Business

Microsoft is hoping to encourage Chinese web users to try the Bing dictionary with an added feature that appeals to the country's karaoke fans. Karaoke (now commonly referred to as "KTV") is one of the more preferred activities in China, with KTV ... clubs a staple on many street corners in the Far East. With the new "KTV function", Microsoft is hoping to introduce cutting-edge technology to the core principles of karaoke in making the experience of learning a new language fun for all parties. Microsoft Technology Artificially Maps Movements The feature works by first extracting sample sentences ... (view more)

Despite Microsoft's recent success of Kinect and Windows 7, the once-dominant web browser Internet Explorer (IE) has fallen on tough times. According to a recent report, Internet Explorer market share has fallen to new lows -- despite a newsworthy ... IE9 beta debut, which had 2 million users download Internet Explorer 9 beta in just two days. In contrast, Google's Chrome browser is steadily advancing in popularity. January 2011 represented a record month for Chrome, which cracked the 10 per cent market share barrier for the very first time. Chrome's first public release was September 2, 2008. ... (view more)

Despite personal health problems sidelining its CEO, Apple appears to be having a very good fiscal year. The company recently reported it had experienced a whopping 78 per cent hike in quarterly profit, helped along significantly by holiday sales ... frenzies generated by the iPad, iPhone and various Mac computers. According to analyst reports, Apple's net income for the first fiscal quarter increased to an incredible $6 billion from just $3.38 billion the year prior. This means a rather remarkable increase in the value of the company's shares, from $3.67 each to $6.43. Apple's Record-Breaking ... (view more)

Microsoft has issued a formal warning that all versions of the Windows operating system (OS) are vulnerable to a new exploit. The vulnerability could allow attackers access to sensitive data (such as passwords) after a user unknowingly clicks on a ... malicious web link. The flaw is related to the way online content is viewed via the web browser Internet Explorer (IE). According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft late last week admitted that the vulnerability exists and that it affects every version of Windows, from Windows XP to Vista, Windows 7 and even Windows Server. Malicious Web Link ... (view more)

A woman has been awarded a $10,000 prize by Apple for downloading the 10 billionth iTunes application. Interestingly, when Gail Davis was called by Apple with the good news, she assumed it was the work of telemarketers and immediately hung up the ... phone. "I thought it was a prank call," said Davis, who lives in Orpington, England. Frustrated with what she thought was a joke, Davis snapped "Thank you very much, [but] I'm not interested." (Source: msn.com ) Daughters Responsible for App Download Davis had good reason to be suspicious. After all, she doesn't even own an iPod capable of ... (view more)

Microsoft stands accused of redirecting a significant amount of MSN-related searches to Bing, thus increasing Bing search results by a substantial margin and leaving MSN search trends to be grossly misrepresented. The logic behind this decision is ... to present one impressive search figure to would-be advertisers instead of having two mediocre search figures under the same banner. Reports suggest that the number of MSN headlines that lead individuals to Microsoft's Bing search engine has jumped between 20 and 50 per cent this past quarter. (Source: ditii.com ) In a recent statement made to USA ... (view more)

An Italian consumer agency is suing Microsoft because it experienced difficulty getting a refund for an "unwanted" copy of Windows 7 which came pre-bundled with a new PC. If it gets as far as a verdict, it could set a legal precedent. The case ... involves Vincenzo Donvito, a man which resides in Florence, Italy. He bought an ASUS Eee PC netbook that came pre-bundled with the starter edition of Windows 7 already installed. Donvito later decided he did not want to use Windows 7 Starter and instead wanted to replace it with an alternative operating system (OS) for his Eee PC. (Source: ... (view more)

Microsoft is associated with some of the biggest names in technology including Windows, Internet Explorer, Bing and Xbox. When it comes to their advertising department, however, far too many clients are associating Microsoft exclusively with the MSN ... portal. The correlation is said to occur so frequently, that it has become cause for major organizational changes to their advertising department, in an effort to highlight other marketing and media potential. Carolyn Everson, Microsoft's global ad sales leader, believes that positive changes will come with an investment in advertising creativity ... (view more)

Microsoft has refused to do future business with a company responsible for changing users' default web browser search without permission. The firm appears to have been one of the most prolific advertisers on Facebook. The company in question runs a ... website called make-my-baby.com, which includes a tool allowing users to simulate dressing a virtual baby. To use the tool, users had to install a plug-in for their browser. Unless users visited a link to a set of terms and conditions and read through the fine print, they wouldn't have been aware that the installation process also switched their ... (view more)

Ever since Microsoft released Kinect , its hands-free motion control system for the Xbox 360 console, enthusiasts have been trying desperately to use it on the Windows operating system (OS). Given their determination in the matter, it appears ... Microsoft has concluded that if you can't beat 'em, you may as well join 'em. The Kinect system uses what is effectively a robotically-mounted camera to identify humans and track their movements. This allows players to take part in games without the need for any controller: the player simply makes the appropriate movement for the game situation. Using ... (view more)