Microsoft has allied with various tech giants and a non-profit group to tout energy-efficient "green" computing. This effort, however, is aimed at consumers, and includes free energy-saving software called Edison that is a scaled-down version of a product Verdiem sells to corporations.
"There are many ways we can reduce environmental impact, from recycling electronics to reducing energy consumption," a Microsoft statement reads. The company has worked with its largest customers and partners to reduce energy waste in data centers, and of course it complies with the voluntary Energy Star program and its PC power management standards. Late last year, the software giant published guidelines describing the power management advantages of Windows Vista over previous Windows versions.
Microsoft today announced it's releasing to manufacturing SQL Server 2008, its enterprise database and business intelligence platform.
Originally planned for earlier this year to coincide with Windows Server 2008, SQL Server was delayed to insure the code was solid.
The release comes three years after SQL Server 2005, which is better than the five-year gap between it and SQL Server 2000. Microsoft got an earful from customers and promised greater expedience with the release cycles.
At the Black Hat computer security conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Microsoft introduced new initiatives to help IT administrators evaluate vulnerabilities in Microsoft software and to share information with other security vendors.
The Microsoft Exploitability Index aims to "provide customers with additional information to help business professionals prioritize patching," explained Mike Reavey, security program manager for Microsoft Security Response Center.
Avenue A/Razorfish, a digital
advertising and services agency, is set to announce plans to
launch a media and entertainment consulting practice, banking
on business from traditional media companies that are trying to
broaden their image.
A unit of Microsoft, Avenue A/Razorfish is
one of the largest interactive advertising and marketing
agencies, boasting a client list that includes Molson Coors
Brewing, Kraft Foods, McDonald's, and Starwood Hotels.
In its annual 10-K filing, Microsoft once again provides an inside look at how the company really feels about its competitors. Apple, for example, has made "inroads in share, particularly in the U.S. and in the consumer segment," leading Microsoft to begin an expensive transition to a more integrated, Apple-like sales model (which is not discussed in detail). But the Apple threat pales in comparison to a more dire change: Users are increasingly accessing computer resources on non-PC devices like cell phones, or what the company calls "alternative platforms and new devices that may reduce consumer demand for traditional personal computers.
Microsoft has sued Taiwanese computer peripherals manufacturer Primax Electronics for patent infringement, the company said in a statement Wednesday.
In the suit, filed with the International Trade Commission, Microsoft accuses Primax of using several patented Microsoft technologies in its products -- including the U2, Tilt Wheel, and Magnifier features that Microsoft developed for keyboards and mice.
With Beta 2 of the Web browser due next month, Microsoft is looking to sign up more official testers for Internet Explorer 8, saying it's the only way for individuals to directly file bug reports. Like with Beta 1, the second beta of IE8 will be made available for public download. Still, there's good reason to become a participant in Microsoft's IE8 Technical Beta program. In addition to filing a direct bug reports, official testers can be invited to other beta programs, such as Windows 7 or Office 14.
A redesign of the Live.com home page may not be quite what analysts had in mind last week when they asked Microsoft CEO Steve
Ballmer about how the software giant plans to streamline its online presence .
Starting Wednesday, visitors in the U.S. are being shown a new Live.com page -- although they may not notice it's new. The
page looks mostly the same as before, except it now features a background photo that apparently will change periodically.
The photo features a few blurry squares that show up when a mouse passes over them. If the user hovers for an extra second,
a box pops up with a message that, when clicked, brings them to a page with additional information, including maps and photos.
A big "shift" is now on to 64-bit Windows Vista PCs, even among consumers, according to Microsoft product manager Chris Flores. But he acknowledges that, even now, few if any 64-drivers are available for some categories of consumer products, including DVD/RW devices. "The installed base of 64-bit Windows Vista PCs, as a percentage of all Windows Vista systems, has more than tripled in the US in the last three months, while worldwide adoption has more than doubled during the same period," Flores contended, late on Wednesday.
Flat-panel displays might be all the rage, but at least in some situations, Microsoft thinks the shape of things to come might be a sphere.
After months of rumors, Microsoft researchers are taking the wraps off a prototype that uses an internal projection and vision system to bring a spherical computer display to life. People can touch the surface with multiple fingers and hands to manipulate photos, play games, spin a virtual globe, or watch 360-degree videos.
Sphere, as it's known, is expected to be shown publicly for the first time Tuesday at Microsoft's Faculty Summit in Redmond. For now, it's purely a research project. The company says it doesn't have plans to offer it as a product. The idea is to see what the technology can do and how people will use it.