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"Microsoft" news, interviews, and features

Features about Microsoft

  • SP1 coming soon to a Windows 7 PC near you

    While most of the attention of the tech world is focused today on the Steve Jobs keynote at Apple's WWDC event, Microsoft is hosting its own major event this week--TechEd. At TechEd, Microsoft revealed that it is working on service pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and expects to have a public beta version available in July.

  • Lessons learnt

    The purse strings may be a little looser than 12 months ago but the economic downturn mindset will continue to inform a lot of sales strategies. TREVOR CLARKE reports.

  • Microsoft risks becoming mobile market also-ran

    Today's reports of a managerial shakeup at Microsoft -- specifically the departure of two key executives from the company's entertainment division that makes mobile phone software, Xbox game consoles, and Zune media players -- is a yet another strong indication of Redmond's internal turmoil. Robbie Bach is retiring as chief of Microsoft's entertainment group, and J. Allard, seen as one of the visionaries behind the successful Xbox platform, is also leaving the company.

  • Microsoft's mobile shakeup: Will it unleash Windows Phone?

    A shakeup in Microsoft's gaming and devices business finally splits two groups that should never have been together, and could unleash the company's mobile device efforts. Whether CEO Steve Ballmer's decision is timely or too late remains to be seen.

  • Desktop Virtualization: Top Vendors Still Miss the Mark

    Desktop virtualization has a predicted growth curve that leaves much of the PC and IT services industries smiling: Yet none of the technologies or service providers promising to offer hosted virtual desktops are ready to step into key roles in enterprise IT infrastructures, according the same well-respected analysts who set the server virtualization market on its ear with a similar conclusion last year.

  • Kin Two: Stylish, but missing key Features

    With a better design and stronger specs, the Kin Two (Verizon; price TBA) outshines its sibling, the Kin One. But it isn't perfect: Limitations and omissions within the software keep it from being a threat to lower-priced smartphones on Verizon.

  • 5 virtual desktop pitfalls

    Most <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/010710-cios-tweet.html">CIOs</a> have started considering virtual desktop infrastructure and other types of <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/021909-desktop-virtualization-faq.html">desktop virtualization</a>, but only a minority has reached the deployment stage. (See related story, <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/040110-destop-virtualization-windows7.html">"As Windows 7 gains steam, VDI set to rise"</a>.) Virtual desktops can potentially provide more flexibility for users, make it easier to apply patches and reduce IT help desk calls, but there are still numerous problems that keep desktop pros up at night. Here are five pitfalls to watch out for.

  • Cloud Computing: Welcoming rain at harvest time

    Tending the cloud seeds and nurturing early signs of growth will require channel partners to adopt new business models and skill sets. But the stage is now set for a considerable channel play in the cloud. TREVOR CLARKE reports.

  • It's time to finally drop Internet Explorer 6

    A security researcher has published exploit code for the latest Internet Explorer zero-day flaw on the Web and Microsoft is warning that more attacks against the unpatched vulnerability can be expected in-the-wild. One thing seems to be more apparent with each passing Internet Explorer (IE) vulnerability: its time to upgrade the Web browser.

  • Top 10 features that Apple stole from Windows

    Steve Jobs once said that Microsoft stole Windows from Apple, but there has been plenty of idea snatching on both sides over the years. Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard each contain features that originated in the other OS. Some features were stolen so long ago that they've become part of the computing landscape, and it's difficult to remember who invented what. Here we give credit to Microsoft where credit is due.