LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Jay-Z once spit, "I deserve platinum plaques, to match my bezel." And while the rapper's got a bunch of those (and plenty of bezels), after Samsung announced it would purchase a million copies of his new album "Magna Carta Holy Grail," is there another platinum disc in the mail already?

The answer is "not yet," according to a music industry insider.

A record cannot be certified platinum (or gold, or multiplatinum) before it's out, regardless of presale numbers.

To recap what has transpired with the unusual partnership: Hov and Samsung announced the new album in a three-minute advertisement on Sunday. In the spot, Sean Carter and friends are putting some finishing touches on the previously secret "Magna Carta Holy Grail" album. There is essentially no mention of Samsung at all.

Then, it's announced that Samsung agreed to buy a million digital copies of the record, according to the album's website. The company plans to distribute "Magna" copies to random Samsung Galaxy customers, prior to the album's official July 4 release. In light of Samsung's unique Jay-Z album purchase, TheWrap investigates the requirements for an album to be certified platinum from Recording Industry Association of America:

1) Sell a million copies of an album. Check. (Thanks, Samsung!)

But one also has to account for returns. Fortunately, digital copies are rarely returned said a source in the industry, and usually only due to accidental purchase. Samsung will not be accidentally purchasing these copies for its customers. So Jay-Z is good there. You may be wondering: "Does it count if a company or entity makes all one million purchases? (If you weren't wondering that, you are now.) That's fine. In 2010, Soundgarden went platinum by selling one million copies of their new album to Activision, which bundled the record with one of its "Guitar Hero" installments. Each unit still represented an official sale, according to an RIAA blog.

2) The album must sell for at least one-third of its suggested retail price.

Samsung has reportedly paid $5 for each copy, so the suggested retail price would have to be no more than $15 for the sales to qualify. Who sets the suggested retail price? The record label, so unlikely a problem there.

3) Apply for platinum status.

The RIAA does not actually track album sales like SoundScan does. A record label has to apply for gold or platinum status, at which point the RIAA auditors will review the case. That can take days, possibly up to a month. But here's the real rub in "Magna Carta Holy Grail's" case to be declared platinum before it hits the street: Artists have to wait 30 days until after release to apply for the status. Or more simply put by an industry insider, "The album isn't yet released and therefore not yet eligible."

And, fail. Temporarily at least.

So use "platinum" as shorthand to say a million sold - but "Magna Carta Holy Grail" has not actually gone certified platinum. But don't feel sorry for the hip-hop mogul. He still has one platinum single for "99 Problems" and 11 platinum albums. With Samsung's pre-purchases of "Magna Carta Holy Grail" alone, Jay-Z is going to have 12 soon - but not before early August.

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WATERLOO, ONTARIO(Marketwired June 28, 2013) Research In Motion Limited (doing business as BlackBerry) (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported first quarter results for the three months ended June 1, 2013 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).

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Q1 Highlights:

Q1 Results

Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 was $3.1 billion, up 15% from $2.7 billion in the previous quarter and up 9% from $2.8 billion in the same quarter of fiscal 2013. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 71% for hardware, 26% for service and 3% for software and other revenue. During the quarter, the Company shipped 6.8 million BlackBerry smartphones and approximately 100,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

GAAP loss from continuing operations for the quarter was $84 million, or $0.16 per share diluted, compared with a GAAP income from continuing operations of $94 million, or diluted earnings per share of $0.18, in the prior quarter and GAAP loss from continuing operations of $510 million, or $0.97 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year.

Adjusted loss from continuing operations for the first quarter was $67 million, or $0.13 per share diluted. Adjusted loss from continuing operations and adjusted diluted loss per share exclude the impact of pre-tax charges of $26 million ($17 million on an after tax basis) related to the Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency (CORE) program. This impact on GAAP loss from continuing operations and diluted loss per share from continuing operations are summarized in the table below.

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $3.1 billion as of June 1, 2013, compared to $2.9 billion at the end of the previous quarter, an increase of approximately $200 million from the prior quarter. Cash flow from operations in the first quarter was approximately $630 million. Uses of cash included intangible asset additions of approximately $335 million and capital expenditures of approximately $83 million.

During the first quarter, we continued to focus our efforts on the global roll out of the BlackBerry 10 platform, said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of BlackBerry. We are still in the early stages of this launch, but already, the BlackBerry 10 platform and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 are proving themselves to customers to be very secure, flexible and dynamic mobile computing solutions. Over the next three quarters, we will be increasing our investments to support the roll out of new products and services, and to demonstrate that BlackBerry has established itself as a leading and vibrant player in next generation mobile computing solutions for both consumer and enterprise customers.

