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Microsoft News: Windows and Beyond

Microsoft News: Windows and Beyond

News and reviews about Microsoft latest products and developments, including information about Windows, Office, Xbox 360, Windows Phone 7 and Windows Live online services.


Microsoft rumored to be developing its own smartphone to run WP8

Microsoft rumored to be developing its own smartphone to run WP8
  • Posted October 2, 2012, 4:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft, Mobile Computing
  • Rumors are surfacing (no pun intended) once again that Microsoft is developing their own smartphone to run Windows Phone 8. A report published yesterday from China Times reignited rumors although no evidence or sources were mentioned. Today, however, WPCentral and…

Microsoft willing to pay for the right to hire more foreign workers

Microsoft willing to pay for the right to hire more foreign workers
  • Posted October 1, 2012, 9:00 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft
  • Microsoft has come up with a solution that they think could help divert a potential employment crisis: pay the government for the right to hire more highly skilled foreigners. Redmond is petitioning Congress to grant 20,000 new H-1B visas and…

Minecraft creator 'Notch' is the latest to speak out against Windows 8

Minecraft creator
  • Posted September 28, 2012, 5:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming, Microsoft
  • Minecraft fans might want to think twice about upgrading to Windows 8 next month. According to tweets from creator and developer Markus “Notch” Persson, Microsoft asked him to help certify the game for Windows 8. Persson declined in a roundabout…

Bill Gates gives Windows 8 his stamp of approval

Bill Gates gives Windows 8 his stamp of approval
  • Posted September 28, 2012, 9:00 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft, Software
  • Microsoft’s most famous face has given Windows 8 his stamp of approval. During a recent interview with the Associated Press to discuss the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s participation in a global mission to end polio, Bill Gates made a…

Intel CEO believes Microsoft is releasing Windows 8 before it's ready

Intel CEO believes Microsoft is releasing Windows 8 before it
  • Posted September 25, 2012, 6:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft, Software
  • Microsoft will be releasing Windows 8 in one month but if you’re Intel CEO Paul Otellini, that’s too early. The chief told employees during a recent company event in Taiwan that Microsoft is releasing Windows 8 before it’s fully ready…

Microsoft wins injunction against Motorola in Germany

Microsoft wins injunction against Motorola in Germany
  • Posted September 20, 2012, 4:00 PM by Lee Kaelin | Filed in Microsoft, Industry News
  • Microsoft has won an injunction against certain Motorola Android devices after a regional court in Munich ruled that the phone maker is infringing on a software keyboard patent. Microsoft won two separate cases: one against Motorola Mobility Inc. and another against its German...

Microsoft licenses exFAT file system patents to RIM

Microsoft licenses exFAT file system patents to RIM
  • Posted September 19, 2012, 7:30 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Software, Microsoft
  • Research in Motion has entered into an agreement with Microsoft that will allow them to use the software maker’s Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) file system on select BlackBerry devices. RIM joins a number of other electronics manufacturers that have…

Microsoft hires former CBS executive to create original Xbox content

Microsoft hires former CBS executive to create original Xbox content
  • Posted September 18, 2012, 6:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft
  • Micosoft is moving forward with plans to produce original content for the Xbox 360 by hiring former CBS Network Television Entertainment Group president Nancy Tellem. Redmond’s latest hire will be responsible for overseeing the launch of a new production studio…

Asus price leak reveals Windows 8 tablets from $599 to $1299

Asus price leak reveals Windows 8 tablets from $599 to $1299
  • Posted September 18, 2012, 3:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Mobile Computing, Microsoft
  • Today, a supposedly leaked roadmap slide has given us a glimpse of Asus' upcoming Windows 8 tablet line-up but more importantly: their prices. The three models -- Asus Vivo Tab RT, Vivo Tab and Taichi -- will weigh in at…

Microsoft Office 2013 pricing and packages announced

Microsoft Office 2013 pricing and packages announced
  • Posted September 18, 2012, 11:30 AM by Jose Vilches | Filed in Microsoft, Software
  • Microsoft has announced pricing details for its upcoming Office 2013 packages as well as the subscription rates for the cloud-based Office 365. Interestingly, the company seems to be steering customers towards the latter, saying the online solution will be updated…

Internet Explorer hit by zero-day exploit, temporary fix issued

Internet Explorer hit by zero-day exploit, temporary fix issued
  • Posted September 18, 2012, 10:30 AM by Lee Kaelin | Filed in Microsoft, Security
  • Microsoft is urging users of Internet Explorer to download a free security tool, enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET), as an interim measure against a previously unknown zero-day exploit in its web browser software that is under active malware attack by hackers. …

Ballmer: Surface "sweet spot" $300-$800, Windows 8 biggest thing since 95

Ballmer: Surface "sweet spot" $300-$800, Windows 8 biggest thing since 95
  • Posted September 17, 2012, 4:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Microsoft, Mobile Computing
  • In an interview with The Seattle Times, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sat down with technology reporter Janet Tu to discuss the company's future. Surface, Windows 8 and Microsoft's rivalry with Google and Facebook are just a few items which were touched…

