Microsoft sued over Windows 8 live tiles

There are suing news - not only by Apple against Samsung, but this time its against Microsoft by Surfcast Inc over the Windows 8 titles, which has barely been launched by Microsoft Corp.

Live tiles, which display notifications and updates in real time, are a major feature of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, which were launched in late October.

Surfcast Inc. filed the complaint for patent infringement before the US District Court in Maine last Oct. 30.

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"We developed the concept of Tiles in the 1990s, which was ahead of its time. Microsoft’s Live Tiles are the centerpiece of Microsoft’s new Operating Systems and are covered by our patent," SurfCast CEO Ovid Santoro said.

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Microsoft Surface Tab to go sale October 26

Microsoft says its first tablet computer, the Surface , will start at $499 when it goes on sale October 26.

The price matches that of Apple Inc.'s iPad , the most popular tablet computer, but the base model of the Surface has twice as much storage memory: 32 gigabytes.

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The launch of the Surface is an unusual move for Microsoft, which usually sells software to computer makers instead of making computers itself. It coincides with the launch of Windows 8, a version of the operating system that's designed to work better on touch-screen computers and tablets.

Read more: Business Today

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer pay trimmed by 4%

Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer's pay package fell 4 percent after his bonus was trimmed, partly due to slower-than-planned progress in the software company's online business and a drop in revenue at its Windows division.

Ballmer's pay dropped to $1.3 million from $1.4 million in Microsoft's latest fiscal year through June, according to an Associated Press review of a securities filing made Tuesday.

Ballmer, 56, got a performance-related bonus of $620,000, down from $682,500. His salary was little changed at $685,000.

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All other compensation, which included company contributions to a 401(k) retirement plan, rose 10 percent to $13,128.

Read more at: The Financial Express

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Windows 8 Final Release Date Officially Announced By Microsoft

Wahaab JB at Chip Hazard has reported that Microsoft has officially announced the release date of their next OS Windows 8 set for October 26th this year 2012.

The announcement was made by Steven Sinofsky at Microsoft’s annual sales meeting, and the confirmation was almost instantaneously shared via the Windows Team Blog. It’s yet to be confirmed that the Surface tablets will be available for sale the same day, although it’s widely expected that they and other touchy feel new PC hybrids will be.

Read more: Chip Hazard

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Microsoft urges death of Windows gadgets

Just two weeks before researchers are to disclose bugs in Windows "gadgets" at Black Hat, Microsoft acknowledged unspecified security vulnerabilities in the small pieces of software supported by Vista and Windows 7.

To deal with the vulnerabilities, Microsoft has provided a way to cripple all gadgets and disable the "sidebar" engine that runs them.

"The purpose of this advisory is to notify customers that Microsoft is aware of vulnerabilities in insecure Gadgets affecting the Windows Sidebar on supported versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7," Microsoft said in a security warning issued Tuesday.

This was not the first time that Microsoft has reacted to security problems in gadgets. More than four years ago, Microsoft updated Vista with a tool that let the company automatically -- and remotely -- disable suspicious or malicious gadgets.

Read details: Computer World

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Microsoft unveils Surface Windows 8 tablets

In our post on 16th June, quoting Daily Mail we announced that speculation was rising that Microsoft would formally introduce the Windows Tablet next Monday - with the tech giant holding a mysterious event in San Francisco.

Now that big announcement has come: Microsoft has unveiled Surface - its own-brand family of tablets.

The touchscreen computers will be powered by its upcoming Windows 8 system and contain a choice of an Intel or ARM-based processor.

It allows the firm to challenge Apple's bestselling iPad with a device that can run standard applications such as its own Office programs and Photoshop.

Read more: BBC News

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Microsoft will announce 'something big' on Monday

Microsoft to announce something BIG on Monday

Speculation is rising that Microsoft will formally introduce the Windows Tablet next Monday - with the tech giant holding a mysterious event in San Francisco.

