Microsoft

The official launch of the Windows 8 operating system (OS) is just a few weeks away. However, given early adoption numbers for the OS, Microsoft may be in for a major disappointment. According to industry research firm Net Applications, in September ... 2012 only 0.33 per cent of computers running Windows (or about one Windows computer in 300) were using Windows 8. Initially, this may not appear to be a significant statistic. After all, Windows 8 won't be released to the wider public until October 26. Windows 8 Early Adoption Rate Hardly Impressive However, it is currently available in Release to ... (view more)

Tech analysts are questioning whether the new Windows Store will have enough software available when Windows 8 launches later this month. It could make it difficult to build momentum for such a big change in the way software is distributed. Windows ... 8 will introduce people to a new way to acquire and install software. Until now Windows users acquired software from developers and used an installation tool provided to them by that developer. Microsoft thinks there are a couple of problems with this process. Firstly, software developers don't always follow Microsoft's preferences for the ... (view more)

Microsoft is hoping that consumers are excited enough about Windows 8 to turn their backs on Windows 7, which has received critical acclaim in the three years it has been on the market. That may be a tough act to follow. However, the company's ... founder thinks Windows 8's October 26, 2012 launch is a big deal. In a recent interview with The Associated Press (AP), Bill Gates said he considers Windows 8 "a very exciting new product" and "a very big deal for Microsoft." Gates "Very Pleased" with Windows 8 Gates also gave the new operating system (OS) his stamp of approval, telling AP ... (view more)

According to a new report, over the past three years Microsoft has used a series of complex financial maneuvers to avoid paying billions of dollars in U.S. taxes. The report is part of a United States Senate investigation. A Senate committee memo ... indicates that Microsoft made transactions with subsidiary firms in other countries -- including Puerto Rico, Singapore, Bermuda, and even Ireland -- to save more than $6 billion it would otherwise have owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Corporate Tax Tricks "Exact a Tremendous Cost" The memo also indicates that major PC maker ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced it will allow people who buy computers running its new Windows 8 Pro operating system (OS) to downgrade their PCs to Windows 7 or Windows Vista. However, the firm will not allow a downgrade to Windows XP. Downgrade rights ... allow consumers, at no charge, to dismiss a newer version of Windows in favor of an older edition. The wording is clear. "Instead of using the Windows 8 Pro software, you may use one of the following earlier versions: Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business," the Windows 8 Pro licensing agreement reads. (Source: computerworld.com ) However, ... (view more)

Microsoft has unveiled its new Sculpt Comfort Keyboard and Sculpt Mobile Keyboard, both of which feature unique ergonomically curved designs. Both keyboards also improve on previous models in several ways, and are designed specifically to be ... compatible with the software giant's new Windows 8 operating system (OS), due out in late October, 2012. Good News: "Pinky Reach" Prevented The Sculpt Comfort Keyboard is an improvement on Microsoft's old Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000. The company has added a number of Windows 8 hotkeys to the design, and has made the space bar wider and split ... (view more)

Microsoft and BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) have announced a new licensing deal that will make it easier to transfer large files between RIM devices and PCs. The deal could help the struggling Canadian manufacturer regain some of the ... ground it has lost to rivals. David Kaefer, general manager of Microsoft's intellectual property (IP) licensing division, says the new deal will help RIM produce mobile devices that "display richer images and data than traditional cellular phones." (Source: washingtonpost.com ) Another Day, Another Deal for Microsoft The licensing agreement, announced ... (view more)

Microsoft says it will add the "browser ballot" to European copies of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system (OS). Many observers believe the idea stems from an ongoing investigation of antitrust abuse by the Redmond, Washington-based firm. The ... browser ballot allows Windows 8 users to choose their Internet browser the first time they fire up the new OS. First Browser Ballot Bungled, Badly While Windows 8 is new, the browser ballot idea is not. It was first used with European copies of Windows 7 after smaller browser companies (like Opera or Mozilla) complained that Microsoft was monopolizing ... (view more)

Microsoft has launched a new advertising campaign designed to draw web searchers away from Google and towards the Redmond, Washington-based firm's own Bing search engine. Dubbed "Bing It On," the campaign gives users the ability to find out which ... search service they like better: Google or Bing. Microsoft started the campaign with the new website " bingiton.com ". The site asks visitors to enter five search terms. When they do, it presents them with the top results from both Bing and Google, side-by-side. The user is then asked to pick which results page they prefer. Microsoft Unveils Search ... (view more)

One of the more controversial aspects of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system (OS) is the absence of a Start button. Windows users have become accustomed to this point of reference, which can be used to quickly launch applications, find ... files, and access various control menus within the OS. Reviewers have made a lot of noise lamenting the missing Start button in Windows 8. Now, Samsung appears ready to appease buyers of its own Windows 8 PCs by offering them what Microsoft won't: a Start button. Samsung Unveils Wide Range of Windows 8 Devices This week Samsung has taken to the web ... (view more)