Microsoft has today released a new piece of beta software, and this time it's search-based. Called the Bing Desktop Beta, the software is, predictably, a beta release of a desktop-based search tool that Microsoft is hoping will give people a reason to make the switch to its search engine, and leave Google behind once and for all. Continue reading this article at RedmondPie.com

With the Windows 8 Consumer Preview having released amid rave reviews on last month's leap year day, the rumor mill is already touting the Release Candidate to make an appearance as early as late May. Continue reading this article at RedmondPie.com

We're only three months into the year, but I can already tell that it's going to be exciting.

Ever since smartphones began earning their stripes as very adept and convenient Wi-Fi hotspots, companies and carriers have been looking for ways to halt the trend - or at the very least, charge more. Continue reading this article at RedmondPie.com

When Microsoft released its Windows 8 Consumer Preview, it was always going to be compared squarely against the biggest, best and some would argue only real competition in the tablet market: the iPad 2.

As I noted in my editorial about what Microsoft should do next with SkyDrive, something that the Windows Live set of services are in dire need of is a redesign. I never was a fan of the current design that they have adopted: With design, it's often the details that make a world of difference - padding, margins, text - and all of these things are off, resulting in a set of products that lack finesse

The mobile smartphone and tablet industry seems to have a very prominent divide, with a lot of consumers having their favorite operating system and choosing to stick to hardware which is powered by their chosen OS. Obviously fans of Apple's iOS use the iPhone and iPad devices, whereas Android lovers have a wide range of hardware to choose from due to the fact that the OS is available to multiple manufacturers.

Unsatisfied with the lack of Metro on the Windows 8 "legacy" desktop, one Verge forum user took it upon himself to create mockups that depict what the OS would look like if Microsoft were to ditch Aero in favor of an entirely Metro user interface design. Continue reading this article at RedmondPie.com

Remember those leaked SkyDrive features I touched on in yesterday's editorial? Well, much of them remain in rumor territory. However, Microsoft has confirmed two things: One, a major SkyDrive update is in the pipeline, and two, the rumor that we're getting a SkyDrive desktop client is spot-on

Now, this is a fairly spontaneous rumor with little proof, so this one must be taken with a grain of salt: Microsoft is reportedly in talks with record labels on creating a new music service that caters to the Xbox and "an upcoming Windows-based phone". Continue reading this article at RedmondPie.com