AllThingsD, a respected tech site, say sources have told them that this is a tablet event, introducing the software and the first apps which will run on the system.

Early models of Windows tablets have been spotted at tech shows in Japan, with Acer among the manufacturers building the hardware.

It will be big news If Microsoft reveals an in-house tablet - one manufactured by Microsoft itself or perhaps by its latest bedfellow Nokia - as the company has generally stayed away from making direct hardware outside the peripheral market.


Read more: Daily Mail

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MICROSOFT: Steven Sinofsky Is The Heir Apparent

News is that Steve Ballmer had just promoted Sinofsky to President — a title that Ballmer himself held for three years before becoming CEO. 

Unless Windows 8 is a failure, Steven Sinofsky will be the next CEO of the company.

Microsoft's first consumer preview of Windows 8, something Steven Sinofsky has worked hard to produce, will give everybody a chance to see how it looks and works. Based on early demonstrations so far, it will be exactly what was promised — a completely different and much more approachable version of Windows. And it will come out exactly on time, later this year. 

Read more: Business Insider

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Windows 8 Consumer Preview Event Set for Feb. 29

Microsoft chose a special day — Leap Day — for its special event: the official unveiling of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. 

There were virtually no details beyond the invite, but it’s expected Microsoft will open Windows 8 downloads to consumers who will be able to install and preview the new OS on current hardware.

"The event is scheduled to last two hours, which means we should get a complete rundown of all the differences between the Developer and Consumer builds, the ecosystem Microsoft wants to build around the Metro interface platform and, finally, see some new hardware running Windows 8", reports Mashable

Read more: Mashable

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Microsoft Gesture-recognition Technology Kinect due Feb. 1

[ via Mashable ] 10 Jan

Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer announced on Monday the company’s gesture-recognition technology Kinect will come to Windows on February 1. It was the one intriguing nugget in a presentation more notable for its a capella tweet choir than its news.

Balmer didn’t elaborate on what Kinect for Windows would look like, but one can assume that it would allow users to control the operating system without touching a keyboard or mouse. Kinect has already been a game changer for gaming and television — allowing, for instance, a child to interact with Sesame Street. It’s overwhelming to imagine how it could change computing.

Read more: Mashable

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Internet Explorer Learns Auto Update From Chrome

[ via Mashable ] 15 Dec

Having made it difficult for the users for quite a long, the Window's Internet Explorer will now "automatically update" whenever a new version is available, announces Microsoft.

The "lesson" comes from Google's Chrome, which automatically updates. In fact this has been one of the best known features of Google’s web browser Chrome, and now Microsoft’s IE follows suit - though there still is a catch.

The automatic update will only work if the user has enabled automatic updating in Windows.

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Download Microsoft’s SkyDrive iOS App For iPhone and Windows Phone

[ via Chip Hazard ] 13 Dec

Microsoft has released its cloud storage app “SkyDrive” Tuesday for both Windows Phone and iPhone which is available for free download.

The app allows uploads of videos and photos to SkyDrive, as well as opening and managing files, bringing iCloud and Dropbox like file management and syncing features.

Note: At the moment Skydrive is available for Download for the iPhone version, the Windows Phone version will appear in the market place soon enough.

Downlaod SkyDrive For iPhone [iTunes Link]

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Microsoft Founder’s Rocket Plane Hybrid: One Giant Leap For Mankind

[ via Mashable ] 14 Dec

Tuesday’s announcement from Microsoft co-founder (and somewhat reclusive billionaire) Paul Allen of a $200 million company, Stratolaunch Systems, that will marry the designs of two of the space industry’s most important inventors: Burt Rutan and Elon Musk, is going to go down in history as a hallmark day.

Rutan is the creator of SpaceShipOne, the world’s first commercial spacecraft, which was launched from the top of a light aircraft called White Knight. The plane took care of those crucial first 30,000 feet of a launch, where Earth’s hold on us is hardest to break. This is how Virgin Galactic will be sending its first tourists to space in 2013.

