Mozilla has revealed its plans to launch a version of its Firefox browser for the Windows 8 Metro interface.

The announcement was made as part of the company's roadmap for 2012 and says an Alpha release will be made in the second half of 2012.

The Firefox for Windows 8 Metro browser will be built using the Gecko API and will be reimagined to suit the touch sensitive controls and will also boast full-screen capabilities.

Familiar features like the Awesomebar, an app bar and navigation controls will be present, but it appears it will be pared down somewhat compared to recent versions of the desktop browser.

Connected to the Metro environment

A post on the Mozilla roadmap page says: "The feature goal here is a new Gecko based browser built for and integrated with the Metro environment.

"Firefox on Metro, like all other Metro apps will be full screen, focused on touch interactions, and connected to the rest of the Metro environment through Windows 8 contracts.

"Firefox will have to support three "snap" states -- full screen, 1/6th screen and 5/6th screen depending on how the user "docks" two full screen apps. Our UI will need to adjust to show the most relevant content for each size.

"In order to provide users with access to other content, other apps, and to Firefox from other content and apps, we'll need integration with the share contract, the search contract, the settings contract, the app to app picking contract, the print contract, the play to contract, and possibly a couple more. We'll be a source for some, a target for some, and both for some.

"We may want to offer a live tile with user-centric data like friends presence or other Firefox Home information updates."

Getting in early with a solid Windows 8 Metro app could offer Mozilla a way out of its recent slump, which has seen a rapidly declining share in market share after being overtaken by Google Chrome.

Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky has defended the Windows desktop, as the company looks ahead to a vital year for the grand old Operating System.

Speaking to TechRadar last week, Sinofsky outlined one of the key new Windows changes: the transition to work on ARM chips.

Windows on ARM (WOA) is a huge departure for Microsoft – it has previously focused on Intel's x86 platform – but the transition to new chips will not see a move away from the now familiar Windows desktop.

Touchtop?

In a blog post, Sinofsky outlined just why the Windows desktop would not be sacrificed any time soon, insisting that it was a compromise too far as touchscreen devices become widespread.

"Some have suggested we might remove the desktop from WOA in an effort to be pure, to break from the past, or to be more simplistic or expeditious in our approach," he blogged.

"To us, giving up something useful that has little cost to customers was a compromise that we didn't want to see in the evolution of PCs.

"The presence of different models is part of every platform. Whether it is to support a transition to a future programming model, to support different programming models on one platform, or to support different ways of working, the presence of multiple models represents a flexible solution that provides a true no-compromise experience on any platform."

Considering the considerable interest in Windows tablets there is clearly still a desire for a desktop, and Microsoft is aware that familiar user interfaces are as much about serving up what a consumer expects as clinging on to the past.

TechRadar's hands on: Windows 8 review discusses the difficulties in balancing a traditional desktop and the touch-friendly modern Metro UI that runs over the top of it.

And even if that transition is still a little clumsy, it seems that ditching the desktop would be a step too far for many - including the team at Microsoft.

The beginner's guide to Linux Mint

Linux Mint has just released its latversion, Mint 12, and has now become the last of the big three distributions to switch to a radically new desktop interface.

We found that it's an impressive compromise between Gnome Shell's new fangled way of doing things and the more traditional desktops of the past.

If you're intrigued by this and want to investigate for yourself, get a copy of Linux Mint 12, this guide, and see what you can do with the new Mint.

We'll begin by taking a quick tour of the default interface, and then move on to cover how you can customise it. We'll also take a look at Mint's package manager so that you know how to add and remove applications.

Choosing your desktop

Before we even begin to examine the new desktop, however, let's start by taking a look at Mint's new login screen. This screen is quite different to past Mint releases, since, along with Ubuntu, they've switched away from Gnome's default login manager to the more customisable LightDM.

At the top-right of the screen, you can find some basic controls, including some (limited) accessibility options, volume control and the option to power-off the computer. The centre-left of the screen is where you log in.

By default, one user or another will be highlighted by a grey box, with a password entry field at the ready. Other users and guest sessions can be selected by clicking on their name above or below this.

The most important thing to know about this new login screen is that you can use it to select which desktop you want to use. So, if you decide that you don't like Mint's new desktop, you can use it to switch to Mate, its port of Gnome 2, which faithfully recreates past Mint desktops.

If you want to install something entirely different, such as KDE or Xfce, you'll also be able to select those from the login screen. To do this, select your username from the list and then, before typing your password and pressing enter, click the small cog in the top right of the box.

From this menu, you can select between all available desktops. Whichever desktop you choose will remain the default until you change it again.

Meet the Shell

Now that you're familiar with the login screen, let's take a look at Mint 12's default interface. Make sure you've selected Gnome as the desktop to use and then enter your password and log in.

The first thing to note is that, unlike past Mint releases, there are two panels on the desktop – one at the top and another at the bottom. Looking at the top panel from left to right, there's:

The infinity icon, which launches the Overview mode – more on this later.

The system tray, where applications can store alerts or quick access controls.

The indicator area, where you can control the volume and select which network you want to connect to.

The clock applet, which expands to a calender when clicked.

The status menu, which lets you log out, shutdown, control your availability in chat and access system settings.

All of this, with the exception of the infinity icon, should be fairly self-explanatory.

Clicking on any of the icons to the right-hand side brings up further information and options for you to change. Clicking on the speaker icon, for instance, will allow you to adjust the volume of your computer's speakers and access the sound settings.

Of these icons, the Status menu provides the most comprehensive set of options. The only one of these that requires explanation is Notifications.

When you insert a DVD, or someone contacts you via instant messenger, Gnome Shell will usually alert you by raising a black rectangle at the bottom of the screen. These notifications are useful since they allow you to take further actions in response to the alert, but if you want to focus without any distractions they can also be annoying.

The designers of Gnome Shell recognised this, so put the Notifications option in the Status menu. This way, you can turn off all notifications when you don't want to be disturbed. Just remember to turn them on again later.

The bottom panel

Almost everything in the top panel is standard Gnome Shell; the bottom panel is all Linux Mint's doing. On the left-hand side of the bottom panel is a menu for launching applications, the spiritual successor to the Mint menu.

This menu is split in to three main columns. The left most one shows your favourite applications, which can be set in the Overview mode; the middle one shows categories of applications to make browsing easier; and the right most one shows the applications within those categories.

If you prefer a keyboard to a mouse, you can use the Search bar at the top to quickly find the application you're looking for by typing its name.

Next to the menu is the show desktop icon, which will minimise all your open windows. Next to this is the window list. If you have no windows open, it will look like a big, empty space; otherwise, it will be filled with buttons representing your open and minimised windows – it works just like the window list in Gnome 2 did.

At the other end of this panel are the desktop switcher and Mint's new notification toggle. By default, Gnome Shell creates only a single desktop, but automatically adds a second as soon as you open any applications and so on; if you remove all applications from a desktop, Gnome Shell will then remove it. Mint's switcher will immediately mirror Gnome Shell's changes to the number of desktops.

The notification icon is a clever addition. By default, after you dismiss Gnome Shell notifications without doing anything, they disappear in to a small black bar at the bottom of the screen. You would ordinarilly raise this by moving your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner, but with the new taskbar, you would often accidentally cause it to appear and interfere with what you were trying to do.

