Not happy with Windows 8? Decided to wait for Windows 9? You will have a long winter’s nap, because there is no Windows 9. In fact, speculation is that Microsoft will reveal details of Windows 10 at an event scheduled for Jan. 21.
Maybe Microsoft decided Windows 8 was so poorly received that it besmirched the next number in line.
Whatever the case, Microsoft has been releasing early versions of Windows 10 for testing. The desktop and mobile versions are expected to be released at the same time, and there is some talk that the upgrade from Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 will be free.
Windows 10 is expected to have integration of Cortana, Microsoft’s voice assistant a la Siri, and thus be heavy on voice commands.
The Verge reported that Microsoft has been working on a new browser for Windows 10, codenamed Spartan, that will incorporate voice search and will allow annotations of Web pages on a tablet with a stylus.
We should know more in about a week.
A win that could be a loss. The U.S. Federal Communication Commission is signaling that it intends to adopt President Barack Obama’s proposal to keep the Internet open when it votes on rules next month, Bloomberg reports.
Mr. Obama in November called for “the strongest possible rules” to regulate Internet service, including a ban on so-called fast lanes. In doing so, he joined the ranks of Internet startups, public interest groups and more than 105,000 people who signed a petition to the White House calling for an open-Internet policy. The rules would ensure service providers treat Web traffic equally.
The FCC also could propose that Internet service providers be regulated more strictly, putting them in the same regulation class with telephone companies. The president has indicated he favors that.
Net neutrality issues came to the fore about a year ago when a lawsuit by Verizon forced the FCC to throw out its new net neutrality rules. In response to the suit, the FCC came up with the fast lanes idea. Verizon may come to rue winning that suit.
Attention Pongheads. Nearly 2,400 MS-DOS games are now available for free on the Internet Archive (archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos_games). Games include Frogger, Zork and The Oregon Trail, among many others. Check it out; you may recognize some of your old favorites.
Shoot and tell. The Los Angeles Police Department has ordered more than 3,000 Tasers that can activate body cameras automatically as soon as the safety is flicked off.
Touch wood. High-end audio house Bang & Olufsen showcased a wireless music system named “BeoSound Moment” at the Las Vegas electronics show. What’s new? A wooden touch interface.
First Published: January 13, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
