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The man who helped Bill Gates found Microsoft says he thinks it's time to break up the massive Redmond, Washington-based tech firm. Paul Allen says Microsoft should consider spinning off some of its businesses, including Bing search and Xbox. Allen ... and Gates founded Microsoft in 1975. Today, Allen holds a $2 billion stake in the firm. Allen didn't speak directly to the media on this issue. Instead, Paul Ghaffari, the chief investment officer who manages Allen's $15 billion fortune, made the statements on behalf of Allen at the Financial Times Investment Management Summit. Microsoft Distracted ... (view more)

With Microsoft terminating security support for the Windows XP operating system (OS) next April, many businesses are finally starting to move away from the aging OS. But reports show enterprise users aren't upgrading to Windows 8.1; instead, they're ... shifting to the older Windows 7. If you haven't heard, Microsoft is finally terminating support for Windows XP in April 2014. That means most home and business users won't be able to download any security patches to keep the OS from being attacked by hackers (though there are some exceptions to the rule ). That is finally forcing many reluctant ... (view more)

Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer has announced plans to leave the Redmond, Washington-based firm in the next twelve months. It's a monumental change for a firm going through a difficult period in its history. Ballmer, who is 57 years ... old and originally joined Microsoft in 1980, says his firm has already appointed a special committee to interview candidates for the position. Microsoft co-founder and current chairman Bill Gates is said to be on that special committee. Dramatic End to a Roller Coaster Career Ballmer's tenure as CEO has been a tumultuous one. Ballmer was named CEO ... (view more)

BlackBerry, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company formerly known as Research in Motion, is in big trouble. However, the firm's chief executive officer, Thorsten Heins -- who BlackBerry tapped to take over as CEO just last year -- is set to make more ... than $50 million in salary and incentives if he's forced out of the firm's top job. Heins had served in several executive positions prior to becoming BlackBerry chief executive officer in January 2012. He joined the firm as Senior Vice President of the BlackBerry Handheld Business Unit in 2007 after working for several hardware and software ... (view more)

Microsoft SkyDrive is no more. However, it's not a case of Microsoft phasing out its popular cloud storage service -- instead, the firm is simply being forced to rename it after losing a trademark case. British Sky Broadcasting (or BSkyB, as it's ... often called) originally filed suit against Microsoft in 2011. It argued that the "Sky" portion of its own name could easily be confused with Microsoft's SkyDrive . Therefore, BSkyB said Microsoft had infringed on its trademark. Microsoft fought the matter in the English High Court but lost the case in June 2013. Now, an appeal by the Redmond, ... (view more)

According to security firm Symantec, the Google Play store is home to many potentially dangerous applications. The firm says it found approximately 1,200 suspicious apps on the store over a seven-month period. Google Play is Google's digital ... distribution center, and it's where most Android users turn for downloads (in effect, it's Google's version of Apple's App Store). More than 700,000 apps can be found on the Google Play store, which has played a central role in Android's rapid growth in the mobile market. Between February and April 2013 sales of Android devices accounted for more than ... (view more)

It's expected Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer will introduce a major shakeup at his firm. According to a new report, layoffs of prominent Microsoft officials could be at the heart of that makeover. AllThingsD blogger and Microsoft ... insider Kara Swisher says she's learned Ballmer will officially unveil his plans to restructure Microsoft in a meeting with company executives sometime between now and July 1, 2013. Swisher suggests a key component of that restructuring plan will involve layoffs and that "many top managers" are "worried" this could result in the end of their tenures ... (view more)

Analyst firm Gartner has both good and bad news for Microsoft. The good news: Gartner thinks Windows 8.1 (otherwise known as 'Windows Blue' ) represents a major improvement for the firm's Windows 8 operating system (OS). The bad news: PC sales ... continue to slump, and it's unlikely Windows 8.1 will do much to right the sinking ship. In a recent report called "Windows 8.1 Could Become What Windows 8 Should Have Been," Gartner says Windows 8.1 effectively addresses all of the problems preventing the new OS from becoming a runaway success. Analysts Appreciate Windows 8.1's New Features What did ... (view more)

Facebook says six million of its users have had their personal data exposed. The issue stems from a security bug that allowed email addresses and phone numbers to be easily accessed by a user's Facebook 'friends'. The problem is associated with ... Facebook's friend recommendation algorithm, which is designed to help users find old friends, family, and contacts and establish new relationships with them. Facebook uses uploaded personal data, including email addresses and contact lists, to find new 'friends'. This system can also be used to invite friends who are not yet Facebook members to join ... (view more)

Microsoft now says that more than 1 million people have signed up for the firm's new Office 365 Home Premium service. The firm feels this is an indication that consumers are willing to forego physical software and embrace cloud-based services. On ... Wednesday Microsoft announced that the new Office "is officially the best-selling Office edition yet, with more than one sold every second on average since it launched." To reach that conclusion Microsoft is counting all sales of Office, not just Office 365. Office 365 the Fastest-Selling Office, Ever However, the firm did note that it has now sold ... (view more)