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Nintendo is first out of the blocks ahead of Sony and Microsoft by revealing the Wii U controller will be known as the Wii U Gamepad and showing of some its features

Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii U controller shown off at E3 last year will be known as the Wii U Gamepad after making the announcement at a streamed video conference ahead of its E3 keynote on Tuesday.

Firming up details of its capabilities the Wii U Gamepad and how it will play nice with your TV, the Gamepad will also work as an e-Reader, support NFC from a button below the D-pad, feature motion and gyroscope sensors and be available in black and white. Confirming recently leaked pictures of the Wii U Gamepad, the thumbsliders have also been replaced by analogue sticks which unusually sit above the buttons in the wider more ergonomically designed Gamepad.

Nintendo also took the opportunity to grab the headlines before Microsoft and Sony's E3 press conferences by announcing the Wii U Pro controller which looks inspired by Xbox 360 controller, works wirelessly and aims to offer a more traditional gaming experience. There was no confirmation of pricing or a release date of the secondary peripheral however.

Last up on the announcement front was the unveiling of the Wii U's online features, a mobile app and Mii Wara Wara feature. A pre-recorded video demonstrated how users would be able to access online communities to search for help if stuck at a certain point of a game. The Wii U will also be able to send online content from the Gamepad to a TV while Mii Wara Wara which expands on the Mii Plaza from the Wii, is an online universe where all Miis can gather. We expect details of these elements to be outlined further in Nintendo's press conference later this week.

You can download it from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/download.

Windows 8. It sounds so innocent.

The name of Microsoft's coming operating system, updated today to Windows 8 Release Preview, implies just another version of an OS once much loved and now much maligned. But Windows 8 means much more to Microsoft: It's a bold attempt to build an Apple-proof operating system with modern visual elements via the risky Metro design language. It's a salvo in the war for tablet relevance. It insists that touch screens matter, and it sets the stage for upcoming versions of Windows Mobile.

For Microsoft to succeed with Windows on all platforms, Windows 8 has to work. The changes in today's Release Preview take a step in the right direction, tightening up the operating system and introducing new apps to showcase just what Windows 8 can do. But Microsoft isn't there yet. This is more "beta two" than "release candidate."

It's true that the Windows 8 Release Preview has a lot going for it, and people are curious. Microsoft says the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which debuted at Mobile World Congress in February, is "the most tested Microsoft operating system of all time," with more than 1 million downloads during its first 24 hours of public availability. It's tricked out with social networking and synchronization, it's robust enough to handle monster suites like Adobe's, it gracefully moves from touch to keyboard and mouse, and it's got some top-notch security. What you'll find in the Release Preview is a stable, fast operating system that's ready to compete, but a selection of default apps that are far from complete.

You can get the Windows 8 Release Preview from Microsoft's site, or CNET Download.com. Microsoft has revealed the Windows 8 upgrade plan for Windows 7 computers purchased after June 2.

What's new: Multitouch touch pad
One of the big new features is that Windows 8 will allow multitouch gestures on touch pads. Macs have had multitouch touch-pad drivers for a few years, while Windows touch pads haven't progressed much since Windows XP. The blame for that can sit at the feet of Microsoft just as easily as you can point a finger at the hardware manufacturers. The point is now, with Windows 8 forcing dramatic hardware upgrades to accompany it, Windows touch pads are finally moving forward.

Three default gestures will come with all laptops that have touch pads: pinch-to-zoom, two-finger scroll along the X and Y axes, and edge swiping. That last one is important because it will give you an easier way to activate the edges on non-touch-screen Windows 8 computers besides using the mouse.

Jensen Harris, Director of Program Management for the User Experience team at Microsoft, told CNET that Microsoft is working with hardware manufacturers to build specialized mice that also support the features, most likely for desktop Windows 8 computers that don't come with touch screens or for people doing at-home upgrades on non-touch screens.

When Windows 8 is finalized, Harris said that you'll be able set swiping in from the left edge to bring up the last viewed app, as it is on a touch screen, or for the Start screen button with thumbnails of the last viewed app, which on the touch screen is swiping in then back out from the left edge.

In two days' worth of use, the touch pad never failed when using its new features on the Start screen or Desktop mode. However, it was far less stable in apps, and often ignored pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scroll. Since it worked well on the Start screen and in other Windows 8 screens like the settings window, it looks like the apps are still quite rough.

Harris also said that he expects the development of the default apps to be an ongoing process. Like mobile apps on iOS and Android, they will see continuous revision, up to and beyond the release of Windows 8.

When Nokia announced their partnership with Microsoft last year, there were concerns that the adoption of Windows Phone as their primary smartphone platform would mean the death of cheap smartphones. After all, Nokia’s then bread and butter were cheap Symbian smartphones. Fast forward 15 months later and here is Nokia’s answer to getting prices of Windows Phone devices down – the Lumia 610. Read on for our first impression on the full retail version of the Lumia 610.

On the surface, the Lumia 610 is yet another Windows Phone device. It retains the basic design of almost all Windows Phone – a touchscreen slate design, three soft keys, a dedicated two-stop camera button and 5MP camera. The glossy plastic body with tacky chrome band doesn’t scream premium, but you wouldn’t expect that in a device at this price range anyway. While the design is as generic as it gets, at least it is an improvement over the Lumia 710, which takes the award for ugliest Windows Phone. Still, despite being a cheap device, the Lumia 610 is solidly built. It will be available in four separate colours – cyan, magenta, white and black.

The 3.7″ 480×800 display is the same size as found on its more expensive Lumia siblings, the 710 and 800. With a pixel density of 252 ppi, it is one of the sharpest screen I have seen on an entry level smartphone. But in order to get the price down, Nokia had to cut out the much regarded Clear Black Display filter. The lack of CBD layer resulted in a display that is highly reflective. In fact you could almost replace a mirror with this.

The biggest difference between the Lumia 610 and 710 are the inclusion of a much slower clocked speed processor and less RAM. The single core 800MHz Qualcomm processor and 256MB RAM might sound like a huge compromise to performance, but it isn’t. The Lumia 610 feels snappy at all times, thanks to the hardware accelerated UI. After all, Windows Phone was already optimised to run well on the Adreno 200 GPU found inside the Lumia 610 – it is the same GPU used on all first generation Windows Phone devices. Compared to the HTC Wildfire S, which struggles to runs on the same SoC, the Lumia 610 would fly. Not bad for an entry level smartphone with a 480×800 display to power.

Sadly the move towards 256MB RAM does mean that there are some trade offs. The Lumia 610 is a Tango device, meaning that some apps just won’t run on it. Microsoft has started contacting developers to encourage them to update their apps for Tango. Still the effects are real. Just a couple of days ago the Skype app was pulled from the Marketplace because of poor performance. Some background tasks will also be disabled, and there is not fast app switching. In a way, with such limitations in place, the Lumia 610 feels and operate much like a first generation pre-Mango Windows Phone. On the other hand you will be happy to read that the Lumia 610 does come with WiFi tethering/hotspot built-in.

The retail box is similar in design to all the previous Lumia boxes. Inside the drawer you will find a the device itself, some documentations, an in-ear Monster headphone, micro USB cable and USB wall charger. Unlike the Lumia 710, it does not come with additional battery covers. It is not known if Nokia would sell them as separate accessories, but it would be fair to say that they should. After all the Lumia 610 is targeted at a much younger audience.