Instead, Mint has made it so that you need to click this exclamation mark to get access to the notifications.

The beginner's guide to Linux Mint

Overview mode

Phew! Our tour is nearing its end. The final thing we need to show you is the Overview mode.

Although Mint hasn't made any changes to the Overview mode, which is a key component of standard Gnome Shell, if you've never used it you'll be grateful for a quick introduction.

To access the Overview mode, you need to click the infinity icon in the top panel, or quickly through your mouse in the top-right corner; you can also use the Windows key to access it. As soon as you do this, you'll see the desktop turn grey and some new elements overlaid on it.

The large space in the centre of this screen has two functions. By default, it will display thumbnails of all your open windows. This is a convenient way to find that window you know is somewhere amongst all the clutter, but keeps evading you.

It can also be used as an application launcher, however, by clicking the Applications button above it. You can then browse applications by scrolling through the icons with your mouse. You can narrow the selection by choosing one of the categories to the right, or by typing its name or function with your keyboard.

To the right of the Overview mode is the Favourites bar. This is exactly the same as what's in the Mint menu, only from here you can adjust its contents. Right-clicking on any of the icons will give you the opportunity to remove it from the Favourites bar. To add anything to it, switch to the Applications view and then drag the application you want on to the Favourites bar.

Oddly, this Favourites bar also doubles as a dock and stores the icons of open applications as well – something the Mint menu doesn't do.

Finally, there's also a desktop switcher built in to the Overview mode. It's hidden by default, but if you move your mouse to the far right of the screen while in the Windows mode, it will appear. You can use this to drag open windows between desktops, and to switch to different desktops.

Now that you know where everything is by default, let's take a look at how you can customise it to your liking, beginning with extensions.

Installing new extensions

The Gnome team are trying to encourage the creation of an entire ecosystem of extensions for users of the Shell to enjoy. As a user of Linux Mint 12, you'll be able to install and enjoy these as developers create them.

Installation used to be a bit tricky. It involved either downloading a file archive and unzipping it to a specific directory in your home folder, or using Gnome Tweak Tool to automate some of this process. In the past month, however, the Gnome team has launched a new website, extensions.gnome.org, that lets you easily browse and install new extensions directly from within your web browser.

To install extensions using this website, launch Firefox and visit extensions.gnome.org. Once there, you can browse through the extensions displayed.

After spotting one you like the sound off, click its name. This will take you to that extension's information page, at the top of which will be an on-off toggle button. Toggling this to on will then install the extension; toggling it back to off will remove it.

We think that the Pomodoro timer extension is a great way to avoid procrastination, and the Window Navigator extension makes the window section of the Overview mode much more convenient.

Theming Gnome Shell

Most people aren't content with tweaking the way their desktop works; lots of us also want to customise the way it looks. It's not yet as easy to install new themes as it is extensions, but there are plenty of nice themes for the Shell that you can install with a bit of effort.

The first thing to do is download some new themes for the Shell. We've discovered that a great place to find them is gnome-shell.deviantart.com, so go ahead and browse their selection of shell themes and then choose one to download as a zip file. We like Faience.

Once it's downloaded and saved in your Downloads folder, open up Gnome Tweak Tool. This is available on the Favourites bar as the square icon with cogs inside – it will display Advanced Settings when you click it.

After it has launched, click the Theme entry on the left-hand side, and then click the box that says (None) next to Shell Theme. In the file browser that opens, head to the zip file of the theme you downloaded, and then select and open it. This will install the theme, and you can then select it in the drop-down menu next to (None). And that's all there is to it.

In this tutorial, we've focused on Mint's implementation of Gnome Shell, but as we've alluded to through our references to Mate and the default applications, there's a lot more to Mint than just this desktop.

Be sure to investigate the Linux Mint website and forums, where you can find lots of other avenues for exploration, including different desktops (KDE, Xfce and LXDE are all supported) and even different base distributions (the rolling release Debian edition is particularly interesting).

Most importantly, experiment and have fun.

Our columnist Gary Marshall points out that Microsoft's decision to prevent third-party apps on ARM-based Windows 8 desktops will only serve to confuse.

He's right. And, what's more, it horribly hobbles ARM-based Windows 8 hardware to the extent that Intel will be rubbing its hands together with glee.

Last September I suggested that ARM-based Windows 8's lack of legacy app support was the elephant in the room for the OS. It still is.

People won't understand they can't just download and install legacy apps on something that looks like a standard Windows 8 desktop. That's not what Windows means to people.

OK, so there will be Office 15 apps and other bits and pieces pre-installed, while we will have plenty of lovely third-party apps using the Metro interface. But the ARM Windows 8 desktop won't be a flexible experience.

And that can only mean customers will turn away – indeed, I feel that this news means that manufacturers will play it safe and we'll only see a few ARM-based Windows 8 tablets at the launch of Windows 8, rather than the plethora of multipurpose devices I'd hoped for.

You see, people will expect Windows 8 devices to give them options. New possibilities. They won't want an iPad 3 alternative that has a bit of old Windows tacked on.

It's up to Intel

We knew that x86-based devices would still dominate the Windows 8 landscape. But we had hoped that ARM-based Windows devices would take the OS beyond the traditional PC and give us some really exciting tablet-laptop hybrids that could be used for work or play. The single device to suit every occasion.

I was looking forward to having an ARM-based Windows 8 convertible running a chip like the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, where I could use Metro in tablet mode but also get the full laptop experience with a keyboard and the Windows desktop when needed.

Now it seems that many of these more complex and interesting devices will end up being Intel-based, rather like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga we loved so much at CES 2012.

IDEAPAD YOGA: We'll be seeing a lot more Intel-based convertible Windows 8 devices

And that'll be because manufacturers know what will sell. To be frank, people are so used to looking for something with Intel inside.

Intel made it clear at CES that touch-based Ultrabooks will be with us for Windows 8, and many of these could be convertible devices using the Core series of processors.

Intel is keen to make inroads into the tablet market and recently announced the Atom chip it hopes can compete with ARM in many phones and tablets.

Despite the Atom's relative lack of power and battery life compared to the best ARM silicon, it will be rather happy at the possibilities that Windows 8 can bring.

Great news! Microsoft has cleared up the confusion over whether ARM-based Windows 8 machines will run legacy apps!

Terrible news! It's still going to confuse people!

For those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time troubleshooting friends' and relatives' PCs and offering buying advice, Microsoft's policy regarding old Windows apps on ARM - WOA, as Microsoft calls it - has just guaranteed us weeks of confused faces and the odd tear as we lose our rag and bellow "YOU CAN'T, OKAY? YOU JUST CAN'T, DAMMIT!" at our grans.

Here's the policy: Windows 8 on ARM - WOA - won't have any old-fashioned Windows stuff on it, apart from some old-fashioned Windows stuff, and it won't let you run old Windows apps, apart from some new Windows apps that look like old Windows apps.

Phew. For a minute there I thought it was going to be confusing.

There's no business like WOA business

As Steven Sinofsky explains, WOA is all about Metro and Metro apps.

However, for technical reasons that some people may interpret as "we can't be arsed making a Metro version of Office right now", WOA will also include the traditional Windows Desktop so you can run Office 15, and only Office 15.

WOA might look like Windows and run Office like Windows, but it won't run old Windows apps.

