microsoft

In what would be a major change of policy, Microsoft is rumored to be removing multitasking capabilities in the next edition of Windows Mobile. That means that it likely won't be possible, for example, to write an email while checking a webpage. ... It's expected the system will be demonstrated next week at the Mobile World Congress industry event, though it's likely to be a glimpse rather than a detailed presentation. The PPCGeeks site reports that multitasking won't be available, though it will be possible to put one application on pause while running another. (Source: ppcgeeks.com ) Change ... (view more)

Late last week, a number of Windows 7 users lit up Microsoft's TechNet forums with complaints that they were experiencing a dramatic decline in the battery lives of their laptop computers after upgrading from XP or Vista to Windows 7. In a recent ... statement, however, Microsoft denies the charge and has stressed that these issues are strictly hardware-related. Windows 7 Not Poisoning Batteries In some cases, un-tethered notebook PCs were going into hibernation or shutdown mode after an incredibly short period of time, leaving recent Windows 7 adopters wondering if the operating system (OS) was ... (view more)

Microsoft is warning that those who downloaded Windows 7 RC ( release candidate ) sometime between May and October of last year are facing bi-hourly shutdowns if they do not upgrade (or downgrade) their operating system. Microsoft offered its ... release candidate software for its then highly-anticipated Windows 7 operating system back in May 2009. It generated an unprecedented number of downloads, as users of Windows XP and Vista looked to the Redmond-based firm for something better. Windows 7 RC: to be Banned, No Updates Unfortunately for all those RC users, beginning February 15, 2010, ... (view more)

Just a week after digital content distributor Steam announced nearly a quarter of its members had already made the switch to Windows 7 , Microsoft Corp. has revealed that its latest operating system is now the most-rapidly adopted OS in the history ... of PCs. Win7: 60 Million Licenses and Counting Microsoft released Windows 7 on October 22 of last year. Over the course of Microsoft's second quarter within the last fiscal year, the Redmond-based firm reported selling some 60 million Windows 7 licenses, making it the hottest OS in the history of personal computers. In a recent report, industry ... (view more)

The most anticipated Microsoft product since the release of Windows 7 this past October has to be the company's next version of MS Office, Office 2010, which is now nearing its final release. The software suite has now entered the "Release ... Candidate" (RC) stage, meaning it's very close to the final version. Office 2010 On Track for June Release According to reports late yesterday, it would seem that Microsoft has now shipped to early testers a nearly complete "release candidate" edition of its highly anticipated Office 2010. That means the program should be available to home and business ... (view more)

Laptop owners who upgrade their Windows XP and Windows Vista machines to Windows 7 are complaining that Microsoft's new operating system (OS) is severely reducing their available battery life. Many users are voicing complaints on Microsoft's TechNet ... forums that after upgrading their notebooks, battery life is dropping from two hours to a half hour. (Source: microsoft.com ) The problem appears to be caused by a new tool Microsoft designed to alert users when their battery needs to be replaced. According to some of the TechNet posts, the alert appears time and time again, even as a battery ... (view more)

Apple's new iPad is making plenty of headlines this week. But Microsoft, and the PC sector in general, are quick to highlight the Windows-based tablet computers which will rival the device. The most conspicuous response to Apple's iPad launch came ... from Hewlett Packard (HP), which has released a YouTube video showing off its forthcoming HP Slate. That's a tablet computer announced earlier this month running Windows 7 and apparently set-up to handle electronic books bought from Amazon's store. Though the device is produced by HP, Microsoft is heavily involved in promoting it. Indeed, Microsoft ... (view more)

With Windows 7 only recently released and by all accounts faring quite well amongst business and home users alike, it's hard to imagine Microsoft plotting the release of Windows 8 for any year in the near future. However, an ex-employee blog ... suggests otherwise. Microsoft's Windows 7 was released only in October (the 22nd, to be exact), and since that time has turned Vista-haters and other critics into big fans of the Windows platform once again. In a recent Windows 7 survey , digital content distributor Steam found that almost 1 in 4 of its users had converted to the new operating system (OS ... (view more)

Microsoft is drawing heavy criticism this morning after it was revealed that the company's Windows Mobile Marketplace could be denying app developers large amounts of money due to flaws in the Redmond-based firm's payment system. Microsoft received ... an overwhelming number of complaints from angry software developers claiming that the company owes them "thousands of dollars" in revenue for their Windows Mobile apps (applications). Even those producers who made changes to their account to qualify for quick payment were said to be denied their rightful earnings. Faulty Payment System to Blame The ... (view more)

Microsoft has admitted it knew about the latest Internet Explorer zero-day flaw more than three months ago, news that's likely to prompt criticism about the way the firm prioritizes security issues. The bug, which involves an invalid pointer ... reference, was first reported to Microsoft by Israeli security expert Eyal Gruner on August 26. He says that because it was so easy to discover the vulnerability, he expected less scrupulous people would also find it and develop ways to exploit it. MS Confirmed Flaw in September Microsoft says it received this warning and confirmed it in early September. ... (view more)