Microsoft

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has refused to confirm reports that it has cancelled work on a Windows-based tablet computer. In addition, its website still includes promotional material for the device, known as the Slate. Rumors suggested the firm encountered ... several problems with the device: Windows 7 apparently ran slowly and didn't convert well to a touch screen interface, while the Slate's Intel processor soaked up too much power, which could have made a practical battery life difficult to achieve. However, several analysts have noted that posts on an HP blog which deal with the device are still ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed earlier reports that Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) will not run on XP . That's prompted speculation that the company may be using the browser as a way to encourage users to upgrade to Windows 7. Some sources speculated that a ... future update to either the browser or operating system might alter the lack of support for Microsoft's current #1 operating system (OS). But this week Microsoft's Giorgio Sardo confirmed IE9 will never run on Windows XP. Going by the statistics, it seems an odd decision to not have the browser on XP. Even though Windows XP is nine years old and has ... (view more)

Just five weeks after it was forced to release an emergency patch for a zero-day flaw in Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft may again have to consider yet another out-of-schedule fix for an unaddressed problem with its software. In the meantime, the ... upcoming May Patch Tuesday (due next week) addresses just two "critical" issues. Microsoft typically releases a batch of fixes for various software issues and security threats affecting its products on the second Tuesday of every month. In past months, the number of fixes offered have ranged from high to low: in March, the number of vulnerabilities ... (view more)

Amidst news that Google's Chrome has made remarkable strides in chewing up Microsoft's long-time browser market domination, there's now word that both companies have revealed test versions of their upcoming updates for Chrome and Internet Explorer 9 ... (IE9). Google's new Chrome beta comes with some impressive upgrades, including faster and more stable performance, bookmark synching preferences, and various themes and home page customization options. Users will also find that they can implement browser extensions while still engaged in private browsing mode. Google's HTML5 support also gets a ... (view more)

Looking back now, it seems inevitable that Windows 7 would eclipse the much-disliked Windows Vista, released three years ago amidst absentee fanfare. Now, we've got perfect proof of Microsoft's success in improving upon the latter: Windows 7 has now ... passed its predecessor as the most-used operating system (OS) in the world. Impressively, it took just seven months for Windows 7 to achieve that feat. Early predictions had been that it would take the new OS until sometime this summer to pass Vista, but in the end the process was complete only weeks after the ushering in of spring. Compatibility ... (view more)

Microsoft's jubilation over the fact that Windows 7 has surpassed Vista to become the second-most used OS on the planet could be tarnished by the dreadful news concerning their browser, Internet Explorer (IE). According to the most recent figures, ... IE has officially fallen below 60 per cent market share for the first time in its existence. In 2003, Microsoft sat atop the browser market with a whopping 95 per cent market share. The remaining five per cent was impacted by users of other operating system platforms (since Internet Explorer is a Windows-only browser). Seven years later, more than ... (view more)

For most of us, opening a PDF (portable document file) means we're forced to use Adobe Reader, the most prominent application associated with viewing PDF files. Unfortunately, programs like Adobe Reader are often targeted by hackers, and one ... security expert believes Microsoft should offer an alternative for its users. According to Sean Sullivan, security advisor for Finland's antivirus firm F-Secure, Microsoft's competition has already beaten them to the idea. "Apple does this with its Preview [application], and Microsoft should, too," Sullivan said. (Source: computerworld.com ) Security ... (view more)

It would appear two potential rivals to Apple's iPad have been bumped off by their parent companies in just a few days' time. According to reports, Hewlett-Packard's (HP) Slate tablet , which planned to use Windows 7, has been cancelled. The news ... comes less than a week after word that Microsoft had nixed its Courier device. Microsoft admitted last week that it had no plans to release a final version of Courier, a dual-screen, touch screen tablet computer that opened up like an old-timey book and used a stylus for navigation. That wasn't such a huge surprise, since Courier received most of its ... (view more)

Users of Microsoft's popular Windows Messenger will soon notice the company has given the service a dramatic facelift. In a recent preview, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed off several of Messenger's new features, ranging from tabbed conversations ... to high-definition video chat. "The new Messenger will provide a great way to have more meaningful conversations with the people you care about most while also bringing together your social networks and sharing updates, cutting through the clutter, and staying up to date with your favorite friends," Microsoft noted in a recent statement. (Source: ... (view more)

Windows 7 could soon be appearing on television sets and set-top boxes. It's the most high-profile outcome of Microsoft releasing a special edition of the system for standalone devices. For many years, Microsoft has released a completely separate ... version of Windows (called "Windows CE") for devices with limited storage space. What Windows CE does is allow small devices to carry out specific tasks without the hardware requirements -- and potential instability -- of a full-blown Windows operating system. Some examples of technology which use Windows CE are in-flight entertainment ... (view more)