I understand why Microsoft's done this - as Intel and ARM are different architectures, running legacy apps would require virtualisation, which won't help performance or battery life, but from a marketing point of view I think it's going to cause unnecessary confusion.

Microsoft says WOA is a separate thing like Windows Server or Windows Embedded. That's true, but people don't see machines running those OSes next to the normal PCs in John Lewis or PC World.

I'm imagining the conversations with my relatives now.

"No, I don't think you should buy that one. Yes, I know it runs Office. Yes, I know that's the Windows Desktop. No, you can't put your old programs on it. No. No, that's a new Office, there's - no, that's because there's a LOOK YOU CAN'T, OKAY? YOU JUST CAN'T, DAMMIT!"

Microsoft has released full details about Windows 8 on ARM and spoken to us about it - but there's one revelation that stands out from the rest.

You will get the traditional desktop with Windows 8 on ARM - but you won't be able to put third-party apps on it.

That's because all the third-party apps developed for ARM-based Windows 8 devices will be for the new Metro interface.

• Windows 8 on ARM: Steven Sinofsky speaks

However, it doesn't mean the death of desktop-style apps on WOA - what Microsoft calls Windows on ARM. You'll still get familiar apps like Explorer, Internet Explorer and the Windows Live apps (which will no longer be called Windows Live) plus Office – but everything else will be Metro.

"All Metro-style apps will run on WOA just like you would expect," Sinofsky confirmed to TechRadar in an interview with TechRadar; "it's the same experience".

Those are apps written in HTML5, VB, C# and XAML – and in C++ if developers prefer. That's the language most x86 Windows programs are written in, though you can't just turn an existing x86 Windows app into a Metro app (which would be a bad idea for a lot of different reasons).

WOA will come preinstalled with what Microsoft has previously been calling the next wave of Windows Live apps for Metro, hardware accelerated for speed.

And, while you'll get Office apps preinstalled, you will not get Outlook.

"We'll have apps from Microsoft for things like mail and calendaring and contacts and photos and storage, hardware accelerated HTML5 and a whole bunch of media formats and document formats - that all support hardware acceleration, that support offloading of computation to integrated chipsets for H264 and things like that. And all of those are included as part of WOA."

"You also get the Windows desktop itself; for working with files, for control panel for working with devices and peripherals, Explorer, desktop Internet Explorer - all of that is part of the WOA product."

Shipping simultaneously

Windows 8 for ARM tablets will come out at the same time as Windows 8 for x86 PCs but while there will be a beta for the x86 version, there will be no such concession for the ARM version. Neither will you be able to port the ARM Windows 8 version to Android devices (or install Android/Linux on Windows 8 hardware) - it will only ship on device.

"Windows on ARM, WOA, is a new member of the Windows family that is built on the foundation of Windows," Sinofsky told us. "It has a high degree of commonality, a very significant amount of shared code with Windows 8. It's going to be developed for, sold and supported as part of our overall Windows ecosystem."

Microsoft also says that Windows 8 ARM tablets will have no vendor integration to slow them down, while all updates will come directly from Microsoft.

"All the updates, whether for firmware, drivers or apps, will only come through the Windows Update or Microsoft update infrastructure and the Store," said Sinofsky.

Read TechRadar's full Windows 8 on ARM interview.

HTC has confirmed that it will begin updating its existing Android devices with Ice Cream Sandwich next month.

First in line for the long-desired Android 4.0 coat of paint is the HTC Sensation range. The Sensation, Sensation XE, and Sensation 4G will get the overhaul by the end of March.

The Sensation XL update will follow shortly thereafter, the company said on its Facebook page.

After that, well plans are already afoot to update devices like the Incredible S, Rezound, Desire HD, Desire S, EVO 3D, Amaze 4G sometime during 2012.

MWC offering coming later this month

We already know that the company will launch an Ice White iteration of the original Sensation, which'll come bundled with Android 4.0, on March 1st.

The update schedule puts the Sensation range at the forefront of HTC's thinking, but that may change with the expected launch of a host of new Android 4.0, 4G LTE devices at MWC later this month.

Names like the HTC Edge and HTC Ville (which sounds like it should come with a beret and a stripey shirt) have been thrown around ahead of the annual Barcelona mobile show.

With HTC promising to refocus its attentions on a few key smartphone releases in 2012, we're super-keen to see what the company has to offer as it looks to recover from an underwhelming 2011.

Windows 8 on ARM: the full details

Windows 8 for ARM tablets will come out at the same time as Windows 8 for x86 PCs, if everything goes according to plan.

Microsoft has released full details on Windows on ARM today. It will have the Windows desktop, with familiar apps like Explorer, Internet Explorer and the Windows Live apps, plus Office – but everything else will be Metro.

And no, you won't be able to install it on an Android tablet.

What's WOA?

Microsoft is revealing the technical details of Windows on ARM – which it calls WOA for short – today.

TechRadar talked to Windows chief Steven Sinofsky about what WOA can do, when and how you can get it and which apps it will and won't run.

"Windows on Arm, WOA, is a new member of the Windows family that is built on the foundation of Windows," Sinofsky told us. "It has a high degree of commonality, a very significant amount of shared code with Windows 8. It's going to be developed for, sold and supported as part of our overall Windows ecosystem."

But he didn't want us to think about WOA systems as just PC with a different chip. "We created WOA so that it would enable a new class of PCs with unique capabilities and form factors. It's a new level of device." Think of it as a new weapon for Microsoft in the tablet battle. "It's up-levelling our ability to meet the consumer demand for a device that is reliable and performant over time. The canonical example is the reset and refresh feature and the difference between that and a clean install."

THE BOSS: We spoke to the head of Windows, Steven Sinofsky, ahead of the Windows 8 on ARM announcement

By that, he's talking about the end of 'Windows rot'; a WOA PC won't gradually fill up with cruft and get bloated and sluggish the way older versions of Windows are prone to. A WOA PC will stay snappy and responsive thanks to apps not being able to run in the background. If it gets cluttered with too many apps you don't want, you can reset it to get rid of them without losing your pictures and files.

There's no more hunting for the specific version of a driver that your PC needs on badly organised support sites. "All the updates, whether for firmware, drivers or apps, will only come through the Windows Update or Microsoft update infrastructure and the Store.

And, of course, it will have long battery life in a thin and light design with strong security and powerful applications. It's Windows, reimagined the way Microsoft thinks you always wanted it to be.

Metro, desktop and Office

WOA is very much still Windows. Microsoft is finally confirming something that we've suspected but that has been unclear since Microsoft's BUILD conference last year. Yes, Windows on ARM still has the Windows desktop. And yes, Office 15 will run on it, in the desktop rather than Metro. But there will be no third-party desktop apps for ARM

"All Metro-style apps will run on WOA just like you would expect," Sinofsky confirmed; "it's the same experience". Those are apps written in HTML5, VB, C# and XAML – and in C++ if developers prefer. That's the language most x86 Windows programs are written in, though you can't just turn an existing x86 Windows app into a Metro app (which would be a bad idea for a lot of different reasons).

"You can reuse all your code from existing apps if you want, so long as you only call WinRT APIs. If your app is going through the store and uses the WinRT APIs then it too can work on WOA and we'll provide the tools to cross compile that."

