Microsoft has taken to the Building Windows 8 Blog in order to detail multiple monitor support in Windows 8. The company has further improved its support in the operating system thanks to the increasing popularity of multiple monitor setups. Features that Microsoft will be adding include multi-monitor desktop backgrounds, panoramic pictures spanning multiple monitors, a
Tag Archives: Microsoft
Microsoft improves multi-monitor support in Windows 8
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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Microsoft Store trims Xbox 360 price by $50
Posted by Gsurface
on May 16, 2012
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The popular gaming platform is now on sale at Microsoft’s online store for anywhere from $ 249 to $ 399 depending on the bundle.
[Read more]
CNET News
About 600,000 L.A. Community College students to get Microsoft Live@EDU
Posted by Gsurface
on May 15, 2012
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The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) will provide email and collaboration applications to about 600,000 students via Microsoft's Live@EDU cloud suite, a project for which it also considered Google Apps for Education.
Computerworld News
Microsoft Redesigns chkdsk For Windows 8, Improves NTFS Health Model
Posted by Gsurface
on May 12, 2012
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MojoKid writes “Microsoft can’t do anything to magically make hard drives stop failing when parts go bad, but Redmond is rolling out a new NTFS health model for Windows 8 with a redesigned chkdsk tool for disk corruption detection and fixing. In past versions of the chkdsk and NTFS health model, the file system volume was either deemed healthy or not healthy. In Windows 8, Microsoft is changing things up. Rather than hours of downtime, Windows 8 splits the process into phases that include ‘Detect Corruption,’ ‘Online Self-Healing,’ ‘Online Verification,’ ‘Online Identification & Logging,’ and ‘Precise & Rapid Correction.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Microsoft Research’s MirageTable brings some augmented reality to your tabletop
Posted by Gsurface
on May 12, 2012
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We got a look at a holographic telepresence project from Microsoft Research earlier this week, but that’s far from the only Kinect-enhanced rig it’s working on these days. This setup dubbed a MirageTable was also shown off at the Computer-Human Interaction conference in Austin, Texas this week, offering a glimpse of one possible future where two people can interact with virtual objects on a table as if they were sitting across from each other (or simply do so on their own). To make that happen, the setup relies on a ceiling-mounted 3D projector to display the images on a curved surface, while a Kinect on each end of the connection both captures the person’s image and tracks their gaze to ensure images are displayed with the proper perspective. You can check it out in action after the break, although some of the effect is lost without 3D glasses.
Continue reading Microsoft Research’s MirageTable brings some augmented reality to your tabletop
Microsoft Research’s MirageTable brings some augmented reality to your tabletop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 07:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Microsoft preps Windows 8 upgrade deal for early June debut, says report
Posted by Gsurface
on May 12, 2012
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Microsoft will reportedly kick off a Windows 8 upgrade program for buyers of Windows 7 PCs in early June.
Computerworld News
Microsoft Bing goes social in search war with Google
Posted by Gsurface
on May 11, 2012
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Microsoft’s move to boost Bing’s social networking feaures could finally give it an opportunity to truly take on Google’s dominant search engine, analysts say.
Computerworld News
Microsoft returning Windows to ‘the digital dark ages’?
Posted by Gsurface
on May 11, 2012
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Microsoft revamps Bing to include interactive social sidebar
Posted by Gsurface
on May 11, 2012
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Bing will soon include a search interface that offers social search results in a separate column to the right of the returned links, Microsoft said on Thursday.
Computerworld News
Microsoft touts Windows 8′s ability to detect, fix hard disk problems
Posted by Gsurface
on May 11, 2012
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Microsoft has revamped the way Windows 8 monitors hard disk operations and detects problems in an effort to make the diagnostic and repair process less intrusive and disruptive, even as disk capacity continues to balloon.
Computerworld News
Rumor: Microsoft bringing Internet Explorer to Xbox 360
Posted by Gsurface
on May 10, 2012
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The Xbox has always been pretty Internet-focused, but over its lifetime the Xbox 360 has become the media and social hub that Microsoft dreamed of in the early 2000s. There’s just one thing missing: a real web experience. According to unsubstantiated claims from The Verge, the company is planning on bringing the ubiquitous Internet Explorer
Microsoft gives Windows 8 developers a head start on Windows Store app submissions
Posted by Gsurface
on May 10, 2012
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If you’ve been jonesing to get your app into the Windows Store and don’t want to compete for attention with the developing masses when Windows 8 ships, Microsoft might just have your ticket to the front of the line. Developer Evangelist Matt Harrington is offering a fast track for developers that write a “great” app, contact him through his blog and meet all the app submission conditions needed to get Microsoft’s rubber stamp. Along with receiving a token to enter the store well ahead of most others, those privileged few who clear the hurdles can get help from a Microsoft engineer to give their Windows 8 apps that extra polish. When the development floodgates open to everyone is still an unknown, although a handful of workshops between May 11 and June 8 should give app writers an edge in getting started.
