Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the Windows 8 Release Preview, the next milestone of the highly anticipated Windows 8 operating system. Available for download today in 14 languages at here, the Windows 8 Release Preview delivers a fast and fluid experience, along with a new user interface that responds equally well to touch as it does to keyboard and mouse. Since the February release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which was downloaded more than 1 million times in the first 24 hours, Windows 8 has become the most tested Microsoft operating system of all time, and with today's release, it enters its final phase of development before it releases to manufacturing.

We're thrilled to be at this milestone with the Windows 8 Release Preview," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft.

Microsoft is reportedly killing off two of its service brands, Windows Live and Zune. The two will be restructured and amalgamated with Windows 8 and its store. Windows Live has been a collection of optional services bound to the MSN/Live ID for Windows 7 that provides communication (Windows Live Messenger), calendar/planner (Windows Live Calendar), contacts, photo-organizer; Zune Music and Video player join them on the chopping block. These services will be instead come to be known as:

• Microsoft Account (Windows Live ID)
• Mail (Windows Live Mail)
• Calendar (Windows Live Calendar)
• People (Windows Live Contacts)
• Photos (Windows Live Photo Gallery)
• Music (Zune Music Player)
• Video (Zune Video Player)

HiFiMan has come up with a new high-fidelity portable media player, the HM-801. Unlike consumer-ended product appearance and feature-sets of PMPs such as Apple iPod, Microsoft Zune or Creative Zen, this one sits in its niche of audiophile products, emphasizing on audio output quality and support for high-bitrate lossless audio formats.

To begin with, the HM-801 uses a unit design that is uncompromising from a sound perspective, featuring a modular amplifier section and the highly regarded Burr-Brown PCM1704 DAC capable of 24-bit/96 KHz. That, coupled with the OPA627 Op-Amps, which have quite the reputation among audiophiles, is bound to give you world class sound quality on the move. Supported audio formats include WMA (including Pro and Lossless), MP3, FLAC, AAC, Ogg-Vorbis, and WAV (PCM,MS-ADPCM,IMA-ADPCM). Its storage is care of an SDHC slot, that will support SDHC cards with capacities as high as the standard supports.

The HiFiMAN PMP also features an analogue and digital line out (via coaxial SPDIF) so that you can feed your portable DAC or amplifier with a good signal. Uncompromising sound quality on the move is bound to cost big bucks and the HiFiMAN is also quite costly at $700, which is $600 at launch due to discounts that include donating $10 per purchase to audiophile website Head-Fi.org. The bigger charity of course would be that you are getting this with $100 off. And this is even without a memory solution you have to buy the SDHC card yourself.

As the New Year began early this morning, Gizmodo started receiving lots of reports that people's 30GB Zune's were failing. What was happening, was that at 12:01am PST on 31st December 2008, a bug in one of the drivers unique to a 30GB Zune was not allowing the calendar to update properly. For players that were already on, this resulted in a hard reset at that exact moment. Upon restarting or for those who turned their Zune's on after midnight, they were presented with a locked up Zune which would simply stop at the end of the loading screen and stay there. Microsoft have now released an official statement for how to resolve this issue, which follows below.

Apparently, the Microsoft Zune 80s (which is red for Valentine's Day) is immensely popular. Unfortunately, Microsoft can't keep up. Upon hearing this, Microsoft decided that they did not want the bad press of not keeping a promise. And so, if you're not getting your red Zune by Valentine's Day (assuming you've already ordered one), Microsoft promises you all your money back, and a pink Zune as soon as they can get one to you, free of charge. If you qualify for the free Zune, you will most likely get an E-mail or phone call from Microsoft.

Responding to consumer excitement for the Zune 80GB, Microsoft Corp. is making the popular wireless digital media player available in red with Zune Originals, just in time for Valentine's Day. Inspired by the themes of love and sharing, an exclusive collection of 20 new laser-engraved designs will be available to consumers for a limited time at www.zuneoriginals.net; in addition, Zune Marketplace will feature Valentine's Day playlists that can be shared with friends or loved ones Zune to Zune or via the Zune Social online music community.

Underscoring the company's vision for helping to advance the digital entertainment industry and deliver great music experiences to its customers, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and Corporate Vice President J Allard yesterday unveiled the next generation of Zune portable media players, software and online store. Gates and Allard also introduced Zune Social, a beta online community Web site.

This isn't a certainty so don't hold your breath, but according to 'sources close to the matter' Microsoft could be set to reveal the second generation of Zune portable media players tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd October). Both Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Design and Development Chief J Allard are expected to attend the event, where the new 3 x 1.25 inch flash-based Zune and a new, thinner hard disk-based Zune will be shown to the public. It is rumoured that the new Zunes will be capable of playing videos and will come equipped with WiFi and more storage than competing devices. Microsoft will be hoping for more success with the new Zune than with the original, which failed to make a huge impact after being hyped up to be a possible iPod-killer.

In response to Apple's new iPods waiting to be unleashed tomorrow, Microsoft announced a price drop for its Zune music player. The price of the Zune will drop from $249 to $199. The player, which was introduced in November, features a 30GB HDD, 3" display, limited WiFi connectivity and an FM tuner. The Zune was originally launched in White, Brown and Black, but eventually expanded to include Baby Pink and Watermelon Red. Microsoft also released two special Halo and Pink edition Zunes.

Microsoft launched the Zune digital media player in the US in November 2006. It was anticipated that Microsoft will introduce the Zune player outside of the United States in late 2007. Microsoft-chief Steve Ballmer now said in an interview with the German Wirtschafts Woche that the Zune launch in Europe is canceled for autumn 2007. He does not give a new date and blames the delay on the fact that MS is still loosing money on the Zune. In October 2006 Microsoft's Media & Alliance Manager Dene Schonknecht already said in the UK that the Zune might not launch before 2008. Microsoft is also preparing new Zune player models for Christmas later this year.