but the free version will only help in opening and viewing files, if you want real editing capabilities then you must buy a Office 365 subscription.

Download Microsoft Word for iPad
Download Microsoft Excel for iPad
Download Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad

OneNote 2013 available as a free download for Windows and Mac

OneNote is Microsoft's flagship note taking app which was available as a part of Microsoft Office. But Microsoft have decided to make this fantastic note taking app free for all the users. Microsoft has now released OneNote for Mac which is also available as a free download from Mac app store. Also Windows 7 and Windows 8 users will get the free version. It is also available as metro app from the Store which makes taking notes easier in touch devices.

OneNote is facing fierce competition from Evernote which is available in multiple platforms. Now OneNote is also available on all the major platforms for free and packs a bunch of useful features to make your notes easy and fast. Download OneNote now ! 

VLC media player is out for Windows 8 in beta form !

VLC media player was planned to be released on Monday but the certification process took more time. VLC media player has hit the Windows Store in the beta form. It brings support for subtitles and mkv,flac are supported . The interface is clean and modern. The app opens you to the recently viewed videos followed by your Video library.VLC automatically curates all the videos from your computer and presents everything in a cool interface.

But the VLC still has a lot of bugs and missing features from it's desktop counter part. Sadly,this app does not run in ARM platform which means Windows RT 8.1 users won't be able to install VLC in their devices.Subtitles are not automatically imported. There are a lot things missing but the app works fine mostly.Have you installed the app ? 

Hotspot shield : Free VPN service

Browsing the web anonymously has become a hard to do thing. Using private browsing in browsers helps to do this but still the ISP,hackers and access the data transferred while browsing. Virtual Protocol Network (VPN) creates a virtual IP address for your PC and encrypt the data you send and receive, thereby making your browsing more secure. Unfortunately many of the VPN's available today come with a hefty price tag.There are some free ones but the best seems to be Hotspot shield free.

Hotspot shield free has all the features that a paid VPN has. It blocks tracking by changing the IP address   and also encrypts all the data transferred. But it does come with banner ads which shows up in every website,after all it's a free VPN. I have found it really useful and it does not slowdown the internet. If you buy the elite version then you will get a ad free experience as well as the option to change your virtual IP address location, the free version is locked to use the United States IP address. This tool will be very useful in public WiFi as it will protect your data against all the prying eyes.

You can download Hotspot shield free in your Windows,iOS,Mac OSX and android devices without paying a penny ! 

Download Hotspot Shield free

Market Share round up : Operating systems

January was a normal month for the operating systems, Windows 8.x managed small increase while the good old XP (surprisingly !) managed to increase it's market share.

According to the new statistics provided by net applications,Windows 7 tops the chart with a huge market share of 47.49% while it's successor Windows 8/8.1 together have 10.58% of the market share. Windows Vista stands in the fifth position with a small share of 3.30%. Despite the imminent retirement,most disturbing fact is the rise in share of Windows XP. January was not a great month for Microsoft.Non-Microsoft operating systems trail behind with Mac OS X posting a share of 3.20% and the open source Linux OS accounts for 1.60%.

Windows phone 8.1 release date Leaked : March for manufacturers and May for users !!

The wait is over, Microsoft is planning to release Windows phone 8.1 on May 2014 for users ! Nawzil, twitted a tweet with the info .

Microsoft has planned to deploy WP 8.1 in a smooth manner. First Release to Manufacture in March and for developers in April and finally releasing the most stable version for users.

Windows phone 8.1 is expected bring in lot of features such as Notification center, Cortana voice assistant, quick settings. Also a revamped Xbox games hub is getting ready.Xbox Music and Xbox Video will be separate apps, removed from the OS core to enable faster, more dynamic updates for users.Also the tech giant is working to enable installing apps to Micro-SD cards which is a great feature for devices with low storage capacity.Microsoft already said that every Windows phone 8 device will be getting this major update.

Image source : Windows Phone central

Windows phone 8.1 will bring the important features which will make the OS more easier and faster. It will include performance and security fixes which will make sure that you have a great WP experience in all your devices. WP has shown a lot of success since the launch of WP 8, the number of WP devices has dramatically increased, thanks to Nokia Lumia. Windows phone 8.1 is the most expected update for WP users as the rumored features are really great to have. Keep following for the latest news on WP 8.1 ! Exclusively in my blog .

GTA: San Andreas for Windows Phone 8 !

GTA's one of the most successful game, GTA San Andreas makes it's entry into the Windows Phone 8 Store. The game has the same story line of the PC counter part. The game has been optimized well to work with touch screen. It comes with a price tag of $6.99.

Of course not all the Windows Phone 8 devices can run this game. It runs on select phones for now,Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is only supported on the following devices: Nokia Lumia: 1520, 1320, 822, 820, 810, HTC: 8XT.

So if you are one the lucky users of the any of the devices listed above then you might check this game. The game is not 19 MB though as reported in the store, it downloads 2.5 GB of data. So make sure you have enough space and WiFi on ! Get GTA San Andreas for WP 8.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas features:  

• Remastered, high-resolution graphics built specifically for mobile including lighting enhancements, an enriched color palette and improved character models. 

• Dual analog stick controls for full camera and movement control.

