Business

Chinese officials have forced the closure of two bogus Apple Stores after they were exposed by a blogger. But the closure doesn't appear related to any trademark infringement, and three other similar suspected knock-off stores remain open. There is ... a key difference between these stores and those traders who offer counterfeit Western products: in this case, it's the store itself that is posing as a legitimate Apple outlet. The stores came to international attention after an Internet blog post by a woman who lives in Kunming, a city in Southern China. She spotted the store in the city and at ... (view more)

Less than three months after its initial launch, Microsoft has partnered with Gigwalk, a mobile phone application that allows different brands to post odd jobs (called "gigs"). Ironically, Microsoft will soon offer financial compensation to those ... who tackle gigs on behalf of their Bing search engine, and since the app is currently available exclusively on the Apple iPhone, Microsoft is actually paying rival consumers to complete these odd jobs. The Bing search engine will soon add photographs to its map results, so Microsoft will need people living in select metropolitan cities to snap ... (view more)

Tests have shown that MacBook Air laptops could perform very differently depending on which model hard drive is installed in the machines. The models in question use Solid State Drives, or SSDs, in place of traditional hard drives. The SSDs work in ... a similar way to RAM (random access memory), or flash drives, as they have no moving parts. Although more expensive, SSDs have several key advantages over traditional drives: they make no discernible noise, are less vulnerable to damage from shocks, can access information much more quickly, and are considerably smaller in physical size. They also ... (view more)

Microsoft has posted record sales for fiscal year 2011 based on strong showings for its Office software suite, server programs, and Xbox 360 video game console. It's a somewhat surprising result, given that Windows sales had actually started to ... decline. According to reports, for the fiscal year ending in June Microsoft amassed $69.4 billion in total revenue, a record high and an increase of 12 per cent compared to fiscal year 2010. Of the total, approximately $23 billion was net income, also a substantial increase (23 per cent) from last year. (Source: computerworld.com ) Net Income ... (view more)

Ohio-based firm Impulse Technology has sued Microsoft for allegedly ripping off the idea behind the Xbox Kinect, Microsoft's new and very popular hands-free gaming peripheral for the Xbox 360 video game console. According to Impulse, Microsoft ... infringed on its patents for motion-sensing technology. The lawsuit was filed earlier this month in the U.S. District Court in Delaware, says Law 360, an American online media company that tracks and publishes legal news. Big-Time Game Companies Named in Suit The suit also names a number of popular video game makers, including Ubisoft (responsible for ... (view more)

While one of its main competitors attempts to calm investors about rapidly declining sales, Apple has posted some of its most impressive numbers to date. According to reports, Apple's net income was more than $7.3 billion in the third quarter, an ... increase of 125 per cent over last year. Many tech blogs have been closely following BlackBerry maker Research in Motion's steady decline over the past year. The company recently made a valiant effort to convince investors that all was well, but not everyone is convinced the Waterloo, Ontario-based company is out of the woods. Some of the most direct ... (view more)

Microsoft might be experimenting with its own take on social networking after an image resembling a new platform was accidentally leaked to the public. Called "Tulalip" after the name of a group of Native American tribes in Washington state, the ... social networking service is designed to enable users to "find what you need and share what you know easier than ever." These images were first found on the Microsoft-owned domain socl.com. Microsoft did not reveal whether the images of the platform suggested a social network or a social search site, which would mean some kind of association with the ... (view more)

Google has launched a new service designed to warn users that they are infected with a particular type of Windows malware. However, the move has raised concerns that it could make things easier for scammers. Web Pages Redirected Using Malicious ... Proxy Server The service is actually integrated with Google's search results page, and the warning message will only display when a computer appears to be infected. (Source: thetechherald.com ) The Google strategy involves a specific form of malicious software that affects Windows computers. When users attempt to visit a webpage, their visit is routed ... (view more)

Microsoft has released a new tool to help scientists and other researchers access the power of cloud computing . Project Daytona could help them analyze data in a more efficient and affordable manner. Cloud System Uses Decentralized Computing The ... project builds on Microsoft's could-based Windows Azure system. That doesn't simply mean storing information online, but also using remote computers to carry out tasks. Cloud computing can range from relatively simple tasks, such as accessing email on services such as Hotmail, to more complex tasks, such as the way some websites run through databases ... (view more)

Microsoft is offering a $250,000 reward for information regarding the owners of the Rustock spam botnet , despite the fact the it has already been neutralized. Rustock at one point infected an estimated one million computers. Those behind it used ... the network to send as many as 30 million spam messages a day, most commonly selling counterfeit drugs. (Source: latimes.com ) Although the botnet has been brought under control, there's still a threat because its creators remain at large. As a result, Microsoft has issued a bounty. The reward is $250,000 and will be paid to anyone who provides "new ... (view more)