WOA will come with what Microsoft has previously been calling the next wave of Windows Live apps for Metro, hardware accelerated for speed (the way IE9 and IE10 are), already installed.

"We'll have apps from Microsoft for things like mail and calendaring and contacts and photos and storage, hardware accelerated HTML5 and a whole bunch of media formats and document formats - that all support hardware acceleration, that support offloading of computation to integrated chipsets for H264 and things like that. And all of those are included as part of WOA."

Plus you get touch-centric versions of Office (with the notable exception of Outlook), and the desktop you need to run it on, on every WOA PC.

"The other kind of app that's included for WOA are the Office 15 apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. These are all desktop apps. They're new versions that are completely compatible. They're not subset applications, they have the same file format - all of that stuff. With that of course, you also get the Windows desktop itself; for working with files, for control panel for working with devices and peripherals, Explorer, desktop Internet Explorer - all of that is part of the WOA product."

OFFICE: Office will be part of the native suite running on the Windows 8 desktop

Given that the Microsoft Metro apps include document viewers, getting desktop Office apps is a good thing; you'll use them when you need to work with a document in detail, not just glance through it.

He didn't give us any details about the user interface for Office on WOA but Microsoft has put a lot of effort into making them work well on a tablet, Sinofsky said. The Office apps "have been retuned very significantly to support touch and to support the low power requirements of running on the WOA hardware."

That's a good reason why there won't be desktop apps on WOA from any other software vendors, just Microsoft.

The machine learning Microsoft has used to make the desktop and apps like Explorer work well with touch in the Developer Preview, even when you're dealing with a tiny button, is beyond the scope of many developers - so user interfaces in existing Windows programs would be a bad fit for WOA. Just recompiling an app would give you a program that would probably run slowly, use a lot of battery life, be hard to use and wouldn't use new WinRT features like unified search and share.

Expert users or developers can't get around the restrictions. "There's not a side-loading of x86-compatible code or anything like that. There's no other way to get compiled code on the product other than through the Store."

Not allowing third-party desktop apps makes sense but it certainly has implications. Microsoft wouldn't confirm it, but we believe this means no browser plugins for desktop IE on WOA. There's no official word on Media Center for WOA either.

So to sum up the app situation. "You have Metro style apps that can come from third parties and from Microsoft, you have the desktop and you have all the features that are intrinsic to Windows, and you have Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote apps."

WOA tablets: who and when?

WOA tablets: who and when?

Several traditional PC makers – who also make Android tablets – have confirmed that they will make ARM tablets running Windows, but there are also persistent rumours that Nokia and other phone makers will also create Windows tablets.

Sinofsky didn't confirm any manufacturers but he did tell us WOA will "be supported by a new set of partners that expand the overall ecosystem". That could just be QUALCOMM, NVidia and Ti of course; the companies that are making the different ARM platforms.

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is only for x86 PCs. That's not because WOA is behind the x86 version; it's because there isn't any WOA hardware. "These WOA PCs are all still under development, they're still being made. But our collective goal is that PC makers will ship them the same time as PCs that are shipped for Windows 8 on x86 and 64."

Developers and peripheral makers will get to see WOA first, on prototype hardware. "Over the next weeks and months following the Consumer Preview, a limited number of test PCs are going to be made available to developer and hardware partners in a closed, invitation-only program." Don't get excited: "They're already spoken for," Sinofsky warned us. And don't feel left out.

WINDOWS 8 ON ARM: From the original demos - the desktop

"There are no actual PCs yet. These are the PCs much like the ones we've been showing in demos. They are hardware prototypes. They're running all the same guts, just as debug boards. They're not the form factors that consumers will see, they don't have the industrial design. They're not thin and light. They have no battery sometimes!"

WOA PCs: only for WOA

"All the PC manufacturers are obviously super-hard at work on building these brand new devices that from the ground up are designed to be great - and exclusively for WOA," Sinofsky emphasized.

That means you can't take a WOA tablet and install Linux on it, and you can't put WOA on an existing ARM tablet. "It is not this level playing field across ARM devices," he pointed out to TechRadar; "Each one is unique. It's why you don't install Android on your iPhone."

Microsoft has done a lot of work to rebuild Windows for ARM and that's specifically for the hardware WOA PC makers are choosing.

"All of this is going to lead to a new generation of integrated end-to-end products. Hardware, firmware, the WOA software; it's all built from the ground up to work together, with a new level of collaboration between Microsoft, the ARM licensees, PC makers and developers of components and peripherals.

The work was across a really broad array of subsystems in Windows; some of them have been re-architected for low power and new kinds of devices, others are brand new support for things that haven't been there before."

But the way Microsoft is supporting ARM is also going to make life a lot easier for tablet manufacturers who've had to do a great deal of integration work putting Android onto their ARM tablets. Despite the range of hardware, there's only one version of WOA, because the Windows Hardware Abstraction Layer takes care of differences, and that could conceivably put tablet prices down.

"These PCs that we're building together are built on the hardware platforms from NVidia, QUALCOMM and Ti but they all share a common WOA OS foundation. The neat thing is all of them are running the same Windows binary," Sinofsky told us enthusiastically.

"It's a different approach that we've taken where we're working across different ARM hardware but the same Windows binaries are on each of them. We actually added more features to the HAL to work across different ARM buses, as we call them. What we're doing working across multiple ARM platforms is unprecedented."

Best of Windows, best of ARM

This is the 'best of both worlds' approach that we've predicted Microsoft would take with ARM and Windows 8. It's a tablet with tablet apps (although we expect to see slider and ultraportable form factors too and Sinofsky repeatedly said 'PC' rather than 'tablet'). But it's also a PC with the power of Windows and Office – just without many of the disadvantages.

If you want the whole of both worlds (good and bad), cross your fingers for the work Intel is doing to create low power SoC PCs. "We're doing a lot of work with Intel on this release too," Sinofsky reminded us.

"Especially when we talk about a lot of the power saving features, remember that Intel is making their System on a Chip stuff as well and everything we're talking about applies to those Intel chips." That would give you an ultra-low power system that gets the always-on Connected Standby feature and could run all your old Windows apps too, although those apps could weigh the system down and don't get all the advantages of WinRT.

The question is how many people want that 'belt and braces' approach and that's more Intel's problem than Microsoft's. With Windows on ARM, Microsoft is betting that the tablet market is going to be big, especially for tablets with long battery life and the advantages of a PC – like running Office.

Microsoft has finally lifted the lid on Windows 8 on ARM, saying that it doesn't want ARM-based devices to be simply referred to as standard Windows systems with a different processor.

Instead, Windows 8 on ARM (known at Microsoft as WOA) will give rise to a whole new type of PC according to the software giant.

There are also some startling revelations about the Windows 8 ARM desktop, which you can read more about here.

In a Mary Branscombe interview for TechRadar, Windows head Steven Sinofsky about the announcement. "Windows on ARM, WOA, is a new member of the Windows family that is built on the foundation of Windows," Sinofsky told us.

"It has a high degree of commonality, a very significant amount of shared code with Windows 8. It's going to be developed for, sold and supported as part of our overall Windows ecosystem."

"We created WOA so that it would enable a new class of PCs with unique capabilities and form factors. It's a new level of device."

"It's up-levelling our ability to meet the consumer demand for a device that is reliable and performant over time. The canonical example is the reset and refresh feature and the difference between that and a clean install."