Outlook

The smartphone market remains highly competitive, making it difficult to estimate units, revenue and levels of profitability. Throughout the remainder of fiscal 2014, the Company will invest in BlackBerry 10 smartphone launches, and the roll out of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, to continue to establish the new BlackBerry 10 platform in the marketplace. The Company will also invest resources to evolve BlackBerry Messenger into a leading cross platform mobile social messaging application, and launch other revenue initiatives associated with new services and emerging mobile computing opportunities. Based on the competitive market dynamics and these investments, the company anticipates it will generate an operating loss in the second quarter. The company will also continue to implement the cost savings and process-improving initiatives it started last year, in order to drive greater efficiency throughout the company, and redirect capital from these savings to areas of investment that will drive future revenue growth.

This article was

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actresses Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are mounting a challenge to this summer's male-dominated comedies with their buddy cop comedy "The Heat" opening at movie theaters on Friday.

The R-rated comedic offerings at the summer box office have so far included three guys heading to Las Vegas to hunt down a gangster in "The Hangover 3," two middle-aged men interning at Google in "The Internship" and a group of male celebrities preparing for the apocalypse in "This is the End."

"The Heat," by "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig brings together an unlikely duo, pairing an uptight FBI agent (Bullock) with a loud and aggressive Boston cop (McCarthy) to bring down a drug lord.

Amid shenanigans that include stake-outs, family drama, a drunken night and explosions, the pair learns how to work together and a friendship develops.

Buddy cop comedies have long been a Hollywood staple, from franchise films like "Beverly Hills Cop," "Lethal Weapon," "Bad Boys" and "Rush Hour" to more recent films like "The Other Guys" and last year's "21 Jump Street" remake. But they have featured male leads.

Starring two women in such a film required some changes, Feig told Reuters.

The 50-year-old director, who has helped usher in a new wave of female-led R-rated comedies, said he wanted the characters to deal with issues that professional women would face on the job, while also showing women who enjoy being in the work force.

"We wanted to say, 'If you love your job, that's what you should be doing and maybe you might need a friend in a similar situation to be your confidante,'" he said.

Feig's 2011 film "Bridesmaids," about a bride and her friends who suffer a series of unfortunate events ahead of the wedding, was nominated for two Oscars including best supporting actress for McCarthy and made $288 million worldwide.

'THE QUEST' FOR WOMEN IN COMEDY

McCarthy, 42, saw her star rise after the success of "Bridesmaids." She followed the film up with February's "The Identity Thief," which grossed $174 million largely on the strength of her persona, and a supporting role in "The Hangover 3," where she held her own opposite the film's male-led cast.

Bullock, 48, had been mostly absent from film since winning the Best Actress Oscar for 2009's "The Blind Side," focusing instead on being a single mother to her adopted son Louis.

"The Heat," produced by News Corp's 20th Century Fox studio, marks a return to comedy for her, drawing parallels to the quirky neurotic characters she has played in 2000's "Miss Congeniality" and 2009's "The Proposal."

Feig initially was drawn to the Kate Dippold-written script for "The Heat" in part because he felt comedy films in the last few decades have been mostly male-dominated, with women depicted as the ones who ruin the good time.

"The guys are having fun, or they're out saving the world and the woman is saying, 'You need to be home with the family,'" said Feig.

"Either they are killjoys or completely unaware of the importance of what their husbands are doing - neither one of which seems fair to the women."

Feig said he felt some of his favorite female comedians are not being given a chance to shine, citing Sarah Silverman's mean girlfriend character in 2003's "School of Rock" and Rachel Harris' shrewish girlfriend portrayal in 2009's "The Hangover."

"These are movies I love, but at the same time you go, 'Well that's a waste of a hilarious person," said Feig. "I just feel like, 'God, let's right the wrongs.'"

Going forward, Feig said his next project will be a female "James Bond" comedy in the vein of "The Heat," but he stressed he doesn't want to be the only go-to guy for women in film.

"The fact that 'The Heat' is the only studio film coming out this summer that has women in lead roles is almost a backslide," said Feig. "More people have to join me in the quest."

(Corrects Feig's age in the seventh paragraph. An earlier version of this story said that his age was 62.)

