Microsoft Brings Full-Screen Ads in Windows 8.1

Microsoft has completely revamped the search feature of Windows 8.1 to allow users to search for both local files and web links straight from the Modern UI, so the company is now ready to take the whole concept one step further.

The Bing Smart Search will soon be updated with what Microsoft is calling Hero Ads, a new platform that displays advertisements to users searching the Internet with Windows 8.1.

The Softies have showcased the new service at an event in the Microsoft campus, with the Bing Ads team using a Range Rover advert to demonstrate the concept.

Basically, Windows 8.1 users won’t be provided with a classic ad experience, but with a new system that represents a bold step in the development of Microsoft’s Modern product line.

Users will instead get a full-screen interactive advertisement that also comes with a number of tools and gives them several options to look for more information and access details for the advertised product.
Microsoft Brings Full-Screen Ads in Windows 8.1
 
Good thing I'm not using neither Bing Search nor the Modern UI. Why would anyone want full-screen ads is beyond me. Normally, I do not want ads at all, that's why I'm running AdBlock Plus on Firefox!
 

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I said that they were going to do this on the Metro screen.
 

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I dunno know about you guys, but I'm growing tired of marketing and being someone else's product for sale. Yeah, stuff can be turned off, but should you really have to?
 

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Hi there.

It's even getting bad these days that even on what used to be well trusted sites like Sourceforge and others that now you will see "Your download will start in xxx secs" while some ads are displayed.

There are now also a lot of sites (e.g CNET) where the download you want is so hidden amongst other software you DON'T want you almost have to have a Phd in Computer Science to find the software you do want -- loads of people I'm sure download the WRONG software / toolbars quite by mistake.

An even more hideous trend is where you have to watch a video and then CLICK next before you can download what you are after.

Don't forget those sites that also advertise FREE DOWNLOAD - the download myaybe free but often the SOFTWARE is a PAID for product.

I just ignore the whole kybosh anyway -- online advertising is THE PITS. It irritates consumers beyond measure - and does it really deliver the goods !!. If I WANT a product then I look for it (I'm not beholden to somebody else telling me to BUY this every so often).

Cheers
jimbo
 

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    2 X 3 TB sata
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    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
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    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
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    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
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    inbuilt
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    4GB
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    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
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    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
From the start (no pun intended), I thought that Windows 8 is a product conceived from top to bottom with the needs of Microsoft in mind, not those of their users. Nothing they do can surprise me anymore.
 

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    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
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    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
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    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
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    Internet Explorer 11
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    Windows Defender
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    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Simply brilliant. Way-to-go, microsoft... :sarc:
 

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    8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 (9-9-9-28)
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And the next step... "Hold on... Windows OS is coming back after the break... stay tuned" :roflmao:
 

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    FF
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And the next step... "Hold on... Windows OS is coming back after the break... stay tuned" :roflmao:

Oh geez man... don't give them ideas...
 

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    AMD Radeon HD 6570
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    Creative X-Fi Titanium
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    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
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    1x1TB Western Digital WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B1 ATA Device Caviar Black -

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    Antec
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    Noctua NH-D14
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    Logitech Illuminated Keyboard K740
    Internet Speed
    60meg cable
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    Cyberfox
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    AVG Security Suite
Another step into making the Core OS free to download, but anything else (Apps) either Paid or Ad-supported.
 

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OS X and Google Chrome OS do the same thing, hence no matter which OS you use you loose. . .:roflmao:. The wave of computing for and in the future.
 

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    Intel Core i5 3330 Ivy Bridge
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    16 GB 1066MHz DDR3
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    Microsoft Keyboard 2000
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    Microsoft Optical Mouse 5000
    Internet Speed
    1.3 (350 to 1024 if lucky)
    Browser
    Firefox 19.1
    Antivirus
    MSE-Defender
And the next step... "Hold on... Windows OS is coming back after the break... stay tuned" :roflmao:

Oh geez man... don't give them ideas...