Read the full TechRadar interview with Steven Sinofsky.

Microsoft has sent out press invites to the official Windows 8 Consumer Preview launch at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The company will showcase the long-awaited public beta on February 29th in a two hour event from 3pm to 5pm, at the annual mobile show.

Microsoft had promised to release the Consumer Preview by the end of February, so it would seem that it'll be made available following the event at MWC.

Aside from the time, date and purpose of the event, additional details are thin on the ground.

Next step to release

The launch of the Consumer Preview is the next step along the line to a full release of the final version of the eagerly anticipated reimagining of Windows.

Developers have been able to use a preview version of the Metro-centric OS since September.

The final manufacturers copy is expected to be sent out in second half of 2012.

We'll be live at Mobile World Congress bringing you all of the details from Microsoft's event on February 29th.

PlayBook 2.0: what you need to know

The BlackBerry PlayBook samples being handed out to developers at the BlackBerry DevCon in Amsterdam this week come with the option of a beta version of PlayBook OS 2.0.

But that's just for the technical features in the operating system like running Android applications, not the new Cascades-based user interface or the new messaging apps.

Images of those are plastered around the conference centre and we saw a demo of the same new features RIM talked about at CES 2012, along with sample apps and tools to help developers create great-looking apps that fit in with the new BlackBerry style.

New CEO Thorsten Heins claims that "we've taken our strength in messaging and collaboration and brought that together for a seamless experience in PlayBook OS 2.0, giving a users a truly social, intuitive, fun and easy way to connect with their world".

What do you get in the update to deliver that? Email, calendar, contacts and remote control – but not BBM, which RIM says isn't ready yet (expect to see that later this year).

PlayBook OS 2.0: BlackBerry flow

The best BlackBerry apps have always integrated into the built-in BlackBerry tools like messaging and calendar.

The new PlayBook apps come with some key services already integrated in a way that lets you move from an email message that renders as beautifully as a Web page to the details of the sender to their Twitter feed and Facebook updates to the latest news about the company they work for to places you've met them in to a list of people you both know (courtesy of LinkedIn), without having to jump out to another application and look them up all over again.

It doesn't work quite the same way as the social integration in Windows Phone but the underlying principle is similar; make it easy to get at the different ways you can interact with someone.

This is what RIM is calling BlackBerry 'flow'; the key, says Heins, "is to be effortless in terms of everything you do". In email the features are based on the Gist social network integration technology that RIM bought; the calendar uses the scheduling and sharing tools it got from Tungle.

But one of the best features in the calendar is the simplest; days when you have lots of meetings use a larger font in month view so you can see straight away when you're going to be busy.

PlayBook OS 2.0 isn't just the new apps; head of software head of software Vivek Bhardwaj calls it "a complete overhaul; we've enhanced just about every application". Mostly those are small changes but the Web browser gets a major upgrade in 2.0. Heins claims that PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 will have "the most comprehensive mobile support for HTML5 of any platform".

That maters not just to make Web pages work the way you're used to on the desktop, but because that's a way developers can create apps that run on BlackBerry today, PlayBook this month and BlackBerry 10 at the end of the year - and RIM lets HTML apps use native BlackBerry features like integration with BBM.

The browser has and will continue to have Flash support (Adobe will give RIM the code to keep updating it themselves if necessary). It also supports AIR 3.0, which lets developers create apps that don't look like Flash; Documents To Go on the PlayBook is an AIR app that hooks into native PlayBook functionality so it feels like a native app.

PlayBook OS 2.0: The Cascades look

The PIM applications in PlayBook 2.0 have an interface using the 3D animations and transitions designed by RIM's new user experience team, the design consultancy TAT. They're hardware-accelerated to be smooth and speedy and the signature style is something RIM design head Jeff LeJune is calling "pre-packaged elegance ".

That could give you the look of physical paper with curling edges or photos that shrink and zoom like vector graphics. Zoom out on a list of notes or messages and they don't just get smaller; the list folds like a concertina and just displays items that are flagged or highlighted - again, an idea a little like semantic zoom in Windows 8.

RIM is doing some interesting things with the Cascades styles; it's also making them available to developers to use in their own apps, so we're expecting a range of apps with the new PlayBook look.

PlayBook OS 2.0 remote control with Bridge

Now that PlayBook has its own PIM tools, you don't need BlackBerry Bridge just to read and send email. You can still use it to get online if there's no Wi-Fi to use, but Bridge till also turn a BlackBerry into a remote control for the PlayBook.

The most obvious use is for typing on the still-superior BlackBerry keyboard rather than on the on-screen PlayBook keyboard. But as long as it's a touchscreen BlackBerry you can also use the same swipe gestures on screen to control PlayBook apps.

Imagine plugging a PlayBook into your surround-sound TV or hi-fi using the HDMI socket; that's a bit unwieldy to keep in your lap, but you don't want to get up and walk over to the tablet every time you want to change the station in Nobex Radio or pause the video you're playing.

Using a BlackBerry as a remote control that lets you make the same gestures you'd use on the PlayBook could be appealing for that, and for gaming. You wouldn't want to play Cut The Rope on your TV by controlling the screen from a BlackBerry, but it would work for more immersive games.

BlackBerry OS chief Chris Smith claimed in his keynote that "we have console-quality games on a tablet". At work, you could put the PlayBook on your desk in a stand that displays the screen well and control it without leaning forward and hunching over uncomfortably.

What does QNX mean for PlayBook and BlackBerry 10?

Think BlackBerry has been falling behind (despite sales in Europe that have actually grown 75% year on year)? RIM's actually been thinking about that for the last three years, which is when Heins points out the company "began assembling the pieces we needed to build a future proof next generation platform that will take us into the next decade" (buying the many companies that bring new features to PlayBook).

The plan is to keep the best of both worlds. "We've taken the best of BlackBerry on the device with superapps and the BBM social platform, and in the cloud and we've married it to an industry proven powerhouse OS that powers 25 million vehicles, that runs in Internet routers, in medical devices and in nuclear plants."

One advantage of QNX is what Heins calls a "next-generation content and communications flow not just between apps on the same device but between devices; a seamless experience that will be used in cars, in the home and in even more vertical segments to come".

QNX looks at the system it's running on very differently from other operating systems. When it connects to other QNX systems, as long as it has the right permissions it treats their resources as if they're part of your system - so a photo stored on another QNX system shows up alongside the photos on your device.

That means a QNX system in a car could have the list of addresses or the music files from your PlayBook without you having to sync it. In PlayBook OS 2.0 the Open To feature will let you take a picture on your BlackBerry and display it immediately on your PlayBook.

Expect to see more apps using this to let you move content seamlessly between BlackBerry and PlayBook - how about taking a Web page you want to see in more detail and pushing that onto the bigger PlayBook screen with a gesture?

PlayBook OS 2.0 release date: when is it?

The official RIM line is still "this month" but "we're not giving the date yet" (and BlackBerry 10 is still "later this year"). There have been plenty of rumours about specific dates (especially since RIM posted an image of the new interface for AppWorld showing February 16th as the date) and adverts for the upgrade have been appearing in some UK phone stores this week suggesting it's imminent.

We also expect PlayBook OS 2.0 to come out before Mobile World Congress so the announcement doesn't get lost in the crowd of other phone news.