(Reporting By Zorianna Kit, Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Cynthia Osterman)

The Blue Jays delighted a sellout crowd of 45,766 on Canada Day with their 11th victory in 13 games at Rogers Centre.

Coming off his two-hit shutout against Tampa Bay, Dickey (8-8) was sharp and won for the third time in four starts. The knuckleballer allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking one.

Reyes hit a leadoff shot in the third against Tigers rookie Jose Alvarez (1-2). For Reyes, it was his third homer of the year and second in two days.

DeRosa added a three-run drive in the fourth off reliever Luke Putkonen.

One of Anthony Weiners rivals in the New York City mayoral race is trying to make an issue of the former congressmans dating history, suggesting that Weiner would lose political support if his ex-girlfriends were to speak out publicly.

Republican Joe Lhota, a former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and close adviser to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, speculated about Weiners romantic past during a Monday radio interview with The Andrea Tantaros Show.

I hope (women) will come to the right conclusion after enough women come out and talk about what it was like to be with him and date him and things like that, Lhota said on the show, . New York women have to decide for themselves if this is someone who has the character to be mayor.

Lhotas attack comes barely a week after , arguing in an email to supporters that the ex-lawmaker lacks the ethics to be the citys chief executive.

Like me, Im sure that you had hoped to have seen the last of Anthony Weiner when he resigned from Congress following an illicit sexual Twitter scandal and botched cover up, but hes back and desperate for political redemption, Lhota wrote. But its the same old story with Anthony Weiner. First, he lies to the public, the press and his family. And then he makes up his own facts. This is a pattern that is simply unacceptable.

A spokeswoman for Weiner did not respond to a request for comment, but Weiner had previously dismissed Lhotas attacks by insisting hes focused on more pressing issues.

So far only two of Weiner's rivalsLhota and Democrat Sal Albanese, a former City Council member who registers at just 1 percenthave brought up the sexting scandal that forced Weiner out of Congress in 2011. The former lawmaker, who was caught sending salacious messages to women who were not his wife, has repeatedly apologized. He launched his mayoral bid in May byand asking the public for a second chance.

Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a top aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The couple wed in July 2010, a year before the sexting scandal broke. Abedin is an active supporter of her husband's mayoral run.

But an open question remains over when or if Weiners other rivals will bring up the sexting controversyespecially as he continues to move up in the polls ahead of the Sept. 10 Democratic primary. A spokesman for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who had been the front-runner before Weiner entered the race, declined to say whether she thinks its a relevant issue, while the other campaigns have not returned repeated calls seeking comment.

(Reuters) - Broadcast Music Inc (BMI), a songwriters' rights organization, is suing Pandora Media after the Internet radio company rejected a request to pay a higher license fee for playing songs across various devices, including mobile phones. In a lawsuit filed with the Manhattan federal court on Thursday, BMI said it had proposed an increase in Pandora's fees "consistent with market rates to reflect the explosive growth of the Internet music streaming marketplace."

Time Warner cleared by EU to exercise CME voting rights

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Time Warner won EU regulatory approval on Friday to exercise its voting rights in proportion to its 49.9 percent stake in broadcaster Central European Media Enterprises (CME). The voting rights are currently exercised by CME founder Ronald Lauder under an agreement which will lapse at the end of June. Time Warner is the owner of the HBO cable network and the Warner Bros film studio.

Greek PM offers to restart news broadcasts to defuse crisis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras offered on Friday to hire a small number of workers to resume public broadcasts to stem an outcry over the shock closure of state broadcaster ERT and mend a rift in the ruling coalition. The proposal was dismissed as inadequate by one coalition partners, the Socialist PASOK party, which is demanding the immediate reopening of ERT's television and radio stations.

Sky offers sports fans free broadband in riposte to BT

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's BSkyB said on Friday it would give its sports channel subscribers free broadband, fighting back against rival BT which is offering customers a mirror deal of free football with an Internet connection. Sky said it would offer a year's free standard broadband from June 14 to people paying for its Sky Sports service. The offer would be available for a limited period. It also has a deal giving half-price broadband to new customers, whether or not they also subscribe to Sky TV.

Greeks strike over state TV closure, PM offers talks

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras moved to defuse a political crisis over the government's abrupt closure of state broadcaster ERT that prompted a nationwide strike on Thursday and brought thousands into the streets in protest. Samaras, who has branded defenders of ERT hypocrites, invited two left-wing junior coalition parties opposed to the shutdown to talks next Monday, his office said, seeking to avert political instability in the bailed-out euro zone country.

