Microsoft

The most anticipated Microsoft product since the release of Windows 7 this past October has to be the company's next version of MS Office, Office 2010, which is now nearing its final release. The software suite has now entered the "Release ... Candidate" (RC) stage, meaning it's very close to the final version. Office 2010 On Track for June Release According to reports late yesterday, it would seem that Microsoft has now shipped to early testers a nearly complete "release candidate" edition of its highly anticipated Office 2010. That means the program should be available to home and business ... (view more)

Laptop owners who upgrade their Windows XP and Windows Vista machines to Windows 7 are complaining that Microsoft's new operating system (OS) is severely reducing their available battery life. Many users are voicing complaints on Microsoft's TechNet ... forums that after upgrading their notebooks, battery life is dropping from two hours to a half hour. (Source: microsoft.com ) The problem appears to be caused by a new tool Microsoft designed to alert users when their battery needs to be replaced. According to some of the TechNet posts, the alert appears time and time again, even as a battery ... (view more)

With Windows 7 only recently released and by all accounts faring quite well amongst business and home users alike, it's hard to imagine Microsoft plotting the release of Windows 8 for any year in the near future. However, an ex-employee blog ... suggests otherwise. Microsoft's Windows 7 was released only in October (the 22nd, to be exact), and since that time has turned Vista-haters and other critics into big fans of the Windows platform once again. In a recent Windows 7 survey , digital content distributor Steam found that almost 1 in 4 of its users had converted to the new operating system (OS ... (view more)

One of the most crucial mistakes Microsoft made with its 2007 perating system (OS) Vista was fail to convince gamers that the OS was worth an upgrade. Vista, by all accounts, slowed down systems more than necessary, making it one more obstacle in ... the quest to play titles like Crysis at the maximum video frames per second. It seems, however, that the Redmond-based company's attempt to rectify that situation with the new Windows 7 is paying off. According to a recent survey performed by video game download center Steam, users of the increasingly popular operating system account for an ... (view more)

Former Microsoft head Bill Gates has said technology can help the world's poorest people survive and even thrive amidst the economic downturn. But he warned that innovations are often only driven by the prospect of a profitable market. Gates, who ... quit Microsoft two years ago to concentrate on philanthropic work, made the comments in his annual letter to supporters of his charitable foundation. He opened by arguing that innovation "can make the difference between a bleak future and a bright one." (Source: pcworld.com ) Tech Projects Must Be Self-Sustaining The letter warns that without ... (view more)

Microsoft is drawing heavy criticism this morning after it was revealed that the company's Windows Mobile Marketplace could be denying app developers large amounts of money due to flaws in the Redmond-based firm's payment system. Microsoft received ... an overwhelming number of complaints from angry software developers claiming that the company owes them "thousands of dollars" in revenue for their Windows Mobile apps (applications). Even those producers who made changes to their account to qualify for quick payment were said to be denied their rightful earnings. Faulty Payment System to Blame The ... (view more)

Microsoft has made its next move against competitor Google by publicly announcing that it will remove the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of logged searches from its servers after 6 months of storage. Back in September of 2008, search engine ... goliath Google announced it would begin anonymizing IP addresses logged in its servers after nine months, a reduction by half from its previous 18. Cookies would also be removed after this time. Google Critics: Time Frame Still Not Enough Privacy advocates have criticized Google for not doing enough, since the company only bothers to remove the last of ... (view more)

After the German and French governments cautioned against the use of its browser Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft has issued a response that not only looks to reduce the amount of fear that has since surfaced because of the Chinese attacks on ... Google , but also hopes to land the company some added revenue in the process. On their Security Research ... (view more)

The German government has issued an official warning that citizens should avoid using Internet Explorer. It's a response to a recently discovered flaw in the browser that is believed to have been exploited by hackers attacking Google in China. ... Germans Expect Flaw to be Widely Exposed Soon The warning comes from the Federal Office for Information Security, known locally as the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI). The warning, which was translated via Google Translate, read: "The BSI expects that [the Internet Explorer] vulnerability will be used [very soon] for attacks on ...<a href="/news/5401/avoid-internet-explorer-says-german-government" class="more-link">view more

Microsoft is proving that the old adage "If you can't beat them, join them" still holds true. Earlier this month, the company agreed to add a new software license option for U.S. customers called "Rental Rights" that, in a nutshell, allows companies ... to purchase Windows and Office licenses like never before. More than a few companies have expressed their desire to act as a "middle man" in renting or leasing Microsoft software to their customers. An Internet cafe, for example, would be interested in a deal with Microsoft. In failing to strike a compromise in the past, these ... (view more)