RIM would also do better to avoid launching at the same time as the Windows 8 Consumer Preview but until Microsoft announces a date that's hard to ensure.

From what we've seen of the latest builds, we're not expecting any delays and the firmest indication came from Vivek Bhardwaj who said "We're a matter of a couple of week away - we're at the point of eyeing out the last few bugs".

RIM has been making the technical improvements in the PlayBook available to developers for some months.

So we expect it to launch with both a large number of converted Android applications (which work properly with PlayBook gestures like opening app menus) and applications that take advantage of what PlayBook OS 2.0 can do like 3D gestures in AIR that let you control an application by waving your hand at the camera.

Having lots of PlayBook apps matters, but apps that show what QNX can really do are going to be what makes PlayBook stand out from the tablet crowd.

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Windows 8 will come with a number of pre-installed apps, which look set to include things like messaging, mail and contacts.

The apps will be in the Windows Phone Metro style and some, like messaging may incorporate mobile aspects like SMS support.

The full list, acquired by The Verge, includes camera, messaging, mail, calendar, SkyDrive, people, photos, video and music.

Soon, soon

We should see all these apps and, possibly, more in the Windows 8 beta set for this month.

None will be branded WIndows Live, as some Windows apps like Messenger currently are, but the Music and Video apps are said to be branded Zune at the moment, with plans to move this to Xbox Live for Windows in the long term.

Speaking of Xbox Live, there's also a possibility that a Windows Phone-alike Xbox Live Companion app will come bundled in the consumer preview too.

So, not exactly groundbreaking information, but rather another blank filled in in the great tech crossword puzzle that is Windows 8.

10 ways Windows 8 tablets can take on the iPad

Are you excited about Windows 8 tablets? We are.

Microsoft's latest Windows is a really attractive OS, and the tablets and hybrids we've seen so far are pretty impressive.

In a market where too many firms' strategy is simply "copy Apple", Microsoft is prepared to - yes! - Think Different.

Here are ten ways Windows 8 tablets could compete with the iPad 3.

1. Corporate customers

While many people do use their iPads for work, Apple hasn't explicitly targeted the big corporate market - and that's a huge business that Microsoft knows very well. Tablets that securely connect to corporate systems could be a big win for Microsoft here.

2. New Office

Microsoft Office remains Windows' killer app, especially in the business market - one reason Microsoft's own Tablet PC didn't succeed was because Office compatibility was "sabotaged" - so you can be sure that Office will be on both Intel and ARM-powered tablets. It'll be interesting to see whether Microsoft takes the opportunity to completely transform the Office UI for the ARM version: Office Metro-style, anyone?

3. Dual-mode machines

The iPad is very, very good at what it does, and what it does doesn't include being a desktop device. Microsoft thinks there's an opportunity there. Fancy a tablet that's finger-flipping good until you dock it, at which point it becomes a "proper" Windows PC with am OS designed for your keyboard and mouse or trackpad? We do, and we really hope Microsoft can make it work elegantly. Windows tablets with split personalities could be a lot of fun, not to mention seriously useful - as would...

4. Hybrid tablets

The combination of a dual-mode OS with dual-mode hardware - think Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime or Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga could be very interesting indeed. Tablets that effortlessly switch between work and play modes could turn out to be the electronic equivalent of daytime to evening workwear.

TWICE AS NICE: Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga is a tablet that transforms into a notebook, "like the Tablet PC but good"

5. Mega Metro

Metro is Microsoft's newest, whooshiest interface, and we like it a lot. We're not alone: pretty much everybody who uses Metro likes Metro, and we reckon that if everything else - hardware, app selection, price and so on - were equal, some people would choose a Windows tablet over an Apple one because they prefer Metro to iOS.

6. SkyDrive

Microsoft's vision for cloud-based sharing is very ambitious: your Windows ID will bring your stuff and your settings to whatever device you happen to be on, whether that's a tablet, a PC, an Xbox or something else. That's not just music: the goal is what Microsoft describes as "all your content. Anywhere."

CLOUD ATLAS: Microsoft's SkyDrive puts cloud storage, synching and sharing at the heart of Windows

7. Beaming between devices

Microsoft is reportedly working on "beaming" between Windows devices for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, so for example you'll be able to beam content from your Windows 8 tablet to your PC or phone over whatever wireless connection happens to be present - Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct or NFC - without any fuss. That's the kind of thing that makes people say "wow" and reach for their credit cards.

8. Side-by-side apps

The iPad's single-minded focus on the app you're using is usually a great thing, but sometimes you want to do two things at once - such as read what's in one application while you write in another. Provided the screen's big enough, Windows 8 will let you see two apps simultaneously.

9. Nokia tablets

No disrespect to Microsoft's many hardware partners, but Nokia's the one we're really interested in when it comes to designing exciting tablets: the Finnish firm is famed for its hardware, and we're getting some tantalising hints of interesting new models, possibly coming as early as this summer.

10. A wider choice

It's probably safe to say that nobody can make iPad-spec tablets that match Apple's quality, price tag and enormous profit margins, but then not everybody wants an iPad. As we've seen with devices from the likes of Asus and Amazon, there's plenty of room in the market for devices that don't just ape Apple.

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Google's Chrome web browser has finally launched for the Android platform.

The long-awaited arrival comes in public Beta for smartphones and tablets currently using Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

That means very few Android users are going to be able to access the popular web browser at this stage.

The Android browser teams-up with your desktop version to bring the tabs already open on your computer, directly to your smartphone, if you're signed-in to a Chrome account.

The feature will be of great benefit to users when they have to step away from their main screen, while in the middle of reading an article.

Your favourite and previously visited sites will also sync to the mobile iteration, while the fast-search functionality is also on-board.

New tabs and link preview

In terms of looks and appearance, Chrome for Android Beta has re-imagined the way tabs are presented to ensure they fit comfortably on the screen, while gestures will allow you to flip through them "like a pack of cards," Google says. Cool.

There's also a new feature called Link Preview, which allows you to easily select the correct link on a smaller mobile device by automatically zooming-in to the links on the page.

Google hopes this will end the all-to-common occurrence of users accidentally hitting the wrong link while browsing the web using a smartphone.

We're excited to finally see Chrome land on Android and, while it's sure to become the default browser on all Google-based devices before too long we'd love to see it available to more than the tiny percentage of users currently graced with ICS.

Here's Google's video preview below.

According to The Verge, Windows is about to lose something precious: the Start Orb, better known as the Start button.

We're already familiar with the new, touch-optimised, orb-free Windows 8 Metro interface, but it looks like the Orb's getting booted from the traditional desktop too.

There's no doubt that many people would like to see the back of it - we've had comments of the "OMG LOL YOU HAVE TO PRESS START TO SHUT DOWN YOUR PC BUY APPLE BUY APPLE BUY APPLE" variety since it was introduced in 1733, and there's no doubt that Metro looks much more modern and friendly than the ageing Windows UI.

But in the whoosh of Microsoft throwing out the bathwater, some people think they can hear the waaah of a baby.

Stopping Starting something

The rumours, I'm sure, are right: Microsoft has been making Windows 8's interface more Metro-y for some time, and killing off the Start button makes sense from that perspective.