News Corp CFO retires, Nallen named CFO of 21st Century Fox

(Reuters) - News Corp said its Chief Financial Officer David DeVoe would retire following the company's separation into two business at the end of June. The company said Deputy Chief Financial Officer John Nallen will become CFO of 21st Century Fox, which will hold News Corp's media and entertainment businesses.

Gannett surges to five-year high on deal to expand TV reach

(Reuters) - Gannett Co Inc shares soared 27 percent to a five-year high after the largest U.S. newspaper chain struck a $1.5 billion deal for television company Belo Corp, dramatically increasing TV's importance to Gannett's results. Gannett's surge nearly equaled the entire purchase price, an unusual move for the buyer in a takeover. Analysts said it would probably mean a richer valuation for the company, and might spur buyout interest in peer companies with local TV assets.

WPP shareholders acquiesce in Sorrell pay row

LONDON (Reuters) - The majority of investors in the world's biggest advertising agency, WPP, on Wednesday backed a 17.6 million pound ($27.6 million) pay package for Chief Executive Martin Sorrell which had drawn fire from critics of lavish boardroom pay. Some 81 percent of shareholders voted for the 2012 executive pay packages, while 19 percent were against. A figure for abstentions was not immediately available.

Disney's ESPN to close 3D cable TV network this year

(Reuters) - Walt Disney Co's TV sports network, ESPN, said it will shut its 3D cable channel in the United States, ending a three-year experiment after sports fans failed to embrace the technology in their homes. ESPN launched the 3D cable channel in 2010 and will close the channel by the end of the year, said ESPN spokeswoman Katina Arnold. It presented 3D broadcasts of college football games and the Masters golf tournament, among other offerings.

Fox, NBC secure ad rate hikes for fall shows: sources

(Reuters) - U.S. broadcast networks Fox and NBC are close to wrapping up their advance sales for commercial time for the upcoming fall season and have narrowly beaten analysts' expectations with rate increases of as much as 7 percent over last year, sources familiar with the negotiations said on Wednesday. News Corp-owned Fox won a 5 percent to 7 percent increase from advertisers despite a drop in overall viewership, one source told Reuters.

Joe Oliver, Canada's minister of natural resources, also announced new fines that will soon come into force for companies and individuals that violate environmental laws. The fines will range from C$25,000 to a maximum of C$100,000.

Oliver was speaking in British Columbia, where the provincial government is insisting on world-class oil-spill and clean-up systems as one of the conditions for approving the construction of Enbridge Inc's contentious C$6 billion Northern Gate way pipeline project.

"British Columbia's government is conducting its own review of pipeline safety, and we are working with them," said Oliver. "These federal measures being announced today are a major contribution to the combined efforts of both levels of government on this issue."

Other measures unveiled on Wednesday included steps to ensure that the emergency and environmental plans of companies are publicly available and enshrining in law the "polluter pays" principal, which is currently only implicit.

The move is the third such measure for the Canadian government this month.

Earlier in June it raised the liability for oil spill clean ups off the country's east and Arctic coasts to C$1 billion from C$30 million and the liability for nuclear-plant operators to C$1 billion from C$75 million.

(Reporting by Nia Williams. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Obama, in his own effort to carve out a piece of that legacy, announced a new U.S.-led initiative to double access to electric power across Africa, vowing to help bring "light where there is currently darkness."

The president's remarks at the University of Cape Town capped an emotional day that included a visit to the Robben Island prison where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero has been hospitalized for weeks, with his deteriorating condition serving as both a distraction and an inspiration to Obama throughout his weeklong trip to Africa.

"Nelson Mandela showed us that one man's courage can move the world," Obama said, flanked by a diverse group of young people during his evening speech.

In deeply personal remarks, the U.S. president spoke of standing in Mandela's cramped prison cell Sunday with his two young daughters, Malia and Sasha.

"Seeing them stand within the walls that once surrounded Nelson Mandela, I knew this was an experience they would never forget," he said. "I knew they now appreciated a little bit more that Madiba and other had made for freedom," Obama added, referring to Mandela by his clan name.

