Microsoft's Windows 8.1 update is now available to download. Windows 8 users will see a notification in the Windows Store with a prompt to upgrade to the new operating system. Microsoft has added a number of improvements with this update, including built-in Bing search, smart SkyDrive syncing, and visual changes to the Start Screen and application snapping. For a full overview of all the features see our Windows 8.1 review.

Windows 8.1 Preview users will need to reinstall apps

If you're an existing Windows 8 user then moving to 8.1 should be relatively pain free. The update will retain all desktop and Windows 8-style apps, including files and …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Microsoft is updating all of its built-in Windows 8.1 apps ahead of the operating system's release later today. Updates are available immediately in the Windows Store for those using the final version of Windows 8.1, and they appear to be largely performance-related changes. Microsoft's Xbox Music app now launches a lot faster and includes improvements to the various Snap Views within the app. Mail, Calendar, and People have also been updated, but there's no significant visual changes to report.

Although Microsoft's Games app has also been updated, the application still uses the old user interface instead of the Xbox One-like interface of the …

Read the full story at The Verge.

While Windows 8.1 adds a lot of features and improvements across the OS, the built-in apps include some of the biggest changes. Microsoft is detailing a few of the more creative ones ahead of the Windows 8.1 release tomorrow. The photos app in Windows 8 included Facebook and Flickr integration, but the Windows 8.1 version drops that in lieu of some improvements to editing. You can now select auto fix for a selection of different corrections, and there's also manual cropping, red-eye removal, retouch, and other basic contrast and brightness settings. One of the more interesting features is color enhance that lets you pick an area of a photo to …

Read the full story at The Verge.

While Windows 8.1 is a free update for Windows 8 users, those running older versions of Microsoft's desktop operating system will have to purchase an upgrade to the latest edition. Microsoft is revealing today that the basic Windows 8.1 upgrade edition will cost $119.99, with the Pro version priced at $199.99. The prices are identical to the existing upgrade costs today, although Microsoft clearly isn't offering any promotional pricing on upgrades like it did last year for Windows 8.

Microsoft is also planning to change the way it sells copies of Windows 8.1. With Windows 8 you had to buy an upgrade edition online or at retail stores, and the …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Microsoft is reversing course today, allowing developers to download a final copy of Windows 8.1 ahead of its October 18th release. After originally announcing the finalization of the OS update last month, Microsoft was planning to hold back the final download for MSDN and TechNet subscribers until October 18th. The company now admits that was a mistake. "We heard from you that our decision to not initially release Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2 RTM bits was a big challenge for our developer partners," says Microsoft's Steve Guggenheimer. "We've listened and we get it."

Windows 8.1 Core and Pro editions will both be made available today …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Microsoft announced the finalization of its Windows 8.1 update today, and after several hours the final build has made its way onto the internet. Several file sharing sites have copies of the Windows 8.1 update nearly two months before Microsoft plans to release it to the public. The leaked build incorporates the final changes made to Windows 8.1 from its preview earlier this year.

Microsoft has added a Reading View to Internet Explorer 11 to make news articles easier to read, an improved blue theme to its Mail client along with a number of feature additions, and a Help + Tips application that guides users through the OS. The built-in appli …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Microsoft has finalized its Windows 8.1 update. Sources familiar with the company's Windows plans have revealed to The Verge that the software maker completed the development of Windows 8.1 earlier this week - stamped as build 9600 for Release to manufacturing (RTM). The completion of the 8.1 development comes just over a month after the company promised to finalize the software in "late August." Providing there are no final bugs that require the 9600 build to be recompiled, the final copy will be shipped to PC makers.

We understand Microsoft will publicly reveal it has finalized Windows 8.1 next week. The software will now ship to PC manufact …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Microsoft is currently testing near-final versions of Windows 8.1, but the company won't release the final update publicly until October. According to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, the software maker will finalize, or Release to Manufacturing (RTM), Windows 8.1, but the update will not be pushed out to existing machines until October. Partners and PC makers will receive the final bits later this month, and the gap until an October release will allow them to finalize their own testing and drivers for the roll out.

We're told that the Windows 8.1 update will be made available in October alongside new hardware from partners, includi …

Read the full story at The Verge.