Microsoft's Office '10 Twitter page is posting tons of Zune-related news. Gems include June 2009 will be "an important month for Zune lovers," + "Hold off from buying an iPhone/Pre," Microsoft is reportedly working on an iPhone rival, codenamed Pink, and Zune HD.
InsideMicrosoft has a look at Microsoft's Windows Mobile 7, due to be released in 2009.
This edition supports multi-touch gestures (including flicking, swiping and drawing on the screen), motion gestures (shaking the phone), Windows Vista-like redesign of the entire UI, better finger-based navigation and a desktop-like Internet Explorer browser.
Microsoft's Zune 2 will launch November 13 according to AMAZON.com
An Amazon customer service rep says delays are common when dealing with new product launches and that he couldn't guarantee Amazon would have Zunes on that date. But he added that the November 13 date was given to the retailer by Microsoft.
Microsoft's Windows Mobile Live Search has partnered with Sprint.
The partnership will produce GPS location software that will automatically figure out what city you mean when you search. Tellme by Mobile will be also introduced - a voice interface to local searches.
Gossips over at CVG claim that software giant , Microsoft is working on a "games YouTube."
CVG.com, says Microsoft is working on building a "stage to play on, a distribution so that [gamers] can show off their creativity to everyone." That's according to XNA Group general manager Chris Satchell.
As Microsoft nears its 1 millionth Zune sold, the software giant has announced Firmware Update 1.4. for Zune
This update (it's firmware only; software is still 1.3) brings an improved shuffle experience. For those slightly more technical readers, the direct word from the dev team: "this firmware update makes successive shuffle actions produce more random lists."
Software giant, Microsoft has launched Surface their first surface computer touted to provide effortless interaction with digital content through natural hand gestures, touch and physical objects.
Surface computing breaks down traditional barriers between people and technology, changing the way people interact with all kinds of everyday information — from photos to maps to menus.
Features of the Microsoft Surface:
Direct interaction: Users can actually “grab” digital information with their hands, interacting with content by touch and gesture, without the use of a mouse or keyboard.
Multi-touch: Surface computing recognizes many points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger like a typical touch-screen, but up to dozens of items at once.
Multi-user: The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.
Object recognition: Users can place physical objects on the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content.
The Microsoft Surface display will initially be used on a commercial bases, but the company hopes that this technology will someday make its way and become commonplace in homes as well.
Microsoft has reported record third quarter profits. The software giant says the strength of sales of the new Windows Vista operating system helped the bottom line.
For the three months ended March 31, Microsoft said net income rose 65% year-over-year to a record $4.93 billion. The profits were driven by $14.4 billion in sales, a 32% increase over the previous year. Earnings per share jumped 72% to 50 cents.
Microsoft's Asia-Pacific chief, Chris Sorenson has slammed Apple's iPhone as 'irrelevant'.
"It's a great music phone, and I'm sure it will be fantastic and have an interesting user interface," Microsoft's Asia-Pacific head of smartphone strategy Chris Sorenson told press during a recent visit to Australia.
"However, it's a closed device that you cannot install applications on, and there's no support for Office documents. If you're an enterprise and want to roll out line of business applications, it's just not an option. Even using it as a heavy messaging device will be a challenge," the executive added.
Samsung Electronics Co. and Microsoft Corp. will make love over a patent licensing agreement focused on the technology companies' consumer electronics lines.
Samsung and Microsoft said the deal gives them access to the other's patents for existing and future inventions in categories including computers, televisions, digital video recorders and digital media players.
* Works with Wired and Wireless controllers
* Only 7 wires needed
* Install in 10-15 minutes
* Easily Enable/Disable tilt mod without an ugly switch
* Easily change tilt threshold in all four axis
* USB Configurator for changing any settings
* FW is upgradable (not end user)
* Xilt Advanced: Full configuration of Tilt angle to Controller Axis direction
Xilt Xilt
A Microsoft patent application -- filed June 16th of last year has revealed plans for an "improved user interface for mobile devices such as smartphones" and "personal digital assistants."