But Allen's hybrid rocket plane — due this decade, larger than any aerial vehicle yet built, can put anything and anyone in orbit. The Stratolauch system will uesher ina revolution in travel to space by those who can afford it.

Read full story for details / video

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Microsoft’s XBOX 360: The Highest Selling Console of November 2011

[ Chip Hazard ] 10 Dec

Microsoft has announced Saturday that they have sold over 1.7 Million XBOX 360 units in U.S in November, making it the highest selling console for the month in the country.

Microsoft Official Blog reports:

Today, Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 has closed another impressive month, strengthening its position in the current-generation console market with record sales of 1.7 million units in the U.S. in November, the only current-generation console to sell more than one million units, and nearly double the second-place console.

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Microsoft Confirms Windows 8 Public Beta Release Date

[ Chip Hazard ] 7 Dec

Microsoft today in San Francisco has finally confirmed the release date of Windows 8 Public Beta for Late February 2012.

There had been previously many rumors around the web and now those rumors came out to be true. Although the Windows 8 Developer  Beta has already reached over three million downloads, the Public beta is a whole different thing as the Public Beta is considered to be very close to the final version of the OS.

Read full story for many features of Window 8 Beta.

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Xbox update brings TV with voice, gesture control

[ MSN ] 5 Dec

Microsoft Corp. is rolling out a new interface for its Xbox game console users — one that allows you to navigate through music, movies, TV shows and games with the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice.

The interface, first demonstrated by CEO Steve Ballmer in September, is set up similarly to Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Windows 8 operating system with a series of large panes showing content options.

Microsoft says there have been 57 million Xbox units sold around the world and there are more than 35 million users who have logged on to its Xbox Live service at least once in the last three months. 

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Chrome Surpasses Mozilla in Market Share for First Time

Huffington Post 1 Dec

Another important day in the browser wars: Chrome has surpassed Firefox in market share for the first time ever, according to a new report from StatCounter.

Google's browser had 25.69 percent global market share for November, while Firefox took home 25.23 percent. Both trail Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which is still the world's most used browser at 40.63 percent market share.

Read full story at Huffington Post for details

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Microsoft’s IE10 preview offers peak at Internet Explorer in Windows 8

The Telegraph 1 Dec

Microsoft has released its latest preview of Internet Explorer, showing IE10’s new features in Windows 8. The new software will provide software developers with the tools to build web applications that will shape the future of the internet, Microsoft claims.

In a blog post by Rob Mauceri, program manager of the IE group, Microsoft said that the new software would offer improved support for files and other raw data, via JavaScript typed arrays, and better HTML5 video features. This would allow developers to link to specific points in videos, for instance.

Read full story for more details.

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Apple’s Siri vs Microsoft’s TellMe Voice Control Features Comparison [Video]

Full Story: Chip Hazard / Wahaab JB 25 Nov

Microsoft’s Cheif Strategy and Research Officer Craig Mundie has been arguing lately that Apple’s voice recognition feature Siri is not new to the market as Microsoft has had the same thing year ago in its Windows phone 7.

In order to put fact and realities straight, Jason Cartwright of TechAu has put up a video which shows voice recognition performance of both Apple’s Siri and Windows Phone 7′s TellMe in reaction to the comments made by the Microsoft representative. Watch the video below:

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Microsoft Cuts Prices for Black Friday

Full Story: Mashable 26 Nov

Black Friday is becoming a real Thanksgiving as vendors around the world have put their merchandise on very competitive and affordable low prices for the delight of customers. 

While others are already in it, Microsoft has also announced its Black Friday sale over at Microsoft Store, offering decent discounts on the Kinect, Xbox, select PCs, software and games.

Microsoft is offering big discounts on select laptops. For example, a Samsung RC512 laptop with Windows 7 costs $499, down from its standard price of $799.

Read more for more discounted details by Microsoft.

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