Microsoft

In what appears to be an attempt to end sluggish sales, in June Microsoft reportedly began quietly letting PC makers offer a "downgrade" option to consumers who buy Windows Vista Business or Ultimate machines that want to switch to Windows XP. Who's ... taken up the new initiative? Fujitsu started to include a Windows XP disc in the box with its laptops and tablets. "That's going to help out small and medium-size businesses," Fujitsu marketing manager Brandon Farris told CNET News.com. Lenovo is offering Windows XP Recovery CDs as a way to downgrade on "qualified systems" for an additional fee ... (view more)

A soon-to-be-released study from NPD Group reportedly shows that standalone unit sales of Windows Vista in its first six months significantly trail standalone unit sales of Windows XP in its first six months of release. Boxed sales of Windows XP ... outsold boxed sales of Windows Vista by almost 60 percent in their respective first six months of availability. Due to the over-inflated cost of Windows Vista, revenue from sales of boxed copies of Vista was only down by 41 percent. It's important to note though that Windows XP was released in October while Windows Vista was released in January, ... (view more)

Now that the iPhone has been released and has established itself by already grabbing nearly 2% of the handheld market, speculation is turning towards rival corporations interested in developing their own powerful smart phones. And here goes: ... Microsoft is reportedly hinting at releasing its own super-flashy communicator. (Source: toptechnews.com ) Although rumors of a Google phone, or Gphone, have existed for some time, no one has seen the forest through the trees, so to speak. Surprisingly, Microsoft has not been linked with a smart phone, despite its impressive showing in developing video ... (view more)

Bet you never thought Windows Vista was a great deal; however, the new operating system from Microsoft, which ships in its cheapest, non-upgrade form for a substantial $200, is being touted as very economical by the company behind its creation. More ... cost-efficient, in fact, than even XP. (Source: bestbuy.com ) The story is emerging from a recent Microsoft-commissioned study delving into the total cost of using its operating systems on a mobile PC. According to MS, owning Vista in this capacity is a reported $605 cheaper than its older OS, Windows XP. The mobile prices themselves are quite ... (view more)

In 1995, Microsoft attempted to fend off their ever-increasing rival companies by adding a free web browser to their brand new operating system, Windows 95. This effort was effectively blocked by several court rulings and the subject was never ... spoken of again. Over a decade later, Microsoft is giving the strategy one more try by offering free software that connects their current brand new operating system, Windows Vista, to software services delivered over the Internet. (Source: nytimes.com ) This practice is not uncommon in the technological world and is often referred to as "cloud" ... (view more)

Is Microsoft going to buy out BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM)? This purchase may be beneficial for Microsoft since RIM has been going through a period of strong growth in terms of subscribers and profits. However, RIM does have its ... downsides, the main one being its customers. So far, retail consumers are very few and far between. On the other hand, the company is striving to gain a broader consumer population by equipping its devices with new multimedia features such as cameras and music players. It has also negotiated with carriers in order to reduce consumer prices. A ... (view more)

Please don't be too shocked by this one: Microsoft has again delayed one of its highly anticipated products. This time the unfortunate one is Windows Server 2008, unsurprisingly pushed back until, you guessed it, 2008. At one time, Microsoft had ... planned to release Windows Server 2008 just in time for reindeer and Santa Claus, although recent troubles have left representatives scratching their heads. Now, it seems work on the software could take as long as an additional ninety days, moving the final release well into spring of next year. (Source: computerworld.com ) What is Windows Server 2008 ... (view more)

After a long wait and much speculation, Microsoft has finally announced plans for its upcoming service pack, SP1 for Windows Vista. Unearthing details on Wednesday, the Redmond-based company revealed it will be launching the update over the course ... of a 90-day period, with the SP1 beta test planned soon. What is SP1? SP1, or Service Pack 1, is the first major update to Microsoft's newest operating system, Windows Vista. It's a critical "patch", if you will, and may lure more of the tech world's cynics to a troubled OS that could, and should, be the next wave in its market. And so, some of our ... (view more)

Nokia and Microsoft are partnering up to increase revenue from web services. The device uniting them is from Nokia, as the mobile manufacturer plans to pre-install Microsoft Internet applications on its new phones early next year. The ... Microsoft/Nokia relationship is not just for North Americans, but will be available in eleven countries, including Britain, France, Spain, and Germany. In the past, Nokia phones were equipped with a few Microsoft products such as Windows Media DRM10, which enforces copyright protection for audio files. Now, a whole range of Microsoft programs will dial their way ... (view more)

A lot of things have been written about Windows Vista...some good, some bad. As with everything else, Vista has its good and bad points. Some have even compared Vista to the Ford Edsel, and to Windows Millenium (ME) at its worst. Now Vista has sunk ... to a new catastrophic low...it's now being referred to as the second Titanic, which if you'll recall, sank on its maiden voyage. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes made the comparison in an article published on Earthweb.com. He also writes for zdnet.com. "An operating system (OS) isn't a stand-alone item" he writes. "For an operating system to be successful it ... (view more)