Tag Archives: microsoft

When you look at the number of consoles sold in this generation, with the 360 selling over 76 million units, the PS3 around the same and the Wii just shy of 100 million, it's hard to imagine that the last generation saw such reduced figures – unless you look at …

A botnet that hijacked the clicks and search results of millions of net users has been shut down by Microsoft and Symantec. Apparently the group responsible was netting over a million dollars a year through advertising revenue, generated by the misappropriated traffic. In order to achieve the shut down, the Microsoft Symantec …

Looking at the hardware field these days, with Sony no way near the big player it used to be in TVs, it almost seems unnecessary, however according to ex vice president at Microsoft, Joachim Kempin, the software giant created the original Xbox to curb Sony's advance as the top media …

In response to a very poor showing around the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft has decided that it must squeeze whatever pennies are available from the few sales that are left in the desktop version of its tablet operating system. Expect big price rises for an operating system you have …

Android's huge growth hasn't been solely caused by flagship devices such as Samsung's Galaxy S III. Much of the platform's success is also owed to lower-cost devices such as the ASUS Nexus 7 and various other value-orientated devices. Thus far, this is a market that Microsoft's Windows Phone platform has …

Ex-Microsoft senior executive, Joachim Kempin, has written a tell all book that claims the software giant's long standing CEO, Steve Ballmer, has mainly retained his position by ousting those that could potentially take over from him at some point in the future. Describing the rise and fall of Microsoft COO …

We've talked a lot recently about all of the companies that are looking to get into the console market with small form factor, low cost gaming machines. Whether it's the Ouya, the Game Stick, Nvidia's Shield, Valve's Steam Box, there's plenty of new players in this game. Microsoft though has …

Two ex-Microsoft employees have spoken out about losing their positions as Xbox support staff, suggesting that the reason they were let go from the company was because they spoke about their experiences in a comment thread on Kotaku. Now granted, some of what these guys say is a little derogatory …

$8 billion – that's just under £5 billion. These figures were put together by Ben Cousins over at Kotaku, who points out that if you take the figures from two years preceding the launch of both the PS3 and Xbox 360 – to account for development and R&D – it …

If you've ever moved abroad and attempted to take your Xbox Live account with you, you'll know what a headache it can be. It might take weeks to sort and you might need to actually use the telephone to talk to someone. Fortunately the days of that sort of interaction …

Microsoft has bought up R2 Studios, a startup from the makers of the Slingbox, in a deal that had both Apple and Google in the running for highest bidder. However it looks like Microsoft was able to secure the top spot, winning itself several patents in the process. Combined with …

Touch screens are something that in near 2013 we're pretty used to as a technology and through smartphones we're beginning to take tentative steps into controlling our home, be it through remote access to our PC or through environmental controls. Microsoft however, wants to put that interaction on your wall. …

It's not often that a company can say that they made an entire class of products viable, single handedly. IBM did it with the PC, Apple with the tablet and Asus with the netbook. Sometimes the new class is defined by features and functionality (as is the case with the …

Microsoft is actively hunting for a new software development engineer, to join a team working on future Xbox Kinect experiences and one of the biggest requirements for the position, is a readiness to fail, fast. Forming as part of Microsoft's entertainment division, the accepted applicant will be joining a team of “veterans” …

While it's still considered as a rumour for now, there are reports abound suggesting that Foxconn – yes the same Foxconn that employed children – could be set to manufacture the smartphones of both Microsoft and Amazon in the coming year. Taking this with a pinch of salt, we have …

While Windows 8 might not be selling well, some might call it a misguided product and we know it isn't all that fast for gaming, not everyone is quite so negative. The new VP of Microsoft Game Studios, Phil Harrison, is planning dedicated development for the new OS. “We are …

We know Google isn't the only one working on a glasses based, heads up display, but now we can add one more name to that list, with a published Microsoft patent showing that it too is keen to get in on the emerging scene. However the software giant's offering appears …

Despite the security hole that Microsoft was forced to patch in its VOIP software, Skype, just a few days ago, the software giant is continuing to populate retail outfits with physical gift cards, designed to get people using the service to call landlines and mobiles, as well as other Skype …

The first indication that something was afoot came from Major Nelson himself. Larry Hryb, current head of programming for Microsoft's Xbox Live platform, said in a tweet that the company plans on celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Xbox Live with its users; and already the freebies have begun to …

The Surface RT tablet from Microsoft launched just over two weeks ago and since getting word that four million Windows 8 upgrades had been sold, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has given some insight into sales of their in-house tablet. In an interview with Le Parisien Ballmer said that sales for …

Microsoft has been working on a translation tool that's designed to work similarly to the human brain, offering near instantaneous translations while preserving the cadence and tone of the speaker. This would be a big leap over currently available translation tools which are often inaccurate, slow and don't relate how …

The cover surrounding the touch panel of Microsoft's Surface tablet, appears to be far from durable, as users are reporting that within mere days of receiving their version, it began to split and come away from the frame. The problem is being experienced by multiple users, each of them reporting …

Microsoft has launched a program entitled, “Get On,” that is designed to help get the young and unemployed in Britain into work. If successful, it is thought that it could see as many as 300,000 of those aged between 16 and 24 finish up their education and get into work …

Halo 4 will not be coming to the PC platform, Microsoft has confirmed, stating that it was designed from the ground up as an Xbox 360 title and that's where it would stay. “Halo 4 was designed specifically for Xbox 360, and while we’re always exploring new ways to expand …

Get your copies of 1984 at the ready people, as a patent entitled “Content Distribution Regulation by Viewing User,” that was registered in April 2011, has now been published for the first time and shows Microsoft's Kinect technology being used to make sure only licensed viewers are watching a movie …

In the form of a competition, Microsoft is offering incentives to developers that submit their Windows 8 supporting game for judging. If selected, the titles will receive a professional trailer, developer mentoring and a month's worth of marketing. Those submitted for judging will be graded on originality, audio, visuals and …

For about as long as I can remember Windows Live Messenger has been my instant messaging service of choice but it looks like I will soon have to change. After more than a decade Microsoft's long-existing service is set to be retired, but the technology behind it is set to …

Microsoft is apparently testing a new Windows smartphone design, though it's one that will be Microsoft branded, not one developed by one of its partners like Nokia, Samsung and HTC. It's not clear yet if the concept will go into full production, but it's at least in the developmental testing …

Current CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, has announced that over four million Windows 8 upgrades have been sold already. His follow up statement said that the interest in the new operating system had been “stunning.” This announcement was made at Microsoft's Build Developer's conference at the company's main campus in …

While we might have discussed a fair bit here about how the Wii U could potentially open up some interesting new avenues of gaming, thanks to its inclusion of a tablet controller in the standard gaming environment, Microsoft Smartglass for Xbox has even more potential – and it launches tomorrow, …