Microsoft

Microsoft has signed a deal with Toyota to put WiFi Internet access in electric and hybrid vehicles. But the services will be less about surfing the web and more about improving the driving experience. The two companies plan to develop an ... electronics system for use in both all-electric and hybrid vehicles. The first vehicles to carry the system should be hybrid vehicles released next year, with a goal to have the system in all Toyota electronic vehicles worldwide by 2015. To develop the system, the two companies have invested a combined one billion yen (approximately US $12 million) into ... (view more)

A former Microsoft employee is being investigated for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Redmond-based firm. Reports vary, but the total amount allegedly stolen by the man ranges from $460,000 to $515,000. Robert Curry ... wasn't just an average Microsoft employee. As Director of Business Development in the company's Strategic Partnerships Unit (a division of the Online Audience Business Team), Mr. Curry was responsible for approving payments to various partners based on services rendered. Shell Company Used for Fraud It was in this role that Curry was able to make off ... (view more)

According to a new report, Windows 7 usage has now surpassed that of Windows XP in the United States. It's a major feat for Microsoft's newest operating system, especially considering that Windows Vista barely dented XP market share despite several ... years of availability. The report comes courtesy of market analyst StatCounter, which recently noted that as of April 10, Windows 7's average daily usage in the U.S. had peaked at 32.2 per cent, just above XP's 30.7 per cent. This marks the first time ever that Windows 7 usage has surpassed its ten-year-old predecessor. Down the line is Windows ... (view more)

It's been less than a month since the release of Internet Explorer 9 . Nevertheless, Microsoft has already given a brief glimpse of Internet Explorer 10 and some of its nifty new features. Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) debuted on March 14 ... after months of anticipation. Despite the excitement surrounding its release, IE9 was quickly overshadowed by Mozilla's unveiling of Firefox 4 only five days later. In the hours that followed, Firefox demolished Microsoft's browser in total number of downloads. For some, the relatively lack-luster showing by Internet Explorer 9 is reflective of ... (view more)

Earlier this month, Microsoft chief marketing officer Mich Mathews announced she would be stepping down. However, the Redmond-based firm spent little time pondering her replacement, who we now know to be long-time executive Chris Capossela. Mathews' ... departure is no doubt a sad one for many at Microsoft. Ranked 19th in a 2009 "25 Hottest Women of Business" report and featured in a "10 Power Women on Getting Ahead" article by Newsweek, she has been a very capable chief marketing officer, or CMO. In fact, she's been with Microsoft a total of 22 years. "Twenty-two years in one place ... I feel ... (view more)

Microsoft has taken aim at software pirates by disrupting and even severing business ventures with American corporations. The proposal is clever on the part of Microsoft. The company looks to pass laws in every state that would punish US-based ... companies that continue to obtain their products from foreign companies using pirated versions of Microsoft software. Microsoft Anti-Piracy Law a Two-Pronged Attack The proposed scenario would work something like this: a company like Dell (US) looking to purchase keyboards from Shenzhen Biagatech Co. (China) would have their transaction stopped if ... (view more)

More information about Windows 8 continues to emerge, though the details aren't coming from Microsoft. Instead, the recent information has been passed down by a pre-release version of Windows 8 leaked onto the Internet. The plethora of Windows 8 ... screenshots reveal a startling amount of information about the upcoming operating system, which is rumored for release sometime in 2014. Windows 8 Ribbon Could Change Windows Navigation Forever The most striking difference between Windows 7 and Vista and their successors is Windows 8's widespread use of the Ribbon interface. This navigation system, ... (view more)

Holding a 55 per cent share of the overall operating system (OS) market, Microsoft's Windows XP continues to be the world's most popular OS. But, Microsoft's newest web browser, Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), won't run on XP -- a fact that has been the ... point of criticism for many industry experts. Nevertheless, Microsoft continues to stand by its decision to leave XP behind. Abandoning XP Users: a Deliberate Decision "It was a very deliberate decision," said Senior Director of Microsoft's Internet Explorer division, Ryan Gavin, in a recent interview. "You simply can't build on something that is ... (view more)

It's safe to say that, so far, Windows Phone 7 (WP7) is not off to the record-breaking start that Microsoft had hoped for. It's a fact that the Windows Phone 7 mobile platform has barely made a dent in the overall market share and the focus ... continues to be on Android, BlackBerry and Apple's iOS operating systems. Furthermore, updates for the system have been slow in reaching users, and for that, a Microsoft executive is apologizing to all Windows Phone 7 adopters. Speaking out on the issue is Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's vice president for the Windows Phone division. He admits that updates to ... (view more)

In three days after its launch, Apple sold 500,000 units of its iPad 2 tablet computer. To most people, that number would seem impressive. But Microsoft's Craig Mundie is not most people. In a recent interview with Australia's Sydney Morning Herald, ... Microsoft global chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie had this to say about what appears to be a rapidly emerging tablet market: "I don't know whether the big screen tablet pad category is going to remain with us or not... Personally I don't know whether that space will be a persistent one or not." (Source: huffingtonpost.com ) Tablet ... (view more)