Microsoft gives Windows 8 developers a head start on Windows Store app submissions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Microsoft Makes Ambitious Carbon Neutral Pledge
Posted by Gsurface
on May 8, 2012
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Qedward writes “Chief operating officer Kevin Turner says Microsoft will be ‘carbon neutral across all our direct operations including data centers, software development labs, air travel, and office buildings’ from July 1, the start of the 2012 fiscal year. Turner added: ‘We are hopeful that our decision will encourage other companies, large and small, to look at what they can do to address this important issue.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Microsoft touts 98-percent ‘Smoked by Windows Phone’ success rate, a few beg to differ
Posted by Gsurface
on May 8, 2012
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Microsoft’s “Smoked by Windows Phone” challenge has been long on claims that Windows Phone can outrace your smartphone platform of choice in day-to-day tasks, but it’s been short on hard numbers. Until now, that is. Company Evangelist Ben Rudolph claims that over 50,000 smartphones — or 98 percent of all contenders — have been beaten in the challenges since the company started running them back at CES, with just 638 people having proved their devices faster at a trade show or a Microsoft Store. That’s good news for advocates, although it doesn’t come without its share of controversies over fairness and whether or not the challenges overlook the advantages of your Android phone, BlackBerry or iPhone. Ultimately, the real challenge for Microsoft may be translating those successes into real improvements for its so-so market share.
Microsoft touts 98-percent ‘Smoked by Windows Phone’ success rate, a few beg to differ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Windows Phone Blog | Email this | Comments
Engadget
US judge lets Microsoft continue to sell products with disputed patents
Posted by Gsurface
on May 8, 2012
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A U.S. judge has declined to lift an unusual order that prevents Motorola Mobility from enforcing a ban in Germany on the sale of Microsoft's Windows 7 OS and XBox 360.
Computerworld News
Is Google the New Microsoft?
Posted by Gsurface
on May 6, 2012
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ericjones12398 writes “Google’s come up with its solution for Dropbox: If you can’t buy ‘em, copy ‘em. The search engine and online advertising giant replaced its popular Google Docs service with Google Drive, a cloud computing storage service designed to directly compete with start up Dropbox. This raises the question, has Google become the new Microsoft? Us ancient folk who remember the 1990s and the Microsoft anti-trust trial can certainly notice some parallels. A big, dare we say monolithic, company doesn’t bother innovating on its own. It just waits for other companies to innovate, makes some changes for legally significant distinctions and enters into competition with the innovator. Sound familiar?
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Microsoft: Macs ‘Not Safe From Malware, Attacks Will Increase’
Posted by Gsurface
on May 5, 2012
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An anonymous reader writes “Microsoft researchers have analyzed a new piece of Mac malware that uses a multi-stage attack similar to typical Windows malware infection routines. In a post titled ‘An interesting case of Mac OSX malware’ the Microsoft Malware Protection Center closed with this statement: ‘In conclusion, we can see that Mac OSX is not safe from malware. Statistically speaking, as this operating system gains in consumer usage, attacks on the platform will increase. Exploiting Mac OSX is not much different from other operating systems. Even though Mac OSX has introduced many mitigation technologies to reduce risk, your protection against security vulnerabilities has a direct correlation with updating installed applications.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Microsoft reminds users of Windows Mobile Marketplace’s imminent demise
Posted by Gsurface
on May 4, 2012
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It truly is the end of an era. In just under two weeks, Microsoft will follow through with its plan to shutter the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace for good. In a cautionary email, Redmond asked that those still using a WM device “install any available updates in advance of the [...] shut-down,” scheduled for May 17th. Not all hope is lost for the antiquated mobile operating system, though, as the announcement reminds technology holdouts that application updates can be acquired directly from developers (good luck with that). If you’re out on the town this evening having a few drinks with friends, remember to pour one out for Windows Mobile, a true OG smartphone operating system.
Microsoft reminds users of Windows Mobile Marketplace’s imminent demise originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Microsoft boots Chinese firm for leaking Windows exploit
Posted by Gsurface
on May 4, 2012
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Microsoft identified a Chinese security partner as the source of a leak last March in its highly restricted vulnerability information-sharing program.
