Latest on Microsoft: News, Features, Opinions and More  Microsoft wraps up ads aimed at Google with IE9 pitch
Microsoft on Friday wrapped up a three-day campaign against rival Google by claiming its newest browser, Internet Explorer 9, is superior in stopping users from being tracked by online advertisers. Office 365's Lync Online to gain interop with consumer IM networks
Lync Online, the instant messaging, online meeting and PC-to-PC voice and video communications tool in Office 365, will gain interoperability with non-Microsoft IM networks. German gov't endorses Chrome as most secure browser
Germany's cyber security agency today recommended that Windows 7 users run Google's Chrome browser, citing the application's sandbox and auto-update features. OpenStack removes Hyper-V support in next release
Despite Microsoft's stated commitment to Hyper-V in OpenStack, buggy code designed to support the hypervisor will be removed from the next version of the stack, developers decided on Wednesday. Microsoft opens door to Kinect for Windows apps
As promised, Microsoft on Wednesday shipped version 1.0 of the Kinect for Windows SDK and runtime and said partners have started selling the Kinect hardware. VMTurbo upgrade supports the three major virtualization platforms
VMTurbo has upgraded its operations management suite to support the three major virtual environments and to improve its capacity-planning tool. Kelihos botnet, once crippled, now gaining strength
A botnet that was crippled by Microsoft and Kaspersky Lab last September is spamming once again and experts have no recourse to stop it. Microsoft 'committed' to Hyper-V OpenStack support
Microsoft may try to revive support for Hyper-V in OpenStack as the community considers removing the code -- which one OpenStack developer called broken and unmaintained -- from the stack. Microsoft releases PST importer for Exchange
In a move to help administrators rid their networks of disparate personal email archives, Microsoft has released a tool for finding and importing Outlook PST files into modern Exchange environments. The tool will also help Microsoft rid itself of the archiving format, which it no longer sees as necessary. Evernote vs. OneNote: Note-Taking Apps Showdown
Among the many options for storing information digitally, the biggest players in the note-taking software market are OneNote and Evernote. These applications come in handy for taking notes, making lists, managing projects, storing and organizing information, and sharing it with others. 13 Windows 8 features worth knowing about
From a Windows app store to support for new wireless protocols, Windows 8 introduces a host of new features. Some will benefit consumers, some businesses -- and some, perhaps, nobody. Need More Storage? Reach for the Cloud
When you start out with a fresh new hard drive, it may seem like it has virtually unlimited capacity. The reality, though, is that it won't take nearly as long to max out that drive as you might think, and you will need to find some way to expand your storage. Microsoft partner: Office 365 app dev model to change, expand
External developers will be able to build much more sophisticated applications and tools for Office 365 once Microsoft releases the next upgrade of that cloud-hosted communication and collaboration suite, according to a Microsoft partner. Accused Kelihos botmaster proclaims innocence
Andrey Sabelnikov, the Russian programmer accused by Microsoft of creating and operating the Kelihos spam botnet said he's innocent. Update: Industry group makes fresh push to fight phishing
Companies such as Facebook, Google and PayPal are pushing for widespread use of a new technical specification, DMARC, that could make it harder for phishers to reach their victims. Best Way to Upgrade Vista to Windows 7
Wlpncp plans to upgrade his wife's PC from Vista to Windows 7. He asked the Laptops forum for advice. Software That Does It All
A computer is only as useful as the software you run on it, so you should keep your PC's software current--and not necessarily with the latest version of a program that's getting long in the tooth. Sometimes, switching to a new application can help you speed up your work or make your system more efficient. Expo Notes: more work tools for the iPad
I met with a bunch of the vendors at Macworld | iWorld who are touting tools they say will make iPads and iPhones better business tools. Two in particular stood out. Apple reclaims top brand spot after iPhone 4S launch, Jobs' death
Apple reclaimed the top spot in a brand listing by collecting an estimated $900 million worth of traditional media, social media and Twitter coverage in the fourth quarter of 2011, a measurement company said today. Drive-by-download attack exploits critical vulnerability in Windows Media Player
Security researchers from antivirus vendor Trend Micro have come across a Web-based attack that exploits a known vulnerability in Windows Media Player. How to Stream Super Bowl XLVI
