microsoft

Microsoft has received more plenty of flak from its competitors and European investigative bodies over its inclusion of the Internet Explorer browser with each copy of Windows. Now it appears the Redmond-based company has decided to make things ... right, sort of, by not including IE in a 'special' version of Windows 7. According to reports, Microsoft will call the special version of its much-anticipated operating system Windows 7 E. This IE8-free edition of the OS is a reaction to antitrust investigations into Microsoft's traditional inclusion of Internet Explorer with its uber-popular operating ... (view more)

Three years after its release of Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft is again trying its hands at the antivirus market. Code-named "Morro," after Brazil's Morro de Sao Paolo beach, Microsoft's antivirus software is a free, comprehensive antivirus ... alternative that offers basic features, similar to the low-end consumer products sold by Symantec and McAfee. Microsoft: Biting the Hand that Feeds Analysts, however, are warning Microsoft to think twice about launching the software. This is because anti-virus companies like Symantec and McAfee already protect Windows PCs from malware and ... (view more)

The European Union (EU) is asking rival Internet browser manufacturers to suggest ways to prevent Microsoft acting unfairly in its promotion of Internet Explorer. The responses could help determine any punishment if the EU upholds a preliminary ... ruling that bundling the browser with Windows breaches competition rules. Officials have sent out a questionnaire, due to be returned by the end of this week, asking interested parties to comment on possible measures. The recipients aren't limited to those who've formally attached themselves to the case (such as Google and Mozilla, who are both ... (view more)

Big news was made yesterday when a leaked Best Buy memo revealed the retailer's plans to sell Microsoft's highly anticipated Windows 7 operating system as early as June, for as cheap as $49.99. Interesting enough, the same memo characterizes ... Microsoft's last OS, Windows Vista, as outdated. Yesterday it was announced, or unearthed, that Best Buy would make available for pre-release the Win7 Home Premium Upgrade and Windows 7 Professional Upgrade from June 26 until July 11. Each would cost $49.99 and $99.99, respectively, with shipments arriving after the October 22 release. "Less ... (view more)

Those keeping tabs on the latest three-way battle for game console supremacy know that Microsoft and Sony have gone to great lengths in researching motion-sensor technology. The ultimate goal for these companies, obviously, is to catch up with ... Nintendo in the revenue department. Microsoft Project Natal Debuts at E3 It was recently announced that Microsoft has a prototype that will be used in place of a standard controller for the Xbox 360. The million-dollar question is whether or not the new Xbox 360 camera-based technology will be the thing to slow down all of the positive strides made by ... (view more)

Not ready to abandon Windows XP in favor of the much-maligned Vista? Neither are the Russians, whose government recently launched an investigation into Microsoft's decision to stop selling the popular operating system on new PCs there. Reports ... emerged yesterday stating that an official Russian anti-monopoly group had commenced an inquiry into Microsoft's controversial decision to cease the resale of Windows XP on new computers. The OS remains very popular in that country; most consumers there are against Microsoft's cutoff date of July 31, when it plans to prevent retailers from shipping XP ... (view more)

Patch Tuesday is the second Tuesday of each month, the day on which Microsoft releases security patches. Windows Updates Starting with Windows 98, Microsoft included Windows Update: a system that automatically checks for security patches and fixes ... for MS Windows, MS Office, and other Microsoft products, and notifies the user of such updates. Automatic Updates vs Windows Updates The idea of Windows Update system suffered from two primary issues. On one hand, less experienced users were not aware of updates, and would not run them -- leaving their system vulnerable to exploits. Microsoft's ... (view more)

Microsoft recently introduced a prototype camera that is to be used in place of a standard controller for the Xbox 360. Codenamed "Project Natal", the camera can track the full body movement of the player, recognize their face and voice, scan images ... of real items and respond to physical and vocal commands. The actual hardware for Project Natal combines a camera, depth sensor, microphone and processor to give users the ultimate gaming experience. (Source: msn.com ) Project Natal Puts Gamers Into the Action Project Natal was revealed at Microsoft's Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 along with ... (view more)

Microsoft will release critical updates for six security issues next Tuesday. This Patch Tuesday will include a controversially delayed Mac MS Office fix , but won't solve a recently discovered directx flaw for Quicktime files. Biggest Monthly ... Update This Year The monthly update, which will be biggest so far this year, will contain critical fixes for Windows, Internet Explorer, Word and Excel in particular, and Office in general. In all cases, hackers could gain remote control of an affected computer. The Internet Explorer issue appears particularly serious as it reportedly affects all ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed Windows 7 will get its official release on 22 October. It's also updated some of the details about the Starter edition which will appear on low-spec machines such as netbooks. The October release date had been widely expected ... since the head of Acer in the UK revealed one of his firm's new models would be on sale running Windows 7 on the 23rd -- one day out from the confirmed release date. October Release a Pre-Emptive Strike The release is three months before the earliest date Microsoft had previously hinted at (January 2010, three years after Vista's release). The ... (view more)