Microsoft have teamed up with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) to develop a new child-safe version of their IE9 browser to launch alongside Safe Internet Day 2012.

The special broswer has one-click access to the CEOP.police.uk and thinkuknow.co.uk sites, with IE9/Windows 7 integration allowing fro Jump Lists that let parents more easily set the browser to only give access to content that is age-appropriate for their children.

"At Microsoft we always want to provide our customers with the tools to enjoy the web safely and securely," said Gabby Hegerty, Internet Explorer lead in the UK.

"The internet has become a central part of everyday life for adults and children, from learning and communicating to working and playing online. As the leading browser provider, it is important we make the appropriate safety information available and build in features to our software which provide families with peace of mind online."

Peter Davies, CEOP Chief Executive concurred: "We have been happy to work with Microsoft to ensure that IE9 users can access advice and guidance in a way that is quick and easy. We welcome this approach and continue to work with service providers so that help and advice is available whenever it is needed."

The kid-friendly browser is available to download now for free. Click here to grab it.

Right on cue, Microsoft have announced the availability of the Kinect for Windows hardware and Software Development Kit, hitting the February 1st release date that Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer promised at CES.

Built for developers as "a fully-tested and supported Kinect experience on Windows", it shares the same look as the regular Xbox 360 version, but has a few key differences.

Most notably, it comes with a "commercial ready installer that makes it easy to install Kinect for Windows runtime and driver components for end-user deployments", but also offers better speech and audio capabilities thanks to the inclusion of the latest Microsoft speech components, as well as improved skeletal tracking and the ability to work within a Macro mode of just 40cm away from the sensor.

"It's been just over a year since we launched Kinect for Xbox 360, and we're only starting to scratch the surface of what's possible with Kinect," said Craig Eisler, general manager for Kinect for Windows.

"By offering hardware and software that's designed specifically for Windows applications, we hope to inspire visionaries around the world to create transformative breakthroughs with Kinect - taking its gesture and voice capabilities beyond the living room into other industries such as education, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail."

Launching intially Stateside for $249, it'll hit Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom in the near future.

Fancy a bit of Xbox Live gaming on your Android or Apple iOS device? That's the possiblity being speculated upon today after a loose-lipped Microsoft executive teased the expansion of the platform.

Speaking to Forbes, an Xbox spokesperson stated that:

"While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms."

When it comes to mobile, only devices packing Microsoft's own Windows Phone OS have access to playable Xbox Live games. While the iOS App Store offers the Xbox Live status, stats and message tracking app My Xbox Live, as well as the standalone Kinectimals app, it doesn't yet offer gaming that's integrated into the same experience you'd find on Microsoft's home console. The same goes for Android devices.

While expansion to other platforms would be great news for consumers, Microsoft will have to weigh any eventual decision up very carefully. On the one hand, moving onto iOS and Android would greatly expand the Redmond company's mobile gaming dominance. But on the other, it will detract from the Xbox Live integration that is a key differentiator on their struggling Windows Phone 7 platform.

Those longing to get a-tinkering on Windows platforms with Microsoft's Kinect motion sensor for Xbox 360 will be pleased to hear that the Redmond firm will be releasing its Kinect for Windows SDK on the 1st of February.

Microsoft will be releasing APIs, sample code and Kinect drivers. The company are already working with over 200 development teams to get Kinect-compatible apps together in time for the launch of Windows 8.

"With Kinect for Windows, we are investing in creating a platform that is optimised for scenarios beyond the living room, and delivering new features on an ongoing basis, starting with "near mode", said Craig Eisler, corporate vice president in Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business Unit.

"As well, we will be supporting the Windows Embedded platform to enable a range of intelligent systems scenarios. We are building this platform in a way that will allow other companies the opportunity to integrate Kinect into their offerings. We have invested in an approach that allows them to develop in ways that are dependable and scalable."

Those hoping to use Kinect with other platforms are out of luck though; the SDK only caters for those looking to develop apps for Windows 7, 8 and the Xbox 360.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Now here's an unexpected and downright criminal move from struggling electronics retailers Comet. They're being accused by Microsoft of producing and selling some 94,000 forged copies of Windows Vista and XP recovery discs out of a factory in Hampshire.

Microsoft are now looking to sue the retailer, aiming to recoup licensing fees for each copy sold.

"As detailed in the complaint filed today, Comet produced and sold thousands of counterfeit Windows CDs to unsuspecting customers in the United Kingdom," said David Finn, associate general counsel, worldwide anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting at Microsoft.

"Comet's actions were unfair to customers. We expect better from retailers of Microsoft products - and our customers deserve better, too."

