Business

Amidst rumors that Microsoft may cut the price of its Xbox 360 in anticipation of the release of the Sony Playstation 3, similar tactics are being employed in the world of PC processing chips. As a tactic to distract consumers from the long-awaited ... release of Intel's Core 2 chip, AMD is drastically slashing prices of its own products, by as much as 46%. (Source: reghardware.co.uk ) Interest in Intel's next-gen chips has been growing in anticipation of the Core 2 release in the next few months, leading AMD to "pipe up" in order that PC users remember their immensely popular Athlon line of ... (view more)

In early June, Google launched its free online spreadsheet program to beta testers. Some say the release of the web-based spreadsheet is a sign of Google's increased exploration into the sector of office software that is currently dominated by ... Microsoft. (Source: macWorld.com ) The spreadsheet service is available to public now that Google has purchased web-based word processing application, "Writely," which delivers an online simulation of a word processor. How it Works Deemed as the "The Web Word Processor", Writely allows users to import Microsoft Word documents along with ... (view more)

With criticism of its recent security software (OneCare Live) and anti-piracy program (Windows Genuine Advantage) taking its toll, Microsoft is showing fatigue. Recently, industry insiders are reporting that the Redmond-based company will not only ... be laying off 214 employees from U.S. sales, but it may also miss shipping Office 2007 on time. Although this is hardly the first time Microsoft has cut staff, it is remarkable for a company that has routinely increased its manpower by thousands each year. Reports from inside the company suggest that of the 214 jobs cut, most are corporate account ... (view more)

With major executives leaving at a time when the company is desperately trying to market an amalgam of new programs and hardware, Microsoft is now trying to repair its public image by announcing a forum-based website where it will share code with ... outside developers. The new measures are in an effort to greater connect programmers and Microsoft, with each side sharing technical information and software know-how. Not All About Love and Roses The website itself, called CodePlex, has been in beta testing for some time. Its ultimate intention is not as interested in the kindness of sharing as it ... (view more)

Taking advantage of its dominant standing in the search engine world, Google is now setting its sights on the online payment market. Rumors abound that Google will announce today its intent to openly take on Paypal, the Internet credit medium that ... has been a hot payment option for -- and major benefactor of -- the popularity of eBay. Sources reveal that Google's first foray into online payments may resemble a simple Internet "wallet", something as simple as a network account (a service already adopted by Yahoo, which allows consumers to store their billing information via the web). However, ... (view more)

Just a few weeks after the major release of its new security system (OneCare Live) and hours after the launch of Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft has lost two of its most recognizable executives: corporate vice president Martin Taylor and original ... Xbox team member Ted Hase. Hase was a co-creator of Microsoft Media Center, and a major reason for its connectivity with the Xbox 360. After sixteen years with Microsoft, Hase may have been tempted by greener pastures. Although there is no clear reason given for his resignation, he admitted, "It's only recently become known that I was leaving ... (view more)

The Windows Live initiative is a fascinating adventure which I've written about previously and includes many different products: mostly online tools. See: Windows Lives beyond Your Computer in 'Web 2.0' Windows Live: Is it Worth It? Windows Live: Is ... it Worth It?, Part 2 In coming months, we will be seeing familiar things taking on this new name and offer additional features. Spaces at MSN (an entity in the blogging industry) is due to morph into "Live Spaces", and the beloved MSN Messenger will be transforming to "Live Messenger." In this article, I want to overview ... (view more)

At the annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, Microsoft unveiled their latest technology in saving and uploading digital photography. Available for Windows XP and the upcoming Windows Vista, Windows Media Photo ("WMPhoto") suggests a ... revolutionized means of compressing digital photos. (Source: news.com ) Presently, digital photos are converted into the JPEG picture file format when stored on the computer: a standard form of file compression. Converting a digital photograph in JPEG format keeps the picture file size small, while maintaining almost the same quality as the original, ... (view more)

Dell has recently been in negotiations with Google to form a partnership which would combine technologies from both companies in a mutually beneficial way. The deal will bundle Google software onto brand new Dell PCs, widening Google's ... ever-increasing dominance in the search engine market. The Google/Dell bundle has been reported to include "desktop software, which integrates a number of personal computing applications, a Google tool bar and a co-branded Internet home page." Four months ago, it was reported that Google was considering to pay Dell up to one billion dollars over a ... (view more)