Computerworld News
Microsoft Carves Out a Nook
Posted by Gsurface
on May 4, 2012
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What to make of Redmond’s $ 300 investment?
I’ve called Microsoft’s alliance with Facebook a “tech bromance”; this week’s news of Microsoft’s partnership with Barnes and Noble looks more like a marriage. It has a $ 300 million dowry, for one thing.
Microsoft breaks down Windows 8′s Media Center upgrade path, Dolby codec support
Posted by Gsurface
on May 4, 2012
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Many in the Windows Media Center community were afraid that Windows 8 would mark the end of Media Center, while others thought it would be like Notepad — present, but unchanged. In the end both were wrong as Microsoft announced Media Center would be available as an add-on to Windows 8. Until now though, we didn’t know exactly how that process would work. Steven Sinofsky outlined on the Building Windows 8 blog how users will be able to use Add Features to Windows 8 in Control Panel and purchase the same great Media Center experience that was included in Windows 7 Premium and Pro. The price is still unannounced but is expect to be “in line with marginal costs” — whatever that means. The price paid will cover the royalties for the required codecs to support broadcast TV and DVD playback (DVDs still won’t play in Media Player). One codec that will be supported in all version of Windows 8, but will require the computer maker to license the codec directly, is Dolby Digital Plus. So yeah, something else that was included in Windows 7 for free. We’re glad it’s there, but wish we’d get something new for the new premium price. Like most, we’ll probably hold on to our Windows 7 HTPC a little bit longer.
Continue reading Microsoft breaks down Windows 8′s Media Center upgrade path, Dolby codec support
Microsoft breaks down Windows 8′s Media Center upgrade path, Dolby codec support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 20:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Building Windows 8, Dolby | Email this | Comments
Engadget
Microsoft to retire Windows Live brand ahead of Windows 8 launch
Posted by Gsurface
on May 3, 2012
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Microsoft will retire the Windows Live brand as it gets ready to release what it describes as a more connected set of online consumer services with the launch of its Windows 8 operating system.
Computerworld News
Microsoft to drop Windows Live branding with Windows 8
Posted by Gsurface
on May 2, 2012
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Microsoft is attempting to bring a semblance of order to its currently confusing Windows application and services story.
[Read more]
CNET News
Twilio Rising: Microsoft Inks Deal To Offer Voice, Messaging APIs To ‘Tens Of Thousands’ Of Azure Developers
Posted by Gsurface
on May 2, 2012
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A potentially big move forward for cloud-based telephony API startup Twilio — and an intriguing development for Microsoft, given its would-be ownership of Skype: Twilio and Microsoft have formed a strategic alliance to offer Twilio’s APIs to developers on the Windows Azure platform.
The offering will cover both Twilio’s voice and messaging services, and Twilio is sweetening the deal by giving developers a credit of 1,000 free text messages or inbound voice minutes when they sign up.
TechCrunch
After legal tussle, Google beats Microsoft for large US contract
Posted by Gsurface
on May 2, 2012
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The U.S. Department of the Interior has picked Google Apps to provide cloud-based email and collaboration applications to about 90,000 staffers, choosing Google's services over Microsoft's Office 365.
Computerworld News
Microsoft mute on Nook app’s bundling with Windows 8
Posted by Gsurface
on May 1, 2012
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Microsoft on Monday declined to say whether Barnes and Noble’s Nook app for Metro will be embedded into Windows 8 or Windows RT.
Computerworld News
Microsoft to take closer look at "racy" apps on Marketplace
Posted by Gsurface
on May 1, 2012
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Microsoft will from now on be paying more attention to the icons, titles, and content of apps on Marketplace, and expects them to get more subtle and modest in the imagery used, the company said in a blog post on Monday.
Computerworld News
Australian Price Gouging Inquiry Targets Apple, Microsoft And Others
Posted by Gsurface
on April 30, 2012
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Getting a new laptop or buying a new license for an operating system is often cheaper in the U.S. than in most other countries. Europeans, for example, are used to paying a hefty premium for Apple products and the situation is similar in Australia, where the cheapest MacBook Air currently costs about 15% more than in the United States. Now, however, the Australian government is starting a parliamentary inquiry into these pricing schemes. According to Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald, the politicians behind this inquiry hope that calling these companies out publicly will result in prices dropping.
TechCrunch
Microsoft links Metro theme to jQuery Mobile, Windows Phone
Posted by Gsurface
on April 30, 2012
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With Microsoft Open Technologies release, websites and mobile apps can use Metro style
Computerworld News
Microsoft invests in new Barnes & Noble unit, settles litigation
Posted by Gsurface
on April 30, 2012
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Microsoft will invest $ 300 million in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary, which will include the digital Nook and College businesses of Barnes & Noble, the companies said in joint statement on Monday.