Microsoft giving employees free Surface, Windows Phone 8, new PC

Microsoft giving employees free Surface, Windows Phone 8, new PC
  • Posted September 14, 2012, 12:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft
  • Christmas will be coming early this year for more than 94,000 Microsoft employees. The company is reportedly giving full-time staffers a technology package that includes a free Surface tablet, new work computers and Windows Phone 8 devices to use at…

Final version of Office for Windows RT to land in November

Final version of Office for Windows RT to land in November
  • Posted September 14, 2012, 11:30 AM by Jose Vilches | Filed in Microsoft, Software
  • Microsoft has offered up some fresh details about the upcoming release of Office for Windows RT. In a post at the Office Next blog yesterday, the company re-confirmed that the tablet-focused productivity software optimized for ARM processors will come pre-installed…

Microsoft disrupts botnet malware that was preinstalled on new PCs

Microsoft disrupts botnet malware that was preinstalled on new PCs
  • Posted September 13, 2012, 2:00 PM by Matthew DeCarlo | Filed in Microsoft, Security
  • Microsoft has disrupted an emerging botnet along with more than 500 strains of malware after taking control of a malicious.org domain this week. Last August, Microsoft learned that many systems sold in China were preloaded with malware, including strains linked to Nitol...

Microsoft launching Office 2013 upgrade program next month

  • Posted September 13, 2012, 9:00 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft, Software
  • Microsoft is preparing to launch their Office 2013 upgrade guarantee program next month. Much like what the company offers with Windows, customers that purchase a copy of Office 2010 between the specified guarantee dates will be able to upgrade to…

Microsoft to open 32 new "pop-up" stores before the holidays

Microsoft to open 32 new "pop-up" stores before the holidays
  • Posted September 11, 2012, 9:00 AM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Microsoft, Industry News
  • Today Microsoft announced its plan to open 32 holiday pop-up stores for consumers who prefer a more tangible shopping experience. These stores are called "pop-up" stores because they are temporary, strategic installments intended to give shoppers more options for purchasing…

Embedded Flash puts Windows 8 users at risk until Oct 26

Embedded Flash puts Windows 8 users at risk until Oct 26
  • Posted September 6, 2012, 6:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Microsoft, Security
  • Are you running the Windows 8 RTM yet? If you are, you may want to be careful out there, suggests Ed Bott from ZDNet. Internet Explorer 10's embedded Flash component suffers from a number of critical vulnerabilities which allow hackers…

Microsoft's "Bing It On" search-off pits Bing against Google

Microsoft
  • Posted September 6, 2012, 1:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Microsoft, The Web
  • Firmly believing in the power of Bing, Microsoft is daring skeptics to compare its own search results against those of its arch nemesis, Google. The company's "Bing it On" initiative provides a blind, side-by-side challenge between the rivals, selecting the…

Thinix RetroUI eliminates the Windows 8 user interface

Thinix RetroUI eliminates the Windows 8 user interface
  • Posted September 6, 2012, 12:02 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft, Software
  • Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system has been the talk of the tech town for the past several months as the October 26 launch date quickly approaches. Much of that talk, however, hasn’t been in a positive tone as many…

Kinect for Windows coming to seven new markets this fall

Kinect for Windows coming to seven new markets this fall
  • Posted September 5, 2012, 9:30 AM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Hardware, Microsoft
  • Microsoft will be releasing an update to the Kinect for Windows runtime and software development kit just a few weeks before Windows 8 drops. The October 8 update will provide further access to sensor data in order to inspire developers…

Windows 8 Pro OEM will allow for downgrades to Win 7 and Vista

Windows 8 Pro OEM will allow for downgrades to Win 7 and Vista
  • Posted September 3, 2012, 6:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Software, Microsoft
  • It has been revealed that Microsoft’s Windows 8 Pro edition will allow customers to downgrade to an older version of Windows if you aren’t entirely happy with the latest iteration. Users can elect to install Windows 7 or Windows Vista…

Net Applications: Windows 7 overtakes XP, OS X passes Vista

Net Applications: Windows 7 overtakes XP, OS X passes Vista
  • Posted September 3, 2012, 2:00 PM by Jose Vilches | Filed in Industry News, Microsoft With Video
  • More than three years after its debut Windows 7 has finally overtaken Windows XP as the world’s most widely used operating system, according to market research firm Net Applications. Market share for the decade-old XP steadily declined from 61.91% in…

Microsoft announces first set of Xbox games for Windows 8 app

Microsoft announces first set of Xbox games for Windows 8 app
  • Posted August 31, 2012, 1:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming, Microsoft
  • Microsoft has revealed the first set of games that will debut alongside the Xbox app for Windows 8 later this year. Gameloft, Glu Mobile, Halfbrick Studios, Microsoft Studios, Miniclip, Rovio and ZeptoLab will all have games launching for the app…

AOL offering $5.15 dividend to shareholders, buys back $600M in stock

AOL offering $5.15 dividend to shareholders, buys back $600M in stock
  • Posted August 27, 2012, 4:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Microsoft, Industry News
  • AOL announced in April that they had come to an agreement with Microsoft to sell more than 800 patents in a deal valued at nearly $1.1 billion. The deal is now complete and we are hearing that it actually consists…

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