Top Stories Windows 8 Release Preview Now Available On May 31, Windows 8 Release Preview (RP) and Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate (RC) were made available for download. Read the announcement and download the bits:
New Release Preview Hardware Kits and Tools Available The release preview versions of these kits are now available for building Windows 8 production-ready drivers and solutions. Get Visual Studio Professional 2012 RC, Windows Driver Kit 8 Release Preview, Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit for Windows 8 Release Preview, and Windows Hardware Certification Kit RP. All are available for free and work together to develop, test, certify, and maintain quality hardware and drivers for Windows. Get the latest hardware kits and tools: http://msdn.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/gg454513
Now Accepting Windows 8 Hardware Certification Submissions You can now submit your devices, systems, and drivers for Windows 8 certification using the Windows Dev Center Hardware Dashboard. Register or sign in using the Dashboard tab at the top of the Hardware area of the Windows Dev Center to submit Windows Hardware Certification Kit packages, device metadata, and drivers for distribution, and to view telemetry reports for Windows 8 and other supported versions of Windows. Learn more about Windows Hardware Certification: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/hardware/gg463010
News for Hardware Developers Windows Dev Center Is THE Place for Windows Development Resources Developing apps or hardware for Windows? The Windows Dev Center is the place to go for everything you need to build, debug, certify, deploy, monitor, and maintain Metro style apps, desktop apps, and hardware-related software for systems and devices that run on Windows. The Dev Center is your gateway to all core Windows developer kits and tools, code samples, documentation, newsletters, forums, and blogs, as well as the Windows Store and Hardware/Desktop Dashboards. You'll find the Windows 8 Release Preview versions of these kits and tools on the Windows Dev Center Downloads areas: - Visual Studio 2012 (Express, Professional, Premium, and Ultimate). Develop Metro style apps, desktop apps, and Windows drivers.
- Windows SDK. Use the core tools necessary to build and debug apps and drivers that work with Windows.
- Windows Driver Kit (WDK). Develop, debug, test, and install drivers.
- Windows Hardware Certification Kit (Windows HCK). Create packages to submit drivers for Windows certification.
- Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK). Assess quality and performance of software and hardware that runs on Windows.
The Windows Dev Center also includes downloads, samples, and documentation about Internet Explorer. Discover the Windows Dev Center: http://msdn.microsoft.com/windows
Update Your Windows HCK Test Environment Weekly When using Windows Hardware Certification Kit (HCK), it is important to ensure that your test environment is current. Starting with the Release Preview version, quick fix engineering (QFE) updates to Windows HCK are published regularly and are included cumulatively as part of the latest Windows HCK release. Microsoft recommends that you plan for weekly updates to your certification test environment. Periodically, QFE packages will be required for submission. These requirements will be noted in the Windows Logo Program Newsletter and on the Windows Dev Center at the page location indicated below. Learn more about QFEs, how to install them, and what has changed in each QFE package: http://msdn.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/hh852376 Subscribe to the Windows Logo Program Newsletter: http://msdn.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/gg462957
WDF Redistributable Packages Available for Windows 8 Testing Only In response to customer feedback, we'd like to clarify that the Windows Driver Framework (WDF) is available in the Windows 8 Release Preview for development purposes only. The WDF 1.11 redistributable components ("the co-installers") have not yet been released for inclusion in shipping driver packages. The final WDF 1.11 redistributable components will release at the same time that Windows 8 releases. Meanwhile, please test your Windows 8 drivers by using WDF 1.11. You can also use WDF 1.11 to test your drivers on Windows 7 and Windows Vista. If you need to certify a Windows 8 driver that depends on WDF 1.11, note that WDF 1.11 is included in Windows 8. This means that you do not need to include the redistributables in your driver package. You need to include the co-installers in your driver package only if you need to install the same package on earlier versions of Windows. If you need to certify and ship a WDF driver on Windows 7 or Windows Vista before the Windows 8 final release, you must build your driver packages by using the WDF 1.9 co-installers, which are available in the Windows 8 Release Preview redistributable package. Learn more: http://msdn.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/br259104
HID Over I2C Protocol Specification The Human Interface Device (HID) protocol was first defined for universal serial bus (USB)-attached input devices. These include, for example, keyboards, mice, remote controls, and buttons. The protocol itself is bus agnostic and has been ported across various transports, including Bluetooth and other wired and wireless technologies. This specification identifies the protocol, procedures, and features for simple input devices to talk to HID over I2C. This protocol has been implemented on Windows 8 operating systems. Read more: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/hardware/hh852380
Recently Published for Hardware Developers Get the Latest Documentation for Metro style Device Apps Windows 8 introduces several improvements to the way users can discover and use the devices that are connected to and contained in their PC. Windows 8 can detect nearby devices in the home, automatically making them available for use. Windows 8 can also automatically install a Metro style device app from the Windows Store, when users connect their device for the first time. This way, users don't have to search for the companion software that goes with their device. In addition, Metro style device apps that are companions to a device or PC can take advantage of the full range of functionality of that device or PC. You can create Metro style device apps for common types of devices, to extend built-in experiences in Windows 8 for printers, cameras, and mobile broadband. Last week, in step with the release of Windows 8 Release Preview, we updated our documentation set for Metro style device apps. Read more: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/hardware/br259108
Discover All Recently Published Hardware Documentation, Kits, and Tools You can always view the latest hardware documentation, kits, and tools published in the Hardware area of the Windows Dev Center by visiting the following pages:
Windows Certification News Windows Certification Workshop for Connected Devices on Windows RT We are excited to announce the next in a series of Windows Certification Workshops, to be held on June 26 - 29, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue in Bellevue, Washington. This event focuses on the programs, processes, and tests that you use to certify your connected devices for Windows RT. The workshop provides a hands-on experience working directly with Microsoft developers and testers, using Windows Hardware Certification Kit (HCK) to certify your hardware. You are encouraged to bring the connected devices that you are planning to certify. The workshop is an opportunity to certify your products directly on Windows RT systems available at the workshop. There is no registration fee for this event. However, the event has limited space availability. The online Windows Certification Workshops registration portal is open for your registration. Please note: - Space for this event is limited. We will notify you by email whether your registration is confirmed or not.