• Three different control schemes and customizable controls with contextual options to display buttons only when you need them.

• Tailor your visual experience with adjustable graphic settings 

Asphalt 8: AirBorne is now free for Windows 8.1 and also for Windows phone 8

Gameloft, the company behind the most popular gaming titles in Windows Store has made Asphalt 8: Airborne free for Windows 8.1 users. This game is the latest incarnation of Asphalt series. The app offer great gaming experience with immersive graphics with full support to both Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 RT.

The game has an overall rating of 4.5 stars which show that this app will become more popular now because it's available for free now. You can get Asphalt 8: Airborne from the store right away. The mobile version offers the same gaming experience as in Windows 8. It is also available as free app. 

"*****LEAVE GRAVITY IN THE DUST*****The best arcade racing game series reaches a new turning point! Perform dynamic, high-speed aerial stunts in an intense driving experience powered by a brand-new physics engine!" the app description reads.

Get Asphalt 8:Airborne for Windows 8.x

Get Asphalt 8:Airborne for Windows phone 8

Ashampoo Burning Studio FREE : Review

Burning DVDs or CDs is a regular thing for most of the people but when it comes to free DVD burners there are small number of programs which do the work correctly. Also some free DVD burners offer advanced features in advanced UI which some users might find hard to use. Well here is a solution for all the problems,Ashampoo Burning Studio FREE is a well designed,user friendly and powerful DVD burning software which is available for free. 

The interface is combines user friendliness and all the features. You can move your cursor on the labels to see different options for burning your files to CD or DVD.

Skype is the best way to get Bedtime Stories !

Microsoft bought Skype and soon it has become as a important part of the tech giant. Skype is now integrated into Windows 8.1 as the default messaging and video chatting app.

This ad shows how a small baby hears a story from his Grandfather who is shopping. Mom has a Windows tablet with Skype installed with which she calls the old man. 

Talking about Skype, it is one of the most popular video chatting app available for free. You can also pay to get credit which will let you call to any mobile phone without leaving the Windows environment. Microsoft is betting big in the future of Skype with many new features added often to make it more easier.

avast! 2014 stable gets updated

avast! has rolled out a new stable update for all the versions of avast! antivirus. This update improves the stability of the program and also adds GrimeFighter, a PC optimization tool. The developer focused on improving the code in order to deliver a more reliable product, but it also integrated new tools and features such as SafePrice, a component of the browser plugin that should be able to find better prices on alternative shopping sites when you search for a particular item.

The Firewall component, available for Internet Security and Premier customers, went through some changes and the result should be increased compatibility with other applications (generally Java and VPN services).Avast self-defense driver is now safeguarding the installer from the get-go, an action that should foil malware attempts to terminate it on infected machines. In such as case, the developer advises a random renaming of the package before deploying it.The Browser Cleanup tool has also been improved in order to be able to deal with browser extensions and toolbars that oppose greater resistance towards removal.GrimeFighter, the PC optimization tool resulting from acquiring Jumpshot, can now be reached from the product.

Despicable Me: Minion Rush available in Windows 8.1

Gameloft have released another popular game in Windows Store namely Despicable Me: Minion Rush. This game offer a very rich gaming experience with different levels and subtle animations make this game more enjoyable. It's available as a free download for Windows 8.1 users via Store. Overall it's one of my favorites now.

Windows 8.1 needs many more quality apps like this to make tablet users happy. Microsoft is struggling hard to get such apps available in the store.

Firefox for Windows 8 touch : Screenshot

Yoyo ! Windows RT users will be the most happiest of the lot who are reading this post. Yeah, finally Mozilla has confirmed that Firefox in Windows 8 modern UI will be called as Firefox for Windows 8 touch and it set to reach the users by early 2014. IE 11 is the only browser which runs perfectly in Modern UI and Chrome in Modern UI is very similar to the desktop counter parts which will be updated soon. Mozilla will join this club and will become the third major browser which will run in Modern UI after IE and Chrome. It's a more functional and touch responsive full screen version of Firefox just like IE 11 in modern UI. Users can enjoy the browser with it's smooth edges and a Gecko web experience for the first time in Windows 8 UI !

Start menu in Windows is getting a new name !

Start menu has been with us for more than a decade and seeing it go in Windows 8/8.1 was one of the hardest thing to digest for traditional Windows users. Though the Start Screen was intended to be work great on both keyboard and mouse combo and also with touch. Unfortunately this did not work out for Microsoft. They tried to convince users with a solid update with Windows 8.1 but even it did not do the trick.

Classic shell is one of the most popular start menu apps available for Windows 8/8.1

So, Microsoft has no other option but to bring the Start menu back in desktop builds of Windows. This is what exactly the tech giant has planned to do. They say that they have listened to their users and hence are making some plans to bring the Start menu back but with a new modern strategy and look which will keep Windows new and refreshing.A new report from ZDnet states that the new start menu will be called as "mini-Start" . As you can guess, it's going to have a modern look like the Start screen and also provide shortcuts to all the apps installed in the PC like the old start menu in Windows 7. That's how it is going to be. Microsoft calls start screen as "Start" and the start menu as "mini-Start". Microsoft is planning to release it in late 2014 or early 2015 !