Obama address to a crowd of about 1,100 came nearly 50 years after Robert F. Kennedy delivered his famous "Ripple of Hope" speech at the same university, an address that Obama aides said helped inspire the president's remarks. Kennedy's speech, delivered soon after Mandela was sentenced to prison, called on young people to launch a fight against injustice, creating ripples of hope that would "build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Laying out his own vision for development on the continent where his father was born, Obama said the U.S. seeks "a partnership that empowers Africans to access greater opportunity in their own lives." Harkening back to a prominent theme from his 2009 speech in Ghana Obama's only other trip to Africa as president the president said Africans must take much of the responsibility for finishing the work started by Mandela and his contemporaries.

"Ultimately I believe Africans should make up their own minds about what serves African interests," he said. "We trust your judgment, the judgment of ordinary people. We believe that when you control your destiny, if you got a handle on your governments then governments will promote freedom and opportunity, because that will serve you."

The White House says Obama's electricity initiative, dubbed "Power Africa," symbolizes the type of cross-continent ventures the president seeks. Backed by $7 billion in U.S. investment, the power program will focus on expanding access to electricity in six African countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania.

"It's the connection that's needed to plug Africa into the grid of the global economy," Obama said of the initiative.

Private companies including General Electric and Symbion Power will make an additional $9 billion in commitments aimed at expanding the reach of power grids and developing geothermal, hydro, wind and solar power. However, those contributions fall well short of the $300 billion the International Energy Agency says would be required to achieve universal electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.

Despite his focus on building an Africa that can rely on itself, Obama also said the United States would make no apologies for backing efforts to stand up for human dignity on the continent. As long as parts of Africa are ravaged by war, he said, democracy and economic opportunity can't take hold.

He also touted U.S. investment in health programs particularly an HIV/AIDS program launched by his predecessor, George W. Bush that have helped millions of Africans access life-saving drugs and reduced the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The White House said the U.S. will spend $4.2 billion this year on the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, also known as PEPFAR.

Seeking to highlight the benefits of the initiative, Obama visited a health center Sunday overseen by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The emotional centerpiece of Obama's day was his visit to Robben Island. He was guided on his tour by 83-year-old South African politician Ahmed Kathrada, who was held at the prison for nearly two decades and guided Obama on his 2006 visit to the prison as a U.S. senator.

"On behalf of our family, we're deeply humbled to stand where men of such courage faced down injustice and refused to yield. The world is grateful for the heroes of Robben Island, who remind us that no shackles or cells can match the strength of the human spirit," Obama wrote in the guest book in the prison courtyard, his U.S. Secret Service agents standing watch in the old guard tower above.

Under sunshine and clear, blue skies, Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha took in the expansive view of the quarry, a huge crater with views of the rusty guard tower from where Mandela was watched. Obama commented on the "hard labor" Mandela endured and asked Kathrada to remind his daughters how long Mandela was in prison.

Mrs. Obama asked how often Mandela would work and was told he worked daily. As the family turned to leave, Obama asked Kathrada to tell his daughters how the African National Congress, the South African political party, got started.

Obama opened his Africa trip last week in Senegal. He'll travel Monday to Tanzania for the final stop on his tour.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler and Julie Pace on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nedrapickler and http://www.twitter.com/jpaceDC

Although many of the new features have been shown off already, the conference offers the company a chance to explain some of the reasoning behind the update and sell developers on Microsoft's ambitions to regain relevance lost to Apple's iPad and various devices running Google's Android software.

Windows 8, which was released Oct. 26, was meant to be Microsoft's answer to changing customer behaviors and the rise of tablet computers. The operating system emphasizes touch controls over the mouse and the keyboard, which had been the main way people have interacted with their personal computers since the 1980s. But some people have been put off by the radical makeover. Research firm IDC blamed Windows 8 for accelerating a decline in PC shipments worldwide.

Microsoft's event is taking place at The Moscone Center in San Francisco. The keynote kicked off shortly after 9 a.m. PDT.

Here's a running account of the event, presented in reverse chronological order. All times are PDT.

Presenters include CEO Steve Ballmer; Julie Larson-Green, corporate vice president for Windows; and Antoine Leblond, corporate vice president for Windows Web Services; and Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president for Bing.

___

10:50 a.m.

The keynote ends after nearly two hours, without Microsoft unveiling a smaller version of its Surface tablet computer, as many people had speculated.

Microsoft's stock increased nearly 2 percent in afternoon trading Wednesday, but much of the increase came before the keynote began.

___

10:45 a.m.

Microsoft executives demonstrate Project Spark, a simulator unveiled at the E3 video game conference in Los Angeles this month. It invites gamers to craft virtual worlds with the swipe of a finger, and then play through them on the Xbox One.

