Microsoft

A Lithuanian software company has created a new Kinect-based, motion-activated user interface that lets people manipulate and manage their bank accounts with a flick of the wrist. Microsoft released its Kinect software developer kit free for ... download last June, allowing developers to create Windows-based applications that can interact with Kinect hardware. Since the kit release, literally thousands of applications have popped up, taking advantage of the Kinect camera- and microphone-based input. Banking does have to be among the most surprising applications, however. A New Spin on "Casual ... (view more)

Microsoft is proposing a new patent that would see its Xbox 360 peripheral, the Kinect, take on the role of a virtual babysitter. It works by automatically restricting a child's access to certain television shows or video games that carry a mature ... content rating. Through the use of its 3D depth camera, the Kinect would be able to measure the bodily proportions of a user and detect whether or not a child is in the room. The entire concept is based on parental control and would be treated as a manageable feature. The system could also be further tweaked to specify certain restrictions and ... (view more)

After much confusion, it appears that Microsoft has finally decided to kill its much-maligned digital music player, the Zune. The confusion comes after a series of announcements and website postings that the Zune would no longer be produced. Posts ... were later retracted, but the latest announcement appears to be final, as it comes from Brian Seitz, senior marketing manager for Microsoft. (Source: pcworld.com ) "We will no longer be producing Zune players," Microsoft noted in a recent statement. The firm added that its new focus in the digital music market would be on the Windows Phone line of ... (view more)

Microsoft says it is rethinking the way the Start Menu will work in Windows 8. It's partly a response to user behavior and partly a recognition that more people will be using touchscreen devices in the future. By default, the Start Menu appears on ... the left-hand side of the screen, either when the user clicks the Windows logo in the bottom left corner, or presses the dedicated Windows key on their keyboard. Fewer Users Use Start Menu, Says Microsoft The Start Menu menu serves several functions by listing recently used applications, commonly used applications, a complete list of all ... (view more)

Microsoft is planning to introduce a rule by which most Windows 8 computers will be unable to run any other system. It should improve security, but could be bad news for users that prefer to have more than one operating system installed on their ... PCs. The new rules will apply to computer manufacturers who want to use the official Windows 8 logo on the machine and in marketing. It's perfectly possible to sell legitimate Windows 8 computers without the logo, but the chances are most major manufacturers will follow the rules. (Source: dreamwidth.org ) Operating System Guarded by Identification ... (view more)

Google's been the top search engine for a long, long time now and that means it rakes in the most cash when it comes to online advertising. Several years ago its main competition in this arena had been Microsoft, Yahoo and America Online (AOL), all ... of which had their own, relatively successful search engines to offer. But Yahoo and AOL have fallen on hard times of late, and in a bid to re-establish themselves both have turned to Microsoft for help. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), all three companies are nearing a deal that would see advertising shared across their websites. For ... (view more)

If you're just dying to see how Windows 8 looks on a tablet computer roughly a year before the upcoming operating system is available to most consumers, then you may want to click on over to auction site eBay. But, be warned: the prices are a little ... shocking. Windows 8 was unveiled about 2 weeks ago at Microsoft's BUILD conference in Anaheim, California. As part of an attempt to woo developers to use the new operating system, Microsoft gave away a number of Windows 8 tablets to those who attended. The tablets run Windows 8 but the hardware is provided by Samsung. (Source: pcmag.com ) Free ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that the default settings for Windows 8 won't support web plug-ins such as Adobe Flash. However, unlike Apple's portable devices, such systems won't be completely blocked. iPhone, iPad Don't Use Adobe Flash Devices such as the ... iPhone and iPad currently do not include support for Flash, which is used for a wide variety of website animations and online video. The reason why these devices don't support Flash is simply because Flash is too prone to bugs and uses too much memory to be suitable for Apple devices, particularly given the company's obsession with providing a ... (view more)

According to a new report, Microsoft may be in negotiations with America's largest cable providers to help create a solid foundation for its upcoming Xbox TV service. Xbox TV was first unveiled back at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June ... of this year. While Microsoft didn't say much about the service at the time, it did announce plans to "partner with TV providers" in order to make the service truly appealing to Xbox 360 users. Microsoft also said that it intended to bring local channels as well as sports and various news networks to Xbox TV. (Source: slashgear.com ) On Demand, ... (view more)

It's likely to be months, if not more than a year, before Windows 8 goes on sale to the general public. But according to Microsoft, a preview copy of the system has already had more than 500,000 downloads. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been making ... several public appearances this week to coincide with the formal public unveiling of the new system at BUILD, Microsoft's conference for hardware and software developers. Ballmer said that although there's a lot of work to do, the core of the system is finished. He said one of the main goals was to make sure that Microsoft's other services -- such ... (view more)