Business

Microsoft has revealed some of the tactics it uses to fight back against software counterfeiting. It involves the use of nine regional crime labs and 75 dedicated anti-piracy staff. Surprisingly, the company maintains that many users of pirated ... Microsoft software are unaware they are running bogus copies. That may seem hard to believe in Western nations, but does appear a genuine problem in some developing countries where there is less awareness about whether or not a retailer is using legitimate copy of Microsoft Windows, for example. It also appears that software with price tags "too good ... (view more)

The new iPad is sleek, stylish, and as such it's being gobbled up by Apple fanboys the world over. However, it might surprise one to learn that not all iPad fanatics are 20-something Silicon Valleyers -- instead, one 99-year-old Oregonian now claims ... the device has changed her life. Virginia Campbell, who lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, purchased the iPad not long after it was released in early April. That's not a story -- but what is interesting is why Campbell bought the device. You see, Campbell, who once attended Reed College of Portland, Oregon, is (or was) an avid reader and writer -- that ... (view more)

Microsoft last week reported an impressive 35 per cent increase in net income for its third quarter ending March 31, 2010. Overall, revenue saw a jump of 6 per cent since the same period last year, and most analysts are pointing to Windows 7 as the ... cause. Released on October 22, 2009, Windows 7, Microsoft's latest (and, critically, greatest) operating system (OS) has fueled a remarkable rise in the Redmond-based firm's popularity and profitability. According to reports, sales in Microsoft's Windows unit were up 28 per cent, to $4.4 billion. That's good news for a department that desperately ... (view more)

New iPad owners beware -- if you recently purchased an Apple iPad and are running Microsoft's Windows operating system on it, then take note: scammers are now trying to trick users into downloading a supposed iTunes update that is laced with ... malware. According to a recent report from security firm BitDefender, emails have recently been found in the inboxes of iPad owners under the subject line "iPad Software Update". The message offers those gullible enough to click a link to a web page where they're confronted with what appears to be a very legitimate iTunes update. (Source: cnet.com ) ... (view more)

As part of its ongoing battle with Google for the Cloud computing crown, Microsoft is bringing a version of its Office suite to Facebook, as well as 'Docs.com'. It appears to be a way of promoting the online edition of Office 2010, which includes MS ... Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. (Source: latimes.com ) The Facebook app will simply be known as Docs; a somewhat cheeky title given that's also the name of Google's free spreadsheet application. Microsoft's new tool will be a specially adapted version of Office 2010 designed to work within the social networking system. The idea appears to be to offer ... (view more)

Apple chief Steve Jobs has quashed speculation that the company might switch Mac computers to an App Store system. It comes as a relief to software developers who won't have to go through the same approval process as with portable Apple devices. A ... report published by programmers Rixstep last week claimed that Apple was to end the current system by which, as with most computing platforms, any compatible software can run on a Mac computer and can be installed at will by the user. Rixstep claimed that software developers would have to pay $99 for membership in an Apple program, that they'd have ... (view more)

Sales of Apple's new iPad tablet device have been impressive so far. So impressive, in fact, that Apple was forced to delay shipping the device outside of the U.S. because it simply couldn't keep up with demand. Well, now there's word that the ... problem is the touch screen display, which suppliers say is a complex and difficult to manufacture tool. The iPad's touch screen, produced by LG Display Co., Samsung Electronics Co., and Seiko Epson Corp., is a lot like the display of the iPhone. At 9.7 inches it's a lot bigger, making the production process infinitely more complex and difficult. "We ... (view more)

The relationship that Microsoft shares with their Windows XP operating system can be likened to the same kind of relationship shared between Dr. Frankenstein and his monster: what began as a beautiful creation must now be destroyed at all costs. ... While a tad extreme, this is essentially the message that Microsoft is sending out to the world after announcing that the next version of the free Windows Live Essentials software will not run on XP. In a recent blog post, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of the Windows Live Experience Chris Jones confirmed the news, although web-based versions of ... (view more)

It's no secret: Gmail (along with Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail) users face the wrath of spammers all the time. Fortunately, most of that virtual junk mail ends up in a designated spam bin, never to be bothered with. However, a recent report suggests ... spammers may now be hacking gmail accounts to get their message across. "The Gmail team takes security very seriously and is investigating the reports we've seen in our user forums over the past few days," Google noted in an announcement on Tuesday. "We encourage users who suspect their accounts have been compromised to immediately ... (view more)

McAfee is facing a major backlash in sales this morning after a buggy security update left many customers' computers effectively unusable. Worst still, some analysts are predicting that an automated solution may not be possible. As we reported ... yesterday , the problem is the result of a recent McAfee antivirus update gone awry, which then caused the antivirus program to identify legitimate Windows files as being virus infected. The end result was that the legitimate Windows files were sent to a quarantine, resulting in thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of crashes PCs. The problem ... (view more)