Business

At the Jefferies Annual Technology Conference on September 15th, Microsoft Exec Charles Songhurst was quoted as saying that Windows 7 is a "compellingly good product", and even went as far as to say it will "renew belief and innovation in the ... Windows franchise." (Source: zdnet.com ) With sentiments like these, you better believe that Microsoft will do everything in their power to make Win7 succeed and, most importantly, turn a tidy profit. Big Payday Incentive It has been rumored that Microsoft is set to collect, on average, $50 per copy of Windows resulting from higher-end PC sales. ... (view more)

Microsoft has launched a new feature for its Bing search engine that displays results as images rather than a list of websites. While the images are attractive, its appeal is likely to be limited. This isn't the same feature as the image search ... options available on most major websites, including Bing (which was recently accused of using explicit language to attract visitors). Those look specifically for images which best match the search term. Instead, the image results involve displaying specific categories of information in a visual form. For example, somebody searching for information on ... (view more)

Apple's iPod Nano has two new exciting capabilities, and they're the ones many have been waiting a long time for the Cupertino-based company to introduce. Video- and audio-recording can now be added to the long list of features touted by the ... impressive little device. The Nano's new features were hardly a surprise for most insiders who speculated an upgrade of this kind was due by the end of 2009. However, the Nano's pricing was a bit of a shock, with prices floating around the $179.99 mark for the 16 GB version and $149.99 for the smaller 8 GB edition. New iPod Nano Reviews Mixed Thus Far ... (view more)

Microsoft has denied suggestions that it has paid to use an explicit term (synonymous with film making) to promote its search engine Bing. Microsoft claims the pay-per-click (PPC) link to the site must have been triggered by another phrase. The ... controversy over the illicit keyword began when a writer at TechCrunch.com -- who asked to remain anonymous -- somehow wound up searching for the 'nasty' word in Google. The writer was surprised to find that the number one listed item in the sponsored pay-per-click results section was for Microsoft's search engine Bing. (Source: techcrunch.com ) How ... (view more)

Thinking about straying from Microsoft Windows to the Linux operating system? Well, you won't get much reassurance from Best Buy employees, who, according to reports, are being trained to push Windows 7 well ahead of a more basic, and cheaper, ... competitor. 'Training Kit' Materials Leaked Recently a Best Buy employee posted pictures of training materials used by Best Buy (which also happen to be supplied by Microsoft) in anticipation of Windows 7's launch date. (Source: tgdaily.com ) The problem? Aside from showering Best Buy employees with a discounted version of Windows 7 for their own, ... (view more)

Ever wonder how poorly Windows Vista fared after reading all the bad press since its launch? Real-world PC usage data from the exo.performance.network (EPN) suggests just how much of a flop Windows Vista has been for Microsoft. Despite Microsoft's ... claims about Windows Vista's deployment , PC sales were counted as Windows Vista sales by Microsoft, despite the fact that many users and enterprises were 'downgrading' to Windows XP. In fact, two years after Vista's release, not even 30 per cent of PCs are actually running it. (Source: infoworld.com ) Those that are running Vista are almost ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed a serious security issue affecting Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) -- the version that was made available to the public prior to the full release of Windows 7. The problem also currently affects Windows Vista and Server ... 2008, but not Windows XP or Server 2008 R2. The issue involves the Server Message Block (SMB) system which is a part of Windows itself and is used for sharing files over a network. A bug in the system means anyone could take advantage of the exploit and use SMB to gain remote access to (and take control of) a remote computer. Temporary Solution: Block ... (view more)

Microsoft yesterday released a package of five Security Bulletins offering fixes for a total of eight vulnerabilities. While it's news worth celebrating, unfortunately the software company has also failed to address three other zero-day ... vulnerabilities . Browse And Get Owned, Drive-By Attacks Addressed All five of the Security Bulletins Microsoft has addressed were outlined in September and deemed "critical" -- the highest level of concern. Three out of five of the issues taken care of by Microsoft fix issues associated with "browse-and-get-owned" attacks, otherwise known as " drive-by" ... (view more)

Microsoft has been cleared of wrong-doing by Russia's federal anti-monopoly service, FAS. It was announced yesterday that the investigation into the Redmond-based company had been closed, with the software giant found not guilty of any violations in ... the way it distributed and marketed Windows XP. The FAS investigation began earlier this summer, with the Russian body announcing that it suspected Microsoft of several antitrust violations in relation to the supply and pricing of the Windows XP operating system (OS). FAS felt that Microsoft might have broken the law when it discontinued the ... (view more)

Think Apple's iPod is the quintessential tech product for the modern age? Arguably, the iPod is the tech world's most in-demand product -- and has been virtually uncontested in North America for the last ten years -- but not in Japan, where the Sony ... Walkman currently holds top spot as the highest-selling MP3 player. The Apple iPod is a ubiquitous device. It's recognized in places where many Western products, like a laptop or PlayStation, are not. It's also very popular in the land of the rising sun, where for the last four years it has been the most powerful force in MP3 playback technology. ... (view more)