Windows

Verizon Wireless, joining the Windows Phone 8 parade, will sell two new devices running the Microsoft operating system just in time for Thanksgiving. The New Jersey-based carrier said this week it will sell the HTC Windows Phone 8X and the Nokia Lumia 822. The HTC Windows Phone 8X features a 4.3-inch HD screen and runs on a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. The 8X has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2.1-megapixel front camera that can shoot 1080p HD video. It also includes Near-Field Communication (or NFC)

Microsoft Corp. has rolled out Windows 8, the most radical overhaul of its computer operating system in nearly two decades. With Windows 8, the Redmond, Wash., company is hoping to remain relevant in today's tech-savvy consumer market. The latest update includes a new interface called the Start Screen that is unlike anything seen before on a Windows operating system. The Start Screen was designed for tablets and touchscreen computers and features moving tiles similar to those on Windows Phone devices.

Microsoft today officially launched Windows 8 and the new Windows Store. The company said Windows 8, its latest operating system, will be available for purchase online and in stores today starting at $39.99. The operating system retains Windows' traditional desktop but also adds another view that is heavily geared toward touchscreen devices. Windows President Steven Sinofsky said that more than 1,000 computers have been certified for Windows 8 and that there will be some Windows 8 PCs that'll sell for less than $300.

Unable to get the rest of Hollywood behind its plan to make Redbox wait nearly two months after movies go on sale to rent them, Warner Bros. has compromised with the DVD kiosk giant. Beginning next year, Warner will let Redbox offer its DVDs and Blu-ray discs 28 days after they go on sale, the same "window" followed by most other major studios. In exchange, Redbox has agreed to help promote the Ultraviolet digital download initiative and to buy a large number of Warner Bros. movies for its soon-to-launch video-on-demand initiative.

Best Buy's website may have inadvertently disclosed the pricing for two upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices. Neither Nokia nor HTC have announced prices for their flagship Windows Phone 8 devices since unveiling them in September, but on Sunday, a page on bestbuy.com showed the price for both phones. According to the Windows Phone 8 page, Best Buy is selling pre-orders for the HTC Windows 8X for $99.99 on a new two-year contract. The Windows 8X is a 4.3-inch screen smartphone with 8 GB of storage.

HONOLULU - Palace intrigue? Check. Royal rapscallions? Some. Kings and queens and gorgeous things? You'll find those too. You thought we were speaking of Britain, perhaps? Well, no, although Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in June. Instead, we're turning to Hawaiian royalty, who ruled a kingdom now so popular that 7.3 million people visited last year. Royal watchers will find almost as many twists and turns in the story of the Hawaiian monarchs as they do among England's overlords.

"Glee" producer and writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has purchased a pied-a-terre in Hancock Park for $560,000. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo has 773 square feet of living space and features hardwood floors as well as tall windows to take in city, golf course and mountain views. Building amenities include valet parking, security and a gym. Aguirre-Sacasa has worked on "Glee" since 2011 and wrote for "Big Love" from 2011-12. The comic book writer and playwright has written the screenplay for the remake of "Carrie," due out next year.

Arthur Kassel loves his badges. For decades, the Beverly Hills socialite used his entertainment connections and political contributions to edge into law enforcement circles, gathering a collection of official credentials. He hobnobbed with Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, used a state car to drive solo in carpool lanes and carried a Glock pistol on his hip. In the world of cop groupies, the burly Brooklyn-born Kassel, 72, is the gold standard. "Arthur lived in a Walter Mitty fantasy," said his stepson, Willie Wilkerson III, referring to the hapless fictional character who fancied himself a pilot, a surgeon and a footloose killer.

A bullet from an unknown shooter shattered a window at an Obama campaign office in Denver on Friday, leaving the window frame and the surrounding ground covered in glass shards but injuring no one. The incident remains under investigation, with Denver police examining footage from surveillance cameras near the downtown office in order to identify possible suspects, the Associated Press reported. Police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez confirmed to the AP that workers were inside the office when the afternoon shooting occurred.

If you haven't heard about Windows 8 yet, you will soon. A lot. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft and its partners will begin heavily marketing the upcoming operating system and related tablets, computers and other products this weekend. The Redmond, Wash., company and its partners are counting on the new operating system to revitalize their sales, and they've cumulatively paid in the hundreds of millions to advertise their new products, according to the Journal.