Microsoft Corp. is set to offer software for delivering rich media applications within multiple Web browsers.
Forest Key, a product management director in Microsoft's server and tools division, said the Silverlight technology is a browser plug-in that companies can use to offer video, audio and other types of interactive media on their Web sites. He added that Silverlight - which had been code-named Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere, or WPF/E - is compatible with a range of browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari.
Software giant Microsoft is reportedly urging regulators to look into Google’s plan to buy DoubleClick, an online advertising company.
Microsoft contends that the $3.1 billion deal, announced on Friday, would hurt competition in the fast-growing market for advertising on the Web and raises questions about how much personal information would be collected by Google, already a dominant player in online advertising.
Bradford L. Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel, said in an interview yesterday that Google’s purchase of DoubleClick would combine the two largest online advertising distributors and thus “substantially reduce competition in the advertising market on the Web.”
According to reports on Engadget Microsoft's iPod KIller ( joke) is going by the name "Project Argo" . Details are well hard to come by, but tech gossips are doing twirls
there's no game menu to be seen on the device, putting those rumors of portable gaming from Xbox branding in possible jeopardy. More game options possibly coming in the 2nd iteration.
There's also mention of a black version of the Zune, being shown on a music video for the band CSS, and the brown version on the cover for "Band of Horses". You can display Album covers for the song you're listening to on the screen, which is "big enough" and looks "pretty good". Paul Oakenfold also has a tie-in deal.
At the RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition 2006, Microsoft Corp. showcased the community technology preview (CTP) of a new Windows-based environment for academic, hobbyist and commercial developers to easily create robotic applications for a wide variety of computing platforms.
The community technology preview of the Microsoft Robotics Studio is available for download at http://msdn.microsoft.com/robotics.
Last week, Microsoft quietly showed off software for embedding its Web-based Windows Live ID authentication services within Windows applications reports Cnet
Windows Live ID is the successor to Microsoft Passport, a hosted service for verifying a person's name and password for logging onto Web servers. Later this year, Microsoft will release a beta version of a software developer's kit (SDK) for making the Windows Live ID service function within a Windows application, said Lynn Ayres, program manager on the Windows Live ID team.
Sometimes I am amazed at how some tech gossips get carried away with reporting, just yesterday I was listening to Angels & Demons and part of the book talked about how the media craves apocalyptic headlines.
According to a Reuters report, Software giant Microsoft Corp. is laying the groundwork to compete against Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod digital entertainment device and iTunes service, sources familiar with the discussions and plans said on Friday.
Microsoft has held licensing discussions with the music industry to create its own music service, the sources told Reuters.
The Redmond, Washington-based developer of software that runs most of the world's PCs is also demonstrating an entertainment device that plays videos and music, the sources said.
That's all great, but as Google's CEO Eric Schmidt recently said on Gbuy
"It makes no sense to go into businesses that are occupied by existing leaders," he said. "We want to solve new problems in the payments space."
So just maybe if Microsoft could solve the problems with portable music they would be going in right direction.
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates announced Thursday he will transition away from a daily role at the software company he co-founded to focus on the charitable work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gates, 50, will continue on as the company's chairman after transferring his duties over a two-year period.
New research from The Diffusion Group suggests that Microsoft will likely leverage its Xbox franchise to enter the portable game console (PGC) market in late 2007 or early 2008. According to TDG's latest report, On the Future of Portable Game Consoles: Analysis & Forecasts, Microsoft is expected to embed a portable multimedia player in a handheld gaming platform similar in many respects to Sony's PSP.
According to the NYPost, For several weeks Microsoft has been in discussions about a possible acquisition of online auctioneer eBay.
According to multiple sources close to the matter, Microsoft has considered buying eBay and merging it with its MSN portal - a deal that would give MSN and eBay considerable clout to take on Google.
Gaming SIte, Joystiq chatted with Aaron Greenberg, Group Marketing Manager for Xbox Live, about the first major update to the Xbox 360 since last November's launch.
