Microsoft

More details emerge regarding Microsoft's much talked-about Zune HD, a next-gen portable media device that the Redmond-based company hopes will help it overcome the iPod's worldwide dominance. Zune: A brief History The original Microsoft Zune ... reached retail shelves during holiday season 2006. Its main weapon in the war against Apple was WiFi capability, which Microsoft promised would allow two friends with two Zunes to transfer songs and other files back and forth. In order to skirt digital rights management (DRM) outcries, the media would disappear in a few days, just enough time for the ... (view more)

Those who anxiously downloaded the Windows 7 beta will be able to enjoy their sneak-peek at the operating system for a month longer than expected. Despite an email to testers threatening to cut off the beta on June 1st, Microsoft last night ... announced it will remain untouched until July 1st. From Beta to Release Candidate In a post on the Windows 7 blog Tuesday, Microsoft spokesperson Brandon LeBlanc explained that the email sent to beta testers threatening service shutdowns after June 1st was a mistake. Although no explanation for the slip-up was provided, LeBlanc assured everyone that the ... (view more)

Microsoft's revamped search engine , long rumored to be named 'Kumo,' is now being called 'Bing'. The belief is that the search engine has a hip, easy-to-remember name, and will fare much better among casual users. Multi-Million Dollar Advertising ... Blitz In total, Microsoft is expected to use online, television, print and radio mediums that will see the company dole out anywhere from $80 to $100 million in advertising expenses. To put this figure into perspective, Google's entire advertising budget for 2008 reached about $25 million. Analysts do not expect Microsoft's ads to call out rival ... (view more)

Microsoft will have a chance to prove that it can do everything Google can do (and supposedly better) when the company launches the revamped MS Live search engine in the next few days. Well, that's the rumor, at least. The new program will divide ... the results into different categories, making it easier for users to conduct Internet searches. The software boasts a left-side panel that lists the categories, past searches, and related queries. (Source: app.com ) Public Reaction Confidential Apparently, Microsoft has started to test public reaction to the software in ultra-selective fashion. The ... (view more)

Just when it seemed most everyone in the tech industry was gearing up for the release of Windows 7 this Christmas, the U.S. Army has announced it will soon upgrade its PC systems to the much-maligned Windows Vista operating system. It's surprising ... but welcome news for Microsoft, which has been criticized for Vista's faults since the OS release in 2007. The decision to upgrade United States Army PC desktops from Windows XP to Windows Vista was announced yesterday, and early reports suggest the military plans to complete the change by next year. The announcement is good news for Microsoft, ... (view more)

Microsoft has withdrawn its demand for a hearing after it was found guilty of anti-competitive behavior in Europe. The firm says it could not hope for a fair hearing because many officials will be unable to attend. The European Commission, the EU's ... administrative wing, issued a 'ruling in principle' in January that Microsoft had breached competition laws by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows while not allowing other browsers to be included with the system on new machines. Nobody's Listening The hearing on this issue had been scheduled for June 3rd through June 5th, but Microsoft says it ... (view more)

When news of Windows 7's XP Mode was revealed, there was much rejoicing among those who were concerned about legacy support. However, it appears that XP mode won't do everything many hoped it would, and will be unavailable to many Intel users. ... (Source: theinquirer.net ) Windows 7's XP Mode (also known as "XPM") is a virtualization feature that will allow some users of Windows 7 Premium to run Windows XP apps in a virtual machine. However, it appears that Microsoft may be rushing a technology that is receiving spotty support from chipmakers Intel and AMD. (Source: cio.com ) There is ... (view more)

Microsoft has been slapped by a heavy hand for including a Canadian company's technology in Microsoft Word. A Texas federal court recently decided that the Redmond-based firm infringed on Toronto-based i4i's XML-based patent. Canada's i4i raised its ... concerns in 2007, suing Microsoft for altering the XML (eXtensive Markup Language) in Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007. According to i4i, the customization of this process violated its patent. Microsoft denied the charges, insisting that its own patent is valid and has nothing to do with i4i technology. (Source: crn.com ) Microsoft Appeals Ruling ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced it will stream movies from Netflix through its Windows Media Center software. It's a major breakthrough in the firm's attempt to make sure that PCs can compete with game consoles and dedicated devices in the streaming market. ... Netflix already provides Xbox 360 DVD rentals , allowing customers to watch directly on their TV sets. Until now, PC users had only been able to watch streaming movies from Netfix on their computer screens. Streaming it to a TV set could only be done through "unofficial" methods and copy protection meant the resulting image would be of a ... (view more)

In a recent study Microsoft surpassed Apple in value perception scores, meaning those participating felt they got more value when purchasing a Windows PC. The study, launched by advertising trackers BrandIndex, included some 5,000 people and lasted ... several months. Research began right around the same time Microsoft revved up its popular and controversial ad campaign dubbed "Laptop Hunters," which follows real consumers challenged by the Redmond firm to find the cheapest laptop with a specific set of features. Most of the time they settle on PCs for about $500 to $1,000, making premium Apple ... (view more)