- There is a limit of two participants per company or per division.
- You are responsible for your own lodging. The Hyatt Regency Bellevue is offering a preferred rate to event attendees.
- On the registration portal, please use the code "certfest" to register for the event.
- For any issues with the registration, please email wincertwork@microsoft.com.
Logo Artwork Usage Guidelines A new logo artwork package is now available for download on the Windows Hardware Developer Dashboard website. The new package contains artwork for both Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. This new artwork may not be used publicly until after Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 General Availability. We will provide more guidance on when and how to use the new Windows certification logos in future versions of this and the Windows Logo Program newsletter. Subscribe to the Logo Program Newsletter: http://msdn.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/gg462957
What's New in Blogs for Hardware and Driver Developers "Connecting with Ipv6 in Windows 8" in "Building Windows 8" Blog by Steven Sinofsky and Christopher Palmer, June 5, 2012 IPv4 is the Internet Protocol that has been used for Internet connectivity for decades. However, IPv4 was never designed for such load and scale, and it is beginning to show signs of strain as the Internet grows-even though the incredible foresight of the original designers continues to power the Internet at a massive scale. Internet service providers are finding IPv4 increasingly costly to maintain; it will require an overhaul to sustain the upcoming onslaught of connected PCs and devices. For several years, the industry, including Microsoft, has been working to roll out a completely new version of the Internet Protocol - IPv6 - across various devices, services, and network infrastructure. Windows releases since Windows XP SP3 have supported IPv6, making the IPv6 transition possible. We have engineered Windows 8 to keep you (and your apps) reliably connected as this dramatic transition takes place. Read more: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/06/05/connecting-with-ipv6-in-windows-8.aspx
Industry News Windows 8 Release Preview: Microsoft Gets Its Apps Together ZDNet, May 31, 2012 Microsoft's carefully timed unveiling of Windows 8 has been frustratingly incomplete. Today's launch of the Release Preview fills in many of the missing pieces, with the biggest surprise being a rich and polished collection of Metro style apps. Read more: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windows-8-release-preview-microsoft-gets-its-apps-together/5042
Computex: Roundup of Hottest Windows 8 Devices CNET, June 4, 2012 One of the reasons Windows 8 is a big deal is the promise of newfangled devices that span laptop and tablet design. Here are some the hottest appearing at Computex in Taipei so far. Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57446809-92/computex-roundup-of-hottest-windows-8-devices/
Lenovo Demos ThinkPad Tablet Running Windows 8: We Go Hands-On endgadget, June 5, 2012 Yes, another Windows 8 tablet. After getting hands-on with some new devices from Acer, ASUS and Samsung, you might already having trouble telling one device from the other. You might even say the same about Lenovo, which is showing off an early-stage tablet here at Computex. The difference? We can't remember the last time we saw even a Windows 7 slate by Lenovo. So when the company trots out one running Win8, it doesn't just feel like a mandatory upgrade from one OS to another; it feels like Lenovo entering a new category. Read more: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/05/lenovo-thinkpad-tablet-windows-8/
Intel Stresses Impact of Ultrabooks, Launches Ivy Bridge Dual-Core PC Magazine, June 5, 2012 Mobile devices are on the rise but Intel is quick to point out that the sun has yet to set on traditional PCs, especially new products like the thin-and-light ultrabooks that the chip giant insists can offer the best of both computing models. Conveniently, new ultrabook-optimized processors like the dual-core Ivy Bridge chips the company introduced at Computex this week are just what the PC market needs going forward, according to Intel. Read more: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2c2817%2c2405360%2c00.asp
IPv6 Day: Only the Biggest Change to the Internet Since Its Inception Time Techland, June 6, 2012 It's only the most significant architectural development in the history of the Internet, and presto, it transpired last night at 00:01 GMT. Did you notice? I'm betting not, and that you probably didn't even know it was happening, which is precisely how things were supposed to go down. Don't worry, you're fine, you don't need to do anything, and as far as most of the Internet is concerned, turning on IPv6 - of tectonic caliber at the architectural level, minus the earthquakes - won't impact how you interact with the Internet any time soon. But it will eventually. And it was necessary, to prevent the Internet from running out of real estate. Read more: http://techland.time.com/2012/06/06/ipv6-day-only-the-biggest-change-to-the-internet-since-its-inception/
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