microsoft

Excited about the pending release of Vista for Home users? Well, prepare yourself for this one: there's much speculation that Microsoft's new operating system could be the last based on Windows, with future operating systems branching out into ... incremental updates instead of massive, periodic releases. Why would Microsoft decapitate an ongoing software project that reaps millions upon millions of dollars? Heck, it's something (almost) everyone needs; one might even consider Windows the oxygen of the computer world. The answer? For one, it costs Microsoft almost as much to create an operating ... (view more)

Microsoft Corp. has released three new software patches that will target all Windows systems that have been marked with a "critical" status -- the highest threat level. The new patches are said to resolve complications in Microsoft's Internet ... Explorer web browser, Windows Media Player, and Visual Studios 2005 software, which allow a remote attacker to run malicious code on a victim's computer. (Source: technology.canoe.ca ) Microsoft has also released four additional patches that will target problems that have "important" status. These patches pertain to complications in Microsoft's Outlook ... (view more)

Recently, Microsoft publicly revealed their expectations for the new Zune music player. The company estimates that they are likely to sell one million devices through the first half of the new year. While many within the industry recognize that this ... figure is significantly less than the amount of iPods sold by Apple Computer Inc., those within Microsoft are viewing the estimate as a positive starting point. (Source: technology.canoe.ca ) Microsoft representatives agree that expectations will likely increase in the second half of the new year, once more models are introduced and devices become ... (view more)

Microsoft definitely does not need this. Less than two weeks after a rather successful business launch (that did, however, have its own problems), it has become clear that a crack is available to home users that will exploit one of Vista's features ... and allow pirates to use the system for free, for up to 180 days. Although Microsoft is remaining very, very quiet about the crack (with only a rep or two whispering to the media that there's no evidence to support the rumor), it isn't particularly difficult to find a torrent or two offering it up. The key is for the user to obtain a Windows Vista ... (view more)

Microsoft eagerly entered the digital music player industry earlier this month by releasing the much anticipated Zune. However, the product's place in the company is not yet a perfect fit; in fact, Microsoft's whole strategy with the device seems a ... bit puzzling. The Microsoft Zune, similar to Apple's iPod, exists within an ecosystem that unites music player and music content into a closed system. Clearly, Microsoft's decision to create a closed system reflects the company's aim to mimic Apple's success. However, the move seems to be inconsistent with Microsoft's strategy of encouraging ... (view more)

As the release of Vista nears, so too does the highly-anticipated business tool, Office 2007. With it will come a host of new options and features for corporate users -- so long as they're playing fair. Recently, insiders are whispering more and ... more about the rumored "Kill Switch", first reported here on Infopackets.com back in July . Although we could only speculate on the possibility that the switch would exist via WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) affected Vista PCs, it's now becoming apparent that the same could be true when it comes to Office 2007. (source: zdnet.com ) Back during those ... (view more)

Microsoft sure is having some difficulty with this whole patent business. While the company struggles to calm a stormy sea caused by CEO Steve Ballmer's statement that recent partner Novell is infringing on Microsoft's intellectual property , it ... appears the software giant must now face the loss of patent rights in South Korea, a major Asian market. The problem stems from court cases dating back months, which recently reached a very unfavorable decision for the Redmond-based company. The patent infringement -- in this case -- surrounds a local university professor's claims that he first ... (view more)

Phishers, beware. In the past eight months, Microsoft's anti-phishing initiative has resulted in the filing of 129 lawsuits across Europe and the Middle East, the company said last Wednesday. Phishing activities, in which individuals attempt to ... deceptively obtain sensitive information, such as bank account information by posing as a credible source, have ballooned in the past few years. A recent research report released by Symantec has revealed that the number of attempts to trick individuals into handing over their bank account details has doubled in the first half of 2006. (Source: reuters. ... (view more)

Last summer, Microsoft made a rather big mess of things with WGA, or the Windows Genuine Advantage program. The company had only recently delayed Windows Vista, and the public was primed and ready to jump on them for any other slip ups. That came ... with the aforementioned WGA, MS' attempt to introduce antipiracy software. The problem wasn't necessarily the concept so much as it was the nature in which Microsoft implemented the program. Well, it appears the Redmond-based company has drastically updated WGA, and some of the harshest critics from mid-year are now slightly less annoyed. Although ... (view more)

With the launch of the Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation 3 now underway, the next-gen war between these two gaming powerhouses and Microsoft (producers of the Xbox 360) is now officially on. That should make for some mudslinging in the media and ... ambitious attempts to trump one another in the general gaming realm. However, although the former two systems -- the Wii and PS3 -- are produced by makers who do depend on the success of their consoles, it's surprising to hear Microsoft's Xbox 360 chief Peter Moore tell the media that the software giant (which has its hands in pretty much everything) ... (view more)