Microsoft

The former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Symantec Corp., known for antivirus software like Norton 360, has been appointed to Microsoft's board of directors. The addition increases the company's number of board members to ten. As ... Symantec CEO, John Thompson helped transform that company from a middle-of-the-road antivirus firm to an industry leader. When he became chief executive in 1999, the company's annual revenue was $632 million. By 2009, the year he stepped down as CEO, the firm's annual revenue was an impressive $6.2 billion. (Source: foxbusiness.com ) Thompson Brings ... (view more)

Microsoft's popular cloud computing service, SkyDrive, is reported to be getting a major overhaul soon. Included in the upgrade will be a number of visual improvements, the addition of a drag-and-drop feature, and a new tool that allows users to ... access files stored on their home computers from anywhere, securely, via the SkyDrive site. With about 17 million customers, Microsoft's SkyDrive service is one of the more popular cloud storage applications. However, that popularity hasn't discouraged Microsoft from giving the platform a major upgrade that it hopes will help drive the service to the ... (view more)

Symantec has unveiled three new versions of its popular security software, Norton 360. The three releases include Norton 360 Version 6 (compatible with the upcoming Windows 8 beta), Norton 360 Everywhere, and Norton One. Each of the three versions ... offer something different. For example, Symantec boasts that Norton 360 Version 6 will provide a download option to support the Windows 8 beta edition whenever that new operating system becomes available to the public, which is reportedly due this summer . Compatibility with Windows 8 Beta a "Priority," Symantec Says "We're making it a ... (view more)

Microsoft says that it will patch more than twenty security problems this Valentine's Day (February 14), coinciding with its regular "Patch Tuesday." Microsoft will be offering fixes for a wide range of flaws affecting the company's Internet ... Explorer (IE) web browser, every version of its Windows operating system (OS), as well as Microsoft Office. The total of 21 fixes will be spread across nine different security bulletins, four of which Microsoft has labeled "critical," which is the company's highest security warning. The rest of the bulletins are all marked "important," which is ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that a special "Consumer Preview" edition of Windows 8 will be available from February 29, 2012. It's believed that this version of the upcoming operating system (OS) will boast more features designed for mobile devices. ... Though Microsoft isn't using this term, the release appears to be a beta edition , a version of in-development software that is complete, but not considered ready for final release and still open to revisions. The next stage after that, likely coming in the summer, is a Release Candidate , which is where the developer considers the product finished and ... (view more)

Analysts are using the recent announcement by Microsoft of a February 29, 2012, Windows 8 Consumer Preview event to predict that the company's next operating system (OS) should become commercially available late in calendar 2012. The forecast is ... based on timelines from previous Windows releases. On Wednesday, February 8, Microsoft revealed the date for its Windows 8 Consumer Preview in Barcelona, Spain: February 29, 2012. Journalists invited to the event, which coincides with the World Mobile Congress in that city, will get the first official look at a beta version of the upcoming operating ... (view more)

Popular chip maker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) says it is currently working on a new line of processors designed to power Windows 8 tablets, and hopes to make them available to tablet manufacturers later this year. AMD chief executive officer (CEO) ... Rory Read made the announcement before a group of American analysts this past week. "We have a huge opportunity in front of us," Read noted. "How the world is using processors is changing rapidly. This is about stepping out of the shadows and leading." (Source: pocket-lint.com ) AMD Seeks Opportunity to Trump Long-Term Rival Intel There's no doubt ... (view more)

Microsoft's marketing division has undergone some significant changes in recent days, as the company laid off approximately 200 employees. Some of its most prominent Xbox marketing executives have even left for industry rival, Apple. According to ... reports, the recent layoffs were almost entirely limited to the Seattle area, and are designed to eliminate redundant positions and clear up where responsibilities lie. To many observers, it appears that Microsoft's goal in the restructuring is to improve the efficiency of the company's marketing. 3% Cut From Microsoft's Marketing Force It also ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that it is now one step closer to releasing the next edition of its very popular Office software suite, 'Office 15' to the general public. The Redmond software giant recently noted that the highly-anticipated office suite has ... now entered the "technical preview state," which is only available to a select number of beta testers. It's suggested that the public beta edition of the suite will likely be available for release this summer. The focus of Office 15, like the previously released Office 365, is on improving the suite's cloud computing capabilities. Such ... (view more)

According to stereotypes, Aunt Jemima (maple syrup), Bauer (hockey equipment) and Ski-Doo (snowmobiles) ought to round out the top three brands in Canada. But that's not the case. A new poll by Ipsos found that Microsoft and Google actually top the ... list. Ipsos, a global market research company that investigates advertising, marketing, and media content trends, regularly polls consumers to learn more about markets, from technology to tattoos. In fact, the company recently found 22 per cent of Canadians and 21 per cent of Americans have "tats". Facebook, YouTube Join Microsoft, Google ... (view more)