Microsoft

According to Microsoft, Windows 8 will change the way users restart their computers after software updates, making life easier for home users and network administrators alike. Microsoft will be scheduling all Windows 8 software updates for the ... second Tuesday of each month. Dubbed 'Patch Tuesday,' that date already sees all Microsoft security updates. Under the new plan, only emergency security updates will be released on other days. (Source: techspot.com ) Windows Update: New Three-Day Warning Microsoft says it is also simplifying the update process. Under the new scheme, updates will ... (view more)

Rumors are circulating that Microsoft is gearing up to let Silverlight fall by the wayside. The newest version, Silverlight 5, which is reportedly due to be finalized and released for manufacturing by the end of November, may be the company's last. ... Silverlight is used by Microsoft for the creation of rich media and smartphone apps. Its features make it a rival for Adobe's popular Flash application framework. Insiders have also been hinting that the new version of Silverlight will not work with browsers other than Microsoft's own Internet Explorer (Silverlight 4 now works with both Windows and ... (view more)

Samsung has confirmed it will sell touch-screen devices running Windows 8, beginning in the second half of 2012. For Microsoft, this is a positive sign its efforts to adapt the new operating system to ultra-portable devices will pay off. Samsung's ... sales and marketing chief says the new touch screen device will likely be a modified form of the company's existing Series 7 computer, a touch-screen "slate" (a name sometimes used for Windows-based devices known elsewhere as "tablets") that comes with a separate wireless keyboard. (Source: bloomberg.com ) Windows Slate: 'For Professionals ... (view more)

Just 7 years ago (2004), Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) peaked at 95% of the browser market share. Today, that usage has dropped below 50%. According to NetApplications, which offers a monthly tracking of browser market shares, Internet Explorer ... (IE) has lost more than eight percent of the browser market in the last year. In fact, it slipped by more than 1.75 points just in the last month, and by six points in the last six months. In a Nutshell: The Decline of Internet Explorer Before the turn of the 21st century, Internet Explorer was the leading browser by far. It earned that position ... (view more)

With the holiday season right around the corner, Microsoft is set to launch a new campaign designed to entice those who do not run Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) to try out the new browser in exchange for free music and movies. However, critics suggest ... the campaign has little to do with the Christmas spirit of giving. That's because the whole idea appears targeted at helping IE regain lost market share. In fact, a recent study suggests that Google's Chrome has gained a significant share of the browser market, while Internet Explorer has steadily (and continues to) decline. (Source: winsupersite. ... (view more)

Few books in recent years have received the kind of attention given Steve Jobs' newly released biography. One of the more interesting sections in that bio focuses on Jobs' relationship with former Microsoft chief executive officer Bill Gates. In a ... recent interview, Gates discussed (and mostly dismissed) Jobs' criticisms of him. This past weekend Gates appeared on the ABC program "This Week with Christiane Amanpour," where the host asked Gates questions on a number of different topics, ranging from his recent philanthropic pursuits to the state of the American economy and finally his ... (view more)

A new rumor making its way through the Internet's tubes suggests that we might actually see a commercial release for Windows 8, Microsoft's next operating system (OS), as early as next August. What's even more surprising is that Microsoft is said to ... have a Windows 9 release for late 2014. The rumor comes to us in the form of a leaked roadmap available through the minimalist tech blog "MS Nerd." The roadmap reveals Microsoft's tentative plans for future releases and, as usual, the greatest interest has been drawn to the company's popular operating systems. The roadmap shows a Windows ... (view more)

A Lithuanian software company has created a new Kinect-based, motion-activated user interface that lets people manipulate and manage their bank accounts with a flick of the wrist. Microsoft released its Kinect software developer kit free for ... download last June, allowing developers to create Windows-based applications that can interact with Kinect hardware. Since the kit release, literally thousands of applications have popped up, taking advantage of the Kinect camera- and microphone-based input. Banking does have to be among the most surprising applications, however. A New Spin on "Casual ... (view more)

Microsoft is proposing a new patent that would see its Xbox 360 peripheral, the Kinect, take on the role of a virtual babysitter. It works by automatically restricting a child's access to certain television shows or video games that carry a mature ... content rating. Through the use of its 3D depth camera, the Kinect would be able to measure the bodily proportions of a user and detect whether or not a child is in the room. The entire concept is based on parental control and would be treated as a manageable feature. The system could also be further tweaked to specify certain restrictions and ... (view more)

After much confusion, it appears that Microsoft has finally decided to kill its much-maligned digital music player, the Zune. The confusion comes after a series of announcements and website postings that the Zune would no longer be produced. Posts ... were later retracted, but the latest announcement appears to be final, as it comes from Brian Seitz, senior marketing manager for Microsoft. (Source: pcworld.com ) "We will no longer be producing Zune players," Microsoft noted in a recent statement. The firm added that its new focus in the digital music market would be on the Windows Phone line of ... (view more)