Google announces new Nexus tablets, smartphone

Google announced lots of new hardware today via blog post, after an event in New York was canceled in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy. The big items:

• The Nexus 4 smartphone, developed with LG. It features a quad-core processor, a 4.2-inch display, and a wireless charging feature that lets you power the phone by setting it down on a charging service. It runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a feature called Photo Sphere for creating 360-degree panoramas. The phone goes on sale Nov. 13 for $299.

• The Nexus 7 now comes in new Wi-Fi models that are 16GB (for $199) and 32GB (for $249). Google also is making a version available with an HSPA+ cellular connection -- 32GB for $299. It's on sale Nov. 13.

• The Nexus 10 tablet, developed with Samsung, offers what Google calls the highest-resolution screen in the tablet marketplace at 300 pixels per square inch. That 2560 by 1600 pixel display will still get nine hours of video playback, Google says. And it has an account-switching feature that lets multiple users share the tablet more easily. The 16GB model goes for for $399; the 32GB model costs for $499. It's available Nov. 14.

Google also announced an update to Google Now, its predictive-search feature that presents information on a series of cards without the user having to search. In addition to weather and traffic information, cards will now display flight information, restaurant reservations, hotel confirmations and shipping details, the company said.

Windows 8 marks record downloads

Microsoft India chairman Bhaskar Pramanik said on Wednesday that 4 million downloads of Windows 8 had been recorded globally in the first three days of its launch, the fastest compared to previous operating systems. Windows 8 was launched on October 26.

While that figure looks impressive, some analysts noted that Apple's Mac OS X 10.8, called Mountain Lion, launched in July had sold 3 million downloads in its first four days. Considering that Windows has an over 90% market share, compared to about 7% for Mac OS, a significantly smaller proportion of Windows users have chosen to upgrade in the first few days.

Windows 8, launched in Bangalore on Wednesday, has a new screen interface that is touch-enabled. Pramanik said the new cloud-connected operating system has been devised for the new-age digital consumer who has multiple devices, and email and social networking accounts, is mobile and connected.

Amrish Goyal, director for the Windows Business Group, said across India, over 250 Windows 8-enabled devices, including 23 touch-enabled ones, are available.

With a single Microsoft account, users will be able to sync all their data including emails, contacts, photos, videos etc across all devices. Windows 8 Enterprise users can carry the entire operating system, along with settings, files and apps in a USB stick called 'Windows To Go', allowing them to plug it into any device and carry on working.

Many analysts say there will be less enthusiasm for Windows 8 compared to its previous versions. The reason is that customers today increasingly prefer mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones, where OSes such as Apple's iOS and Google's Andriod dominate, to traditional PCs, where Windows has been dominant for decades.