Don't have to, they already thought of it. . .but, wait someone out there is already thinking up a way to defeat it using third party software. . .:thumbsup:
 

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    Intel Core i5 3330 Ivy Bridge
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    Foxconn - 2ADA Ivy Brige
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    16 GB 1066MHz DDR3
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    ATI Radeon HD 5450
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    Firefox 19.1
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No worries, you can turn searching with Bing off to not see the ads.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/27645-search-online-bing-turn-off-windows-8-1-a.html

Yes, you can disable showing the the Bing search results within the search charm; however, it does not stop the search charm to send the search terms and results to an MS server. Just install Wireshark and check the capture when the search charm is used, with Bing search is disabled. There will be a TLS v1.2 connection to the MS server that cannot be stopped by changing OS setting. The only way to prevent this connection is to block it at the hardware firewall. Only then the search charm give this message, even if everything else connects to the Internet just fine:

search-everywhere.jpg

And that's quite alright, there's plenty of advertisement/tracking in the browsers. Why would one need the OS doing the same?

Update...

Actually, it is only the search charm that makes the TLS connection; other searches, such as Windows explorer, search my computer, etc., are not integrated with the Bing search...
 

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  • OS
    Win 8.1
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    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude
    CPU
    Intel i5-3350P (3.1 GHz)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte
    Memory
    16 GBs
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD7850
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    Built-in to MB
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    2 x 24" Dell
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    3,840 x1,200
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    128 GBs, OCZ Vertex, SATA III SSD
    256 GBs Intel SATA III SSD
    3 x Seagate 1 TBs HDD
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    Antec 750W
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    Antec P185
    Internet Speed
    50 Gb/s
    Browser
    IE11, Firefox22.0
    Antivirus
    Vipre
    Other Info
    Works, most of the times unless Microsoft patches decide otherwise...
OS X and Google Chrome OS do the same thing, hence no matter which OS you use you loose. . .:roflmao:. The wave of computing for and in the future.
I didn't notice OS X is doing the same. Google Chrome OS doing it is a given, since it is a Google product...:doh:

It's a bad idea to integrate Bing searches into the OS. How long will it take the hackers to come out with a malware, that will change the links, not the page in itself, in the search charm presented websites "on the fly"? Most end users won't even know what hit them...
 

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System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude
    CPU
    Intel i5-3350P (3.1 GHz)
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte
    Memory
    16 GBs
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD7850
    Sound Card
    Built-in to MB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x 24" Dell
    Screen Resolution
    3,840 x1,200
    Hard Drives
    128 GBs, OCZ Vertex, SATA III SSD
    256 GBs Intel SATA III SSD
    3 x Seagate 1 TBs HDD
    PSU
    Antec 750W
    Case
    Antec P185
    Internet Speed
    50 Gb/s
    Browser
    IE11, Firefox22.0
    Antivirus
    Vipre
    Other Info
    Works, most of the times unless Microsoft patches decide otherwise...
The pickings from collecting user data and ads are the real prize. Taking a cut from the app store revenue is only a small portion of the riches to be extracted from the consumer. ;)

That was always part of the plan.
 

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  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
The pickings from collecting user data and ads are the real prize. Taking a cut from the app store revenue is only a small portion of the riches to be extracted from the consumer. ;)

That was always part of the plan.

Hi there

Simple to defeat.

Just install any flavour of Linux you like, and then for running Legacy Non ad supported software (e.g Office 2010) simply boot up say a Windows 7 Virtual machine

Linux distros are Infinitely customisable --even if YOU can't do it there are 100,000's of people out there who have done this type of stuff and will continue to do - so you can find almost anything that you want - and AD FREE - as well as the OS itself being free too.

Virtual machine software has improved dramatically over the last few years -- playing DVD's, having decent graphics and ability for a lot of gaming is now commonplace even when using a VM.

Best of BOTH worlds. !!

(A lot of people though are already used to this type of junk anyway - such as they get with most WEBMAIL type of e-mail services. I'm not sure though if the ads actually do anything - most people simply ignore them).

Cheers
jimbo
 

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    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
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    PC/Desktop
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    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
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