Computerworld News
Microsoft Makes $300M Investment In New Barnes & Noble Subsidiary To Battle With Amazon And Apple In E-books
Posted by Gsurface
on April 30, 2012
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Barnes & Noble has found a new, major partner in its fight to get an edge over Amazon and Apple in the heating up market for e-books and the devices being used to consume them: it is teaming up with Microsoft in what the two are calling a strategic partnership, name yet to be determined. It will come in the form of a new subsidiary of B&N that will include all of its Nook business as well as its educationally-focussed College business that will see Microsoft make a $ 300 million investment in the subsidiary, valuing the company at $ 1.7 billion in exchange for around 17.6 percent equity in the subsidiary.
The news leaves the door open for B&N to eventually spin these off into a separate business altogether — or sell them to Microsoft. And it leaves a big load of questions about what B&N will do next with the Nook, which is build on a forked version of Google’s Android platform.
TechCrunch
Not Just Apple, How Microsoft Sidestepped Billions In State Taxes
Posted by Gsurface
on April 29, 2012
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reifman writes “Apple’s not the only company to save billions in taxes through Nevada as The New York Times reported yesterday. Here’s how Microsoft’s saved $ 4.37 billion in tax payments to Washington State and how it’s led indirectly to $ 4 billion in K-12 and Higher Education cuts since 2008. 18% of University of Washington freshman are now foreigners (because they pay more) up from 2% six years ago. Washington State ranks 47th nationally in 18-24 yo college enrollment and 48th in K-12 class size. This hasn’t stopped the architect of the company’s Nevada tax dodge from writing in The Seattle Times: ‘it’s [Washington] state’s paramount duty to provide for the public education of all children. Unfortunately, steady declines in public resources now threaten our ability to live up to that commitment.’ Yes, indeed.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Microsoft fixes Hotmail password glitch
Posted by Gsurface
on April 29, 2012
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Microsoft has quashed a glaring bug in its Web-based Hotmail email software that allowed Firefox users to easily reset the password another user’s Hotmail account, effectively locking them out of access to their own email. Luckily, it seems like it was a pretty simple fix because it went from being discovered to being patched in
Woz: Microsoft might have reincarnated Steve Jobs
Posted by Gsurface
on April 29, 2012
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Apple’s co-founder says there’s “no contest” between the prettiness of Windows Phones interfaces and those of Android phones. Indeed, he says Microsoft, to make them so pretty, might have had help from above.
[Read more]
CNET News
Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive — What does moving to the cloud mean?
Posted by Gsurface
on April 29, 2012
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Microsoft backs away from CISPA support, citing privacy
Posted by Gsurface
on April 28, 2012
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Microsoft has been counted as a supporter of CISPA since the beginning. Now the company tells CNET any new law must allow “us to honor the privacy and security promises we make to our customers” and protect “consumer privacy.”
[Read more]
CNET News
Facebook and Microsoft: An IP Bromance
Posted by Gsurface
on April 26, 2012
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Facebook pays $ 550 million for patents.
What should we call them, Brangelina-style? Facesoft? Microbook? Signs of Facebook and Microsoft’s close ties emerged again yesterday, when the two companies jointly announced that Facebook would fork over $ 550 million to Microsoft to acquire many of the patents that the Redmond company had bought from AOL a few weeks ago for $ 1.065 billion.
Pegatron Corp. Signs Patent Agreement With Microsoft Over Android, Chrome OS Devices
Posted by Gsurface
on April 25, 2012
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Microsoft snagged another one. Pegatron is the latest company to sign a patent agreement with Microsoft concerning Android and Chrome devices. The exact terms of this agreement was not disclosed, but according to a press release issued this morning, Microsoft will receive royalties from Pegatron under this agreement.
Microsoft’s aggressive strategy to license its patents for Android devices is loaded subject. On the surface it looks like extortion. Google thinks so. But Google is also the company that built the Android platform, seemingly ignoring key patents held by Microsoft. Sure, Microsoft is trailing far behind in the mobile races, but by licensing patents it holds to competitors, the company is just utilizing its assets to make a few bucks. That’s not cheating. That’s playing smart.
TechCrunch
Windows 8 ‘Release Preview’ coming out in June, Microsoft says
Posted by Gsurface
on April 25, 2012
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Microsoft slates Windows 8 ‘release preview’ for early June
Posted by Gsurface
on April 24, 2012
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Microsoft’s top Windows executive today said that the company will ship an almost-complete version of Windows 8 the first week of June.
