microsoft

Last week, Infopackets reported a story about California cat burglars stealing only Apple iPads from a Microsoft office in Silicon Valley. Left behind, according to reports, were many Microsoft-brand smartphones and tablet devices. Now here's more ... bad publicity for Microsoft: Samsung says it has decided to cancel plans to build a tablet computer running Microsoft's Windows RT operating system. Samsung first announced plans for its 10.1-inch ATIV Tab tablet computer last year. The firm said it would build the device around an ARM-based processor and Microsoft's Windows RT operating system, ... (view more)

A hacker has figured out how to run Windows 8 software on the Windows RT operating system, installed on Microsoft's Surface and other tablet computers. According to the hacker, any differences between Windows RT and Windows 8 are entirely artificial ... and for marketing purposes only. Windows RT is described as similar to Windows 8 but is supposedly designed exclusively for portable devices built around ARM processors. These chips can greatly extend battery life, but are said to lack the computing power needed for a robust operating system like Windows 8. Users of Windows RT notice one major ... (view more)

Microsoft says it has now sold more than 60 million licenses for its new Windows 8 operating system (OS). However, some observers still contend consumers are receiving the new OS more slowly than they did Windows 7. Windows Chief Marketing Officer ... and Chief Financial Officer Tami Reller recently made her announcement about sales of the new OS at a J.P. Morgan Tech Forum that was part of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Reller claimed the 60 million Windows 8 licenses include those sold directly to home and business users, as well as upgrades and bulk sales to computer ... (view more)

People looking for proof that Microsoft is having a hard time convincing consumers to choose its Surface tablet over the Apple iPad can point to the recent actions of a California cat burglar, who broke into a Microsoft Silicon Valley office and ... stole only Apple products. According to reports, the burglar entered Microsoft's Mountain View, California, research and development center sometime during the company's Christmas break (December 19 to December 26, 2012) and stole five Apple iPads worth a total of $3,000. Reports indicate the thief took two iPad 2s, two iPad 3s, and one iPad 4. The ... (view more)

Microsoft's January 8, 2013 Patch Tuesday includes a total of seven patches, two of which Microsoft is labeling 'critical,' the firm's highest security rating. Notably absent from the lineup of fixes will be a patch for a recently-outed Internet ... Explorer security flaw. This Patch Tuesday's critical fixes address security vulnerabilities that, like so many other previously patched vulnerabilities, could potentially allow a hacker to remotely execute malicious files and take control of an unpatched computer. As usual, hackers could do this by convincing a computer user to visit a malicious ... (view more)

In recent days, Infopackets.com has received several inquires like this one: "Dear Infopackets team: I recently made the switch to Windows 8 and love most of the new features. I understand that Microsoft occasionally releases patches and updates as ... part of their continued improvement to the operating system. Are these updates even important? Is there any way I can stop these updates from automatically downloading and appearing on my system without my knowledge? Love your site! Christopher D." My reply: You might be able to stop the patches, but you really don't want to. Regularly updating ... (view more)

Google says it's preparing to challenge Microsoft in the corporate market by offering more accessible business programs than Microsoft's highly popular Office suite of productivity software. However, Microsoft executives say they're not worried ... about Google stealing the software giant's enterprise customers any day soon. They're apparently responding to a recent interview in which Google vice president Amit Singh said his company intends to lure business users away from Microsoft Office. To do that, Singh indicated that Google will offer business software that is easier to use than Microsoft' ... (view more)

A newly-discovered flaw in Microsoft's popular Internet Explorer (IE) web browser could allow hackers to take control of a Windows-based computer. The Redmond, Washington-based firm has acknowledged that the problem exists and that it affects older ... versions of IE. The firm has also released a temporary fix for the problem. Microsoft Advises: Avoid Suspicious Links "Microsoft is aware of targeted attacks that attempt to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer 8," Microsoft said in a security advisory issued on Sunday, December 30, 2012. Microsoft says the remote code ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm trying to download the free eBooks online your website (such as the Windows 8 Guide eBook , the PC Maintenance Handbook , and the Windows 7 Pocket Guide , etc), but I'm having trouble. When I ... click on the orange 'Request Now' button to download the book, it is asking me for my name, a business email address, my company name, etc. Why do I have to enter all this information? How do I download the free eBooks? " My response: The answer to this is two-fold, and I'll try and break it down. Note that I've also ... (view more)

It appears Google may not be fully into the "spirit of giving" this holiday season. The search giant has announced its intention, as part of its business plan for 2013, to take 90 per cent of current Office users away from Microsoft. In a recent Q ... ... (view more)