Business

After much confusion, it appears that Microsoft has finally decided to kill its much-maligned digital music player, the Zune. The confusion comes after a series of announcements and website postings that the Zune would no longer be produced. Posts ... were later retracted, but the latest announcement appears to be final, as it comes from Brian Seitz, senior marketing manager for Microsoft. (Source: pcworld.com ) "We will no longer be producing Zune players," Microsoft noted in a recent statement. The firm added that its new focus in the digital music market would be on the Windows Phone line of ... (view more)

Microsoft says it is rethinking the way the Start Menu will work in Windows 8. It's partly a response to user behavior and partly a recognition that more people will be using touchscreen devices in the future. By default, the Start Menu appears on ... the left-hand side of the screen, either when the user clicks the Windows logo in the bottom left corner, or presses the dedicated Windows key on their keyboard. Fewer Users Use Start Menu, Says Microsoft The Start Menu menu serves several functions by listing recently used applications, commonly used applications, a complete list of all ... (view more)

Apple co-founder, chairman and former CEO Steve Jobs died yesterday (October 5th, 2011) at the age of 56. Arguably, Steve Jobs was one of the single most important figures in the tech industry during the last decade, and will leave a big hole to ... fill for the Cupertino-based firm. In 2004, Steve Jobs announced that he was struggling with a tumor in his pancreas, and though the initial prognosis was poor, surgery appeared to successfully remove the cancer. In recent years Jobs had been forced to step in and out of the limelight due to the nagging illness. Early Wednesday night Apple released a ... (view more)

Microsoft is planning to introduce a rule by which most Windows 8 computers will be unable to run any other system. It should improve security, but could be bad news for users that prefer to have more than one operating system installed on their ... PCs. The new rules will apply to computer manufacturers who want to use the official Windows 8 logo on the machine and in marketing. It's perfectly possible to sell legitimate Windows 8 computers without the logo, but the chances are most major manufacturers will follow the rules. (Source: dreamwidth.org ) Operating System Guarded by Identification ... (view more)

Google's been the top search engine for a long, long time now and that means it rakes in the most cash when it comes to online advertising. Several years ago its main competition in this arena had been Microsoft, Yahoo and America Online (AOL), all ... of which had their own, relatively successful search engines to offer. But Yahoo and AOL have fallen on hard times of late, and in a bid to re-establish themselves both have turned to Microsoft for help. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), all three companies are nearing a deal that would see advertising shared across their websites. For ... (view more)

If you're just dying to see how Windows 8 looks on a tablet computer roughly a year before the upcoming operating system is available to most consumers, then you may want to click on over to auction site eBay. But, be warned: the prices are a little ... shocking. Windows 8 was unveiled about 2 weeks ago at Microsoft's BUILD conference in Anaheim, California. As part of an attempt to woo developers to use the new operating system, Microsoft gave away a number of Windows 8 tablets to those who attended. The tablets run Windows 8 but the hardware is provided by Samsung. (Source: pcmag.com ) Free ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that the default settings for Windows 8 won't support web plug-ins such as Adobe Flash. However, unlike Apple's portable devices, such systems won't be completely blocked. iPhone, iPad Don't Use Adobe Flash Devices such as the ... iPhone and iPad currently do not include support for Flash, which is used for a wide variety of website animations and online video. The reason why these devices don't support Flash is simply because Flash is too prone to bugs and uses too much memory to be suitable for Apple devices, particularly given the company's obsession with providing a ... (view more)

According to a new report, Microsoft may be in negotiations with America's largest cable providers to help create a solid foundation for its upcoming Xbox TV service. Xbox TV was first unveiled back at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June ... of this year. While Microsoft didn't say much about the service at the time, it did announce plans to "partner with TV providers" in order to make the service truly appealing to Xbox 360 users. Microsoft also said that it intended to bring local channels as well as sports and various news networks to Xbox TV. (Source: slashgear.com ) On Demand, ... (view more)

A loophole in the way Google's business listings service works means some legitimate businesses are falsely being listed as "closed". The search company appears unable to get round the problem without changing the entire basis of the system. Google ... Places is a business directory, allowing users to find a business, store, or restaurant by searching either by name, type or location. The listings include a description written by the owner and a link to the relevant location on Google Maps. However, the New York Times has reported on a major drawback to a feature designed to keep ... (view more)

Here's a new reason to make sure you're covered up when wandering outside your house: Google Street View might just be watching. Recently, a Florida woman was caught naked outside her home and it took some time before the image was finally blurred ... out. Google's Street View was introduced about four years ago. Although originally used for just a few cities in the United States, today it offers a 3D perspective of city streets for a wide range of urban environments around the globe. Handy App or Intrusive Nuisance? Street View is extremely handy when preparing to visit an unknown locale, ... (view more)