Microsoft delivers Windows on Android, iOS devices

Though Microsoft has not been keen on its Office suite running on rivals' mobile devices, it has nevertheless, delivered on its promise to make Windows accessible on Android and iOS devices.

The company had last week promised to release native RDP clients for Android and iOS which it had delivered, the report said.

Microsoft appears to be targeting end-users with the apps, as the blurbs on both app stores suggested ''you can connect to a remote PC and your work resources from almost anywhere ... to help you get your work done wherever you are.''

According to Microsoft, using Modern Apps was one of those things, as it was making much of the new apps' ability to convey Windows 8.x's gestures to a remote PC.

According to The Register Microsoft was late in taking Windows to the "smartmobe" or "fondleslab" party, and some early reviews of these new apps had compared them unfavourably to existing products.

Meanwhile, Windows 8.1 officially launched yesterday, with the latest update restoring the Start button, after users from all over the world booed its absence.

Among other download-worthy upgrades are improved search capability as also enhanced multitasking functionality that allowed viewing of up to four apps simultaneously on larger monitors.

On pressing and holding a link or application window, a "zone" appeared and users could drag and snap the window to view in that zone, a space that was fully adjustable.

The new OS also allows Bing Smart Search, which scoured local files in the SkyDrive cloud service and the web to find the information one was looking for, which was presented it in a beautiful package.

News stories as also essential information from Wikipedia also populated the search results.

Two new Bing apps too were eye catching namely, The Food & Drink app featuring a "hands-free" mode that allowed chefs to swipe in the air to see the next step in the recipe without soiling the screen.

The Health & Fitness app featured step-by-step photo instructions and videos for exercises and one could also search for workout by body part, equipment, and difficulty, then log one's health stats (weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, and more) in the Health Tracker.