IT news and top Software technology

What's new about Windows Blue

 Microsoft may be the only company on the face of the planet where the sale of 100 million licenses

 is seen by some as a disappointment. 

Tami Reller, the chief marketing officer and chief financial officer of the Windows division, noted Monday that Microsoft has sold more than 100 million licenses of Windows 8 since its October debut. But slowing PC sales have sparked some hand-wringing, leading to speculation about the coming update for Windows 8, codenamed Blue. The significant changes in Windowshaven't been universally embraced, Reller acknowledged to The New York Times.

"The learning curve is real and needs to be addressed," Reller told the Times.

Reller said Microsoft is listening to customer feedback regarding frustrations with Windows 8. With the radical overhaul of the look and feel of the operating system, users have raised plenty of concerns about Windows 8. At the top of that list is the lack of a Start Button, something Windows users have grown accustomed to over the years.

"We feel good that we've listened and looked at all of the customer feedback. We are being principled, not stubborn" about modifying Windows 8 based on that feedback, Reller told ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley.

Much is riding on Blue, and not just for Microsoft. The entire PC ecosystem relies on Windows to fuel sales.

What is Windows Blue?

In a post Monday night on Microsoft's Windows blog, Reller described Blue as "a codename for an update that will be available later this year." She said that more broadly, Blue is part of Microsoft's effort to move deeper into devices and services.

Reller didn't dive into the details of what will be in Blue. But Reller said Blue will "deliver the latest new innovations across an increasingly broad array of form factors of all sizes, display, battery life and performance, while creating new opportunities for our ecosystem."

What sort of opportunities does Reller mean?

Clearly, Microsoft is working to make Windows 8 work well for smaller tablets, devices in the 7-inch range, where Microsoft doesn't compete now. Buttressing that, Asus CEO Jerry Shen told The Wall Street Journal Monday that he anticipates smaller tablets, selling for less than $300, to debut later this year.

Google delivers 'return to sender' code for iOS

Code is king at Google, and a Google-made software module for iOS released on Tuesday allows you to go from third-party app to Chrome for iOS and back again with a simple tap.

The module, called OpenInChromeController class with x-callback, is the second end-run around core Apple restrictions in as many days. On Monday, Google updated Gmail for iOS with the ability to open links from Gmail in Google's other iOS apps. Once developers incorporate the new software module, it will open links from the app in Google Chrome, provided that the user has Chrome for iOS installed.

Both the Gmail update and the software module circumvent one of iOS's most-complained about and unique restrictions, which forces all links to open in the browser Safari, even when the default browser has been changed. Apple did not immediately return a request for comment, but it's hard to imagine that Apple would allow Google or any other app maker to alter such a central iOS behavior.

Current iOS behavior requires developers to either create a Web browser frame inside their app, or force their users out of their app and into Safari.

Google engineer Michele Aiello wrote in the blog post announcing the callback module that it will be not only be able to detect if Chrome for iOS is installed, but that it can open links in Chrome in a new tab or in the current tab. Developers can also choose whether they want the return button to appear.