microsoft

News has been spreading rapidly across the tech world regarding Microsoft's recent decision to hire Jerry Seinfeld, famed comedian and former sitcom star, as its primary spokesman for an advertising campaign designed to sell Windows Vista, the ... company's down-and-out operating system (OS). Released early last year, Windows Vista has undergone some tough times. Repeatedly berated by tech experts for its design flaws that compromise security or generally dampen system performance, the OS continues to be outsold by its predecessor , Windows XP. In the constantly-changing tech world, that's a bit ... (view more)

A performance and metrics researcher reportedly estimates that more than one in every three new PCs -- approximately 35% of over 3,000 PCs -- has downgraded from Windows Vista to Windows XP, either at the factory or by the buyer. The data was ... provided by users to Devil Mountain Software Inc's. Exo.performance.network -- which it kicked off last year and expanded by partnering with InfoWorld -- to come up with their numbers. By collating things such as the vendor and system model number with manufacturer's catalogs, machines were identified that were probably shipped within the past six months ... (view more)

It's no secret that the Olympics are big business. Big for development, tourism, and of course cable networks. Not to be outdone NBC, Microsoft, and Google have joined the drive to bring Olympic coverage to as many people as possible. The trio have ... launched initiatives allowing simplified searches of Olympic events and results. This plan should be welcomed by people on-the-go, who can watch events on their smartphones. It's also handy for those who don't have access to cable TV, and rely on their computers for news and entertainment. How does it work? By downloading a Microsoft web browser, ... (view more)

A new technique has reportedly been developed by two security researchers that bypasses all of the memory protection safeguards in Windows Vista. The tactic is expected to have far-reaching implications for Microsoft the rest of the tech industry. ... Mark Dowd of IBM Internet Security Systems (ISS) and Alexander Sotirov of VMWare Inc. will discuss the new methods they've found to get around Vista's Address Space Layout Randomizations (ASLR), Date Execution Prevention (DEP) and other functions built into Windows Vista by using Java, ActiveX controls and .NET objects to load arbitrary content into ... (view more)

Finally, software tools for those that have difficulty remembering things. Both IBM and Microsoft are currently testing software designed to improve individual memory. Let's face it, people today are overwhelmed with information and data -- so much ... so that they can't process it or retrieve it when needed. The new software will help with that by combining pictures, sounds, dates, times, locations, and text that is recorded through some type of everyday mobile electronic device (like a smart cell phone) and indexed for later retrieval. (Source: computerworld.com ) The IBM version of the ... (view more)

Today's fresh software picks were provided courtesy of Bob Helmer at Shell Extension City. Please note that the below software descriptions are provided solely from the developer and are absent from any guarantee or warranty. You are encouraged to ... review the Shell Extension Software Policy for more details. Ultimate List Of Free Windows Software From Microsoft Fabulous! Microsoft has over 150 FREE Windows and Office Programs available for download -- finding them all is extremely difficult -- until now. http://bhandler.spaces.live.com Clip Guru ClipGuru is for the Windows user who prefers ... (view more)

While Microsoft excitedly tries to sway public opinion by touting that Windows Vista License sales top 180 Million units, Hewlett-Packard (HP) was busy smacking Microsoft down -- reportedly shipping PCs with a Vista Business license but with Windows ... XP pre-loaded in the majority of business computers sold since the June 30 Windows XP execution date established by Microsoft -- casting a lot of doubt over how many copies of Vista have actually been sold. In other words, Microsoft counts a sale for Windows Vista even though the computer manufacturer actually sold Windows XP. It's kind of ironic ... (view more)

After losing its bid to take over rival search engine Yahoo and gain greater influence on the web, Microsoft has shifted its strategy in trying to reach web users. The Redmond-based company announced last week that it will be providing search ... services and online advertising for social networking giant Facebook. No, this is not a case of deja vu. Yes, Microsoft is already working alongside Facebook, but this most recent deal augments their outstanding 2006 advertising agreement in which Microsoft acquired 5 per cent of the social networker for $240 million. (Source: nzherald.co.nz ) How will ... (view more)

Microsoft is funding one of the biggest open-source organisations to the tune of $100,000. But it's not an out-and-out backing of the open-source concept. The software giant is giving the cash to the Apache Foundation, a non-profit group designed to ... co-ordinate several projects including the Apache web server, software that physically handles requests for web pages and the files involved. Apache's web server arguably made the World Wide Web what it is today. At one point, the majority of sites used it and even today it's still the most popular with a 49% market share. Major sites such as ... (view more)

In the technological world, few other phenomena are receiving as much attention as "cloud computing". The concept pertains to files and programs that are stored in places beyond the hard drive, existing exclusively in the air around us (or in ... "clouds"). In actuality, this secured data is stored on some kind of encrypted Internet server. All of us have had at least one previous experience with cloud computing. Anytime you use an Internet-based backup service, an online word processor, or send an email using Windows Live Hotmail you are clouding. Microsoft has been staying ahead of their ... (view more)