Windows 7 Finally Tops Windows XP in the U.S.

It’s been 18 months since Windows 7 hit retail availability and Microsoft will this week be celebrating the fact that it’s finally the most popular OS in the United States.

Thanks to low confidence in Windows Vista, many Windows users opted not to update from Windows XP, which meant the 10-year-old OS remained on top. However, according to statistics from StatCounter (via Royal Pingdom), Windows XP has finally been dethroned. 

As of April, Windows XP accounts for 31.56 percent of the market, while the newer Windows 7 accounts for 31.71 percent. When Windows 7 launched, Windows XP accounted for nearly 50 percent of the market while Vista accounted for over 35 percent. Vista has since dropped to 19.07 percent. In fourth place is OS X, with 14.87 percent, while Linux comes in fifth with just .7 percent of the market.

X360 Getting Free-To-Play Apps in 2012?

Microsoft is beefing up its microtransaction model on Xbox Live to support free-to-play games and apps.

Given recent reports that Silverlight 5 is heading to the Xbox 360, rumors have surfaced that free-to-play games are coming to Microsoft's Xbox Live platform. The news is based on an unnamed source who claims that a more robust microtransaction system will be established on Xbox Live next year, allowing players to purchase content such as weapons, experience points, in-game currency and even perks

Windows 8 to Have Built-in PDF Reader

No more need for Adobe Reader or even Fox It

WinSuperSite and Within Windows have another new Windows 8 feature to share. Soon, you may no longer need to install any extra software to view that ever popular PDF format, thanks to an integrated PDF reader called Modern Reader that will ship with Windows 8

While almost everyone running Windows these days has Adobe Reader, or some equivalent, Microsoft is building that functionality right into the next OS. Hopefully it will be a lightweight alternative.

Modern Reader also appears to be an early example of the new AppX application package for Windows 8. AppX is a packaged application model for Windows 8 that is much like the one used in Windows Phone 7.

Firefox 5 Scheduled for June 21

In order to get its new release system on track, Mozilla adjusted its release schedule for the final version. Version 4.2a1pre, which is version 5, will be leaving mozilla-central on April 12 and enter the new "aurora" channel (previously called experimental) as version 5.0a2. The beta version (5.0) will follow five weeks later and the final version is now scheduled to be released on June 21.

We aren't quite sure whether is versioning system will be entirely applied to version 5.0, but it appears as if Mozilla is planning to use it for version 6.0, which will hit mozilla-central as version 6.0a1 on April 12. Earlier today, Mozilla also discussed a versioning system that resembled Google's system and would have resulted in a version number like this: 5.4.55.123 (version 5, 4 beta releases, 55 experimental (aurora) releases and 123 mozilla-central releases.)  There may still be changes - the only thing we know for sure now is that Mozilla will drop the "pre" tag for its preview versions.

Google's Cloud-based Music App Leaked

Last week Amazon launched Cloud Drive and Cloud Player, a cloud-based storage and media player that allowed users to access their music from anywhere, including their Android devices. Now it looks like Google is stepping up to ensure it’s not outdone by the etailer.

The newest version of Android’s music app has been leaked and it seems Google is taking things to the cloud. The folks over on Tech from 10 recently found themselves looking at the developer’s Android Test Market, as opposed to the regular Android Marketplace they’re used to seeing on their Galaxy S Vibrant.