microsoft

Windows 8 is less than three weeks away but as of last week there were just two thousand applications in Microsoft's Windows Store, the company's new digital media distribution system that's similar to app stores from Google and Apple. However, with ... the clock ticking down Microsoft is working furiously to improve its Windows Store offerings. First off, the company recently announced how apps will be updated. "The Store tile will notify you when updates are available, and you can open it and click the updates link in the top right corner to see the list and install the ones you want," noted ... (view more)

Tech analysts are questioning whether the new Windows Store will have enough software available when Windows 8 launches later this month. It could make it difficult to build momentum for such a big change in the way software is distributed. Windows ... 8 will introduce people to a new way to acquire and install software. Until now Windows users acquired software from developers and used an installation tool provided to them by that developer. Microsoft thinks there are a couple of problems with this process. Firstly, software developers don't always follow Microsoft's preferences for the ... (view more)

Microsoft is hoping that consumers are excited enough about Windows 8 to turn their backs on Windows 7, which has received critical acclaim in the three years it has been on the market. That may be a tough act to follow. However, the company's ... founder thinks Windows 8's October 26, 2012 launch is a big deal. In a recent interview with The Associated Press (AP), Bill Gates said he considers Windows 8 "a very exciting new product" and "a very big deal for Microsoft." Gates "Very Pleased" with Windows 8 Gates also gave the new operating system (OS) his stamp of approval, telling AP ... (view more)

According to a new report, over the past three years Microsoft has used a series of complex financial maneuvers to avoid paying billions of dollars in U.S. taxes. The report is part of a United States Senate investigation. A Senate committee memo ... indicates that Microsoft made transactions with subsidiary firms in other countries -- including Puerto Rico, Singapore, Bermuda, and even Ireland -- to save more than $6 billion it would otherwise have owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Corporate Tax Tricks "Exact a Tremendous Cost" The memo also indicates that major PC maker ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced it will allow people who buy computers running its new Windows 8 Pro operating system (OS) to downgrade their PCs to Windows 7 or Windows Vista. However, the firm will not allow a downgrade to Windows XP. Downgrade rights ... allow consumers, at no charge, to dismiss a newer version of Windows in favor of an older edition. The wording is clear. "Instead of using the Windows 8 Pro software, you may use one of the following earlier versions: Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business," the Windows 8 Pro licensing agreement reads. (Source: computerworld.com ) However, ... (view more)

Microsoft has unveiled its new Sculpt Comfort Keyboard and Sculpt Mobile Keyboard, both of which feature unique ergonomically curved designs. Both keyboards also improve on previous models in several ways, and are designed specifically to be ... compatible with the software giant's new Windows 8 operating system (OS), due out in late October, 2012. Good News: "Pinky Reach" Prevented The Sculpt Comfort Keyboard is an improvement on Microsoft's old Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000. The company has added a number of Windows 8 hotkeys to the design, and has made the space bar wider and split ... (view more)

Microsoft is in the process of pursuing a new patent that would stop mobile phone rings with a simple "whack". The new technology could save users from embarrassing searches through pockets and purses in order to find and press the 'decline' or 'end ... call' button. The Microsoft patent application is filed under the name "Controlling Audio of a Device." According to the patent description, it covers "a method comprising, in a mobile communications device, receiving information indicative of acceleration of the mobile communications device, determining correlation between the information ... (view more)

Microsoft and BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) have announced a new licensing deal that will make it easier to transfer large files between RIM devices and PCs. The deal could help the struggling Canadian manufacturer regain some of the ... ground it has lost to rivals. David Kaefer, general manager of Microsoft's intellectual property (IP) licensing division, says the new deal will help RIM produce mobile devices that "display richer images and data than traditional cellular phones." (Source: washingtonpost.com ) Another Day, Another Deal for Microsoft The licensing agreement, announced ... (view more)

Microsoft has admitted hackers are carrying out targeted attacks to exploit a newly-discovered bug in its popular Internet Explorer web browser. The company is working on a fix, but suggests users consider technical workarounds in the meantime. The ... bug affects all versions of Internet Explorer from version 6 (which shipped with Vista) to version 9 (the current edition). It won't affect Internet Explorer 10, which will first become available with Windows 8 in late October, 2012. Eric Romang, a security researcher, discovered the bug while examining a web server used by hackers. Romang found ... (view more)

Is your new PC already infected with malware? It's possible, experts say. According to a new report, a number of computers recently built in China are not only shipping with counterfeit software but also come laced with malware. Thanks to ... "bloatware" -- the pre-loaded third-party trial software included with most new computers -- getting a new system to run the way you want can be a real hassle. However, finding your new PC pre-loaded with malware is downright frightening. But that's exactly what Microsoft says it found on some new computers built and distributed in China. Microsoft Files ... (view more)