The thing is, though, Microsoft isn't killing it: it's hiding it. When you move the mouse to the bottom corner the Orb magically appears again. You'll still be able to access the Orb from the Start key on your keyboard, too.

If we were living in a time of great pixel shortages, where gangs of graphics card manufacturers fought in the streets over packets of stolen pixels, hiding the Start Orb might be a great advantage.

However, we aren't, and as a result all that's really going on is that Microsoft appears to be making the classic Windows desktop a little bit more confusing, choosing to hide a key part of the user interface. Maybe once we get our hands on the Consumer Preview we'll think the new way is fantastic, but right now it looks like a step backwards in user-friendliness for no real benefit.

• Windows 8 beta: new features to expect

According to Windows boss Steven Sinofsky, "people 'in the know' who valued efficiency were moving away from the Start menu, and pinning their frequently used programs to the taskbar so that they could access them instantly in one click."

Program pinning is handy, but you can't pin everything to the taskbar or things start getting silly - and if you're in legacy mode rather than Metro mode, surely you want Windows to work like Windows always has?

Sinofsky says that the old Start menu is bad because it provides access to lots of programs and features people don't use very often, but for some of us that's exactly the point: we *like* having something that provides access to the things we don't use very often.

I'm imagining Sinofsky as a crazed vivisectionist here, cutting up cats and gluing their heads onto horses to make the cats better at showjumping.

Maybe, like cats and horses, Metro and classic Windows are best kept separate. Anyone fancy FrankenWindows?

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman says the company's soon-to-be open source WebOS software will eventually be better than both the Android and iOS platforms.

HP will launch the first version of the reimagined operating system in September this year after deciding to commit the storied software to the open source community.

Whitman said the result will prove to be superior to the 'closed' Apple iOS ecosystem and the undeniably 'fragmented' Android platform.

She also confirmed that the company will re-enter the tablet market, following the HP TouchPad debacle of 2011.

An open and closed case

In an interview with CRN, she said: "There is a clear vision of what we're trying to accomplish.

"There will be some people who will not love that vision, and then there are people who are very excited about this vision, and what it can mean for an alternative, open-source operating system that has some real strengths to it.

"We're going to build another operating system that has huge advantages, in my view, over iOS, which is a closed system, [and] Android, which is incredibly fragmented and may ultimately be more closed with [Google's] acquisition of Motorola Mobility."

Windows 8 tablet

Whitman, who took the reigns at the world's largest PC manufacturer in September last year, also stated that HP will be in amongst it when the first Windows 8 tablets come to market later this year.

She said: "We have to have a tablet offering," Whitman said. "We will be back in that business. We're coming back into the market with a Windows 8 tablet, first on an x86 chip and then maybe on an ARM chip."

Via: CRN, BGR

The next big update to the Windows Phone operating system has been laid bare, with Apollo set to boast built-in Skype and NFC tech.

PocketNow says it has seen a "Windows Phone 8" video meant for the eyes of Nokia executives, which gives full details of the update expected towards the end of the year, after the minor Tango bump.

The site says a new version of the Microsoft-owned Skype client will be baked into the operating system and will allow "Skype calls behave almost identically to regular, non-VoIP telephony."

Windows 8 in mind

The report says that the new mobile OS has also been built largely with the new Windows 8 software in mind, harnessing Microsoft's vision of one operating system across the range of Windows-running tech

The software is built using many of the same components, according to Pocket-Now, enabling developers to use most of the same code to port applications to the mobile ecosystem.

There's also be native code support, which will make it easier for developers of iOS and Android apps to create existing apps for the Windows Phone Marketplace.

NFC tech on board

In terms of hardware requirements, Windows Phone 8, currently codenamed Apollo, will also embrace Near Field Communications tech for the first time.

"The Wallet experience," says PocketNow, "will have to capability to be carrier-branded and controlled, either by a secure element on the SIM card or utilizing hardware in the phone itself. In addition, tap-to-share capabilities will reportedly work across multiple platforms, allowing desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones to all share content."

The Apollo generation of Windows Phones will also allow for multicore processors, while there'll also be removable MicroSD storage for the first time.

The software will also feature more efficient data management services, according to the site.

Identical to Windows 8

PocketNow, which has snagged a pretty huge scoop with this video that it hasn't published, says that the new Windows Phone version promises to bring the OS much closer to the Windows 8 OS.

The report closes by saying: "Overall, we're looking at a lot of changes and additions here, all of which seem designed to either bring Windows Phone in line with other platforms, feature-wise, or make it more closely identical to the desktop version of Windows. It's probably safe to say that the jump from Mango/Tango to Apollo will be nearly as significant as the transition from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone, and this preview certainly gives us a lot to look forward to."

The report follows TechRadar's chat with key Windows Phone partner Nokia, which promised Apollo will see the operating system reach its potential and finally come into its own.

Microsoft's Windows XP is still comfortably the most popular operating system after gaining a larger share of the market in January, new stats have shown.

Despite Redwood's best efforts to convert users to Windows 7, the decade-old XP OS still had 47.19 per cent of all PC and Mac users in January, up from 46.5 per cent in December.

Windows 7, which had sold over 400 million licenses as of last summer making it the fastest-selling operating system ever, has 36.4 per cent of the market, according to figures from NetApplications.

With the next generation Windows 8 OS set to go public this year, it seems unlikely that Windows 7 will be able to overhaul XP before that transition takes place.

No support for XP beyond 2014

Microsoft is still attempting to convince businesses and home users to upgrade to Windows 7 before Windows 8 arrives, with the company dropping support for XP in just two years time.

Over 8 per cent of personal computer users are still on Windows Vista and, as bad as Vista proved to be, it still has a bigger market share than Apple's Mac OS X.

The Macintosh software has 6.39 per cent of all users, which is actually up an entire percentage point from one year ago.

BBX: 10 things you need to know

The future of BlackBerry is HTML5 plus the same QNX operating system that's in the PlayBook - and also in many cars, set-top boxes and even nuclear power stations.

The next version of the BlackBerry OS will be called BlackBerry 10 or BB10 (not BBX after a lawsuit was filed), it will run on phones as well as tablets and it's a big change from the current BlackBerry OS (based on a mobile version of Java).

It also means rewriting all the BlackBerry apps out there, including RIM's own apps like email and calendar, which we still haven't seen on the PlayBook.

We don't know the BB10 release date, although we're expecting to see it next year - but here's what we do know.

1. BlackBerry 10 isn't the next version of the PlayBook OS

There's an update coming for the PlayBook, called PlayBook OS 2.0, which adds key missing apps like email and BBM, but that's not BB 10 and it won't have all the BlackBerry features that BlackBerry 10 will include like voice search and push notification for apps.

RIM VP Chris Smith told TechRadar: "The vision is that all the native services in BlackBerry - whether that's enterprise integration or push or payments, the vision is those services will still be available for developers to plug in to. They will come across onto BBX in the future but it's incorrect to say they'll be there on PlayBook 2 out of the gate."

NOT BBX: The beta of the PlayBook OS 2.0 update looks just like the PlayBook

2. The beta isn't BB 10 and you don't want it

If you want to upgrade your PlayBook you can get a beta version today, but this is strictly a developer preview (and the instructions for signing up for the preview are suitably arcane.)

It doesn't include any of the applications that will be in the PlayBook 2.0 operating system like email, calendar, contacts and BBM, although all the apps that came with the original PlayBook still work just as well.

