Microsoft

After four years of relative quiet, the video game console market is once again heating up. Nearly half a decade after Nintendo set the standard for motion-sensitive gameplay with its Nintendo Wii console, Microsoft is countering with the Kinect ... peripheral for its Xbox 360, and the Redmond-based firm is spending big, big bucks on advertising in hopes that it will be a success. Microsoft to Spend $500 Million On Kinect Advertising According to reports, Microsoft will spend an estimated $500 million on marketing alone in promoting Kinect, a system add-on for its Xbox 360 console. The peripheral ... (view more)

On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled Windows Embedded Automotive 7, a Windows platform specially built for use in new vehicles. The system includes several new features that should drastically enhance the driving experience, including speech recognition ... operations, touch screen controls, hands-free Bluetooth, and perhaps most unique of all, entertainment and information options ranging from satellite maps to music and third-party applications. Bringing Tech Together Behind the Wheel Gartner Industry Advisory Service Manufacturing group vice president Thilo Koslowski says the use of a Windows 7 ... (view more)

High-profile executive and software visionary Ray Ozzie has announced he is leaving Microsoft. It's a move that has prompted great speculation in the tech industry, including whether or not the company will remain effective in its plans for online ... computing. Ray Ozzie a Key Figure of Microsoft Ozzie was Microsoft's Chief Software Architect. That's not a precisely defined term, but one could draw conceptual parallels with the work of a traditional architect: a software architect makes the key design decisions about how software should be built and how it will operate. Given Microsoft's line of ... (view more)

After weeks of wreaking financial havoc on web users around the world, the dreaded Zeus Trojan is finally showing signs of weakness. Microsoft this week announced that their free malware cleaning tool has targeted the virus, going so far as to ... report the removal of Zeus from 275,000 Windows computers in less than 7 days. Zeus, also referred to as Zbot, is a devious collection of software (a " crimeware kit") that allows hackers to create customized malware that can be used to infect PCs. Zeus is most commonly programmed to target usernames, passwords and other information needed to ... (view more)

According to a recent report from Microsoft, the Redmond-based software company removed 6.5 million botnets from Windows machines during the first period of 2010 -- which is more than double the number eliminated by the firm over the same period in ... 2009. Botnets Used to Spam, Spread Malware, Steal Secrets In simple terms, a botnet (or "robot network") is a group of infected PCs that are under control of a few (or 1) individual. Typically, a PC becomes infected by visiting a malicious website, or by opening a malicious file or email. Once a computer is infected with botnet malware, ... (view more)

Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system (OS) has received great reviews since its October 22, 2009 launch, but many home users and businesses continue to employ older versions of Windows, particularly XP. According to a new report, however, the next ... twelve months could prove critical for Microsoft, with predictions that an enormous number of consumers will make the shift to Windows 7. Windows 7 Report Based on September 2010 Poll The report stems from a late September 2010 poll of 115 different IT clients by independent analyst firm Directions on Microsoft. It finds that currently only about ... (view more)

Microsoft yesterday announced that its next monthly security update due on October 12th, popularly referred to as " Patch Tuesday ," will include a record 16 Security Bulletins -- the most ever released at one time by the company. The bulletins ... address a total of nearly 50 vulnerabilities. Almost All Windows Versions Susceptible to Exploits Of the nearly 50 vulnerabilities to be addressed this next Patch Tuesday , four have been rated 'Critical,' Microsoft's most serious designation for security threats. Another ten are marked 'Important,' the second-highest rating, and two more are ... (view more)

When two million people download Microsoft's beta version of Internet Explorer 9 in only two days , many within the company started to believe the browser's declining market share was about to change. Now that the dust has settled, the results are ... beginning to look disappointing for the Redmond-based firm. Internet Explorer Browser Usage Declines Despite the fact that the Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) beta accounts for 0.25 per cent of the current global usage share during the second half of September, the overall share for Internet Explorer managed to slide by three-quarters of a percentage ... (view more)

Less than two months after retiring the Bing Cashback Rewards program on July 30th, 2010, Microsoft has reappeared on the radar with revamped offering. Dubbed "Bing Search Rewards", the scheme uses credits (instead of the previously-used cash ... rebates), as an incentive for those who conduct their online searches with their search engine, Microsoft Bing. Use Bing Search and Get Credits The idea of a rewards-based programs was always near and dear to the heart of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who often spoke on the idea of giving people a reason to use a particular search engine. The ... (view more)

Thus far, hardware makers have been a little slow in bringing out Windows 7-based tablet computers to rival Apple's very popular iPad. But Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says that's about to change, and that several new devices should be on the market ... in time for the holiday season. "You'll see new slates with Windows on them," Ballmer told an audience at the London School of Economics on Tuesday. "You'll see them this Christmas." (Source: informationweek.com ) Big Box Retailer 'Target' to Carry iPad The iPad hit stores way back in April, and within two months Apple had sold approximately three ... (view more)