One of the reasons some people didn't like Windows 8 was that it seemed to include two versions of Windows: Live Tiles and the desktop, with touch-friendly apps kept far away from traditional x86 programs. With WIndows 10, Microsoft seems to be trying hard to make the user experience feel less jarring, and now, it's taking things a step further with the Windows Store. Once home exclusively to touch-friendly, "Metro-style" apps, it will now house a mix of Win32 and .NET apps as well, along with server-hosted web applications. The result is that users will now have a one-stop show for all manner of Windows downloads. From a developer standpoint, meanwhile, all of these apps will be able to take advantage of the same Windows Store platform -- that means updates are delivered the same way, and developers can also enable in-app purchases, as they would in any other Windows Store download.
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Microsoft's Terry Myerson confirmed on-stage at Build what many of us suspected in the hours leading up to the event - the company's going to make it easier for developers to bring Android apps into the Windows Store. To make this possible, Myers said, Windows phones "will include an Android subsystem" meant to play nice with the Java and C++ code developers have already crafted to built their Google-friendly software. Turns out, that's not all: iOS developers can compile their Objective C code right from Microsoft's Visual Studio, and turn it into a full-fledged Windows 10 app.
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Wish you could put that Windows app purchase on your phone bill rather than rack up a separate charge? Microsoft just made your day. It's bringing carrier billing to all Windows devices, so you only have to make one payment to cover everything. There are 90 providers involved, too, so there's a very good chance that your network of choice is eligible. The move is welcome, if not totally surprising. When Windows 10 focuses heavily on universal apps that run on both phones and PCs, it only makes sense to pay through your carrier on whichever hardware you use.
Instagram uses its official account to promote notable snapshots on the social network, and has been doing so for quite some time. But now, the filter-driven app will serve up a daily look at music "around the globe." Through the @music stream, the folks behind the software will highlight music photographers, designers working on album art, instrument makers and fans in addition to current stars and emerging talent. It'll even offer 15-second lessons from time to time. Musicians are a big part of Instagram's user base, where artists can share updates and connect with fans, so it makes sense that the subject would get its own channel. In fact, BuzzFeed reports that around 25 percent of the app's 300 million accounts belong to those folks.
So far, Microsoft's Build 2015 keynote has mostly been focused on the tools available for developers. But, don't worry, the company just made an announcement that will be of interest to people who use Office. The productivity suite is getting more integration with third-party applications, including Uber.
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Back when we saw Connected Cycle's smart bike pedals at CES in January we were pretty impressed by its plan to track activity and location; now you have a chance to get in on the action. The outfit's smart pedals recently hit crowdfunding site IndieGoGo where the campaign has already hit 171 percent of its funding goal. Since we last saw them, the duration limit on included data plans has been lifted for backers and CC is working on design modifications so the pedals accommodate "standardized" foot straps.
Police body cameras might just represent a big talking point in next year's US elections. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tells those at a policy forum that she wants "every department" to issue the wearables to their officers. While a White House taskforce has already recommended the technology, Clinton believes that the implementations should "go even further" in certain circumstances. As she argues, there's a pattern of cops abusing their power across the country -- body cameras should encourage accountability and transparency.
So much for hopes that TAG Heuer's first smartwatch will cost less than its conventional counterparts. Jean-Claude Biver, the head of TAG's parent company LVMH, says that the Android Wear timepiece will cost about $1,400 when it ships in October or November. That's in the ballpark of lower-end quartz models from the watchmaker's Formula 1 line, but it makes even the $1,000 steel link Apple Watch seem like a relative bargain. That money will get you more than just a luxurious brand name, however. Biver estimates that the TAG Heuer device will last 40 hours on battery, so you won't have to panic if you forget to top it up one day. This is just a friendly reminder that watch prices at this level are dictated more by the design than what's inside -- a nice steel watch won't come cheap.
[Image credit: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images]
It may be a fraction of Netflix's size, but Hulu is no small fry when it comes to the online video business. At an advertising conference in New York, the company has revealed that it has won the exclusive streaming rights to Seinfeld. It's a big deal for the outfit, since Sony had reportedly offered the series to every online media company, including Netflix, but all had balked at a reported cost of between $700,000 and $1 million per episode. If those figures are close to being true, and Hulu is staying tight-lipped, then the site will have paid out anything between $130 and $180 million just for the show about nothing.
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