A preview version of the new Skype app for Windows Phone 8 is now available to download. First announced last month, the app is a more complete incarnation of the VoIP client than Windows Phone 7 users had before; features include the ability to run in the background, incoming calls that match the style of regular phone conversations, and lock screen notifications.
Microsoft announced it will issue six security updates next week, including three for Windows 8 and its tablet spin-off Windows RT. The half-dozen updates will patch 19 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer (IE) and the .Net framework. The four critical updates - the highest threat ranking in Microsoft's four-step system - will patch 13 bugs, including an unknown number in Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 and Windows RT, the operating system that powers Microsoft's own Surface RT tablet.
Next time you get a new card from your bank, don't be surprised if it has a keypad and an LCD on it. Meet MasterCard's new Display Card, which basically combines the usual credit/debit or ATM card with an authentication token. The authentication portion features a touch-sensitive keypad and LCD display - hence the name Display Card - for reflecting a one-time password (OTP).
iOS and Android users may finally see a mobile version of Microsoft Office designed for their devices. Office Mobile, as it's dubbed, would let Microsoft account users view Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files on their mobile devices. But, the Verge said that, editing the documents would require an Office 365 subscription. The apps would reportedly provide basic editing functionality but nothing close to that of their desktop counterparts.
Mary Jo Foley has already seen and now used the new Windows 8 Skype client. She has heard there's a Windows Phone 8 Skype client coming - though it's still not in the Windows Phone Store and Skype reps are not sharing more on when it will be. Yesterday, the Skype team provided more information about its recently stated plans to ultimately replace Windows Live Messenger with Skype. According to a new Skype blog post, the planned cutover date is Q1 2013.
Google is rolling out a new search page layout that moves its navigational tools from the upper left of the page to the top of the page. Those included in the rollout so far will see a more streamlined search page. Removing the tools from the side doesn't give the results more real estate though. Curiously, some of the results don't have any advertisements displayed with them, but that may be a glitch from the testing as Google assures that the advertising placements remain the same.
Analyst firm IDC said that Apple's tablet market share took a hit as consumers sat out the third quarter in anticipation of the iPad Mini. Android tablets made gains as a result. After a strong second quarter, Apple's unit shipment growth slowed in both consumer and commercial (including education) markets. Apple's share sank from 65.5 percent in the second quarter of 2012 to 50.4 percent in the third quarter. In the same period last year, Apple's market share was 59.7 percent.
Kinect Fusion, the Microsoft Research project which uses the Kinect sensor to create 3D models of objects and environments, will be made available in the Kinect for Windows SDK. No word yet on when exactly that integration will go live, however – Microsoft only confirmed it will come in a future release of the developer toolkit. That same SDK was just updated in October, however, which brought a number of new features, including access to extended-range depth data beyond 4 meters – a necessary upgrade for something like Kinect Fusion to properly function.
Google announced mobile support for its Google Wallet checkout service, which expanded to include micropayments for web content earlier this month. At that time, Google said it would allow online shoppers to purchase premium digital content, ideally priced under $1.00, which also included a 30-minute money-back refund. Google is expanding its service yet again to an area that makes even more sense: mobile shopping.
Apple has rolled out the first bug fix update to iOS 6 since the software's release in mid-September. Version 6.0.1, which went out as a free update yesterday morning, fixes a handful of bugs, including one that Apple says kept iPhone 5 users from installing over-the-air software updates. Apple's fix includes installing a special iOS updater app to help the process along, which is removed from the device after 6.0.1 is installed.