Business

We knew they'd come. Problems for Vista were sure to stand in the way of a flawless launch, which seems just about impossible considering the massive task accorded Microsoft employees in implementing such a major new piece of software. The first ... notable issue is the OS' failure to run the most recent version of SQL Server, a major problem for business who were given the opportunity to use Vista after its launch at the end of November. Microsoft is scrambling to take care of the matter, although a solution probably couldn't come soon enough for business users. In the works is an upgrade to the ... (view more)

Earlier last month, Universal Music Group signed a deal with Microsoft that gives Universal a percentage of the profits of each Zune sold. Now, Universal has set its sights on Apple, hoping to grab a slice of iPod sales. At a recent Reuters Media ... Summit, Universal executive Doug Morris revealed the company's desire to strike a deal with Apple that would give iPod royalties to the music company. "It would be a nice idea. We have a negotiation coming up not too far. I don't see why we wouldn't do that... but maybe not in the same way," Morris explained at the conference in New York City. ( ... (view more)

Recently, we reported on speculation that the much-anticipated Vista would be the last operating system based on Windows. The rumor -- which is still much supported -- was based on a prediction by tech forecasters Gartner, who believe that Microsoft ... will instead opt for incremental updates to their OS in the future. That may not be so true, however, as an equally aggressive amount of press is now lashing out against last week's predictions. Gartner's belief in the non-future of Windows stems from the immense cost and risk associated with a release like Vista. Microsoft has been working on the ... (view more)

Google made yet another addition to the expanding Google empire last week, when the company launched the beta version of Google Patent Search. The search engine allows users to search through United States patent filings in a variety of ways, ... including searches by patent number, inventor, filing date, and keyword. Patents that have been issued up to mid-2006 are included in the results. Although international patents and patents applications are not included in the search, it does allow potential inventors (or the perpetually curious) to sift through millions of U.S. patents. (Source: news. ... (view more)

Excited about the pending release of Vista for Home users? Well, prepare yourself for this one: there's much speculation that Microsoft's new operating system could be the last based on Windows, with future operating systems branching out into ... incremental updates instead of massive, periodic releases. Why would Microsoft decapitate an ongoing software project that reaps millions upon millions of dollars? Heck, it's something (almost) everyone needs; one might even consider Windows the oxygen of the computer world. The answer? For one, it costs Microsoft almost as much to create an operating ... (view more)

Microsoft definitely does not need this. Less than two weeks after a rather successful business launch (that did, however, have its own problems), it has become clear that a crack is available to home users that will exploit one of Vista's features ... and allow pirates to use the system for free, for up to 180 days. Although Microsoft is remaining very, very quiet about the crack (with only a rep or two whispering to the media that there's no evidence to support the rumor), it isn't particularly difficult to find a torrent or two offering it up. The key is for the user to obtain a Windows Vista ... (view more)

It seems that Hewlett-Packard's courtroom woes are far from over. The company's shareholders, who recently sued the company over the much discussed spying scandal, have amended the suit to include allegations of insider trading. The original lawsuit ... claimed "breach of fiduciary responsibilities" by HP executives. It alleged that the executives' spy-like tactics to uncover boardroom leaks harmed the company. (Source: macnewsworld.com ) Now, the lawsuit -- which asks for an undisclosed amount -- also implicates HP Chief Executive Officer Mike Hurd, former General Counsel Ann Baskins, Chief ... (view more)

Patronizing is everywhere in the business world. It can happen between any two companies at any time, but there's always one reason behind it: money. Recently, the two competing Internet browsers from Microsoft and Mozilla were released to web users ... across the world. In the weeks since, two of the most popular search engines have "chosen" their favorites, with Yahoo recommending Internet Explorer 7 and Google pushing Firefox 2. The most recent finding is Yahoo's encouragement that searchers use IE7 over the competition. If a user decides to follow the engine's advice, he or she will find that ... (view more)

Google usually makes headlines for introducing new products and continually expanding the Google empire. Last week, however, brought different news: Google has actually announced the end of one of its services. The victim? Google Answers. Google ... Answers was launched back in 2002, and was the company's first project. The service allowed users to ask questions and set a price for how much the answer was worth to them. Other users could then answer the question and receive payment; Google also benefited from the 50 cent listing fee. (Source: betanews.com ) What Google Answers failed to capture, ... (view more)

Recently, Sony issued a statement claiming to have found defects in some of their popular Cyber-shot digital cameras. The problems with the Cyber-shot cameras follow a recent global recall of Sony-made laptop batteries that have affected almost ... every major laptop maker in the industry. Among the affected cameras are eight Cyber-shot models sold between September 2003 and January 2005. While the problem was predicted to be exclusive to electronic markets in Japan, some have also experienced similar complications in various pockets of the world. (Source: newsvine.com ) The specific problems are ... (view more)