We cover Microsoft’s Windows 10 plans & the big features they are promising, why the jump in version numbers, and more.

Plus the hackers charged with stealing over $100m in US army and Xbox technology & the surprising ways consumers stream video to their TVs.

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Microsoft skips ‘too good’ Windows 9, jumps to Windows 10 | InfoWorld

Deeming Windows 9 ‘too good to release,’ Microsoft execs shelve follow-up to Windows 8 and proceed to Windows 10.

The Windows 9 internal beta was a phenomenal success,” said Microsoft PR rep Cheryl Tunt. “I mean, it blew Windows 8 out of the water, and as we all know, Windows 8 is nigh flawless. After discussion at the C level, Microsoft has decided it will not mess with success and will leave Windows 9 exactly as it is. As such, work is now getting under way on Windows 10, which should see a public release.”

The decision to jump to Windows 10 was announced during an all-company meeting by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who took the stage in front of a banner reading “Mission Accomplished.”

Windows 10 is the official name for Microsoft’s next version of Windows | The Verge

Microsoft is officially unveiling the name for the next release of Windows today: Windows 10. While the software maker had referred to Windows 10 as codename Windows Threshold internally, today’s official naming puts any rumors of Windows, Windows TH, Windows X, Windows One, and even Windows 9 to bed. It’s simply Windows 10, marking a jump from the mixed reception of Windows 8.

Microsoft outlines some of the specific features that are coming to Windows 10:

Expanded Start menu. The familiar Start menu is back, providing quick one-click access to the functions and files that people use most, and it includes a new space to personalize with favorite apps, programs, people and websites.

Apps that run in a window. Apps from the Windows Store now open in the same format that desktop programs do. They can be resized and moved around, and have title bars at the top allowing users to maximize, minimize and close with a click.

Snap enhancements. Working in multiple apps at once is easier and more intuitive with snap improvements. A new quadrant layout allows up to four apps to be snapped on the same screen. Windows will also show other apps and programs running for additional snapping, and it will even make smart suggestions on filling available screen space with other open apps.

New Task view button. The new Task view button on the task bar enables one view for all open apps and files, allowing for quick switching and one-touch access to any desktop created.

Multiple desktops. Instead of too many apps and files overlapping on a single desktop, it’s easy to create and switch between distinct desktops for different purposes and projects — whether for work or personal use.

The “Metro” start screen and Microsoft’s traditional Start Menu have been combined; no longer is the screen one huge grid of tiles for desktop users.

There’s a new universal search in the start menu that pulls in results from the web, and Microsoft is also talking up its “task view,” which helps users master Windows’ multitasking features. Which is basically virutal desktops.

There are Compiz effects through out the UI too.

Microsoft’s Windows 10: What’s new and how to get the preview bits | ZDNet

on October 1, Microsoft will open up its preview.windows.com site so that those interested in testing the Enterprise Technical Preview version of the operating system can download the early bits. Those who sign up through the preview site will be enrolled in Insiders Program. Via this program, Microsoft will push regular updates through Windows Update to the initial tech preview over the coming months.

Insiders also will be asked to provide feedback in a variety of forms to Microsoft about the features they like and dislike.

The Enterprise Technical Preview (Build 9841) will work on x86 machines only. Microsoft is not yet making available a test build of the ARM version of Windows 10. Microsoft officials said to expect that more consumer-focused preview to arrive in early 2015.

Hackers charged with stealing over $100m in US army and Xbox technology | Technology | theguardian.com

Four men have been charged with breaking into the computer systems of Microsoft, the US army and leading games manufacturers, as part of an alleged international hacking ring that netted more than $100m in intellectual property, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

The four, aged between 18 and 28, are alleged to have stolen Xbox technology, Apache helicopter training software and pre-release copies of games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, according to an indictment dating from April that was unsealed on Tuesday.

Two of the hackers pleaded guilty earlier in the day, the DoJ said.

“These were extremely sophisticated hackers … Don’t be fooled by their ages,” assistant US attorney Ed McAndrew said after a court hearing on Tuesday.

According to prosecutors, the defendants stole intellectual property and other proprietary data related to the Xbox One gaming console and Xbox Live online gaming system, and pre-release copies of popular video games. The Department of Justice (DoJ) claimed the technology was worth between $100m and $200m, a figure hotly disputed by one of those facing charges.

The four in the US had been jointly charged with with conspiracies to commit computer fraud, copyright infringement, wire fraud, mail fraud, identity theft and theft of trade secrets. They were also individually charged with individual counts of aggravated identity theft, unauthorised computer access, copyright infringement and wire fraud. The charges were based on a federal grand jury indictment returned in April.

Other targets of the alleged hacks included Microsoft, and game companies Epic Games and Valve, the DoJ announced. It said the US has seized $620,000 in proceeds “related to the charged conduct”.

“As the indictment charges, the members of this international hacking ring stole trade secret data used in high-tech American products, ranging from software that trains US soldiers to fly Apache helicopters to Xbox games that entertain millions around the world,” said assistant US attorney General Caldwell.

Report: Game consoles most widely used video streaming devices in US | Ars Technica

A Dallas-based market research firm published a report about American video-streaming habits, and its numbers told a story that we saw coming for years: Video game consoles have become the leading device category for video streaming app use.

On Tuesday, Parks Associates published its report, which surveyed 10,000 American homes in early 2014, and it found 44 percent of broadband-using respondents considered a game console their “primary connected” device for accessing non-gaming Internet content, particularly video apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Video. Out of those console owners, “roughly three quarters” log into consoles to watch video apps at least once a week, and 40 percent of them watch over 10 hours of content a week.

The report goes on to rank broadband homes’ preferred devices, with game consoles beating, in order, smart TVs (20 percent), streaming media boxes (12 percent), and Blu-ray players (nine percent).