microsoft

Apple's new iPad is making plenty of headlines this week. But Microsoft, and the PC sector in general, are quick to highlight the Windows-based tablet computers which will rival the device. The most conspicuous response to Apple's iPad launch came ... from Hewlett Packard (HP), which has released a YouTube video showing off its forthcoming HP Slate. That's a tablet computer announced earlier this month running Windows 7 and apparently set-up to handle electronic books bought from Amazon's store. Though the device is produced by HP, Microsoft is heavily involved in promoting it. Indeed, Microsoft ... (view more)

With Windows 7 only recently released and by all accounts faring quite well amongst business and home users alike, it's hard to imagine Microsoft plotting the release of Windows 8 for any year in the near future. However, an ex-employee blog ... suggests otherwise. Microsoft's Windows 7 was released only in October (the 22nd, to be exact), and since that time has turned Vista-haters and other critics into big fans of the Windows platform once again. In a recent Windows 7 survey , digital content distributor Steam found that almost 1 in 4 of its users had converted to the new operating system (OS ... (view more)

Microsoft is drawing heavy criticism this morning after it was revealed that the company's Windows Mobile Marketplace could be denying app developers large amounts of money due to flaws in the Redmond-based firm's payment system. Microsoft received ... an overwhelming number of complaints from angry software developers claiming that the company owes them "thousands of dollars" in revenue for their Windows Mobile apps (applications). Even those producers who made changes to their account to qualify for quick payment were said to be denied their rightful earnings. Faulty Payment System to Blame The ... (view more)

Microsoft has admitted it knew about the latest Internet Explorer zero-day flaw more than three months ago, news that's likely to prompt criticism about the way the firm prioritizes security issues. The bug, which involves an invalid pointer ... reference, was first reported to Microsoft by Israeli security expert Eyal Gruner on August 26. He says that because it was so easy to discover the vulnerability, he expected less scrupulous people would also find it and develop ways to exploit it. MS Confirmed Flaw in September Microsoft says it received this warning and confirmed it in early September. ... (view more)

Microsoft has made its next move against competitor Google by publicly announcing that it will remove the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of logged searches from its servers after 6 months of storage. Back in September of 2008, search engine ... goliath Google announced it would begin anonymizing IP addresses logged in its servers after nine months, a reduction by half from its previous 18. Cookies would also be removed after this time. Google Critics: Time Frame Still Not Enough Privacy advocates have criticized Google for not doing enough, since the company only bothers to remove the last of ... (view more)

Microsoft announced yesterday that it was working on a special emergency patch to prevent the spread of an Internet Explorer zero-day flaw in its Internet Explorer browser that allowed hackers to breach the defenses of Google, Adobe, and about 32 ... other companies. The attack is said to be "the most sophisticated cyber attack... seen in years," according to tech security firm McAfee . Now, Microsoft is offering recommendations for home and business users trying to keep themselves protected until the Internet Explorer patch is widely available. Older Versions of IE, Windows Most ... (view more)

After the German and French governments cautioned against the use of its browser Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft has issued a response that not only looks to reduce the amount of fear that has since surfaced because of the Chinese attacks on ... Google , but also hopes to land the company some added revenue in the process. On their Security Research ... (view more)

Widely-known security firm McAfee has called last week's breaching of several major tech companies (including Google and Adobe) "the most sophisticated cyber attack... seen in years," even suggesting the operation could usher in a new age of cyber ... warfare. Attack a "Watershed Event," Says McAfee Discussing the attack on 34 tech companies in China last week, McAfee Chief Technology Officer George Kurtz was noted as saying, "I believe this is the largest and most sophisticated cyber attack we have seen in years targeted at specific corporations," adding, "What really makes this a ... (view more)

Microsoft is proving that the old adage "If you can't beat them, join them" still holds true. Earlier this month, the company agreed to add a new software license option for U.S. customers called "Rental Rights" that, in a nutshell, allows companies ... to purchase Windows and Office licenses like never before. More than a few companies have expressed their desire to act as a "middle man" in renting or leasing Microsoft software to their customers. An Internet cafe, for example, would be interested in a deal with Microsoft. In failing to strike a compromise in the past, these ... (view more)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says his company will not pull its operations out of China. The issue arose after Google said it could be forced to leave the country after deciding to no longer censor website results. Ballmer did not discuss the ... censorship issue directly, but told CNBC that "We've been quite clear that we're going to operate in China." He added that "I don't understand how [pulling out] helps us and I don't understand how that helps China." (Source: washingtonpost.com ) Questioned about recent hacking attacks on Google that appear to have originated in China and may have prompted ... (view more)