Microsoft

Steven Sinofsky, chief of Microsoft's Windows division, is leaving the company. His former position will now be shared by two other Microsoft executives. Sinofsky had been in his position since 2009, and has been with Microsoft since 1989. He spent ... much of his career working on the Microsoft Office suite, then later spearheaded development of Windows 7, an operating system widely considered a major success. During his work on both Windows 7 and Windows 8, Sinofsky took a very distinctive approach to communication. He blogged regularly about the development process, giving the massive software ... (view more)

In a recent interview with French publication Le Parisien, Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer admitted that sales of the company's Surface tablet have proceeded only "modestly." Ballmer was reluctant to disclose any precise sales ... figures. It's hard not to assume that Microsoft is therefore concerned about the public's early reception of the Surface. At first, demand for the Surface , Microsoft's first tablet computer, was impressive. In fact, the device sold out online and in some retail outlets during its first few days of availability. (Source: cnet.com ) However, in the weeks ... (view more)

Windows 8 and Windows RT will get their first security fixes this Patch Tuesday, November 13, 2012. For Windows 8, three of the fixes have been marked "critical," Microsoft's highest security rating. The fixes address zero-day vulnerabilities ... reported by security firm Vupen last week. Vupen recently announced it had found "multiple vulnerabilities" in Windows 8 and also in Microsoft's newest web browser, Internet Explorer 10. Remote Code Flaws Found in Windows 8 The "critical" fixes will address remote code execution vulnerabilities that, theoretically, could allow a hacker to install malware ... (view more)

Microsoft is reportedly working on bringing its Office software to the Android and Apple mobile platforms. The reported plan would involve offering a free viewing app for users, and light editing tools for subscribers. At the moment, Office ... functionality on mobile devices varies widely. Handsets running Windows Phone have a limited range of viewing and editing tools, while Microsoft's Surface tablet comes with Office pre-installed. Now, a combination of leaked screenshots and a press release from Microsoft's subsidiary in the Czech Republic make it clear that Office is coming to devices ... (view more)

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)

It's been available for only a week but already Microsoft's Surface tablet is one of Oprah Winfrey's "Favorite Things." That means two things: 1) Oprah will be giving away a whole bunch of Surfaces in an upcoming two-hour special, and 2) The Surface ... is about to receive a lot of positive media attention. Every year, Oprah Winfrey dedicates an entire show to discussing her Favorite Things and then giving away those things to each of her audience members. Oprah's items vary widely, but in the past have included everything from Williams-Sonoma cupcakes to Josh Groban albums. Sometimes they're big ... (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)

Yahoo has confirmed it will not honor "Do Not Track" requests from Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 web browser. Do Not Track is designed to protect web browser users from having their Internet activity tracked. Experts say the Yahoo decision is ... based on the way Microsoft has implemented Do Not Track and is not a sign that Yahoo stands opposed to the basic concept. Do Not Track is designed to stop websites from passing details of a web browser's online activity to advertisers. It works by voluntary compliance with the Do Not Track request, not by any enforcement method. Advertisers argue that ... (view more)