Posts tagged with microsoft
Microsoft Faces Lawsuit Over Xbox Memory Card Ban
Posted on November 24, 2009 8:49 AM
Datel Design & Development, the manufacturer of Max Memory cards for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console, has filed a complaint against Microsoft, accusing it of violating antitrust law. The company isn’t happy that Microsoft released a software update earlier this month that stops gamers from storing data on unlicensed memory cards. Datel Design and Development is seeking unspecified damages, and you can check out the (PDF) documents online.
Microsoft Offering Money To de-Google Content (Rumor)
Posted on November 23, 2009 7:20 AM
It’s no secret that Rupert Murdoch isn’t too happy with Google making News Corp content or partial content widely available to everybody, so what would Microsoft have to gain for a potential deal with News Corp? Well, word on the street is that Microsoft might be offering to pay News Corp to de-index its news sites from Google, which would probably drive folks searching for News Corp sites to Microsoft’s Bing. If that becomes reality, folks in the UK would probably notice that The Times and The Sun will no longer appear on Google News. Considering that Murdoch has previously threatened to remove News Corp content from Google, this might be an added incentive for him to carry out such a threat.
Microsoft Not Worried About Xbox Lawsuit
Posted on November 23, 2009 7:14 AM
If there were about 1 million angry gamers who might want to sue you, most folks would be running and screaming for their mommy, but not Microsoft. Despite the possibility of facing a class-action lawsuit, a Redmond spokesperson has stressed that Microsoft is well within its legal rights to ban users from the Xbox Live as modifying an Xbox 360 is apparently a violation of the Xbox Live Terms of Use. Regardless of whether it’s legally right or wrong, Microsoft isn’t scoring any brownie points with gamers at the moment. Check out the details of the lawsuit here.
Modified Vaio UX Is Awesome
Posted on November 22, 2009 8:35 AM
Do you think that the VAIO UX series UMPC is old fashioned and boring? Well, check out what some folks over at MicroPCTalk did to the UX490 (the latest UX model from Sony, which was released back in November 2007). Modifications include:
- The original 48GB SSD has been replaced with a 128GB SSD
- Core 2 Solo U2200 1.2GHz processor replaced with a Core 2 Duo U7700 1.33Ghz processor, overlocked to 1.438GHz
- Included E169 Huawei terminal for 3G
- Quad-boots Mac OSX Leopard, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Vista Business and Windows XP Pro
Microsoft Denies NSA Backdoor In Win7
Posted on November 21, 2009 9:45 AM
Microsoft has rejected claims that it deliberately put a backdoor in Windows 7 at the request of NSA (National Security Agency) which would allegedly allow NSA to spy on users. Some parties are also concerned that Microsoft might be compelled to do so as the US government is one of its most important customers, though other experts note that the consequences of allowing such a thing to be included could be even more severe. Do you think Microsoft would put such a function into Windows 7? Drop us a comment and let us know what you think.
Microsoft Gives Away Acer Tablet PC
Posted on November 21, 2009 8:58 AM
Folks who attended Microsoft’s PDC09 (Professional Developers Conference) should be rather happy, as Steven Sinofsky, Windows and Windows Live Division President, announced that all of the PDC09 attendees will be receiving a free Acer Aspire 1420P Convertible Tablet PC. The free tablet was supposedly to show Microsoft’s gratitude towards all of the PDC attendees and the support that the developers gave Microsoft during the Windows 7 release. In case you were wondering, the features of said laptop include:
- Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit edition
- Intel Celeron 1.2GHz
- 2GB RAM
- Intel graphics
- 3G mobile broadband
- 250GB hard disk
- 11.6-inch screen
Microsoft Windows 8 set for 2012 release
Posted on November 20, 2009 8:58 PM
With Windows 7 having been released nearly a month since today to rave reviews worldwide, it does make us sit up and take notice that Microsoft has plans to roll out Windows 8 in 2012 - that's a mere 3 years since Windows 7 was launched, keep in sync with Microsoft's rhythm of releasing major and new software every four years apart. What do you think of this move? Will Windows 7 have the longevity that XP had to throw things off course?
Windows Mobile 7 could arrive in March 2010
Posted on November 20, 2009 7:50 AM
Word has it that Microsoft will roll out Windows Mobile 7 in March sometime next year, and we sure as heck hope that Microsoft doesn't botch this one up considering how far Windows Mobile already is behind the game where smartphone operating systems are concerned. Hopefully Windows 7 is an omen of things to come, as healthy competition will always benefit the consumers at the end of the day.
IE9 To Try And Close Performance Gap
Posted on November 19, 2009 1:30 AM
Microsoft has finally given out some details regarding its next browser – Internet Explorer 9. It seems that the main thing that they will be touting is the boost in JavaScript speed, which has always been far behind the other browsers. Apparently JavaScript speed is almost as fast as competing browsers. Aside from then, the Acid3 scores have improved from 24/100 to 32/100, but it’s certainly worth noting that Chrome and Safari score 100/100 and Firefox 3.6 beta hits 92/100. Regardless of whether IE9 can match the other browsers or not, it’s still good to see Microsoft actively working on improving IE, rather than just letting it hang stagnant there like IE6 did for so many years.
