Microsoft

Microsoft says it will add the "browser ballot" to European copies of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system (OS). Many observers believe the idea stems from an ongoing investigation of antitrust abuse by the Redmond, Washington-based firm. The ... browser ballot allows Windows 8 users to choose their Internet browser the first time they fire up the new OS. First Browser Ballot Bungled, Badly While Windows 8 is new, the browser ballot idea is not. It was first used with European copies of Windows 7 after smaller browser companies (like Opera or Mozilla) complained that Microsoft was monopolizing ... (view more)

Microsoft has launched a new advertising campaign designed to draw web searchers away from Google and towards the Redmond, Washington-based firm's own Bing search engine. Dubbed "Bing It On," the campaign gives users the ability to find out which ... search service they like better: Google or Bing. Microsoft started the campaign with the new website " bingiton.com ". The site asks visitors to enter five search terms. When they do, it presents them with the top results from both Bing and Google, side-by-side. The user is then asked to pick which results page they prefer. Microsoft Unveils Search ... (view more)

One of the more controversial aspects of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system (OS) is the absence of a Start button. Windows users have become accustomed to this point of reference, which can be used to quickly launch applications, find ... files, and access various control menus within the OS. Reviewers have made a lot of noise lamenting the missing Start button in Windows 8. Now, Samsung appears ready to appease buyers of its own Windows 8 PCs by offering them what Microsoft won't: a Start button. Samsung Unveils Wide Range of Windows 8 Devices This week Samsung has taken to the web ... (view more)

Update 2012/11/13: Save $150 with this special, limited-time version of Windows 7 that is licensed for / can be installed on up to 3 separate PCs. Low stock warning! As expected, stock for the discounted Windows 7 Family Pack is quickly diminishing ... as we inch closer to the Holiday season, and as more unfavorable reviews of Windows 8 are being published online. More about that, plus why this special Windows 7 discount is an excellent bargain is below. First, here's what you need to know. After much research, we firmly believe Amazon is currently offering the best deal for the Windows 7 Family ... (view more)

A "user experience specialist" says Windows 8 suffers from not being designed specifically for desktop and laptop computers. That expert goes so far as to say that performance enhancements associated with the new operating system (OS) might be ... meaningless for most people. Raluca Budiu says the things that are easier to do in Windows 8 aren't the tasks most people will want to do. Budiu, of the user experience consulting firm Nielsen Norman Group, works with clients to measure the ease of using specific websites and operating systems. She made her comments on Windows 8 in an ... (view more)

Microsoft continues to give its products Windows 8-style makeovers as it prepares to release the new operating system in late October, 2012. The latest subject: Microsoft SkyDrive , the software giant's cloud computing service. For those not ... familiar with SkyDrive, it's a cloud storage service that allows users to save important files online and then access them from any Internet-connected device. As with all cloud storage options, SkyDrive offers a great way to back up vital files. However, doing so does involve some risks , too. SkyDrive: Syncs with Office, 7GB Storage Free One of SkyDrive' ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that four companies will sell tablet computers running Windows 8 RT, the version of the Windows 8 operating system (OS) designed for portable devices. A fifth company, Toshiba, has dropped out of that market, due to problems ... acquiring necessary components. Virtually all Windows-based computing devices run on one of two types of processor: Intel's x86 chip and ARM. The former is used in almost all desktop, notebook, and netbook PCs, while the latter forms the core of nearly every tablet computer and smartphone. Although less powerful, ARM processors are more energy ... (view more)

A new report suggests that Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 RT-based tablet computer, Surface , will retail for $199. Observers expect that such a price point is more likely to place Microsoft in direct competition with Google than with Apple. The ... report comes from the prominent tech blog Engadget. It states that the basic version of the 10.6-inch Surface, running on Microsoft's bare-bones Windows 8 RT (or runtime) operating system (OS), will cost $199. (Source: engadget.com ) That's the same price as Google's recently released 7-inch Nexus 7 and the similarly-sized Kindle Fire from Amazon. It' ... (view more)

It will be a busy week for IT administrators as Microsoft rolls out fixes for five critical vulnerabilities in its products -- including both Windows and Internet Explorer -- and as Adobe issues patches for similar flaws in its Reader and Acrobat ... programs. As part of its monthly Patch Tuesday update, Microsoft plans to release nine security bulletins on August 14, 2012. Five of those nine bulletins have been designated "critical", the Redmond, Washington-based firm's highest security rating. Windows, Internet Explorer Receive Updates Those five critical bulletins address serious ... (view more)

There has been quite a lot of discussion in recent months about the integration of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system (OS) with the company's current video game console (the Xbox 360), its next-gen gaming system (code-named "Durango") ... and its online gaming platform, Xbox Live. There are even rumors that the next version of the Xbox (which is expected to get its first unveiling at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, next year) will use an operating system very similar to Windows 8 . Xbox Achievements Makes Games More Fun, Addictive So it's no big surprise that Microsoft has ... (view more)