Windows 8.1 arrives: 16 new features

Microsoft is releasing its long-awaited Windows 8.1 upgrade as a free download this week. It addresses some of the gripes people have had with Windows 8, the dramatically different operating system that attempts to bridge the divide between tablets and PCs.

Windows 8.1 still features the dual worlds that Windows 8 created when it came out last October. On one hand, it features a touch-enabled tile interface resembling what's found in tablet computers. On the other, there's the old desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still reign. The update adds some new finger- and gesture-friendly shortcuts for touch-based apps, while restoring some respect for the desktop mode that a billion PC users have become accustomed to.

The Window 8.1 update is free for current owners of Windows 8. Check out the new features in Windows 8.1

Google Glass

Google Glass (styled "GLΛSS") is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display(OHMD) that is being developed by Google in the Project Glass research and developmentproject,^[7] with a mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer.^[1] Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format,^[8] that can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands.

Google Glass Explorer Edition

Also known as                      Project Glass

Developer                             Google

Manufacturer                       Foxconn

Type                                      Augmented reality (AR), Optical head- mounted    display(OHMD), Wearable technology,  Wearable computer

Release date                         Developers (US): February 2013^[1]
                                                                Consumers: 2014^[2]

Introductory price              Explorer version: $1500 USD
                                               Consumer Edition: $300-500

Operating system                Android^[3] (4.0.4^[4])

 Power                                    Lithium Polymer battery (2.1 Wh)^[5]

CPU                                                          OMAP 4430 SoC, dual-core^[5]

Storage capacity                16 GB Flash total^[5] (12 GB of usable memory)^[6]

Memory                                               1GB RAM (682MB available to developers)

Display                                 Prism projector, 640×360 pixels (equivalent of a 25 in.        screen from 8 ft. away^[6])

Sound                                     Bone conduction transducer^[6]

Input                                      Voice command through microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor

Controller input                Touchpad, MyGlass phone app

Camera                                  Photos - 5 MP, videos - 720p^[6]

Connectivity                         Wi-Fi 802.11b/g,^[6]Bluetooth,^[6] micro USB

Weight                                  50g