Computerworld News
Facebook to pay Microsoft $550M for AOL patents
Posted by Gsurface
on April 24, 2012
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Facebook on Monday continued its latest spending spree by agreeing to pay Microsoft about $ 550 million for some 650 former AOL patents and patent applications.
Computerworld News
The Slow Decay Of The Microsoft Consumer
Posted by Gsurface
on April 24, 2012
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Five years ago, Microsoft reported revenue of $ 14.398 billion. They reported a profit of $ 6.589 billion. Last week, for the same quarter, Microsoft’s revenue was $ 17.407 billion. Their profit was $ 6.374 billion. The company is still growing, but not fast. And they’re actually making less money.
Compare that with Apple. Five years ago, revenue was $ 7.1 billion. Profit was $ 1.0 billion — the first quarter with a billion dollar profit in company history. Last quarter, the company reported $ 47 billion in revenue. And they recorded $ 13 billion in profit.
On the surface, an apples-to-oranges comparison, perhaps. But it points to something that has happened. Apple has completely taken over the consumer market, while most of Microsoft’s growth these days comes from the enterprise side of things. Apple has destroyed Microsoft as a consumer technology company.
TechCrunch
Windows Phone Exec Gavin Has Kim Left Microsoft For Security-Focused NQ Mobile
Posted by Gsurface
on April 23, 2012
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Gavin Kim certainly knows how to keep things interesting. After spending years at Samsung and winding up as the company’s VP of Content and Services, Kim jumped ship to take point on Microsoft’s Windows Phone marketing efforts only to resign his post after five months.
So what greener pastures has tempted Kim this time? As it turns out, he has found himself a new home at NQ Mobile (formerly known as NetQin), a provider of mobile security services and applications where he will fill the newly created Chief Product Officer post.
TechCrunch
Microsoft gets bad rap from former employee
Posted by Gsurface
on April 23, 2012
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An ex-worker vents frustration with his old company over what he sees as numerous layers of management and non-stop, unproductive meetings.
[Read more]
CNET News
Microsoft applies for low-powered interactive second display system patent
Posted by Gsurface
on April 22, 2012
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Oh patent applications… where creative ideas dance shoulder to shoulder with ill-conceived folly. Which do we have here today? We’re not sure. What we are sure of, however, is that someone at Microsoft has applied for a patent that describes a device with two screens. Not that old chestnut, but the second screen being of lower-power, like e-ink, and displaying different information based on the state of the first one (i.e. is it against your face or not.) The not-to-be-trusted images illustrate the second screen covering the back of a device and displaying a clock, or other such user specified info. The app does state that it would continue to display info, even if the device was in a sleep mode, and describes a non-flat contour. If you were to read into it, it might sound like rear e-ink phone housing, but if this ever comes to pass, it’ll likely be with a little bit of dressing down, so don’t get too excited.
Microsoft applies for low-powered interactive second display system patent originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Patent Bolt | USPTO | Email this | Comments
Engadget
Microsoft Patent Hints At Search Results Tailored To User’s Mood, Intelligence
Posted by Gsurface
on April 21, 2012
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theodp writes “A newly surfaced Microsoft patent application, reports GeekWire, describes a ‘user-following engine’ that analyzes your posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to deduce your mood, interests, and even your smarts. The system would then automatically adjust the search experience and results to better match those characteristics, explains Microsoft, such as changing the background color of the search interface to suit your mood, or bringing back only those search results that won’t strain your feeble brain. From the patent application: ‘In addition to skewing the search results to the user’s inferred interests, the user-following engine may further tailor the search results to a user’s comprehension level. For example, an intelligent processing module may be directed to discerning the sophistication and education level of the posts of a user. Based on that inference, the customization engine may vary the sophistication level of the customized search result.’”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Did Microsoft run out of time with Windows RT?
Posted by Gsurface
on April 21, 2012
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Microsoft may have simply run out of time with Windows RT as it tried to keep up with rivals Apple and Google, an analyst said today.
Computerworld News
Go ahead, bring your Windows 8 gadgets to work, says Microsoft
Posted by Gsurface
on April 21, 2012
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Employees are bringing their personal laptops, tablets, and smartphones to work rather than using the devices assigned to them by the organization they work for. No problem, the company says.
[Read more]
CNET News
Microsoft Q3 revenue grows almost across the board, beats Wall Street expectations
Posted by Gsurface
on April 19, 2012
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Microsoft revenue grew across most of its businesses in the third quarter, with the exception of its entertainment division, but profit fell slightly, the company said on Thursday.
Computerworld News
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