Articles about Microsoft

On Wednesday, June 26, Microsoft revealed the highly anticipated Windows 8.1 update at its Build 2013 developer conference, and also made the OS refresh available to install shortly afterwards.

The good news, for anyone interested in all things Windows, is there was no need to travel all the way to The Moscone Center in San Francisco, or shell out $2,095 for a full priced ticket to view the Windows 8.1  reveal. We streamed it here live.

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The hype bubble around Windows 8.1 is steadily building this week. Microsoft will supposedly dump a full preview version of 8.1 in ISO format, and the rumored date across the net happens to be June 26. In step, BetaNews readers have been sounding off on Wayne Williams' post asking the big question at hand: Will you be installing Windows 8.1?

Interestingly, just by chance, I found out myself that you don't need to wait until the 8.1 ISO hits the web. Some of the biggest, and most requested, changes are already floating around in the wild -- albeit in a slightly different package than you may expect. Both the new Start Button and the 'Boot to Desktop' option are fully viewable in the latest Windows Server 2012 R2 preview build. You can download a full preview copy for yourself over at TechNet.

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Microsoft will be releasing the Windows 8.1 Preview this week and we’re excited to finally get our hands on an official build, and try out the new features and improvements which the software giant has implemented in its quest to make its divisive operating system more appealing to the masses.

A week ago we asked you if you intend to install Windows 8.1. To date we’ve had just over 2,800 responses, so it’s a reasonable sample size given the time the poll has been up, and the results are interesting. The actual percentage between answers hasn’t changed much since around the 1,000 responses mark.

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In a keynote speech to the TechEd Europe conference in Madrid, Microsoft's Server and Tools Corporate VP Brad Anderson has announced the availability of preview versions of Windows Server 2012 R2, System Center 2012 R2 and SQL Server 2014.

Writing on the company’s blog Anderson says, "These products are going to have a massive impact on companies around the world -- and IT pros are going to see the traditional boundaries between datacenters vanish and a true hybrid cloud emerge".

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Microsoft has announced a tie up with Oracle that will allow customers to run Oracle software on Windows Server Hyper-V and in Windows Azure.

The partnership means that Oracle will certify and support its software -- including Java, Oracle Database and Oracle WebLogic Server -- on the Microsoft cloud platforms. The key elements of the deal are listed on Oracle's corporate blog.

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Microsoft is looking for a handout it seems. They would like customers to build and share their own games for both Xbox One and Windows 8. With that, the company invites users to sign-up and test Project Spark, an invitation extended today and which you will need to sign up for and await an actual chance to use the service.

For now Microsoft offers a video demonstration of what to expect. The video shows off the "ease" with which games can be created and altered and promises you will be able to share them when the process is complete and you are satisfied with your finished product.

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Microsoft has dropped strong clues, without saying it explicitly, that Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 8.1 will support WebGL, a DirectX-like standard for fast gaming on the web. The biggest clue came in a video posted on Vine. Others have found direct evidence in leaked builds.

It's not hard to see why Microsoft would want to support WebGL. Everyone else does. However, the company spelled out the reasons it hadn’t so far in a Security, Research and Defense blog post two years ago.

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Online meetings have been synonymous for nearly the last decade with well known platforms like GoToMeeting and Webex. And rightfully so. Both cloud collaboration suites are fairly mature offerings, with expanded feature sets that replicate (nearly) every aspect of a face to face meeting. As an IT professional by day, I'm frequently involved in client meetings over both platforms and have helped countless others leverage these products for their own businesses.

Yet there are numerous things which irk me about the status quo from these two offerings. The biggest happens to be the substantial cost attached to each. It's hard to believe that two platforms with such maturity have not been able to bring their price levels down considerably with as much engineering and prevalent, cost-effective cloud technology as exists today.

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If nothing else, Microsoft's forthcoming gaming console has received more than its fair share of attention, and plenty of it on the wrong side of what the company would hope for. There was controversy before the official announcement even came, there was double-talk at the announcement, and of course some major backtracking later.

Although we know a lot about the console now, the one thing Microsoft has so far failed to announce is an official release date. Despite a vague promise of "later this year", most of us likely expected the holiday shopping season. It turns out, if Amazon is correct, the device will only just make it in time for that.

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Microsoft steps in once again to beef up the Windows Phone 8 ecosystem. The software giant just released Network Speed Test, an app which allows users of the tiled mobile operating system to verify cellular data and Wi-Fi connection speeds.

Network Speed Test is one of the most striking to look at apps available on Windows Phone 8. The app features an elegant and minimal design, using only a couple of colors throughout the interface. From a personal point of view, it portrays how other platform offerings should look. Let's go through the features.

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Thirty-fourth in a series.  The total apps growth this week jumped over the 3,000 new apps mark again after having hit that threshold for the first time two weeks ago.

The total app count in the US Windows 8 Store rose to 63,756 free and paid apps up 3,034 apps from 60,722 the week before.

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I’ve been watching Microsoft's handling of the whole DRM, region lock, and used game PR fiasco with interest over the past two weeks, and while I personally did not have any problem with any of those restrictions, many of you did. On June 19, Microsoft did something that seems to have shocked the world: it listened to customer feedback. Despite reportedly strong preorder sales, Microsoft decided to reverse its decision on the always-on internet connection as well as the game rental, resale, and gifting restrictions.

I personally have mixed feelings about it all. While I applaud Microsoft for listening to its customers, something tells me that in the long run easing up on the game resale industry may not be the best thing for consumers. I’ll explain.

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Owning a tablet is a given nowadays; it seems like almost everyone either has one or wants one. However, deciding which tablet to buy is problematic -- how can a consumer choose which tablet operating system is best? Between iOS, Android and Windows 8 you really can’t go wrong -- all three tablet-friendly operating systems are mature and stable. However, Samsung is aiming to make your decision much easier. The electronics giant announces the ATIV Q which combines Android and true Windows 8 (not RT) on the same device. To quote R. Kelly and Jay-Z, "welcome to the best of both worlds".

According to Samsung, it is "addressing consumers' desire to access Android apps on a Windows-based PC, the ATIV Q allows users to experience both Windows 8 and Android (Jelly Bean 4.2.2) on the same device. Users will not only get access to Android apps via Google Play but also be able to transfer files, to share folders and files from Windows 8 to Android, truly marrying the mobile and PC experiences".

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Yesterday, when I first heard the rumors that Microsoft was going to be dumping the Xbox One’s DRM restrictions -- dropping the regular internet checks and making it easier to share and trade games -- I was skeptical. But then news sites began reporting the story, citing reliable sources, and Microsoft removed the Xbox One Q&A page from its website -- clear confirmation big changes were afoot.

Faced with a tide of anger from gamers, and overwhelming negativity towards certain aspects of its forthcoming entertainment console, Microsoft did something no one expected -- it reversed its stance on DRM and went back to the old ways. It was a surprising decision.

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Typically, a company frowns upon having its products hacked. However, Microsoft is inviting people to do just that. The tech company announces that it will be offering direct cash payments "in exchange for reporting certain types of vulnerabilities and exploitation techniques". No, Microsoft has not gone crazy (at least I hope). Companies usually offer such bounty programs for sane reasons -- security and publicity.

From a security standpoint, it makes sense for Microsoft to invite people to hack its products. When a bug or exploit is found, it can be patched. The tech company's products can only get more secure as a result. Heck, maybe Microsoft can even hire the successful hackers!

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