Microsoft Research plans to establish its first-ever lab in India, hoping to attract top research talent in a country known for producing high-quality computer scientists.
The facility is set to open in Bangalore in January. Microsoft expects the lab to consist of about two dozen scientists in the first year, working in areas ranging from geographical systems to multilingual software technology.
It will be the sixth Microsoft Research facility in all, the third outside the United States, and the first since the opening of the company's Silicon Valley research lab in August 2001.
As part of its fight against software piracy, Microsoft has filed lawsuits against eight resellers for allegedly buying and selling fake and used Certificate of Authenticity labels, the company says. The lawsuits, which allege copyright and trademark infringement, follow a 12-month investigation by Microsoft, the Redmond, Washington-based software maker says in a statement. As part of the investigation, Microsoft bought Certificate of Authenticity labels and products bearing the labels, the company says.
There won't be just one Longhorn Server. Instead, there will be nearly a dozen customizable variants, partners say. While 2007 is still a long way off, Microsoft is making headway (at least on slide decks) with Longhorn Server, according to the Redmond software maker's partners.
Before the Windows Server team can dedicate itself exclusively to Longhorn Server, it needs to roll out several other new releases, including Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1; the 64-bit and Compute Cluster versions of Windows Server 2003; and Windows Server 2003 "R2."
Philadelphia children will soon have a glimpse into what could be the future of public education thanks to a joint project between Microsoft and the School District of Philadelphia. Microsoft representatives were on hand earlier this month to break ground on this new project, slated to open in 2006.
The "School of the Future" is being lauded by Philadelphia politicians as a way to improve quality of life for its citizens. "This project will be a national example of what can be accomplished when the community, school district and private sector combine efforts for the city's overall good," said John Street, Mayor of Philadelphia.
Is Bill Gates preparing to switch careers, from software architect to ambassador? It began to look that way during the Microsoft chairman and chief software architect's trip to Paris in mid-November, where his schedule bore more resemblance to that of a visiting diplomat than of a software tycoon.
Gates met the French head of state, President Jacques Chirac, with whom he discussed the digital divide, the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other development issues, according to presidential aides.
Microsoft has pressed play on a feature that lets people use the Internet to program their Media Center PCs remotely. MSN Remote Record, as the option has been dubbed, allows customers running the latest version of Media Center to schedule recordings via any Web-connected computer.
That means that, say, if you get to work and realize you forgot to set the computer to record "The West Wing," you can program the recording over the Net rather than having to dash home at lunch.
Microsoft had said it would offer such a feature last month, when it announced Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, the latest iteration of its entertainment-oriented operating system.
Microsoft and Sun are scheduled to talk about their platform compatibility, spokespersons with both companies said Monday. It's been eight months since the companies celebrated the end of their legal war with a landmark $1.9 billion settlement of long-running charges against Microsoft involving Java.
As part of the settlement, Sun promised to work with Microsoft on interoperability. In a conference call scheduled for this Wednesday, Sun CTO Greg Papadopoulos and a yet to be determined vice president with Microsoft will update press and analysts on their progress so far.
Microsoft has scrapped plans for Windows 2000 Service Pack 5. Instead, the software giant announced that a Windows 2000 Update Rollup will be released in mid-2005 to replace SP5 as the final security patch for the operating system.
According to a message posted on Microsoft's Windows 2000 site, "The Update Rollup will contain all security-related updates produced for Windows 2000 between the time SP4 was released and the time when Microsoft finalizes the contents of the Update Rollup. The Update Rollup will also contain a small number of important, non-security updates."
Microsoft will learn next month whether it can wait years before complying with an EU order to sell a stripped-down version of Windows and disclose information on the operating system to competitors. Judge Bo Vesterdorf is expected to decide by Dec. 20 whether to suspend the EU order for Microsoft to change business practices and pay a $646 million fine, lawyers said.
With all the grumbling over Windows and its many shortcomings, why would anyone want Microsoft's computer operating system to run their cell phone? The answer, for better or worse, is the sheer familiarity of Windows. That may mean precious little when it comes to operating your basic cell phone. But it gains significance if you want to harness the wide array of features that are being added to even the most entry-level handsets.
The new Audiovox SMT 5600 Smartphone is different. Priced and sized modestly enough for a non-wireless warrior, the 3.6-ounce handset is both sleek and packed with features you'd expect from a high-end organizer.