Bill Gates 'Gushes' About Microsoft Surface Pro

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Video: Up Close with the Microsoft Surface Pro

Slideshow: First Look at the Microsoft Surface Pro

How does Gates describe it? "I just got my Surface Pro a week ago and it is very nice."

He said he was actually viewing the AMA on a jumbo whiteboard, technology Microsoft bought last year. "I am using a Perceptive Pixel display right now - huge Windows 8 touch whiteboard. These will come down in price over time and be pervasive," he wrote and linked to this picture of himself:

Gates also responded to a query about how Windows 8 stacks up to earlier releases. "Windows 7 or Windows 8? Be honest Bill," one questioner wrote.

"Higher is better," Gates said.

He also confided what's left on his bucket list: "Don't die."

Sound advice.

[IN DEPTH: Microsoft's Surface for Windows 8 ProA

TEST YOURSELF: The Windows 8 quizA

NAVIGATE: 12 essential Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts]

Not enough apps? There's an app for that.

While there are tens of thousands of Windows 8 apps available at the Windows Store, there are hundreds of thousands of Android apps available from Google Play. BlueStacks has optimized its software that adapts these Android apps to Windows 8, specifically to Microsoft's Surface Pro hardware. BlueStacks is available from GetYourAppsBack.com. Here's a review of it.

Dealing with Windows 8 BYOD

When workers start bringing their own Windows 8 Pro devices to work, it can pose a security and management problem for IT.

Wave Systems is introducing an upgraded version of its Wave Mobility Solution that deals with the problem and also makes it simpler for mobile end users to sign in to the corporate network.

The software takes advantage of Windows 8's support for trusted platform module (TPM), which links a security chip in Windows 8 hardware with a PIN that turns the device into a virtual smartcard.

End users who want to access the corporate network authenticate themselves to their Windows 8 machine, and it creates connections securely with the network, negotiating Active Directory sign in to join a domain.

Wave's software supports drive encryption so data on the mobile machine is secured via BitLocker making the devices safe-to-lose, says Wave's CEO Steven Sprague.

The Windows 8 upgraded version of Wave Mobility Solution is available now, and because Windows 8 certified devices are still rolling out, may need tweaking to meet the implementation variations of hardware manufacturers. Enterprise licensing costs less than $100 per device, and subscription licensing is available to lower up-front costs.

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