Articles about Microsoft

The much talked about iOS version of Microsoft Office finally arrives in the App Store today. While that sounds like great news for anyone hoping to at last be able to (officially) use Word, Excel or PowerPoint on the iPad, you may wish to curb your enthusiasm, as there are some serious limitations with this release.

It's only available in the US for starters (coming to other territories "soon"), and you need to be an Office 365 subscriber to use it. Also it's only optimized for the small screen.

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Microsoft continues its battle for your retail dollars. Not only has the company set up  store fronts in malls around the country, as well as pop-up locations during this past holiday season, but now seeks other outlets. The software giant is invading your local big box store, announcing custom stores within Best Buy.

The company's Brandon LeBlanc lets us know, "today, we announce a strategic partnership to create the Windows Store only at Best Buy, a comprehensive store-within-a-store in 500 Best Buy locations across the United States and more than 100 Best Buy and Future Shop locations in Canada".

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Today Microsoft announces the general availability of Windows Embedded Compact 2013, a version that is optimized for building small-footprint industry devices. Windows Embedded Compact 2013 includes new tools and capabilities -- including support for Visual Studio 2012 that is designed to further enhance Windows.

According to Microsoft, "the release is the latest generation of one of the smallest and most flexible products in the Windows Embedded portfolio, designed to power devices that need real-time performance and silicon flexibility, with support for x86 and ARM architectures".

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If I worked for Microsoft, and my sole job was to come up with products that divided opinion and alienated many previously loyal users, I reckon I would be due a promotion about now.

While some divisions within Microsoft are doing a great job (Bing and Outlook.com spring to mind), you have to wonder what the bloody hell is going on when the tech giant is able to so badly foul up not only Windows but Xbox too.

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In an effort to beef up the security of its cloud platform, late-yesterday, Microsoft introduced two-step authentication for Windows Azure. The new feature is available through a service called Active Authentication and, according to the software giant, is mostly aimed at enterprises.

"Companies can enable multi-factor authentication for Windows Azure Active Directory identities to help secure access to Office 365, Windows Azure, Windows Intune, Dynamics CRM Online and many other apps that are integrated with Windows Azure AD", says Windows Azure director Sarah Fender. "Developers can also use the Active Authentication SDK to build multi-factor authentication into their custom applications and directories".

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The gaming market isn’t what it used to be. With smartphones and tablets able to play high quality single and multiplayer titles, the casual gamer really has no need for a dedicated gaming console. Both Sony and Microsoft knew this when dreaming up their next generation consoles and took strategic decisions to keep them in the game (pun intended).

After the Xbox One reveal it was clear that Microsoft’s focus is now on casual and non-gamers. The whole presentation was a pitch for an all-in-one entertainment system rather than a traditional gaming console.

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Though personal data has been a big news item recently, mapping is still a business and getting a satellite view of locations is, after all, rather a cool thing. With that in mind, Bing continues to go head-to-head against Google in this market, and today announces a new round of updates.

"We are excited to announce a number of updates to Bing Maps, including the largest shipment of Bird’s Eye imagery yet, nearly 270 terabytes of data or the equivalent of 100,000 DVD’s, along with expanded venue maps and our new 'Report a problem' feature", Bing announces.

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Yesterday, my colleague Alan Buckingham reported on the Xbox One availability and pricing. I wasn't sure if I wanted one but I thought it would be a good idea to pre-order. I have failed to pre-order consoles in the past with devastating results. Many Christmas holidays were ruined by the failure to secure the newest console (I know -- first world problems). And so, I decided to pre-order the Xbox One -- just in case.

I headed to the online Microsoft Store, with debit card in hand. I went to the pre-order page and started the process. I was shocked to find that Microsoft wanted me to pay the full $500 (plus tax) up front! Keep in mind, this console will not launch until November. Paying full price now, in June, is ludicrous. In the past, I had pre-ordered consoles by putting down a small deposit.

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It has taken some time, but Windows Phone slowly gets the apps that users really want. The latest arrival is Temple Run Brave, which plays off of the Pixar Animation Studios movie that was released through Disney. It is the first of two themed Temple Run games, with Oz later making its way to the mobile gaming platform, though not yet to Microsoft's mobile OS.

