That is ‘Released To Manufacturing’ if you didn’t already know. A master of the complete Windows 8 is made and from that originates the DVD’s and  ISO’s.

MSDN and TechNet will release the ISO’s on August 15th, and the OEM manufacturers will be busy customising their versions to include drivers and the usual mass of support material that you see these days for inclusion in new systems to go on sale from October 26th. It is going to be a busy time for many people.

From June 21st, assuming that you bought a NEW computer from one of the major PC retailers, you should also have received a voucher for Windows 8. You don’t get Windows 8 for free, but $39 is not bad for a full Windows upgrade.

Hotmail is on it’s way west and waiting in the wings is Outlook.com. Well not in the wings. It is here already, complete with Metro plumage. You can still use your old  Hotmail and Live ID’s, at least for now, but the old Hotmail look will disappear in time. Presently, you can switch between the two looks.

This next part I copied from an article in  ComputerWorld.

“How do I get one of the new Outlook.com addresses? For a brand new account, go to Outlook.com. (You may need to log out if you've already used the new site, then return to Outlook.com.) Start the process by clicking the "Sign up" button on the left. Fill in the form, which includes a field for your new xxxxx@outlook.com address, complete the CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart") and click the "I accept" button at the bottom.”

I have my new Outlook.com ID, and if you don’t want to get left behind, go through the process above. It has already been heavily subscribed and the more common names will have been taken.

Mine was..