Microsoft

Microsoft has rolled out Service Pack 1 (SP1) for its Windows 7 operating system (OS) as an automatic update. The firm is also encouraging those with automatic updates turned off to manually download SP1 as soon as possible. A 'Service Pack' is a ... collection of important security and functionality updates for a particular operating system. Microsoft first rolled out Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 just over two years ago, in February 2011. SP1 Automatically Downloaded and Installed However, since that time Microsoft has only made SP1 available via manual installation, meaning Windows 7 users were ... (view more)

Reports indicate that Microsoft has sold just 1.5 million Surface tablet computers since the device launched late last year. Surprisingly, it appears consumers prefer the newer and more expensive Surface Pro to the cheaper Surface RT. The Bloomberg ... financial news agency says three separate sources have provided it with Surface sales figures. Though not confirmed by Bloomberg, it appears these sources may be Microsoft staff. The sources claim the company has sold just 1.5 million Surface tablets so far, including 1.1 million Surface RTs and 400,000 Surface Pros. (Source: bloomberg.com ) It's ... (view more)

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has had his credit information exposed by hackers. It's only the latest in a string of similar attacks launched against celebrities in recent weeks. According to reports, Gates' personal financial information was ... acquired by hackers and then shared online. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently trying to figure out how the data was accessed and who was responsible for the attack. Somewhat ironically, the attack occurred on the same day that Bill Gates discussed pressing cyber security threats with the Washington Post newspaper. Security Answers Found ... (view more)

Research firm IDC -- which recently made headlines by predicting that Android tablets will brush aside Apple iPads in 2013 -- has indicated that Microsoft's two-pronged approach to Windows 8 has failed. The company says it's time for Microsoft to ... dump Windows RT. In a recent interview, IDC research director Tom Mainelli (whose specialization is the tablet market) said that Microsoft has only confused consumers by releasing two versions of Windows 8 for tablet computers. Different Tablets, Different Windows Windows RT was released on Microsoft's standard Surface tablet computer. The new ... (view more)

Microsoft's Hotmail email service was unavailable earlier this week. The company says an overheated server was responsible for the service being out-of-action for many users. The problems affected Hotmail and its successor, Outlook. Microsoft says ... the problem could be linked to a firmware issue. Firmware is software built into a specific device; in this case, a part of the equipment at a Microsoft data center. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) Software Bug Causes Overheating According to Microsoft, an attempt to update the firmware went awry and resulted in the temperature in the data center spiking in a ... (view more)

Microsoft says students can try the online edition of Office 365 free of charge for up to six months. It's also offering a one month trial to people who aren't students. The student offer is for a three-month subscription to Office 365 University ... that allows students to install copies of Office software on two different computers (including PCs or Macs). The University edition includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. The subscription also means you can use online editions of this software on any computer with an Internet connection. Although the standard ... (view more)

Microsoft recently stirred up a hornet's nest by introducing and then retracting rules that prevented a buyer of Office 2013 from transferring the software to a new computer. Many experts have suggested that the policy change was designed to push ... people towards Office 365, the cloud-based version of the popular software suite. Unlike Office 2013, Office 365 can be accessed from up to five different computers. (Source: engadget.com ) Now, one company's chief information office (CIO) says that making the switch to Office 365 saved his firm time and money. Saving Time and Money in the Cloud ... (view more)

Microsoft caused quite the stir when it unveiled its Surface tablet computer last year. It's rumored the move angered the firm's traditional hardware partners, including Hewlett-Packard (HP), Samsung, and Acer, who didn't like having to compete with ... Microsoft for customers. Now, it appears Microsoft may be preparing to ruffle feathers in another sector of the consumer technology industry. Windows Phone 8 to Suffer: Nokia Mobile phone maker Nokia, which produces handheld devices running Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system (OS), has reportedly filed a complaint with the ... (view more)

A major executive at one of Microsoft's most important hardware partners has slammed the Redmond-based firm's newest operating system (OS), Windows 8. In a recent meeting with reporters, Samsung memory chip division president Jun Dong-soo said ... Microsoft's new OS had done nothing to stop the decline of PC hardware sales. "The global PC industry is steadily shrinking despite the launch of Windows 8," Dong-soo said. Samsung Exec: Windows 8 No Better Than Vista The Samsung executive then slammed Microsoft's newest OS by saying, "I think the Windows 8 system is no better than the previous Windows ... (view more)

Microsoft is in the process of making technological breakthroughs with their Kinect hands-free technology. The company has now introduced simple, real-time hand gestures that replace mouse commands. Microsoft recently held its own 'TechFest' ... festival, an annual research and development showcase. At the show Microsoft unveiled a Kinect-based update to the pre-existing software development kit that will allow developers to add more hand-gesture features to their products. Mouse Movements, Hand-Controlled Gameplay A Reality And while Microsoft hopes that developers will introduce their own ideas ... (view more)