Windows 8 Pro pricing – Everything you need to know

Windows 8 is finally available for purchase in India and around the world. To entice customers, Microsoft has priced its brand new OS much lower than its predecessors, at least for now. Curiously though, only Windows 8 Pro pricing has been revealed, and not any of the other Windows 8 editions. Windows 8 Pro is the highest variant available to home users and has more features compared to what is simply called “Windows 8?.

So, until January 31st 2013, you can upgrade from any version of Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP to Windows 8 Pro for a much lower price. And this gets even better if you have bought a computer after June 2012. If you have, you can get Windows 8 Pro for even lower than the current upgrade price. First time builders, however, will have to shell out more for the new OS. Here’s the details of Windows 8 pro pricing.

Windows 8 Pro Upgrade (From Windows 7, Vista, XP) – 39.99$ or Rs. 1999 (Through online upgrade)Windows 8 Pro Upgrade (From Windows 7, Vista, XP) – 69.99$ or Rs. 3499 (Boxed copy or if you check option to ship backup DVD through online upgrade)Windows 8 Pro Upgrade (From Windows 7 PC’s bought between June 2, 2012 to January 31, 2013) - 14.99$ or Rs. 699 (Through Windows 8 Upgrade offer)

Keep in mind this are only launch prices and most reports suggest that the boxed copy upgrade which costs 69.99$ now will cost 199.99$ after January 31, 2013. Compared to previous prices of Windows, it’s still lower. As of now, Windows 8 pricing for the regular edition hasn’t been revealed but it’s obviously going to be lower than the Windows 8 Pro pricing. For the not too tech savvy Windows 8 will do just fine and it’s good that Microsoft has kept the number of Windows 8 editions down to avoid confusion. Keep any eye on this space for any further reveals regarding pricing and availability of Microsoft’s new operating system. Please let us know if you still have any questions, and comments and suggestions are welcome as well!

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Acer Iconia B1 budget tablet announced – Specs, pricing and more

For most manufacturers these days, budget tablets are where it’s at. Even Indian manufacturers have come out with so many budget tablets, it’s become hard to differentiate between them (we’re looking at you, Micromax). But then again, budget tablets are usually associated with slow processors, inadequate RAM and old OS versions. Other than the excellent Nexus 7 which really shouldn’t be considered a budget tablet, there isn’t a tablet that gives you a lot for a low price. That’s all set to change with the Acer Iconia B1 budget tablet, which will feature specs similar to a certain older 7 inch tablet which launched at 159$.

The Acer Iconia B1 budget tablet is the Taiwanese company’s attempt to make headway into the low budget game and with their reputation for combining good build quality and specs at a reasonable price, it could turn out to be a winner. Featuring specs similar to the Kindle Fire which retails for 159$, the Acer Iconia B1 budget tablet is rumored to cost just 99$! This puts it in direct contention with the rumored 99$ Nexus tablet from Asus which is supposed to make it’s debut in CES 2013. Made specifically for emerging markets, the Acer Iconia B1 budget tablet will release in South East Asia, South America, China and some parts of Europe as well in early 2013. If Acer manages to actually sell the tablet for this price, local players like Karbonn and Micromax might have a thing to worry about. Even after conversions and taxes if the Acer Iconia B1 budget tablet goes for under Rs. 7000 it will be a good deal. Here’s the specs:

SoC: MediaTek MT6577CPU: 1.2 GHz dual-coreGPU: PowerVR SGX 531RAM: 512 MB RAMStorage: 8 GB, expandable upto 32 GB via MicroSDScreen: 7 inches TFT LCD, 1024 x 600 px (169 ppi)Connectivity: Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-fi, GPS, MicroUSB 2.0 slotCamera: 1.3 MPOS: Android 4.1.2Battery: N/APrice: 99$

Although the battery capacity hasn’t been mentioned yet, the above specs aren’t particularly power hungry. Sure they’re not cutting edge, but they will do the job. It wasn’t too long ago that these were standard specs for new tablets, so for this price we can’t really complain. Drop us a line and let us know what you think about the new offering from Acer, yay or nay?

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