In Comet's defence, they are now claiming the actions were carried out with "the very best interests of its customers" at heart. The retailer has stated that, as Microsoft has stopped supplying recovery discs, they felt that it was easier to supply their customers with the forged discs than to leave them with the sometimes-difficult process of figuring out partition-based recovery systems.

Comet's official statement reads:

"We note that proceedings have been issued by Microsoft Corporation against Comet relating to the creation of recovery discs by Comet on behalf of its customers.

"Comet firmly believes that it acted in the very best interests of its customers. It believes its customers had been adversely affected by the decision to stop supplying recovery discs with each new Microsoft Operating System based computer. Accordingly Comet is satisfied that it has a good defence to the claim and will defend its position vigorously."

It's the latest in a growing list of problems Comet face. Facing tough times in the depressing economic climate, Comet was sold to an equity company for a paltry £2 at the tail end of last year.

Makes you wonder why they don't start selling bootleg DVD movies too; they sell like hot-cakes, 3-for-a-fiver, down my local market...

Microsoft are reportedly planning an early Valentine's Day present for Windows OS lovers with the public beta of their next operating system, Windows 8, going live in Februray.

If the news proves true, it all-but-confirms that a 2012 finishing date for the final build of the operating system will be met. Whether it then ships in 2012 however is another matter.

Windows 8 is the next big evolution for Microsoft's dominant PC platform. Influenced largely by the company's work with the Windows Phone 7 OS, its "Metro" UI makes use of similar live tiles found in Windows phones.

The design is meant to make using Windows 8 on PCs and tablet devices a seamless transition, with familar concepts shared across both versions of the software.

No word yet on what content will be accessible in the beta preview, but it looks as though Windows 8 may now be ready at least for next year's Christmas lists.

Via: The Next Web

Tech gifts don't have to be about screen sizes or processing capabilities these days. In fact, they don't have to be physical gifts at all. You can put a smile on a loved one's face just by setting them up with one of the many ace online digital services and subscription packages that are tied into apps, download and streaming sites too.

From music packages like Spotify to productivity programs like Dropbox, there's something here for everyone.

When you're done here, be sure to check out the rest of Tech Digest's 2011 Christmas wishlists too.

The online supermarket Ocado has released its On the Go shopping application for both the Windows 7 and Blackberry devices for the mobile shopper in all of us.

The app which has been available on Iphone and Android for some time now continues to build on the online supermarket business structure by allowing more of us to do our weekly groceries on our mobile devices. After a bit of market research discovered that 18.6% of all Ocado checkouts are now being made on smartphones rather than on computers the company has put more emphasis on the smartphone market.

Blackberry has always had the reputation of a business phone and so was a perfect choice for releasing an app for. As for Windows 7, the recent deal with Nokia to replace its Symbian operating system with the Microsoft software would have played a big part in the decision to release the app for Windows as well.

Ocado found that orders through the On the Go app where at their highest during peak travel times, showing commuters making the most of signal failures and traffic jams by ordering their shopping to be delivered at their convenience.

Supporting both touchscreen and rollerball devices the App and its features are designed to work for 30 different models and handsets and plans are already in place to introduce barcode scanning and syncing deliveries with phone calendars in the next few weeks.

The research into the shopping habits of Ocado customers also found some rather odd results in the shopping habits or those at home and those on the go. Home users would indulge themselves with purchases of home baking products, wine and butter, compared to those using the App purchasing mostly fruit, veg and fruit juices.

A logically answer would be the customers ordering from home are mostly going to be housewives or husbands who have the time to be baking and perhaps have a glass of wine while doing this, and the business people are ordering all the healthy food to make up for their lunch of McDonalds or KFC.

The App is available today for download from the Blackberry and Windows Marketplaces.

It's that time of year, the days are getting shorter and much colder, and we are all talking about the next generation of console. When will it arrive? What will it be called? What games are going to be launched along side it? Well we got a little glimpse of the future of Microsoft and their stance on next gen consoles. By little i mean no glimpse of anything for at least a year.

Franchise Development Director Frank O'Connor helped quash all the rumours in one swift strike. He confirmed that Halo 4 would be arriving on the Xbox 360 and not a next gen console, and that Microsoft would not be showing off any next gen console during 2012. The 360 must have signed in relief, along with my wallet.

There were lots of rumours going around after E3 that Halo 4 would be a launch title for the new Xbox console, as no platform was given at the end of a trailer during the expo. But O'Connor commented on NeoGaf that, "Halo 4 will be on Xbox 360 and use a modified core of the Halo engine."

While you wait for the latest Halo to come knocking on your current console you dont have to wait long to get a brand new Master Chief fix, well sort of brand new. Halo combat evolved is out tomorrow. You can relive the original adventure as Master Chief fighting the covenant without him uttering a single macho meathead line.

Halo 4 is aiming for a late 2012 launch after losing its creative director back in September.

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