Carlo Orlando

One of Microsoft's latest online advertisement has been called racist in nature, though some argue it's just plain bad photo editing. Whatever the issue, two different versions of the same still-pictured ad were seen on a number of Microsoft web ... sites, including those of foreign affiliates. Black Male Model Swapped for White The advertisement in question depicts a panel of three individuals seated in a boardroom setting at a table. The first seated is a an Asian male; the second, a black male seated behind an open laptop computer; the third, a white female. The problem? The second version of ... (view more)

Four parties responsible for the widespread bootleg version of Microsoft's Windows XP in China have been found guilty and sentenced to spend as much as three and a half years in a Chinese prison. China has long been linked with international cyber ... crime and foreign malware. However, according to Xinhua -- the official news agency of the People's Republic of China -- the hundreds of thousands of other cases of online deviance pales in comparison to the bootlegged "Tomato Garden" version of Windows XP. Biggest Piracy Case in Chinese History Created in 2004, the Tomato Garden has had a ... (view more)

After making strides to revamp their search functions in order to better compete with Google and Bing, Yahoo has gone on public record to describe their current deal with Microsoft as "purely business." It's an effort by the company to show the ... public that it is not (yet) merely a 'subject' of the Redmond-based software giant's spreading kingdom. Yahoo plans to "put a new face" on Yahoo Messenger and Mail, while adding even more functions to its search engine. This doesn't mean that Yahoo will not rely on Microsoft to power their search queries. Yahoo only wishes to clarify that, as one ... (view more)

Hackers have launched a new wave of malware attacks against critics of Barack Obama, duping users into a supposed cyber "protest" against the policies of the US President. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. The message has been cited ... as a mere ploy to get users to install malware on their machines. (Source: sfgate.com ) So why are so many falling for it? Read on. A Hot Political Issue Few people can argue that Obama's rise to the Presidency was a historic feat. However, it is often forgotten that while the majority of democratic voters chose Obama, hundreds of ... (view more)

In the aftermath of i4i's patent infringement victory over Microsoft in a Texas courtroom, two more small companies are making their way to the Lone Star State in hopes that David will slay Goliath once more. About a week ago, Toronto-based i4i made ... headlines around the world after a shock courtroom victory that saw Microsoft ordered to pay them $240 million in patent infringement damages. Microsoft was also asked to stop selling their popular Word software within 60 days of the ruling. Companies Seek Unspecified Damages Now, Allvoice Developments (a U.S. provider of speech recognition ... (view more)

Those who made the upgrade to Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) will be pleased to learn that the browser has proven to be the most effective at blocking malware, following a recent study by NSS Labs . However, some experts question the validity ... of the results. Five Browsers Tested NSS tested a total of five Windows-based browsers including: IE8, Firefox 3.0.11, Safari 4.0.2, Chrome 2.0.0.172.33 and Opera 10 beta. The browsers were to defend their users against more than 2,100 malware sites in 69 tests run over a 12-day period. The malware peddled on the infected sites is "socially ... (view more)

A Bing webmaster representative has come forward admitting that Microsoft is guilty of utilizing a MSNbot to click onto adCenter ads. A MSNbot is basically a web-crawling robot issued by Microsoft to supplement the Bing search engine. This is how ... documents and web pages are collected to sustain a searchable index. Google and Yahoo both have their own versions of web-crawling bots, named Googlebot and Slurp respectively. One of the areas of concern for Microsoft's Bing has always been advertising. Because the "decision engine" is still a relatively new search medium, Microsoft is under ... (view more)

After experimenting with the "Cashback" concept for its new search engine Bing, not only does Microsoft intend on continuing with the program, the company will now offer double the cashback rewards. When Microsoft first released Bing, discount ... shoppers rejoiced at the thought of reclaiming a portion of their online retailing expenses thanks to the "Cashback" promotion launched in conjunction with the new "decision engine". The Cashback idea offers loyal users financial incentives for making purchases with advertising retailers found through Bing. Yes, Microsoft will actually refund ... (view more)

Microsoft has some bad news for those who signed up for the Office Live Small Business service before February 2008. These people will now have to pay an additional fee to renew all web domains acquired through the service. This is not the first ... time that Microsoft has requested payment for domain renewals. In February 2008 the company started charging new customers $14.95 USD for each new web domain. Up until now, those who signed up for the Office Live Small Business service before February 2008 were exempt from paying any additional fee. In the Interest of Fairness... Now, all Office Live ... (view more)

Java SE6 is set to receive what is being called "significant security patches." The need for repair came after the US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) warned that a number of vulnerabilities were in existence, allowing ... potential hackers to bypass authentication methods and execute arbitrary codes. One flaw exposes Java's audio system; if left unpatched, online deviants could be given access to a computer system without authorization. Another exploit provides root access to a vulnerable machine. Java Exploit Linked to ActiveX The most prominent flaw to be patched is ... (view more)