Microsoft

With Microsoft's latest mobile Windows finally shipping to manufacturers, handset makers are deciding whether it's worth paying a licensing fee for the software when free alternatives (such as Google's Android) are available. However, Microsoft ... argues that the hidden costs of open source systems mean Windows represents better value. Windows 7 Phone License Fee Cheaper Than 'Free' Manufacturers that want to install Windows Phone 7 on their handsets will have to pay a licensing fee to Microsoft, just as computer makers do with Windows. The fee is understood to average around $15 a handset. That ... (view more)

Microsoft yesterday announced it was resurrecting one of the most popular Windows 7 deals to date: the Family Pack discount. The deal, which gives consumers the ability to purchase a trio of upgrade licenses for their shift from XP or Vista to ... Windows 7, will again be available in early October. It's easy to see why the Family Pack Windows 7 deal was so popular: for three licenses the cost is just $150 (or $50 per upgrade), the same as it was last year. Microsoft put the package together for several weeks following the operating system's October 22, 2009 launch, and seems ready to celebrate a ... (view more)

Microsoft has warned users of its Windows Home Server technology that they could have problems using newer hard drives. It follows earlier warnings that the drives are also problematic for Windows XP users. Drives Use Advanced Format Technology The ... situation involves sectors, the individual chunks into which a hard drive is divided. The standard size of each sector has traditionally been 512 bytes, but some drives are already using a 4 kilobyte sector, and this will become the standard size for all drives after 2011. The new drives are referred to as having "Advanced Format" ... (view more)

Microsoft has voluntarily leaked more details about its upcoming Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) web browser via a Russian Internet portal. The company revealed several new features related to the browser's overall look, which is heavily inspired by a ... rival. To date, Microsoft has yet to reveal a user interface for Internet Explorer 9, even though several developer previews of the browser have emerged since the spring. This means the Russian leak gives us our first glimpse of IE9's navigational model. IE9 Navigation Similar to Google Chrome First impressions suggest Microsoft's next browser -- ... (view more)

Microsoft has addressed a vulnerability affecting the way certain Windows programs load DLLs (dynamic link library files). It has done so by releasing an advisory that explains how to avoid being exploited by hackers. Although the flaw was only ... recently reported, it's a variation of a decade-old issue affecting DLLs. Dynamic link library files are commonly shared amongst multiple Windows programs and are typically included inside Windows setup / install programs. The exploit works like this: if a hacker is able to convince a user into opening a file, they can force a program to load a ... (view more)

When Microsoft and Yahoo hinted at a possible alliance 13 months ago , few believed the tandem would work. What further put the merger at jeopardy was an unsuccessful attempt by Microsoft to capitalize on Yahoo's financial difficulties and overtake ... their counterpart with a proposed bid in 2008 . Since then, alliance talks were put on the back burner -- until now. Microsoft is currently powering the search engine on Yahoo's website in the US and Canada (with the shift in other countries planned for sometime in 2011/2012). The two companies have come to terms on an agreement that serves one ... (view more)

Microsoft has stepped up its marketing by explicitly targeting rival Apple and the Mac. The Redmond-based firm has produced a six-point checklist designed to show the "superiority" of PCs, albeit they're six carefully selected points. In many ... commercial markets the top-selling brand does not acknowledge rivals, while those smaller brands often make direct comparisons to their bigger competitors. Historically, that has been the case with personal computing: while Microsoft has simply touted its own strengths, Apple has run the ongoing "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" campaign. Microsoft Follows Up on ... (view more)

Compared to Windows XP and previous Microsoft operating systems of years previous, one of the major differences of Windows Vista and Windows 7 is the User Account Control , or "UAC" for short. If you've used Windows Vista with UAC enabled (by ... default), then you know how annoying the feature can be. In fact, many users associate the failure of Windows Vista with the ill-functioning UAC simply because they felt it broke functionality and usefulness of the operating system. (Source: zdnet.com ) Recently, however, Microsoft defended its widely-criticized operating system Windows Vista, ... (view more)

According to a recent study by higher-education research company Student Monitor, more and more university and college students are buying up Apple laptops. Apple's growth in this lucrative market has led one analyst to question whether or not ... Microsoft is staying in touch with younger tech users. Student Monitor says about one in four laptops found on U.S. college campuses are Apple products -- a startling statistic, given that another tech research firm, Net Applications, not long ago estimated that Macbooks represent only about 5 per cent of computers used worldwide. Microsoft Unable to ... (view more)

Microsoft recently dismissed rumors which suggest that PC sales have slowed and are hurting Windows 7 and other Microsoft products. The response was meant to calm Wall Street investors, shortly after JP Morgan analyst Christopher Danely stated that ... PC makers Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Acer had slashed their production of semiconductors due to slacking demand. "We expect the weakness to show up in every end market for semiconductors, just as it always has during downturns," Danely said. "We continue to be cautious on the space due to the large amount of capacity coming online combined with ... (view more)