Business

Excitement is building after members of the tech media received press invitations for a special Apple product event set in San Francisco next week. No one outside of Apple seems to know for sure what it is the company will unveil, but speculation ... suggests it could have something to do with the rumored iTablet . The event promises to be quite unique, and there's no doubt the slick Cupertino-based firm will be revealing something important. After all, invitations received by tech pundits read "Come see our latest creation," suggesting something on par with an iPhone or iPod is ready for ... (view more)

The German government has issued an official warning that citizens should avoid using Internet Explorer. It's a response to a recently discovered flaw in the browser that is believed to have been exploited by hackers attacking Google in China. ... Germans Expect Flaw to be Widely Exposed Soon The warning comes from the Federal Office for Information Security, known locally as the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI). The warning, which was translated via Google Translate, read: "The BSI expects that [the Internet Explorer] vulnerability will be used [very soon] for attacks on ...<a href="/news/5401/avoid-internet-explorer-says-german-government" class="more-link">view more

Microsoft is proving that the old adage "If you can't beat them, join them" still holds true. Earlier this month, the company agreed to add a new software license option for U.S. customers called "Rental Rights" that, in a nutshell, allows companies ... to purchase Windows and Office licenses like never before. More than a few companies have expressed their desire to act as a "middle man" in renting or leasing Microsoft software to their customers. An Internet cafe, for example, would be interested in a deal with Microsoft. In failing to strike a compromise in the past, these ... (view more)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says his company will not pull its operations out of China. The issue arose after Google said it could be forced to leave the country after deciding to no longer censor website results. Ballmer did not discuss the ... censorship issue directly, but told CNBC that "We've been quite clear that we're going to operate in China." He added that "I don't understand how [pulling out] helps us and I don't understand how that helps China." (Source: washingtonpost.com ) Questioned about recent hacking attacks on Google that appear to have originated in China and may have prompted ... (view more)

Microsoft has uncharacteristically spoken out against Google over the two firms' free online storage offers. The comments follow Google's announcement that it is extending the size and type of files eligible for free back-up. To date, users of ... Google Docs had been severely limited in the amount of data they could store online. Storage could only be used for specific types of document file, namely: word processing, spreadsheet and presentation files. Free Google Docs Storage Balloons to 1GB The firm now says users will be allowed 1GB of free storage, with extra space available for 25 cents per ... (view more)

If you're still running an old version of Adobe's popular Flash player plug-in, you'd better update, says Microsoft. The software giant, which rarely tells customers to halt their use of another company's wares, has had it with the many bugs and ... security vulnerabilities in Flash Player 6.0, released several years ago. In response to multiple bugs and a slew of security vulnerabilities, Microsoft has through its most recent Security Advisory (#979267) told users that they should either uninstall Flash Player 6.0 or immediately switch to a newer edition of the plugin. Threats Include Remote ... (view more)

After a lengthy court battle that saw Microsoft cut down by tiny Canadian firm i4i, the software giant has agreed to remove the conflicting function from its popular Word program. As of this morning, the XML features at the heart of the great 2009 ... Word legal battle have been cut out. The ordeal began back in August , when a Texas federal judge found Microsoft guilty of infringing on small Toronto-based i4i's copyright of various XML functions found in the software company's Word, a prominent part of the very popular Office suite. Microsoft was given until October 10 to remove Word from store ... (view more)

Google has made a formal and public apology to Chinese authors after including their works in its book search project without permission. It's a striking contrast to the way the firm responded to similar complaints in the United States and Europe. ... Google Book Search involves scanning books with optical character recognition so that the text can be searched. The firm argues that this is simply to make it easier for users to find information in books and that they are limited to seeing the relevant pages rather than it being a free way to read an entire book. The firm has consistently ... (view more)

One of the first major tech breakthroughs of the new decade will see television channels being offered in 3D. Discovery Communications recently announced a joint venture with Sony and IMAX to provide 3D viewing service to millions of people across ... the United States. The announcement came ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where sources have been buzzing about a 3D feel to the event. While details are still forthcoming, the channel will provide 24-hour content filled with movies, nature programs and other material that will lend itself to 3D viewing. (Source: ... (view more)

Thanks to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Wednesday night and a video interview with Entertainment ... (view more)