Microsoft Office 2010 and Office Mobile Public Betas
Posted on November 18, 2009 10:58 AM
Today, Kurt DelBene, Senior Vice President of the Office Business Productivity Group, announced the release of the public betas of Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft Visio 2010, Microsoft Project 2010, Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 (for Windows Mobile 6.5), and Office Web Apps. The betas can be downloaded at: www.microsoft.com/2010.
Microsoft Windows Marketplace app for older handsets
Posted on November 16, 2009 10:22 PM
Microsoft has introduced its Windows Marketplace app for older Windows Mobile handsets that are powered by versions 6.0 and 6.1 of the operating system. This is due to the fact that Windows Mobile 6.5 devices already come with Windows Marketplace pre=loaded. This free download application will work for both touchscreen and traditional handsets, where users can browse and download relevant appls from the store.
Windows Mobile Loses Serious Market Share
Posted on November 15, 2009 10:19 AM
According to market researcher Gartner, Windows Mobile lost a whole 28 percent of its smartphone market share between last year’s Q3 and this year’s Q3, dropping from 11 percent to 7.9 percent. Apple’s iPhone unsurprisingly rose from 12.9 percent to 17.1 percent, as did RIM’s share jump from 16 percent to 20.8 percent. Symbian’s share dropped about 10 percent from 49.7 to 44.6, and Google’s Android stands at 3.9 percent share. With the recent rise of Android’s popularity, Microsoft might need to buck up or risk losing more business.
Windows 7 Product Activation Bypassed
Posted on November 14, 2009 8:47 AM
We all know that it was only a matter of time before the antipiracy protection in Windows 7 would be bypassed, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone to hear the news that some savvy folks how managed to find a way around the activation mechanism, allowing users to turn the notifications off, and use the product indefinitely, despite the software not being confirmed as legitimate. Microsoft has released a statement acknowledging the workaround and claim that its already working to address it.
Google Docs To Catch Up With MSOffice
Posted on November 13, 2009 10:00 AM
Will Google be launching a serious assault against Microsoft Office in 2010? Well, from the information gleaned from a recent interview with president of Google’s enterprise division, Dave Girouard, it certainly seems like the company intends to try. While acknowledging that Google Docs is much less mature than Google Mail or Calendar, Google is certainly working on it, and is expected to mount a challenge against Microsoft Office after some 30 to 50 updates have been implemented. Google Docs is already great as it is, and we’re certainly looking forward to the updates.
Xbox 360 console ban is irreversible
Posted on November 12, 2009 9:24 AM
Xbox 360 owners who found themselves cut off from Microsoft's Xbox Live service are on the path of no return as they will need to purchase a whole new console if they ever want to get their online action back again. According to Microsoft, banned machines will be permanently barred and "unable to connect to Xbox Live" as affected consoles do not have any recourse for terms of use violations. This amounts up to a million gamers missing out from Xbox Live - yes, that many people have modified their consoles to handle pirated games.
Windows 7 Took Some Hints From MacOS?
Posted on November 12, 2009 12:27 AM
Word is going around the Internet that Microsoft’s partner group manager, Simon Aldous, stated that try tried to imitate the Mac look and feel with Windows 7. Specifically, sources online quote him saying “What we've tried to do with Windows 7--whether it's traditional format or in a touch format--is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics.” Not too long after that, The Windows team refuted those claims, and posted it on their blog. Would you mind if Windows 7 tried to copy OSX? To be honest, as long as we get good features and stability, you’re not going to complain over who is copying who, right?
Project Natal to launch earlier than expected
Posted on November 11, 2009 9:40 AM
Word has it that Microsoft's Project Natal will be rolling out earlier than expected, where 5 million manufactured Natals would be prepared for a worldwide launch in November 2010, where some of them will be standalone releases while others will come in Xbox 360 bundles. The price could be the sore thumb here, where numerous meetings among Microsoft executives have not decided on a concrete price point just yet, leaving it to hover between $50 and $80 alongside 14 bundled games. How much are you willing to fork out for Project Natal when it arrives?
Microsoft Comes Up With Bing Video
Posted on November 11, 2009 8:45 AM
Microsoft and Google seem to be competing more and more in the same market space, so it’ll certainly be interesting to see how things work out in the long run. Now it seems that MSN Video will be merged into the Bing umbrella, giving birth to Bing Video, probably something that can face up to YouTube? The competition might not be so straightforward though, as the site will offer viral videos, full-length TV shows, and draw on content deals with sites such as Hulu, CBS, MySpace, DailyMotion and YouTube.
Hacked Xboxes Get Cut Off From Xbox Live
Posted on November 11, 2009 7:15 AM
In a move that certainly won’t go down well with a lot of people, Microsoft has started to cut off gamers from its Xbox Live service for modifying their consoles to play pirated games. It’s been estimated that as many as 600,000 games will be affected by this move. Microsoft describes it as a “small percentage” of the 20m Xbox Live users, but angering 600, 000 users can’t be a good move, albeit piracy isn’t very nice either. Do you have a modified Xbox console? Did this move affect you? Drop us a comment and let us know.
Samsung To Drop Symbian In 2010
Posted on November 11, 2009 7:10 AM
In what will certainly be a painful blow to Symbian, Samsung’s senior VP, Don Joo Lee, has confirmed that the company will ditch Symbian from its smartphones in 2010, replacing it with the recently announced Bada. Samsung will continue to use Android and Windows Mobile, but analysts predict that the use of Windows Mobile in Samsung phones will drop significantly next year, and become just a minority by 2012. If you had your choice, which OS would you pick?
