microsoft

Microsoft is getting ready to ditch its instant messaging service. Now that it owns Skype, according to reports, Microsoft will be switching off the Windows Live Messenger service in March, 2013. Windows Live Messenger first became available back in ... 1999, when it was known as MSN Messenger. Back then it was designed as a rival to AOL's highly popular messaging services. The original MSN Messenger service allowed users to chat with other users via text messages in real time without a public chat room, or even email. Over the years, Microsoft added more complicated features, including video and ... (view more)

Microsoft is being accused of failing to display a court-mandated option screen that would allow users of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to select their own Internet browser. Although Microsoft has already remedied the issue, the problem has ... apparently caused Mozilla to lose millions of potential Firefox users. As a result of a European Union antitrust settlement, Microsoft had agreed to present new Windows users with a screen that allowed them to choose a different web browser instead of (or in addition to) Internet Explorer. Microsoft offered the choice screen to new and existing Windows ... (view more)

Windows 8 has a totally new look and feel. But one company says it's not all that original and is suing Microsoft for copyright infringement. Portland tech firm SurfCast is suing Microsoft over its use of "live tiles" on the main display screen, the ... one that appears whenever a user starts up Windows. The tiles are the large rectangular blocks that link to various tools and applications; they're designed to make them easier to use on touchscreen devices. The tiles don't actually have a fixed image or text and they update automatically by using Internet resources. For example, a weather tile ... (view more)

According to a new Associated Press survey of 1,200 U.S. adults, 52 per cent of respondents haven't heard of Microsoft's Windows 8, which officially launched on October 26, 2012. But the numbers may soon increase. Some experts are suggesting the ... results are due to Microsoft's late start in running national television ads. For example, the first Windows 8 TV spot debuted October 15 during a Monday Night Football telecast. In addition, Microsoft has only started its push to convince consumers to upgrade from previous versions of the Windows operating system (OS). The software giant is ... (view more)

Pricing has been announced for a new version of Microsoft Office 365 tailored specifically to university students, staff, and scholars. Microsoft says the software is available as a four-year subscription for $79.99. That works out to about $1.67 ... per month. Microsoft also says any student who continues their education beyond four years (say, by entering a graduate program) can renew their subscription to the software for four more years at the same price. Documents Automatically Saved to the Cloud Office 365 University automatically saves its documents to Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage ... (view more)

Early reviews of Microsoft's Surface tablet computer are beginning to appear online. Though they are mixed, a common theme is that the hardware design is impressive, but the software is a concern. Microsoft's Surface is designed for a niche between ... an iPad and a Windows-based laptop. It ships with only a touchscreen, but with a $100 carry case that includes a physical keyboard it can expand to function like a conventional laptop. The Surface goes on sale October 26, the day Windows 8 is officially released. The first models will run Windows RT, the special version of Windows 8 designed ... (view more)

Microsoft Desktops 2.0 Desktops is a free software utility that allows you to organize your Windows computer applications on up to four virtual desktops. This means you can, for example, read email on one, browse the web on the second, and do work ... in your productivity software on the third, without having to suffer the clutter of windows you're not actively using at the moment. http://microsoft.com MarkdownPad 10.0.30319.1 Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers working on Windows computers. Markdown allows you to write in an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, ... (view more)

According to Microsoft, Windows 8 will be available on 1,000 different computer models. The firm says it has certified that number of unique systems and there are more to come. Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein revealed this information ... in a recent conference call. The call was primarily intended to discuss Microsoft's last fiscal quarter (which ended September 30). It was a disappointing period: According to the Redmond-based software giant, overall revenue dropped eight per cent to $16 billion. That's a significant decline from quarterly revenue numbers during the same period ... (view more)

Microsoft is giving the music scene another try, this time using its popular Xbox franchise to compete with the likes of Apple and Google. The new service includes an international catalog of about 30 million songs. Consumers can listen to any song ... for free on computers and tablets running Windows 8. Or, they can use their Xbox 360 console. Music Marketplace Vastly Different Microsoft's last foray into the digital media distribution arena went poorly. The firm's hardware device, called the 'Zune', was eventually taken off the market after being unable to compete with Apple's iPod. Zune ... (view more)

After months of speculation, we finally know how much Microsoft's soon-to-be-released Surface tablet will cost: $499 and up. The device goes on sale October 26, the same day Microsoft launches its new operating system (OS), Windows 8. Last week ... industry insider Sameer Singh grabbed media attention by suggesting that Microsoft's entry-level version of the Surface running a slimmed-down edition of Windows 8 known as Windows RT would retail for $399 and up. Surface's Storage, Screen Size Compares Favorably with iPad It appears Singh's prediction was somewhat close to the actual price. Microsoft ... (view more)