Now that Microsoft's let the cat out of the bag, the schedule has become available for the company's BUILD event in Anaheim, California. In that schedule there are some interesting hints towards new features in Windows 8, so we've rounded them up. Even if you're not at the event, these sessions' information page give a lot more detail than we already knew.
Running Windows 8 from an external USB drive with Windows to Go
This promises to be interesting. "Windows To Go is a new feature in Windows 8 that enables enterprise administrators to create USB drives containing complete, managed Windows images that users can use to boot and run Windows on any Windows 7 or Windows 8 capable computer. Windows To Go makes it possible for employees to use a managed device whether they work from home, a client office or in a free seating environment."
Understanding Wi-Fi Direct in Windows 8
"Wi-Fi Direct is a new peer-to-peer device connectivity technology that enables high-bandwidth sharing of media and content between devices without requiring a separate Wi-Fi access point. Windows 8 natively supports Wi-Fi Direct and has integrated the technology into the Windows 8 Play To and proximity sharing experiences."
Understanding Connected Standby
"In Windows 8, Microsoft introduces Connected Standby - a new power state that enables compatible PCs to be always reachable and up-to-date. This session will provide an overview of Connected Standby, including key user scenarios, system architecture and technical requirements." See also: Networking for connected standby.
Using connected devices in Metro style Apps
"More than ever, consumers carry devices with them to capture, listen, play and consume content. Learn how you can build apps that communicate with these locally connected devices. We will discuss how to leverage standard functionality to hide the nuances and differences between devices from different manufacturers. You will also learn to use a built-in or connected mobile broadband device to send and receive SMS or access the contacts information on a mobile phone."
Building Xbox LIVE games for Windows 8
"Xbox LIVE, Microsoft's premier entertainment service, is coming to Windows 8. Whether you are developing a game or another kind of entertainment app for Windows 8, Xbox LIVE can help your app stand out in the crowd and help engage and delight users. You will learn about how to implement our well-loved features like Achievements, Multiplayer, Avatars and Community and brand new ones like roaming storage and profiles."
Graphics on the Server
"Windows 8 is moving to a single graphics driver model - the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) – offering more features over the older XP Display Driver Model commonly run on physical and virtualized servers. Windows 8 also brings updates to the inbox display driver (previously known as Standard VGA driver) which is the default standard on server systems. This session will provide information about providing support for Windows Server 8 systems that do not have WDDM capable graphics adapters, without having to update the hardware. We will also cover key design points for consideration in future server systems including utilizing graphics adapters for generic computational purposes and scenarios." See also: Windows Server 8 apps must run without a GUI
Remote Desktop experience in Windows 8
"RemoteFX in Windows 8 has been tailored for the Metro style UI to provide users a touch-first, fast and fluid experience on their remote desktops and apps over both LAN and WAN conditions for VDI, Session, and physical hosts. This session covers these enhancements with a series of demos using the new Metro look Remote Desktop client app. Whether you are an enthusiast using remote desktop at home or for your development needs, or an enterprise user getting work done using your IT provisioned centralized desktop and app deployment, to learn what is new in remoting in Windows 8, this is the session for you!"
These aren't all the sessions, but they're our picks out of the 17 pages worth of sessions which are worth keeping an eye on. We'll post more once we know further details.
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