Super Bowl XLVI (46) kicks off on February 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, and no matter where you'll be that Sunday, you have plenty of ways to stream the big game to your PC, tablet, or smartphone so you can watch the Giants and the Patriots struggle for supremacy on your preferred device. Apple breaks Microsoft's 'lock' on enterprise workers, argues analyst
The iPhone may have opened the door for Apple in the enterprise, but it was the one-two punch of the iPad and revamped MacBook Air in 2010 that really did the trick, an analyst said today. Nokia reports loss as Windows Phone sales are off to OK start
Nokia's sales dropped and losses increased during the fourth quarter, as sales of Symbian-based smartphones suffered and Windows Phones got started. Work Faster in Microsoft Excel: 10 Secret Tricks
Excel puts lots of great tools on your desktop, but what each one of them does isn't always obvious, especially since so many Excel features are hidden. Android's tablet share at 39% as sales triple, says study
Sales of Android-based tablets more than tripled during the fourth quarter of 2011. But Apple still dominates, even as its market share dropped, according to Strategy Analytics. Can cloud-based collaborative data-sharing be secure enough for defense systems?
Though wariness about the perceived lack of security in cloud-based services is often voiced, there are some situations where the opposite is the case. Some businesses mindful of security say the cloud services that are important to them have done a lot of work to meet their expectations about security. Accused Kelihos botmaster's former employer 'angered' at revelation
A security-related company that until late December employed the Russian developer who allegedly created the Kelihos botnet said today it was 'extremely disappointed and angered' at the revelation. Node.js inventor extends JavaScript programming beyond browsers
Interview: Ryan Dahl discusses why his invention is catching fire with developers Accused Kelihos botnet maker worked for two security firms
A Russian man who was accused Monday by Microsoft of creating the Kelihos botnet worked for a pair of security-related firms from 2005 to 2011, according to evidence on the Web. Microsoft set to launch SQL Server 2012 on March 7
Microsoft has announced a March 7 online event for the launch of SQL Server 2012, the next generation of its database product. Microsoft names alleged Kelihos botnet creator
Microsoft has named a Russian man as the alleged creator of Kelihos, a spammy botnet that abused the company's Hotmail service until the botnet was shutdown last September. Scot Finnie: Mobile Is Immediate
Smartphone usage is exploding. That creates challenges for enterprise IT shops that have to adapt to BYOD policies, but competition could bring welcome change to the mobile industry. First look: Windows 8 breaks new ground
Tests of the pre-beta code indicates that Windows 8 represents an aggressive effort by Microsoft to deliver a single OS that runs just about everywhere. Microsoft gives details on mobile broadband improvements in Windows 8
Microsoft has given details on a variety of ways in which the upcoming Windows 8 operating system does a better job than its predecessors at letting users manage their connections to Wi-Fi and mobile broadband networks. The Patriot Act and Your Data: Should You Ask Cloud Providers About Protection?
Does the USA Patriot Act give the U.S. government too much access to data stored on the cloud servers of American providers regardless of where those servers are located? That's the concern among European IT leaders. Wall Street Beat: Enterprise spending helps mixed quarter for tech
There were weak spots in the last quarter of 2011 for sector bellwethers Google, IBM, Intel and Microsoft, but corporate demand for technology appeared to remain resilient going into what is expected to be a year of slower growth for global IT spending. Windows' cut of Microsoft revenue drops to two-year low
Windows' contribution last quarter to Microsoft's revenue hit its lowest point since Vista's swan song more than two years earlier, according to figures released by the company Thursday. Nokia to launch Windows Phone 7 handsets for China in first half of 2012
Nokia plans to launch a Windows Phone 7 handset for the Chinese market in the first half of this year, positioning itself to be among the first companies to officially bring Microsoft's mobile OS to the country, a Nokia spokesman said Friday. 4 Consumer Technologies That Could Change Your Enterprise
From technologies born out of gaming companies to hardware waterproofing products, we find some gems at the Consumer Electronics Show that CIOs will be glad to welcome to their IT shops. NetApp's Tom Georgens: How we got big, stayed nimble, and view storage today
In an exclusive interview, NetApp CEO Tom Georgens talks about virtualization, the private cloud, and how his company defines big data Microsoft Q2 revenue up 5%, net income slightly down
Microsoft revenue rose in the second fiscal quarter, while its profits dipped a bit. Google named Best Place to Work in U.S. by Fortune
Google moved up three spots to claim the top position in Fortune's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the U.S. With Yang out, big changes coming to Yahoo?
Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang's departure this week from the company should put in in a better position to take drastic action to fix its long-running woes. Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent settle dispute
Microsoft and Alcatel-Lucent have settled a patent dispute, following a jury verdict last year that would have had Microsoft pay US$70 million for infringement. Apple's iPhone narrows gap with Android among recent buyers
Apple's iPhone made major inroads among recent buyers in its battle against smartphones running Google's Android, but still lagged behind its OS rival, pollster Nielsen said today. Microsoft opposes SOPA, declines to join blackout strike
Microsoft today said it opposes a controversial anti-piracy bill in the U.S., but did not join the widespread "Internet strike" that sites like Google and Wikipedia were conducting. Cloud activity to explode in 2012
In testing cloud computing services and observing the growth of cloud activities, we've noticed that there are distinct phases that organizations go through in adopting cloud. Tableau revamps BI visualization tools with user-centric focus
Business intelligence vendor Tableau Software on Wednesday announced the availability of Tableau 7.0, a release that boosts speed and scale as well as providing what the company calls "human-oriented" design and accessibility. Microsoft engineers file system for a new era
The upcoming release of Windows Server 8 will feature an entirely new file system, called ReFS, that addresses many of the shortcomings of the aging NTFS now used across all current Windows editions, the company announced Tuesday in a blog. Oracle's 'thrown in the towel' on database patching, researcher claims
A security researcher today criticized Oracle for neglecting to patch its core database products, noting that the massive update slated for later Tuesday will set a record for the fewest fixes. Microsoft issues release candidate of System Center 2012
Microsoft on Tuesday said the release candidate of System Center 2011, software that companies use to manage their cloud services, is now available. When your data's in the cloud, is it still your data?
Your contract with a cloud provider should have language clearly affirming your ownership of your data. The best way to run Windows on your Mac
Despite the Mac's recent gains in market share, Windows is still the dominant operating system, especially in businesses. That means there may be times when you need to run the Microsoft OS: perhaps there’s an application your company uses that’s only available for Windows, or you’re a web developer and you need to test your sites in a true native Windows web browser. Or maybe you want to play computer games that aren’t available for OS X. Whatever your reason for running Windows, there are a number of ways your Mac can do it for you. Windows 8 on ARM: You can look but you can't touch
For a touch-based interface it was awfully hard to get hold of. Microsoft's Windows 8 OS was shown on a handful of prototype ARM-based tablets at this year's CES, but almost no one was allowed to try it out. Wall Street Beat: Tech earnings season could be stormy
Get ready for a perfect storm of earnings news. With tech bellwethers including IBM, Microsoft, Intel and Google set to issue financial reports next week, earnings season will pick up in earnest and judging from recent forecasts and profit warnings, it could be a bumpy ride. Indian court issues summons to Google, Facebook for 'objectionable' content
A Delhi court sent a summons to the headquarters of foreign Internet companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Yahoo on Friday, in a private case against objectionable content online. Buyers hang on for cheaper, faster Windows 8 ultrabooks
Ultrabooks are attracting admirers at the Consumer Electronics Show, but some attendees are waiting to buy the thin laptops until prices drop and Windows 8 is released later this year. At CES, Microsoft sets stage for lower Windows revenue
Microsoft executives this week hinted at lowered expectations for Windows revenues in the fourth quarter of 2011, citing data from research firms that point to a stall in PC shipments at the end of 2011. Microsoft investigates protest at Foxconn factory in China
Microsoft investigated a workers protest at its contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group, and found that the dispute in Wuhan, China was related to staffing assignments and transfer policies, the company said Thursday. After Microsoft, what next for CES?
