Business

Microsoft has issued eleven security bulletins as part of its final Patch Tuesday of 2013. One of those bulletins addresses a zero-day flaw found in Windows XP, while another fixes a remote code execution vulnerability in the firm's web browser, ... Internet Explorer. In total, Microsoft's December Patch Tuesday includes five patches rated "critical", Microsoft's most alarming security classification. Windows XP TIFF Vulnerability Finally Addressed The first critical fix, MS13-096, addresses a TIFF image file vulnerability exploited via Word, Microsoft's word processing application. The good news ... (view more)

Microsoft thinks it has a solution for America's ongoing battle with the belly bulge: a new bra that monitors a user's mood in order to eliminate stress-related binge-eating episodes. Stress has long been associated with overeating. A February 2012 ... report from the Harvard Medical School found that stress can result in the releasing of a hormone called cortisol, which in turn leads to an increased appetite. (Source: harvard.edu ) To prevent stress from ruining a diet, Microsoft Visualization and Interaction Research Group manager Mary Czerwinski is working on a new bra that she says can ... (view more)

New reports suggest Microsoft is planning to take on National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance by stepping up its encryption. The hope appears to be that by encrypting more information the NSA will have limited access to Microsoft's sensitive ... data. Microsoft executives are reportedly meeting to determine what encryption techniques could be used to prevent the National Security Agency from spying on the company and its customers. Washington Post Report Alarms Tech Titans It's part of a response to a Washington Post report which appeared to prove that Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo are being ... (view more)

Microsoft's new 'Scroogled' merchandise appears to be selling remarkably well. New reports suggest a lot of the gear, which rips on Google's controversial Gmail privacy policy, has already sold out. Microsoft began its Scroogled campaign earlier ... this year. The focus of the offensive is Google's Gmail privacy policy, which allows the company to scan both sent and received emails in order to formulate more effective advertisements. Microsoft insists its email service, Outlook, doesn't do that to its customers. To highlight the difference, Microsoft recently began selling mugs, t-shirts, ... (view more)

Microsoft has launched a new set of merchandise carrying anti-Google slogans. It's just a publicity stunt, but the blistering nature of the attacks may land Microsoft in legal trouble. The merchandise is the latest step in Microsoft's "Don't get ... Scroogled" campaign. That term, a mix of "screwed" and "Google", is Microsoft's way of arguing that its rival has a much more aggressive approach to using customer data for its own means. The campaign has largely centered on the fact that Google scans messages sent through its Gmail service and then uses the content to produce relevant advertising. ... (view more)

Google has agreed to pay a $17 million penalty for cheating a privacy system in Apple's Safari browser. Google was fined because it effectively lied to customers about its privacy policy. The case involves cookies, small text files placed in a ... user's web browser so that websites can quickly get information about the user. In some cases this can be beneficial; for example, a movie listing site can make a note about a user's ZIP code so that they immediately receive localized listings when they visit the site. In some cases, though, advertisers will use cookies to track which sites a user ... (view more)

Microsoft's director of programming for Xbox Live, Larry Hryb (better known as "Major Nelson") says the soon-to-be-released Xbox One is more than another video game console. Instead, it's a central media hub that allows users to access social media ... and media streaming services with voice-activated controls. The Xbox One ships this Friday -- November 22, 2013. It's Microsoft's third video game console, following the original Xbox (released in 2001) and the Xbox 360 (released in 2005). It's designed to help Microsoft keep up in the competitive video game race with major rival Sony, which just ... (view more)

Google says it's facing a rapidly increasing number of data requests from national governments, and particularly the United States government. At the same time, the firm says it still hasn't made any headway in its fight to show its users the ... information it's being forced to share. Google says that, in the six-month period between January and June 2013, the United States government made almost 11,000 requests for information related to Google's users. U.S. Government Makes Most Data Requests -- By Far By comparison, the government of India -- the country that made the second-most data ... (view more)

Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer recently told the Wall Street Journal why he decided to step down. The main issue: it's time for change at Microsoft, and Ballmer's not sure he's the person to lead the charge. Ballmer's announcement ... that he would leave the CEO position within twelve months' time came in August 2013. "Maybe I'm an emblem of an old era, and I have to move on," Ballmer said in an emotional interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). "As much as I love everything about what I'm doing ... the best way for Microsoft to enter a new era is a new leader ... (view more)

Electronics retailer Vodafone was recently forced to evacuate its store after an Apple iPad suddenly exploded. Luckily, no one was hurt by the blast. The store is in Canberra, a city located halfway between Sydney and Melbourne in New South Wales, ... Australia. Reports suggest the device that exploded was a demo model, meaning it may have been running constantly throughout the day. The explosion forced the store to quickly evacuate everyone inside. The local fire department was also alerted and arrived on the scene to find the store filled with smoke. The affected iPad was reportedly issuing ... (view more)