Ballmer uses that as an example of what a new world of apps can look like whether it's productivity in the office or hard-core fun with gaming. He says Microsoft is trying to facilitate all that by releasing updates rapidly.

___

10:30 a.m.

Microsoft unveils new capabilities with its Bing search technology, including better maps. The Windows 8.1 maps app will come with 3-D imagery, which developers can embed in their own apps.

Ask a question, and the service knows the context. For instance, when viewing a 3-D image of a building, you can simply ask, "Who is the architect?" Bing will know you are looking for the architect for that building.

Scan a business card with a camera, and optical-character recognition software can read it and have contact information translated from Spanish into English.

Pall says, "Apps are going to have eyes. They're going to have ears. They're going to have a mouth."

___

10:15 a.m.

Microsoft shows off several devices from Lenovo, Acer, Samsung and others. Some cost less than $400. Microsoft praises the ability to bring touch controls to devices at various price points. Microsoft also shows off its own Surface Pro tablet and says all developers at the conference will get one.

___

10:10 a.m.

Windows 8.1 will update apps automatically, and the Bing search engine will recommend new ones for you based on what you've used before.

Windows 8.1 also supports 3-D printing. On stage, Leblond starts printing a vase using a MakerBot device.

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9:50 a.m.

As previously announced, Windows 8.1 offers more ability to run multiple apps at once. With Windows 8, you can have two one taking two-thirds of the screen, and the other the remaining third. The update no longer constrains you to that split, restoring functionality available with past versions of Windows. You're also no longer constrained to just two apps.

___

9:45 a.m.

Larson-Green says Windows 8.1 revamps search so that it's not just a list of links, but all the things you can do. Search for a band, and you get that band's music along with cover art and links to its website. You can hear a snippet through Xbox Music if you don't already own that song.

Windows 8.1 also has picture editing built in and the ability to do a video chat over Skype from the lock screen. You can also see a slideshow of your photos from that screen. She says Microsoft is making all programs much easier to get to.

There's also a hands-free mode, which can be useful while cooking. Instead of touching the device with messy hands, Microsoft says, you simply wave your hand over the camera to flip through a recipe.

___

9:35 a.m.

Larson-Green demonstrates Windows 8.1 on stage. She says having an update just eight months after Windows 8's launch shows how responsive the company's engineering team has become. The update, she says, "refines the vision of Windows 8."

There's a new start screen for smaller devices such as Acer's 8.1-inch tablet. An on-screen keyboard pops up from the bottom, with gesture controls added. Suggestions come up as you type; to choose one, you can slide a figure across the space bar and tap. Another gesture lets you more easily enter numbers by sliding your finger.

The email app has a new sweep command to delete all but the latest newsletter, for instance.

___

9:25 a.m.

One of the shortcomings of Windows tablets is a lack of apps for them. Ballmer says that's changing. He says Facebook, for instance, is now making an app for Windows 8. There are also fantasy football apps coming from the NFL.

The crowd cheered as Ballmer mentions some of the previously announced features coming to Windows 8.1.

That includes the ability to have machines automatically start up in the older, desktop mode rather than a tablet-style, full-page start screen that Microsoft has been pushing with Windows 8. Windows 8.1 will also restore a Start button on the lower left corner of the screen, although it will work differently in bringing people to the full-page start screen rather than the Start menu found in previous versions of Windows. He also talks about new search functions, using Microsoft's Bing search technology.

___

9:15 a.m.

Ballmer announces new phones from Nokia running a phone version of Windows software.

He also talks about a smaller Windows tablet than the ones previously available with Windows 8. The new Acer Iconia has a screen that measures 8.1 inches diagonally. He says Microsoft and its partners had to do a lot of work to "bring the small tablet form factor to life." Ballmer says customers should expect many smaller Windows tablets to come. That will allow Windows to compete with popular small tablets such as Apple's iPad Mini and Google's Nexus 7.

___

9:05 a.m.

Ballmer appears on stage to welcome 6,000 people at the conference and an estimated 60,000 watching live on a webcast. The audience includes hardware vendors and software developers.

Ballmer warns that Microsoft won't be talking much about the Xbox, Skype and Office 365, as there have been recent announcements on those. Rather, he's there to talk about Windows and related services. He says the announcements he has planned underscore Microsoft's transformation to "an absolutely rapid-release cycle."

A preview version of the upcoming Windows 8.1 was made available at the start of the conference at http://preview.windows.com