Microsoft

Microsoft has announced several improvements to its free, online edition of Office, Office Web Apps. It's also announced that, for the first time ever, editing tools will be available to users of the Android operating system. Office Web Apps has ... been available since 2010. It includes online editions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, though it only offers each program's basic features. In contrast, Office 365 boasts complete online editions of the these programs. (Source: pcworld.com ) The advantage of Office Web Apps is that you don't have to install any software but can simply access ... (view more)

A top Microsoft executive has hinted that the Redmond, Washington-based firm may implement significant changes to Windows 8 with Windows Blue, the first major update to Microsoft's newest operating system (OS). Those changes could include making it ... easier for users to access the traditional desktop. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Microsoft Windows business and marketing strategy chief Tami Reller (who replaced Steven Sinofsky last year) said that Microsoft was carefully evaluating the feedback it has received since the launch of Windows 8 in the fall. "The Desktop is ... (view more)

In a new report, tech industry analysts suggest that the world's major electronics retailers have contributed to slow sales of Microsoft's newest operating system (OS), Windows 8 . The problem: retailers didn't make Windows 8's changes clear to ... consumers or do enough to try and help those consumers understand the OS' new user interface. "Windows 8 brought a brand new UI [user interface] that had not fundamentally changed since DOS," noted Moor Insights & Strategy analyst, Patrick Moorhead. "[So] how did big-box retail respond? The same way they have for the last 20 years." "Massive ... (view more)

According to a prominent member of the Lenovo team, Microsoft made a big mistake with Windows RT. In fact, Simon Kent, Lenovo's Think PC and visual category manager, doesn't believe any businesses want to use the slimmed-down version of the Windows ... 8 operating system. Major PC hardware manufacturer Lenovo has been critical of Windows RT before. In fact, the firm has mostly passed on the operating system (OS), which is specially designed for mobile devices like tablet computers. Windows RT Not "What Businesses Want" Even though Lenovo has released a number of tablet devices, it has ... (view more)

Last quarter Microsoft profits were up an impressive 19 per cent when compared to the same period last year. However, the company can credit Office software and the Xbox 360, not Windows 8, for that bump. While Microsoft's Windows division showed ... increases in revenue and profits, The Wall Street Journal notes this income was actually earned in the past, with its reporting deferred for accounting purposes. This involved software that allowed the user to receive a free or reduced-price upgrade at a later date. Microsoft chose to not list the full revenue in its accounts at the time of purchase ... (view more)

After weeks of speculation , Microsoft has finally acknowledged that it is currently working on smaller touch screen devices running Windows 8. So far, most critics appear to approve of the move. In a recent statement, Microsoft chief financial ... officer Peter Klein noted that his firm is "working closely with OEMs on a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows." Klein didn't say what the new tablets would look like or what their specifications would be, but he did note that Microsoft was determined to offer "competitive pricing" for the devices, which will become available "in ... (view more)

According to a new report, Microsoft may be considering reviving the Windows Start Button with the release of Windows Blue , its next major update for the Windows 8 operating system (OS). The report comes to us from ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, a ... prominent industry insider with sources at Microsoft. Foley says she's learned that Microsoft may bring back not just the Start Button -- a landmark navigation tool found in virtually every single previous Windows operating system -- but also the ability to boot straight to the desktop. (Source: pcworld.com ) If true, this would mean a major overhaul of ... (view more)

New reports indicate that Microsoft may be jumping on the 'smart watch' bandwagon. According to The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft suppliers are currently preparing a "watch-style device" prototype. To build the prototype, Microsoft has reportedly ... ordered 1.5-inch displays. Microsoft has not yet commented on the rumor and it remains entirely possible that the firm will decide that marketing a smart watch device is not a good idea. (Source: digitaltrends.com ) Microsoft Smart Watch: Second Attempt It's worth noting that the Redmond, Washington-based firm has explored the idea of developing a ... (view more)

Microsoft recently announced a 15 per cent price cut on Windows 8 for businesses looking to move away from Windows XP. However, experts are now saying that Microsoft faces a tough task in trying to move everyone off the aging operating system (OS). ... Microsoft's "extended support" window for Windows XP ends on April 8, 2014. That gives the firm almost a year to shift between 30 and 40 per cent of all computer users away from the OS. (Source: pcpro.co.uk ) Large Firms Slow to Spend Cash But Betty Junod, director of desktop product marketing at US-based VMware, says that will be a near-impossible ... (view more)

Not sure which Internet search engine to use? Maybe this will affect your decision: according to a new report, Bing search results produce five times more malware-ridden sites than Google search results. The findings come from German antivirus firm ... AV-Test, which says it recently evaluated several search engines, including Google, Bing, Yandex, Blekko, Faroo, Ask Jeeves' Teoma, and Baidu. The security company carried out its tests over a year-and-a-half period and wrapped things up this past February. Popular Twitter, News Topics Used As Search Terms AV-Test used topics found on Twitter, ... (view more)