microsoft

Microsoft's feud with the European Union became even more bitter today when regulators hit the firm with another $1.2 billion in fines. This time the penalty was for breaching a 2004 ruling that banned the firm from charging "unreasonable" prices ... for rivals to access software information they needed to produce Windows-compatible programs. Microsoft had been charging 3.87% royalties for all licensed Windows products, and an extra 2.98% to provide the necessary information. Microsoft have now reduced these rates in Europe but maintains them elsewhere. "Microsoft is the first company in 50 years ... (view more)

Late last week, a federal judge reportedly granted class-action status to a lawsuit alleging that Microsoft unjustly enriched itself by promoting PCs as "Windows Vista Capable", even when they could only run the "Vista Home Basic" version of the ... operating system. As an attempt by Microsoft to maintain sales of Windows XP computers during the 2006 holiday shopping season, the "Windows Vista Capable" slogan was emblazoned on PCs after the release of Windows Vista was delayed. At a hearing held two weeks ago, Microsoft lawyers argued that because each consumer who bought a computer labeled as " ... (view more)

Plans for the first major update to Windows Vista are experiencing hiccups. A mini-update had to be withdrawn after causing PCs to endlessly reboot, while Microsoft has had to warn that several popular programs will no longer work once the major ... update is complete. Service Pack 1, the first major revision of the Vista system, is expected to be available to customers next month. It's an important step as many users, particularly those in businesses, wait for the first such update before upgrading to a new operating system (in this case, from Windows XP). The problem came with an automatic ... (view more)

In October of last year, Microsoft launched HealthVault, a free online, encrypted storage area where individuals could manage their own medical record. Now, Google has tabled their own health storage offering called (surprisingly) Google Health. The ... battle for your medical record has begun. Both Google Health and Microsoft's HealthVault provide a secure place to store and maintain health data. The data that can be stored varies but will generally include records of vital statistics (e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, height, weight, etc.), patient family history, and disease or problem-related ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced Xbox 360 users will now be able to legally download games created by other players. While some independent developers already have such games available on their own sites, the new scheme would make titles available through ... the console's built-in online service, Xbox Live. Players will be able to rate and discuss the games. The firm expects around 500 such titles to be available in the service's first year, which starts testing this spring before an official launch nearer Christmas. People wanting to develop a game will have to use dedicated Microsoft software which has ... (view more)

Microsoft is going OpenSource, sort of. On Thursday, the Redmond-based company announced that it would make key components of its application programming interfaces available online; over 30, 000 pages of documentation will be available detailing ... Windows client and server protocols. Before the announcement, software developers had to pay for access to the information, but now the company is hoping this move will make it easier for third-party software makers to ensure their programs will work smoothly on Windows operating systems. (Source: news.com ) Microsoft's decision is motivated in part ... (view more)

Microsoft is giving students free access to some of its leading tools for developing software and creating web sites. The project, called Dreamspark, is designed to encourage pupils to learn the skills needed for a career in the software and ... computing industry. The package includes Visual Studio (a facility for developing software), Expression Studio (which includes graphic and web design tools) and XNA Game Studio (which is used for creating video games). Around 35 million high school students in the US, China and several Western European countries are eligible for the scheme now. School ... (view more)

Microsoft is investing heavily in Mobile phone technology. On Monday, the software giant announced that it had acquired Danger Inc., the company behind popular mobile technology like T-Mobile's Sidekick. "The addition of Danger serves as a perfect ... complement to our existing software and services, and also strengthens our dedication to improving mobile experiences centered around individuals and what they like," said Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, Robbie Bach. (Source: microsoft.com ) In a statement, Microsoft said it sees in Danger a company that has "connected with a ... (view more)

One of the 'big' features reportedly discussed in the early speculation surrounding Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was a kernel upgrade that would supposedly bring Windows Vista into line with the Longhorn kernel used in Windows Server 2008. ... Little if any mention has been made by Microsoft about the kernel update, even as Vista SP1 goes RTM (released to manufacturing). The kernel was updated, but Microsoft appears to be more keen to promote the improvements and enhancements to Vista rather than placing emphasis on a kernel upgrade, which might be seen as a risk to stability. Windows Vista ... (view more)

Yahoo is expected to reject Microsoft's $44.6 billion takeover bid today, believing the offer seriously undervalues the company. But analysts believe Microsoft will not give up easily, and may increase the $31-per-share offer that it proposed ... earlier. Other strategies include a direct offer to shareholders, or an attempt to overthrow Yahoo's board of directors. In the increasing war for online advertising, Microsoft is looking to purchase Yahoo to gain a competitive advantage against dominant ad provider, Google. (Source: nytimes.com ) For its part Yahoo seems willing to stave off Microsoft's ... (view more)