I do not know about you, but for the past couple of days my inbox has received several e-mails claiming to be from Microsoft while touting links to updates for Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. :>) Naturally, I clicked on those links right-away and installed me some updates.
However, in all honesty, I was surprised at the level of effort that the sender went through in making this phishing e-mail look more "authentic". For example:
????? First, the message itself is formatted to look like a Tech Bulletin from Microsoft.
Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM users now have more flexibility in deploying the vendor's service pack updates, which are periodically released to address bug fixes and make feature improvements.
This week, Microsoft said it will now support prior service packs for 24 months after a new one is released, or until the end of the application's support lifecycle, which includes mainstream support for five years and extended support for another five years.
Previously, service packs received support for one year after the next one was released, or until the end of the product's support lifecycle.The new rules also mean that support for some service packs that had already expired due to the 12-month limit will be reactivated, Microsoft said.
For two weeks starting Friday, Microsoft will pre-sell Windows 7 upgrades for as little as $50.
"As a way of saying thanks to our loyal Windows customers, we are excited to introduce a special limited time offer," Microsoft spokesman Brandon LeBlanc said in an entry to a company blog early Thursday.
Microsoft offered a similar deal prior to the launch of Windows Vista three years ago.
"For customers in the U.S., Canada and Japan, starting tomorrow on June 26, they will be able to pre-order a copy of Windows 7 for delivery on October 22 of either Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional," said Brad Brooks, vice president for Windows consumer marketing, in a video interview posted alongside LeBlanc's blog post.
Microsoft announced the beginning of beta testing for an energy-monitoring service that takes advantage of its Azure cloud computing platform and also ties to power companies' data.
The idea is to enable users to sync up data from their personal energy usage with recommendations on how to cut consumption and lower costs.
Dubbed "Hohm," the service was announced Wednesday by Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer.
"Microsoft Hohm demonstrates how a combination of advanced software and Internet-based services can help people track, understand and manage their personal energy usage," Mundie said in a statement.
Europeans who purchase Vista-powered PCs starting Friday will have to do a "clean install" of the free Windows 7 upgrade they'll receive later this year because Microsoft has yanked Internet Explorer from the new OS, according to a Web site that regularly publishes accurate information about the company's plans.
TechARP.com, a Malaysian Web site that has frequently posted details about Microsoft's free Windows 7 Upgrade Option offer, said yesterday that users in Europe will have to overwrite the hard drive with Windows 7 when they receive the upgrade media this fall.
Artwork: Chip TaylorMicrosoft today said it will release a public beta of its free anti-malware software, now called Microsoft Security Essentials, formerly "Morro," next Tuesday for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
Although Microsoft was vague about a final ship date -- saying only that it would wrap up sometime this year -- it was crystal clear that it will deny the program to PCs running counterfeit copies of Windows.
Microsoft pitched Security Essentials as a basic antivirus, antispyware program that boasts a simplistic interface and consumes less memory and disk space than commercial security suites like those from vendors such as Symantec and McAfee Inc.
Microsoft will provide technology to optimize sales of television advertising for NBC Universal under an "alliance" that the two companies announced Thursday.
Under the terms of the deal, NBCU will use Microsoft's Admira television media marketplace to sell advertising -- that is, once Admira begins commercial service in the fourth quarter of 2009.
"NBCU will sell advertising inventory through Microsoft's Admira marketplace, enabling advertisers and agencies to plan and optimize media buys on NBCU's national networks and local broadcast station, KNBC Los Angeles," the two companies said in a joint statement.
When he told business executives Thursday in Chicago that Microsoft will invest in search for the long term, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is putting his company's money where his mouth is.
Ballmer, speaking at the Executives' Club of Chicago, told the audience that he is willing to spend between 5 percent and 10 percent of Microsoft's operating income for the next five years to make its search business successful, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed.
Microsoft hasn't given guidance on its financial numbers for fiscal 2009, which ends two weeks from now on June 30.
Deferring to other makers, Microsoft will discontinue its own software providing access from Microsoft .Net applications to Oracle databases.
Specifically, the company is deprecating OracleClient, the ADO.Net provider for Oracle shipped as part of the .Net Framework. The decision was made after discussions with customers and partners, said Himanshu Vasishth, program manager for ADO.Net OracleClient at Microsoft, in a blog post this week.
Maybe it's a case of third time's the charm, or perhaps it's just consumer curiosity, but Microsoft's new Bing search engine has gained market share its second week in a row, according to net tracking firm comScore.
Microsoft officially launched its Bing search engine on June 3, and briefly surged ahead of its closest competition Yahoo that day, according to tracking firm StatCounter.
While Bing didn't stay in second place very long, though, it did pick up some market share during its first full week, according to figures calculated by tracking firm comScore, which tracks searches in the U.S.