The spring update is expected to be released to all Xbox Live users "in about a week" and will be followed up with a fall update, as part of their plan to release two major updates each year.
The Xbox Live Spring Update will affect three major areas of the system, Xbox Live Marketplace, Media, and general usability reports IGN
Google and Dell have reached an agreement to install Google software on millions of new Dell computers over the next few years, Google's chief executive said on Thursday.
The executive, Eric E. Schmidt, said the arrangement meant that Google's search toolbar would appear on the screens of new Dell systems, and that Dell users would be directed to a Web page branded by the two companies reports NYTIMES.
Microsoft Corp. launched on Tuesday a new version of its Windows Live Local online mapping service with real-time traffic reports and features to make it easier to share maps and information.
The company also plans to expand its mapping service with the release of a test version in the U.K. and a limited offering in Canada. It pledged to add new markets in the coming months.
Microsoft Corp. and Chinese-based computer maker Lenovo said Monday they will launch market trials for pay-as-you-go purchases of computers in China and India.
According to PhysOrg, consumers will be able to purchase a Lenovo PC for about half its retail price and pay off the balance over time by purchasing pre-paid cards from Lenovo, the two companies said in a joint statement.
No word on what happens if you don't buy a card one week.
Microsoft is hawking its Live Search software to businesses in a bid to grab some of Google's market share.
The new product binds together previously separate searches, including Windows Desktop Search, intranet search from Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and an internet search, among others reports Vunet.
"Information workers tell us they need more than an internet search box," said Kevin Johnson, co-president of the platforms and services division at Microsoft.
"They want simple tools that help them effectively manage information stored in multiple locations and that give them quick access to relevant data and people through actionable results, not just lists of links."
Windows Vista's recommended settings according to Microsoft, then according to Ars
Software Giant, Microsoft has launched a new website aimed at helping consumers learn about Windows Vista's hardware requirements. There are two levels of recommendations for Windows Vista, "Vista-Capable" and "Premium-Read, "reports ARS
Minimum Requirements (Vista-Capable PCs):
* 800 MHz Intel-compatible processor
* 512MB of RAM
* DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor
* 20GB HD
Recommended Requirements (Premium-Ready PCs):
* 1 GHz Intel-compatible processor
* 1GB RAM
* DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor, with 128MB graphics memory. (64MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels [no more than 1440x900]; 128MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels [no more than 1920x1200]; 256MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels [more than 1920x1200]).
* 40GB HD with at least 15GB "free space"
Week 2 in Microsoft's Project Origami 3 week time line revelation is now live! Click the link to see the flash animation of mystery behind Microsoft's "Project Origami"
Project Origami is a new portable media device that allows users to listen to music, play video games, browse the internet and write hand-written notes. Read More
Microsoft's Origami Project is starting to take shape as a very small tablet computer, one perhaps affordable enough to appeal to mainstream consumers writes ZDNET
The concept, which Microsoft plans to detail next month, is built on top of the Windows XP operating system but aims to be a new kind of device, rather than a replacement for existing PCs, according to sources familiar with the effort. With a screen bigger than that of a handheld but smaller than a notebook PC screen, Origami devices won't fit in the pocket, but they'll make it into purses and even the smallest of backpacks, sources said.
Microsoft's goal is to make possible devices that could sell for $600 or less, although the actual prices will depend greatly on what manufacturers decide to include. Origami is capable of supporting features like GPS, Bluetooth, 3G cellular technology and Wi-Fi, though each of these adds to the cost of the device.