What it does have is Air 3 and Flash Player 11, the latest version of the Bolt HTML5 browser and the runtime for using Android apps that have been repackaged by developers for BlackBerry - but unless you have your own Android source code to work with, you won't see Android running.

3. BlackBerry 10 won't run BlackBerry apps

When the PlayBook first came out, RIM talked about building a BlackBerry emulator so you could keep your existing apps. That's not going to happen.

"I don't want to tell you it was an easy decision," the new head of developer evangelism at RIM Alec Saunders told TechRadar; "we spent a lot of energy on getting the BlackBerry Java platform to run in BBX."

But when they looked at how the apps would compare to what you could build on BB10 with QNX, HTML5 and AIR, "it would look like a diminished experience".

4. But BBX will run Android apps

BBX and PlayBook OS 2.0 will run Android apps, but you can't just download them from Android Marketplace - they have to be repackaged for BlackBerry 10. That doesn't mean changing the code but the developer has to take the .APK source code and use the RIM tools to turn it into an app.

And not every Android app can be repackaged, Saunders explained to us. "As an Android OEM you get to licence Google Maps. We're not an Android OEM, so we don't. If you have an app that relies on Google Maps it won't run but there are about 70% of apps that will come across unchanged."

SOME ANDROID: Not all Android apps can be packaged for BB10 but the Pulse social media client looks good on the PlayBook

5. HTML5 and Flash are the future

The Bolt browser for the BlackBerry is based on WebKit and ex-co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said RIM will be "investing in making sure we have the best HTML5 implementation in the world".

It's not just about web pages. RIM VP Alan Brenner told us he expects "the vast majority" of apps to be HTML5 within a few years. Developers can start work now; HTML5 and Air apps that work with BlackBerry 7 will also run on BB10.

The PlayBook is getting Flash Player 11 and Air 3 (the runtime that Photoshop Touch for Android is built in) in the next update. That puts RIM in head-to-head competition with Android tablets and it might come down to who can do the best job of connecting phone features like push notification to Web apps; RIM is promising to let Web apps integrate deeply with BlackBerry 10 features like the inbox and BBM.

SPECIAL EFFECTS: The RIM browser team is working on HTML5 standards and tools, like the AliceJS library to make it easier to do animations in CSS

6. It looks like only one phone will launch with BB 10

Despite the song and dance that RIM has made about its next-gen BlackBerry 10 handsets, sources say the company now only has one so-called 'superphone' under development.

The two handsets codenamed BlackBerry Colt and BlackBerry Milan have reportedly been kicked to the curb by the Canadian company, with only the BlackBerry London still in the running.

According to BGR's sources, despite some minor design changes, the London still looks very much like the leaked prototype we reported on back in October 2011.

7. Native is the future too

Thanks to QNX, BB10 - and the PlayBook today - can run the same kind of C++ code as a PC, Mac or console and most of the major gaming engines like Unity, Marmalade and ShiVa3D are now available for building PlayBook games, so you'll see games using the same animation engine as on the PlayStation 3.

RIM is building a lot of open source projects right into the platform for developers to work with - including the Qt framework that was at the heart of Intel and Nokia's ill-fated Meego operating system. That gives developers who are used to other platforms a lot of tools to build apps with that other mobile devices don't have.

8. There's lots of 3D: meet Cascades

Forget the boring black and blue BlackBerry interface; BB 10 apps will have 3D effects and animations so pages flip on and off screen, lists fold up like a concertina when you filter them and photographs curl slightly at the side like a real print.

That's courtesy of user interface company The Amazing Tribe that RIM bought last year; they've written a user interface framework on top of Qt called Cascades that makes it easy to create those kinds of special effects.

The PlayBook picture viewer actually uses an early version of this but BlackBerry 10 will have far more effects and any app can use them.

3D LOOK: Cascades makes on-screen pictures look real and BB10 apps look more elegant

9. Think PlayBook in the car

The current PlayBook OS is based on the version of QNX built for car makers and "the next generation of QNX for cars is going to be built from BBX," Alec Saunders told us; car makers are keen to use HTML5 for in-car information and entertainment.

That makes it easier to treat your car as another device, he suggested, and to share information. "Ultimately you will be able to transition from your smartphone to your tablet to your TV to your car. Sync will be important. I think you'll start to see devices do things like Bridge today, where it mirrors [on the PlayBook] what's on the BlackBerry handset.

"You'll use one device to access what's on another. QNX is made for these kind of scenarios, projecting information from one device to another. You won't have five devices and have all your content on everything; it's going to have to grow seamlessly across them."

10. BlackBerry 7 isn't dead yet

There will be BlackBerry 10 phones; "future unnamed devices" as Alec Saunders mysteriously puts it. But BlackBerry 7 phones will be on sale for quite a while, with new models launched recently and there will be new services coming out for BlackBerry 6 and 7 like the BBM Music social media sharing system.

RIM's going to have to compete with Honeycomb tablets (and probably Ice Cream Sandwich ones too) with the PlayBook 2.0 update; BB 10 will probably come out in time to compete with Windows 8.

11. BlackBerry 10 is / isn't delayed

RIM was forced to hit back at reports that it lied about the reason for the delay in bringing the next generation of BlackBerry phones to the market.

Boy Genius Report posted a story claiming that phones running the new BB10 operation system had been pushed back because RIM did "not have a working product."

This contradicted the Canadians' assertion that BB10 handsets would not arrive until later in 2012 because it was waiting for new LTE chipsets to be manufactured.

RIM's full statement reads: "RIM made a strategic decision to launch BlackBerry 10 devices with a new, LTE-based dual-core chipset architecture. As explained on our earnings call, the broad engineering impact of this decision and certain other factors significantly influenced the anticipated timing for the BlackBerry 10 devices.

"The anonymous claim suggesting otherwise is inaccurate and uninformed. As RIM has previously explained, and as Mike Lazaridis reiterated on the earnings call, we will not launch BlackBerry 10 devices until we know they are ready and we believe this new chipset architecture is required to deliver the world-class user experience that our customers will expect. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply false.

"We appreciate the interest in our future platform and we will continue to work hard to deliver that platform as soon as possible. At the same time, we also remain very excited with the success of our recently launched BlackBerry 7 smartphones and we believe these products offer a very compelling choice for both new customers and the almost 75 million BlackBerry users around the world."

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Microsoft Office 15 won't be rebuilt to fit the Metro stylings of Windows 8, according to insiders at Microsoft, but it will receive some tweaks to pull it in line with the modern look.

Instead of being rebuilt as Metro apps using WinRT programming, Office 15 will feature a radial menu system and a flatter, cleaner design that will mask what will be traditional Windows apps.

Pobody's nerfect

It's not what the company wanted, it seems, but time is working against it.

One source told The Verge that plans to create Office in true Metro style had to be pushed back "as the Office team would have to overhaul the entire suite to take advantage of WinRT" which would take far too long.

Some less complicated elements of Office 15 will be coming out as true Metro apps, however: OneNote and Lync are both expected to hit the Windows Store in their own rights.

This gives us hope that a true WebRT version of the Office suite could yet be in the pipeline – but we're definitely not holding our breath.

Office 15 went into private technical preview earlier this week, with a public beta to follow in the summer.