service

Microsoft is targeting Google's Gmail in a new campaign designed to steer Internet email users towards the Redmond, Washington-based firm's own Outlook.com service. The basis for that attack: Google doesn't do enough to protect the privacy of Gmail ... users. The Microsoft campaign, which is being carried out across the United States, is called "Don't get scroogled by Gmail." At the heart of that campaign: the fact that Google scans Gmail inboxes to figure out which advertisements should be displayed along with the messages. Microsoft Investigates Responses to Gmail ... (view more)

California officials have overturned a ban that prevented a smartphone app-based taxi-style service from legally operating. The case was prompted by a smartphone app called 'Uber,' which allows customers to summon a luxury car and driver to their ... location at the press of a button. The cost of the ride is automatically charged to a customer's credit card. The service was a welcome idea for customers who wanted to avoid trying to hail a cab. Unfortunately, Uber initially ran into problems with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). California Officials: Uber a Taxi Service Why? ... (view more)

Twitter has launched a video-sharing service similar to YouTube but designed for people with shorter attention spans. Unfortunately, questions over adult content could spell doom for the service. The service is called 'Vine' and is specifically ... designed for the Apple iPhone. It lets users upload and share a video clip of up to six seconds in length and then publish a link to the clip on Twitter. The idea of a short clip service isn't new: rival application 'Tout' does the same thing but offers users 15 second previews. In both cases, it appears the idea is to minimize the amount of storage ... (view more)

Microsoft Expression Encoder 4 Service Pack 2 (SP2) Microsoft Expression Encoder is a free Windows software tool that allows advanced users to encode video and audio files. It's also a live-broadcasting application that provides you with feature ... support and updates while using Microsoft Silverlight. If you need these kinds of capabilities, this is a good way to go. http://www.microsoft.com Flutter 0.5.2 This cutting-edge software tool allows you to interact with your Mac or Windows computer by using only hand gestures. For example, it can be configured to play, stop, and fast-forward DVDs ... (view more)

Streaming video service Netflix suffered an international service outage on December 24-25, 2012, that left perhaps 90 per cent of its subscribers unable to access the company's massive catalog of TV shows and films. According to Netflix, Amazon was ... responsible for the problem. Netflix users intent on spending Christmas Eve in front of the boob tube were upset to find the service completely unavailable. One subscriber told The Wall Street Journal that they "came home to relax and watch movies," but after trying to access the Netflix catalog "several times" they simply "gave up" and turned to ... (view more)

A Microsoft special offer has unintentionally made it much easier for software pirates to run bogus copies of Windows 8. But the loophole works only for particularly determined pirates. The loophole centers around the way Windows users activate ... their software. Each copy of Windows has a unique "key," which Microsoft checks to ensure the software copy is valid and not already in use by another registered owner. If the software's key passes these checks, the software copy is activated. Without activation within a certain period, Windows will begin to severely limit its functionality, mostly to ... (view more)

Verizon says it won't charge customers who live in areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy for service lost during the massive 'superstorm.' On a case-by-case basis, the company will also consider helping people in other locations. The network says the ... fee waiver is part of an ongoing program to help victims and restore cellphone service. Under the program, Verizon will waive fees for customers in ten New York counties and twenty-one New Jersey counties. The deal involves waiving the fees for all domestic calls and texts made by customers in the designated counties between October 29 (when the ... (view more)

Despite the threat of deportation to the United States for trial, the man who started the controversial Megaupload filesharing service says he is working on a replacement. Kim Dotcom also says his new filesharing service will work in a way that will ... keep him safe from the long arm of the law. Megaupload allowed users to store files online, and also to access and download the files through either a private or public link. Not surprisingly, many people used the service to share copyrighted files, such as digital music and movies, without paying for them -- clearly a case of copyright ... (view more)

According to a new report, the international political hacking group Anonymous wants to start a new service similar to Julian Assange's Wikileaks. The new service would reportedly expose the secrets of governments and major corporations. The effort ... would be right in line with Anonymous' established penchant for carrying out attacks against the UK government , Church of Scientology, and internationally-recognized firms like Visa, MasterCard, and Sony. Financial, Legal Troubles Sideline Assange Anonymous' new service is important because Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been sidelined by ... (view more)

Microsoft is giving the music scene another try, this time using its popular Xbox franchise to compete with the likes of Apple and Google. The new service includes an international catalog of about 30 million songs. Consumers can listen to any song ... for free on computers and tablets running Windows 8. Or, they can use their Xbox 360 console. Music Marketplace Vastly Different Microsoft's last foray into the digital media distribution arena went poorly. The firm's hardware device, called the 'Zune', was eventually taken off the market after being unable to compete with Apple's iPod. Zune ... (view more)