Steve Ballmer gave Microsoft's last keynote at CES Monday night, a damp squib that confirmed for some that the software maker has outstayed its welcome. But whether its departure is the beginning of the end for the show depends on whom you ask. Microsoft patches critical Windows drive-by bug
Microsoft today shipped seven security updates that patched eight vulnerabilities in Windows and a code library used to protect Web applications from cross-site scripting attacks. Infor CEO Charles Phillips discusses software vendor's remaking
Infor CEO Charles Phillips mostly kept out of the limelight after landing the job in October 2010, following a high-profile stint as co-president of Oracle. For Microsoft's last CES keynote, Ballmer hawks Windows 8, Kinect
Microsoft's motion-sensing Kinect technology will be available for Windows PCs in a few weeks and is destined for a lot more than just gaming, CEO Steve Ballmer said at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas Monday. Apple CEO Tim Cook's compensation jumped 6-fold in 2011
Apple CEO Tim Cook's total compensation package jumped six-fold last year after he was took the reins of the Cupertino, Calif. company, according to documents filed Monday with the SEC. Attack code published for serious ASP.NET DoS vulnerability
Exploit code for a recently patched denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability that affects Microsoft's ASP.NET Web development platform has been published online, therefore increasing the risk of potential attacks. Cisco cranks up Internet TV volume at CES
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week Cisco unveiled extensions to its Internet TV platform and strategy that enable "video in the cloud" services. Microsoft sues Chinese tech chains for software piracy
Microsoft has filed lawsuits against two Chinese electronics retail chains for allegedly allowing computers installed with pirated Windows and Office products to be sold at their stores. Remains of the Day: Crash course
Acer takes a page from Apple's playbook--well, more like a slide or two from its presentation deck--while Microsoft's hyperbole engines are still firing on all cylinders. And CES becomes the place to launch your products off a short pier. The remainders for Monday, January 9, 2012 have their ups and downs--but mostly downs. The year's best hardware, software, and cloud services
InfoWorld's Test Center unveils the 2012 Technology of the Year Awards Microsoft Finally Making Good Products -- Too Late
Now that the company is finally making good server and desktop operating systems, we're moving to the cloud, smartphones and tablets. Preston Gralla: Microsoft's App Blitz Bodes Well for Its Future
Microsoft is facing the cold fact that its own mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, has a very tiny base. Troubleshoot a DVD Drive That Windows Sees as a CD Drive
Reader Deborah has a Toshiba laptop running Windows 7. A few weeks ago, the system starting treating the DVD-ROM drive as a mere CD-ROM drive. It could play and burn CDs, but wouldn't have anything to do with DVDs. Microsoft scraps 'Where's my phone update?' site
Microsoft disappointed some Windows Phone users on Friday by saying it would stop providing specifics about who will get software updates and when, and announcing vaguely that a new update is "available to all carriers that request it." Intel bets big on ultrabooks
Intel will get a strong indication at next week's Consumer Electronics Show whether its decision to bet heavily on ultrabooks is a good one -- or not. Microsoft aims Windows 8 storage at enterprise data centers
Windows 8 includes a storage scheme suitable for business deployment that can treat hundreds of disks as a single logical storage reservoir and ensures resiliency by backing up data on at least two physical disks. Mozilla to launch enterprise Firefox this month with 7X slower pace
Mozilla on Thursday said it will kick off a slower-paced Firefox release schedule for enterprises at the end of this month. Insider (registration required) NOAA migrates to Google Apps, but gives users options
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has moved 25,000 employees and contractors to Google Apps for Government. Microsoft plans big January Patch Tuesday
Microsoft today said it would deliver seven security updates next week -- tying the record for January -- to patch eight vulnerabilities in Windows and its developer tools. With Thompson in CEO seat, Yahoo may go after Netflix
Just one day after Yahoo announced that it found a new CEO, speculation began swirling that the Internet company may be looking to scoop up Netflix. Software whiz Ray Ozzie re-emerges with startup Cocomo
Lotus Notes creator and former Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie is coming back with a startup named Cocomo that seems to be focused on mobile communication. War of the cloud services
In the beginning, it was Macintosh vs. Windows. Then it was Windows against OS/2 against the Mac. Followed by Netscape Navigator head-to-head against Internet Explorer. Comet sued by Microsoft for selling "counterfeit" recovery discs
Microsoft is suing UK tech chain Comet for allegedly selling bogus Windows XP and Vista recovery CDs to tens of thousands of customers. Has the world's largest gadget expo lost its mojo?