Is Microsoft Dropping Cryptic Hints About a New Gadget? NYTIMES
I am a little puzzled as to why anyone would want to force Vista or XP on a steamy iMac..... but thats my Mac bias speaking... .osx86project has a story of a forum user who is like this close to booting XP on his new iMac
As a heads up I seem to have gotten to make the machine boot off the local Hard Drive finally (though I'm not exactly sure what I did as I was just fuddling at that time. I'll have to look in detail later) but it still reboots and at least in this config I lost the ability to use F8 on that partition too. On a side to that I also discovered that once the bootmanager is loaded it can read NTFS drives even if the EFI doesn't see it as I put vista back on an NTFS partition on the USB drive and it started loading. Also and this may be a bit more significant....I had installed XP on another partition on the drive and so it showed up on the bootloader. It started do...well..SOMETHING as I had hard drive activity when I selected the Legacy OS boot option. Problem is I couldn't see anything on the screen and the PC rebooted itself after which it told me it couldn't find NTLDR anymore.
Based on images appearing on Marketing firm DigitalKitchen, Microsoft is set to unlease, Origami.DK features a Flash-based video showing the various uses of Origami. According top reports, Origami was suppose to be shown in a few weeks, MS's hopes of building up some excitement has been dashed with the appearance of the product and functions on DK. (or maybe this was all a plan... people love seeing things that are supposed to be secret) ///The product shown at DK has a few functions, video playback, audio playback, storage, you can write on it... ah watch the video to see...
Microsoft Mbox ? Company mulling digital device that adds gaming to music and video
Software giant, Micrsoft is mulling its own digital device that adds gaming to music and video, in an effort to compete with Apple's iPod empire reports BusinessWeek
Xbox boss Peter Moore says any Microsoft media device would have to leverage the company's most significant consumer strength, video gaming. "It can't just be our version of the iPod," says Moore, who nonetheless would not confirm that Microsoft is considering making such a device. So in addition to playing music and videos, a Microsoft device would include games. Microsoft would probably use the Xbox brand to market the gadget. "I think the brand is an opportunity," Moore says.
Fact: I am not sure where this rumor started. Fact: Microsoft just seems to follow nowadays (not that this is a bad thing - once you do it better)
OK. Rumor Microsoft plans on launching a subscription-based Movie download service (think low rent Itunes [I kid) but for movies). The service would offer either unlimited downloads or one with a high limit for a flat monthly fee reports MacRumors
What would be really cool & a slap in Apple's face is if the service works on the iPod Video... I will go a step further ... wouldn't it be like so crazy if the service worked on the Sony PSP ... the would be like a double bitch slap....
Microsoft this week released a December Community Technology Preview of Windows Vista, Build 5270. The new version includes a variety of improvements to security, performance, and the user interface. It also includes updated versions of some of the applications that will ship with the operating system reports PC Magazine
The Community Technology Preview features.
Windows Defender- an update to Windows AntiSpyware.
BitLocker – protects data that are at risk from being stolen or lost.
Device Driver Locking – System administrators will be able to block installation of external hard drives, USB flash drives and removable storage devices.
Parental controls – a more effective way to control usage of computers and the Internet by children.
Improved Firewall – includes both inbound and outbound firewall filtering
Internet Explorer 7 – this feature was included in the previous CTP version but this time round it provides added security for international domain names.
Additional features include an updated Windows Media Playe (Windows Media Player 11)r, a Windows Media Center and a caching algorithm called Superfetch.
ACME Game Store CO-owners Jason Jones, 34, and Jonathan Bryant, 44, as well as Pei "Patrick" Cai, 32 could face up to five years in prison for hawking hacked Microsoft Xbox systems.
According to reports, the men sold Xbox systems that Mr. Cai had modified with chips and hard drives that allowed users to copy rented or borrowed games onto the console for future play. Prices ranged $US225 ($300) to more than $US500 for the modifications, depending on the extent of the modifications and the number of games preloaded onto the hard drive reports Reuters
US prosecutors charged the three men with one felony count of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and to violate the US' Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Mr Jones and Mr Bryant demonstrated the modified Xbox game consoles in their
Microsoft has announced plans to cut support for IE for Apple Macs. The software giant advised Mac users of Internet Explorer (IE) to switch to rival browsers such as Apple's Safari.
Microsoft initially said it had stopped work on the browser in June.
No more security updates will be provided as from the New Year. The browser itself will be removed from Microsoft's Mactopia site and no longer be available for download.
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