Microsoft's Michael Stroh tells us "in Temple Run: Brave, you play Merida, heroine of the Disney/Pixar movie, as she races, slides, jumps, turns and shoots across Scotland’s backcountry wilds -- all in gorgeous visuals inspired by the film".

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What a strange coincidence: Earlier this week, Smithsonian Channel's "Air Disasters" broadcast an episode about the downing of Korean Airlines flight 007 in 1983 -- at the height of the Cold War. Turns out the Soviet Union recovered the black boxes and hid them for a decade. I'm old enough to remember the Cold War and what the United States fought against. I told my wife: "Sometimes I really wish the Soviet empire still existed, so Americans had a measure for government bad behavior". A day later, the Guardian and Washington Post broke what likely is the biggest story about U.S. surveillance since the Watergate break in. The activity stinks of behavior opposed decades ago.

The National Security Agency spies on you, in secret, something many people suspected. The NSA monitors Internet servers, without warrants. In a Google+ comment today, Joe Betsill brilliantly and succinctly captures what changed: "There's a difference between suspicion and evidence". He links to an Electronic Frontier Foundation "Timeline to NSA domestic spying". I strongly suggest reading the EFF material, in addition to the Guardian and Washington Post investigative reports -- so that you are informed.

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Ever since Windows 8 arrived I have struggled to fully embrace the Modern UI. The new user interface offers a polarizing experience -- it impresses me on a touchscreen but fails to get my attention on a run-of-the-mill display like my laptop features. For this reason, my forays into the new realm are mostly limited to reading and replying to emails, chatting with friends on Facebook and using Twitter. The Desktop continues to be my safe heaven, relying on it to carry out my daily routine.

Don't get me wrong, the Modern UI is not bad but it feels much more natural to use on a tablet -- touching tiles gives way to an intimate and enjoyable experience. But buying a new device which offers a touchscreen is not a particularly sound method of kindling a long-lasting relationship with the Modern UI. With the decline of the PC market, Microsoft is aware of this as it looks to revamp the new user interface in Windows 8.1 with new features aimed at "stealing" users away from the Desktop.

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Almost two weeks ago Microsoft unveiled its next generation console, the Xbox One. The unveiling did not disclose the pricing and launch date of the gaming system, nor whether it would be possible for Xbox One buyers to trade-in or resell used games.

We still don’t know the retail details, but we do have a clear idea about trading games thanks to an assurance from Larry Hyrb and an official confirmation from Microsoft.

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The good news for many frustrated users of Windows 8 is Microsoft is bringing back the start button in Windows 8.1. It might not operate in quite the same way as the Start button does in previous incarnations of the operating system, but at least it’s there.

Microsoft released a teaser video a couple of days ago which highlighted many of the new features to look forward to in the OS refresh, but the Start button wasn’t among them. The software giant did however, demo the button -- and the improved interface -- at Computex 2013, and a video captured by NetworkWorld shows our little clickable friend in action.

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It's not often that I wish to find out what "Qorwagh" or "ghaH*" mean, but when curiosity strikes I can always power up Bing Translator on my Windows Phone. Sadly, Microsoft does not provide a similar app on Windows 8, leaving folks to look up the meaning of those Klingon words using a web browser. Until today, that is.

On Thursday, the software giant released its excellent Bing Translator on Windows 8 and, yes, I can assure you that Klingon is among the supported languages. The app is similar to its Windows Phone 8 counterpart in terms of functionality and includes options like camera translation and more mundane ones like text-to-speech.

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Working with the FBI and authorities in 80 other countries, Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit has disrupted a major cybercrime ring. The operation has targeted 1,400 systems involved in running the Citadel botnet.

Citadel is thought to have infected as many as 5 million PCs worldwide and has been used to steal from major financial institutions including American Express, Bank of America and PayPal, accounting for losses of up to half a billion dollars to companies and individuals worldwide. The Citadel botnet is hosted using pirated versions of XP. Once the virus -- which first appeared in early 2012 -- infects a user's machine it blocks access to legitimate antivirus sites and disables installed antivirus applications making it hard to detect and remove.

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