Microsoft

Microsoft is getting ready to ditch its instant messaging service. Now that it owns Skype, according to reports, Microsoft will be switching off the Windows Live Messenger service in March, 2013. Windows Live Messenger first became available back in ... 1999, when it was known as MSN Messenger. Back then it was designed as a rival to AOL's highly popular messaging services. The original MSN Messenger service allowed users to chat with other users via text messages in real time without a public chat room, or even email. Over the years, Microsoft added more complicated features, including video and ... (view more)

Microsoft is being accused of failing to display a court-mandated option screen that would allow users of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to select their own Internet browser. Although Microsoft has already remedied the issue, the problem has ... apparently caused Mozilla to lose millions of potential Firefox users. As a result of a European Union antitrust settlement, Microsoft had agreed to present new Windows users with a screen that allowed them to choose a different web browser instead of (or in addition to) Internet Explorer. Microsoft offered the choice screen to new and existing Windows ... (view more)

It's been available for only a week but already Microsoft's Surface tablet is one of Oprah Winfrey's "Favorite Things." That means two things: 1) Oprah will be giving away a whole bunch of Surfaces in an upcoming two-hour special, and 2) The Surface ... is about to receive a lot of positive media attention. Every year, Oprah Winfrey dedicates an entire show to discussing her Favorite Things and then giving away those things to each of her audience members. Oprah's items vary widely, but in the past have included everything from Williams-Sonoma cupcakes to Josh Groban albums. Sometimes they're big ... (view more)

Windows 8 has a totally new look and feel. But one company says it's not all that original and is suing Microsoft for copyright infringement. Portland tech firm SurfCast is suing Microsoft over its use of "live tiles" on the main display screen, the ... one that appears whenever a user starts up Windows. The tiles are the large rectangular blocks that link to various tools and applications; they're designed to make them easier to use on touchscreen devices. The tiles don't actually have a fixed image or text and they update automatically by using Internet resources. For example, a weather tile ... (view more)

According to a new Associated Press survey of 1,200 U.S. adults, 52 per cent of respondents haven't heard of Microsoft's Windows 8, which officially launched on October 26, 2012. But the numbers may soon increase. Some experts are suggesting the ... results are due to Microsoft's late start in running national television ads. For example, the first Windows 8 TV spot debuted October 15 during a Monday Night Football telecast. In addition, Microsoft has only started its push to convince consumers to upgrade from previous versions of the Windows operating system (OS). The software giant is ... (view more)

Yahoo has confirmed it will not honor "Do Not Track" requests from Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 web browser. Do Not Track is designed to protect web browser users from having their Internet activity tracked. Experts say the Yahoo decision is ... based on the way Microsoft has implemented Do Not Track and is not a sign that Yahoo stands opposed to the basic concept. Do Not Track is designed to stop websites from passing details of a web browser's online activity to advertisers. It works by voluntary compliance with the Do Not Track request, not by any enforcement method. Advertisers argue that ... (view more)

Pricing has been announced for a new version of Microsoft Office 365 tailored specifically to university students, staff, and scholars. Microsoft says the software is available as a four-year subscription for $79.99. That works out to about $1.67 ... per month. Microsoft also says any student who continues their education beyond four years (say, by entering a graduate program) can renew their subscription to the software for four more years at the same price. Documents Automatically Saved to the Cloud Office 365 University automatically saves its documents to Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage ... (view more)

Windows 8, Microsoft's newest operating system (OS), launches today along with the firm's first tablet computer: the Surface. Yesterday, the company's chief executive officer Steve Ballmer appeared in New York to discuss the much-anticipated debut. ... "With Windows 8, we have brought together the best of all worlds, the PC and the tablet, your work and your life," Ballmer said in a presentation that was live-streamed across the Internet. "You log in once and see the device light up with your life, everything and everybody you care about," Ballmer said. "Picture your start screen filled with ... (view more)

Early reviews of Microsoft's Surface tablet computer are beginning to appear online. Though they are mixed, a common theme is that the hardware design is impressive, but the software is a concern. Microsoft's Surface is designed for a niche between ... an iPad and a Windows-based laptop. It ships with only a touchscreen, but with a $100 carry case that includes a physical keyboard it can expand to function like a conventional laptop. The Surface goes on sale October 26, the day Windows 8 is officially released. The first models will run Windows RT, the special version of Windows 8 designed ... (view more)

According to Microsoft, Windows 8 will be available on 1,000 different computer models. The firm says it has certified that number of unique systems and there are more to come. Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein revealed this information ... in a recent conference call. The call was primarily intended to discuss Microsoft's last fiscal quarter (which ended September 30). It was a disappointing period: According to the Redmond-based software giant, overall revenue dropped eight per cent to $16 billion. That's a significant decline from quarterly revenue numbers during the same period ... (view more)