Closer Look: Beta Windows Vista Service Pack 1
With dissatisfaction over the Vista operating system persistent, can Microsoft right the OS’s wrongs with its upcoming Vista service pack?
Microsoft made the latest beta of Vista SP1 available to the public earlier this month, and after informally testing it for a couple of days, I find my PC is working more reliably–and some tasks especially file copying, take less time. But I was hoping for more out of SP1, such as bigger system performance gains and fixes for Vista annoyances including the oft-criticized User Account Control feature.
< %image(20080124-vistaServicePack1.jpg|180|119|)%>
Read more…
A Clearer View of Vista
There are times when I feel like I’m in a tiny minority of people who don’t hate Windows Vista.
Vista arrived in stores and on consumer PCs at the end of last January, after years of delay. But as Windows XP’s successor nears its first birthday, few customers seem inclined to celebrate.
For other software companies, Vista would be a blockbuster. But Microsoft has a tougher standard to meet: the success of previous Windows updates. Compared with XP and Windows 95, each of which had a comparable marketing push, Vista is a disappointment.
< %image(20080124-vista.jpg|200|120|)%>
Read more…
Buy Microsoft to ‘Haath Bachao’
Microsoft Hardware has launched the “Microsoft Lao, Haath Bachao” campaign in the country to educate the masses of the importance of using ergonomically designed products.
As part of the campaign, Microsoft will conduct plays in key commercial areas across 12 major cities to convey the message.
According to Microsoft, research has found individual employee performance to increase 25 percent when he/she uses an ergonomically designed workstation.
< %image(20080123-Microsoft.jpg|260|165|)%>
Read more…
Microsoft expected to post sharp profit rise
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft is expected to report a sharp rise in quarterly profit this week, boosted by surging revenue as strong computer sales drive demand for its Windows operating system and Office software.
Investors will also look at its full-year outlook to see if the world’s largest software maker can maintain momentum from a strong first quarter in the face of growing concerns over the U.S. economy. Microsoft reports fiscal second-quarter results on Thursday.
< %image(20080122-Microsoft1.jpg|192|116|)%>
Read more…
Microsoft Revives Virtualization Push
Few breakthroughs have swept high-end corporate computing faster than virtualization, a technology that helps companies make more efficient use of computers by shifting work among machines. But despite Microsoft’s leadership in the area of high-end computing, Microsoft itself has been largely left out of the virtualization party.
The Redmond (Wash.) software giant hopes to change that on Jan. 22, when it unveils an acquisition, updated software, and new pricing that it hopes will help it become a force in the emerging business.
< %image(20080122-microsoft11.jpg|200|150|)%>
Read more…
Microsoft targets VMware with new deals
SEATTLE/BOSTON (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp said on Monday it bought a start-up company called Calista Technologies and expanded its alliance with Citrix Systems , targeting the fast growing virtualization market.
Microsoft’s moves are part of a broader call to arms against the early leader VMware Inc in the market for technology that allows a single computer to act like many “virtual” machines, thus expanding its capacity to run various types of software and multiple operating systems.
“This is Microsoft coming out and staking the claim that they are serious about virtualization,” said Forrester Research analyst Natalie Lambert. “When you think of VMware, you think virtualization. That is going to be a hurdle for Microsoft.”
< %image(20080122-Microsoft.jpg|192|130|Microsoft targets VMware with new deals)%>
Read more…
Software to Monitor Employee Health
A patent application filed by Microsoft with the US Patent Office reveals that the company is developing software, which might help employers monitor the productivity, competence, and physical well being of their employees.
The software will measure employees’ heart rate, body temperature, brain signals, movement, facial expression, and blood pressure, and will be able to say when they are stressed or frustrated simply by reading heartbeats and facial expressions.
< %image(20080121-Microsoft.jpg|260|165|Microsoft )%>
Read more…
Microsoft accused of patent violation in China
BEIJING (Reuters) – A small Chinese high-tech firm is suing Microsoft Corp because it says the software giant has stolen its creation that allows Internet users to type Chinese characters, but Microsoft countered the claim on Friday.
Zhongyi Electronic Ltd., a 100-employee firm, alleged that Microsoft has used its inputting technology and fonts in Windows operating systems without commercial agreement for a decade, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The lawsuit puts Microsoft in the unfamiliar position of defending its intellectual property practices in China after years of fighting piracy of its software there.
< %image(20080119-microsoft.jpg|192|128|Microsoft)%>
Read more…
The European Challenge to Successful Companies
Microsoft, once again, is in the crosshairs of European antitrust regulators, but major American technology companies have to wonder whether this will stop with Microsoft.
This time, the European Union announced, it is going after Microsoft’s Office and the company’s browser-bundling strategy. The move comes on the heels of a court victory last fall for the European regulators, upholding fines and sanctions against the world’s largest software maker, in a case that began in 1998. Microsoft was ordered to share more technical information so rivals’ server software would work smoothly with Windows, and it had to offer a version of Windows without a media player for Internet music and videos. Those remedies, it seems, have had little effect on the software market.
< %image(20080117-Microsoft_Office.jpg|200|150|)%>
Read more…
Microsoft Launches Web Site For Mac Office 2008 Users
Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) unveiled a redesigned version of its Mactopia Web site for users of its new Macintosh-compatible software.
Mac users can purchase Office 2008 for Mac on the updated site, participate in community forums, and access a range of product help and information.
The site also will house Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit blog — a popular resource for Apple fans looking for hints about Microsoft’s Macintosh product road map.
Microsoft launched Office 2008 for Mac on Tuesday at Macworld in San Francisco. The suite includes the latest versions of Mac-compatible editions of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Entourage.
Read more…