The International Consumer Electronics Show takes place next week in Las Vegas, and as always there will be plenty to trigger our technolust. Microsoft sues U.K. retail chain for pirating Windows
Microsoft today sued a U.K. electronics retail chain for selling Windows recovery discs to customers, claiming that the practice amounts to piracy. Why enterprise software will never be the same
It's a stretch to call 2011 a truly transformative year for enterprise software, given all the old warts that remain, from large-scale IT project failures to creaky legacy systems that will take years and great expense to replace with the latest-and-greatest. Google, Facebook were dominant websites in 2011
Online giants Google and Facebook came out as the most-visited websites of 2011, according to a Nielsen report. Users desert Windows XP in near-record numbers
Microsoft's Windows XP lost a big chunk of usage share last month as users continued to desert the aging operating system for Windows 7. Chrome nears 20% share, IE resumes slide
After a one-month pause, Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) resumed its usage share slide in December, dropping to a new low and setting the stage for a fall below 50% as early as March. 2012 tech predictions: From IDG's editors worldwide
Consumerization of IT is the consensus choice of the new year's major technology force, one that will manifest itself in several forms Websites, apps vulnerable to low-bandwidth, bot-free takedown, say researchers
Hackers armed with a single machine and a minimal broadband connection can cripple Web servers, researchers said Wednesday. Microsoft today shipped an emergency update to fix the flaw. Flaw in web app frameworks pushes Microsoft to patch ASP.net promptly
Many web app frameworks are vulnerable to a denial-of-service attack targeting the way they handle hash tables, researchers revealed Wednesday, prompting Microsoft to announce an "out-of-band" patch for its ASP.NET platform just hours later. A glance back at 2011
2011 could be described as "The Year of …" many things. The tablet market heated up beyond the Apple iPad. 4G wireless took off with the emergence of big-time LTE networks. Governments and hackers screamed for attention by taking down networks, while IPv6 generated interest for giving the Internet a way to carry on. Insider (registration required) Tech That Should Be on Your Company's Radar for 2012
There are a variety of new technologies advancing in 2012 that you should investigate, if you aren't already doing so, to give your small business a leg up on the competition. These recent technologies are beginning to be widely adopted and will continue to drive business forward. The Cloud, Day 19: IT Department Included
30 Days With the Cloud: Day 19 2011: When cloud computing shook the data center
In a year of surging private cloud activity and major build-outs in public cloud capacity, the cloud's promised simplification remains elusive Google, Microsoft each seek search 'game changer'
While Google and Microsoft waged trench warfare in the search business this year, both are hoping to come up with a market game changer for 2012. Cloud computing changes everything
The sheer number of cloud players - or companies that claim to be cloud players -- is staggering. By some estimates there are more than 2,000 software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies alone. At this early point in the cloud revolution, there are certainly front runners, but the field is wide open. Google to pay Mozilla $300M yearly in new search deal, says report
Google promised to pay Mozilla almost $300 million annually to keep its search engine as the default in Firefox, according to a report today on AllThingsD, a blog operated by the publisher of the Wall Street Journal. Andrew Miller: Polycom will drive the next era of collaboration
In an exclusive interview, Polycom CEO Andrew Miller talks about the impact of mobility on the visual communications market and about Polycom's move to the cloud. Insider (registration required) IPv6 due for wide deployment in 2012, experts say
This was the year that IPv6 garnered major headlines, but 2012 is expected to be the year when the next-generation Internet protocol gets widely deployed by U.S. carriers and enterprises.
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