Brandon Dimmel

Windows Vista took a long time to develop. Some 10,000 plus Microsoft employees worked on the new operating system, with the project -- codenamed "Longhorn" -- eventually expanding from a mere update to XP to something as radical as the epic Windows ... 95. With all of the pent-up hype over the new product, it's meant just as much anxiety for Microsoft's competition. That's the word right now, with reports that the release of Vista -- as delayed as it seemed to be -- has also prolonged the wait for Apple's new Mac OS X "Leopard". So, why the delay of Apple's operating system (OS)? One of the ... (view more)

Although most of us are aware that Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista, is an improvement to yesterday's XP, few are convinced it's worth the pain of upgrading. Further hurting Microsoft's efforts have been a plethora of ... sensationalist reports on Vista shortcomings, many of which overlook the available improvements. Despite the negative light, Vista appears to be shining on the global stage, accounting for some 20 million licenses sold in a month. Still love XP? It's worth noting that Vista's initial sales are double that of XP, Microsoft's previous operating system. By ... (view more)

Blogging over the course of the first 24 hours of April can be a dangerous game. As if it isn't hard enough to pick apart the rumors from the reality in our tech world, some sources simply throw curveball after curveball on the morning of April ... Fools Day. The most blatant piece of goofery may be a recent Nvidia story, whereby the popular video card manufacturer has allegedly admitted a serious problem with its wares and is ready to replace or even upgrade them at no charge. According to reports -- some of which try their best to keep a "straight face" -- Nvidia's GeForce 8800 GTX and GTS ... (view more)

Ever sit, stewing in mixed emotion as entertainment journalists report on those grab baskets bestowed upon celebrities for attending the Academy Awards? It just seems as though the rich get richer, or at least offered expensive gadgets and ... moisturizers. Now, tech fans can get that very same feeling, with recent word that Microsoft chief Bill Gates will be presented an honorary doctorate from Harvard University, some thirty years after he dropped out of the world-famous college. Gates will be given the doctorate at Harvard's 356th Commencement, which takes place on June 7. He'll also be the ... (view more)

Although it was once the toast of music pirates everywhere -- and exactly the place where many got started -- the original Napster is being laid to rest. It's seen some 30 billion songs (shared) since the protocol was crafted over six years ago, but ... the market has largely changed. As Torrents and iTunes rip offs take over the Internet, the lawyers officially chose to close a chapter of digital media history. According to reports, EMI and financier Bertelsmann have reached a legal settlement that will terminate Napster functionality. For those who missed it, Bertelsmann funded Napster in 2000 ... (view more)

Without a doubt, the most important product release in the computer and general tech world in recent memory has been Vista, Microsoft's latest operating system (OS). In development for a decade, it's meant the employment of some 10,000 MS workers, ... laboring day and night to iron out the many bugs inherent to such an upgrade. However, as hyped as the January 2007 home release of the operating system was, sales have been low. Is this the result of a poor product, or simply the economic and logistical circumstances of the global business environment? According to many insiders, it isn't the ... (view more)

Usually, embarking on a corporate upgrade path that involves fresh software is an expensive venture. It can take millions of dollars to update company computers, pay IT overtime, and train those who might use it. However, with Microsoft's recently ... unveiled Live Search technology, the Redmond-based company is actually offering to pay corporations who integrate it. The handout is rumored to include a $25,000 base provision, with an additional $2 to $10 for every PC using the Live Search. For the time being, Microsoft is looking to try the incentive program with 30 companies in North America, ... (view more)

Is Vista worth it? With all the hoopla, hype, and criticism floating around the 'net since Vista's release, it's no wonder users are confused as to whether the leap to Microsoft's new operating system is a good investment. In a recent article by ... Laptop Magazine, author Jeffrey Wilson wrote that "it's no secret that Microsoft's new operating system offers plenty of additional functionality over XP and gives users a much better experience overall." It's also no secret that Vista has taken some serious heat in recent weeks for a number of issues, the most frequently reported surrounding ... (view more)

Microsoft has recently released its updated Visual Studio 2005 Studio Pack 1 (SP1), a revised edition that promises to allow developers to get the most out of future Windows applications. It steps up the initial developments launched with the first ... version of Visual Studio 2005 SP1, in December. The key components in the December version of Visual Studio included .Net Framework 3.0, which is made up of the Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Workflow, Windows Communication Foundation, and Windows CardSpace. Each of these features have been made exclusively to help developers construct ... (view more)

We've all heard it before. In the past it's been shown that Microsoft's relatively new antivirus software, Windows OneCare Live, struggled to eliminate all of the most recent threats to a user's operating system. Microsoft only released the program ... last year, and it's starting to become apparent that it has much work to do in order to catch up with the competition from longtime industry veterans like McAfee and Norton. Now, a recent test of Trojans and the like revealed that OneCare Live in fact offers the least security of all software on the market. (Source: Slashdot.org ) The test was ... (view more)