Microsoft's research unit has come up with some additional ammunition for the company to use in the Web search wars.It's part of a broader focus by researchers on alternative methods of interacting with computers. Another initiative along those lines is something that Microsoft researchers call "surface computing."
The surface computing projects use combinations of sensors, cameras and projectors to turn various surfaces into computing interfaces. For example, one of the projects turns an ordinary tabletop into an alternative type of computer screen that senses the presence of objects and displays graphics and text.
Software developed by Microsoft to analyze massive databases and separate spam from legitimate e-mail could help create new vaccines to fight HIV, according to researchers at the company.
At the ongoing Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, workers for Microsoft Research said they have been using database and antispam software to identify previously unseen patterns in genetic mutations of HIV. Working in collaboration with doctors and scientists from the University of Washington in Seattle and Australia's Royal Perth Hospital, the researchers plan to propose designs for new HIV vaccines based on the newly discovered patterns.
The teddy bear sitting in the corner of the child's room might look normal, until his head starts following the kid around using a face recognition program, perhaps also allowing a parent talk to the child through a special phone, or monitor the child via a camera and wireless Internet connection.
The plush prototype, on display at Microsoft's annual gadget showcase Wednesday, is one of several ideas researchers have for robots. The idea is to create a virtual being that can visit the neighboring cubicle for a live telephone chat even as its owner is traveling thousands of miles away, or let the plumber into the house while its owner enjoys a pleasant afternoon in the sun.
RealNetworks has released patches for its audio-video players in an effort to prevent attacks via buffer overflows. RealNetwork's patches, released Tuesday, address vulnerabilities in the software that could allow an attacker to run arbitrary or malicious code on a person's computer when a malicious WAV or SMIL file is processed. Secunia, a security information company, rated the vulnerabilities as critical.
The company released updates for flaws in the Mac RealPlayer 10 and for several Windows players, including RealPlayer 10.5, RealPlayer 10, RealPlayer Enterprise and certain versions of RealOne Player v2.
Microsoft is aiming to have its first cluster version of Windows ready in time for a supercomputing conference this fall.
Software Architect Marvin Theimer said on Thursday that the company hopes to have a beta, or test version, by this summer, with the final version of Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster Edition ready by the SC2005 supercomputing conference in November.
The company has not announced final pricing for the operating system, but Theimer said the additional computers, or nodes, of a cluster will be priced at a discount.
Microsoft has added two more influential Japanese game developers to the stable making exclusive games for the next version of the Xbox. The company announced Wednesday that it has formed partnerships with development companies run by Yoshiki Okamoto, one of the originators of the "Resident Evil" game series, and Tetsuya Mizuguchi, known for games such as "Rez" and "Sega Rally Championship.".
The partnerships follow last week's announcement of a similar tie-up with Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the influential "Final Fantasy" series of role-playing games. Microsoft is hoping such development deals will give it a software roster more attuned to tastes in Japan, where the Xbox has made minimal headway to date against competing consoles from Sony and Nintendo.
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates will receive an honorary Knighthood from the U.K.'s Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
Gates has been awarded the title KBE, or Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, for his contribution to enterprise, employment, education and the voluntary sector in the U.K., and for his efforts to reduce poverty in the developing world, including parts of the British Commonwealth.
As part of the ceremony to present the decoration, Gates will kneel before the monarch, who will tap him on the shoulder with a sword. The motto of the order of chivalry is "For God and the Empire."Under a system established in 1917, Gates cannot use the title "Sir" because he is not a U.K. subject, but he can write the letters KBE after his name.
The U.S District Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned a $520 million jury verdict that found that Microsoft had infringed on Web browser technology patents held by Eolas Technologies.
The case has been sent back to the U.S. District Court in Washington for retrial. Eolas Technologies Inc., of Chicago, holds the license from the University of California for a patent on technology for embedding and invoking interactive objects in Web browsers, such as applets and plug-ins.
Microsoft has denied the infringement and has asserted that Eolas' patent rights claims are invalid and unenforceable.
Microsoft has brought in a heavy-hitter from AT&T Wireless and E*TRADE to take over management of the long-delayed Windows Longhorn client.
According to a Microsoft press release, Michael Sievert "will be responsible for marketing, product management and product planning for the Windows Client." That client, of course, is Windows Longhorn, which has suffered major delays and is currently set to be released in 2006.
Sievert has lots of experience with big projects, having served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer of AT&T Wireless since 2002. In that capacity, he had responsibility for the company's $15 billion core business. Previous to that, the press release states, he was executive vice president and chief global marketing and sales officer at E*Trade Financial
When it comes to predicting ship dates for its operating systems, Microsoft is about as accurate as your local weatherman. Keep that in mind when planning for its next-generation OS, code-named Longhorn.
An analysis of Microsoft's predicted OS ship dates with actual ship dates that appears in the March issue of Redmond magazine shows that Microsoft, on average, ships desktop OSes 10 months late, with server OSes more than a year late. And the news is worse for OSes that are more redesigns, like Windows 2000 Server from Windows NT, than upgrades like Windows Server 2003 from Win2K. "Windows 95, for example, was 14 months late, while NT Server 4.0 was 21 months late?nearly two years," according to the article.