Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’
Microsoft reportedly trying to buy Nook ebook ecosystem for $1 billion
Author: Jamie Colby
TechCrunch is reporting that Microsoft is trying to buy the Nook ebook and device ecosystem — for $ 1 billion. According to documents TechCrunch has obtained, Redmond hopes to buy the digital assets of Nook Media LLC; that’s the Barnes & Noble subsidiary behind the ebook business, as well as the Nook e-readers and tablets themselves.
The documents also reveal that the current Nook tablets aren’t long for this world. They reportedly state that Nook Media plans to discontinue its Android tablets like the Nook HD by the end of its 2014 fiscal year. The focus would then shift to what is referred to as “third-party partner” devices. It’s not clear what those devices specifically would be, but according to the document they’re scheduled to…
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Microsoft bringing white space internet, Windows 8 hardware to Tanzania
Author: Antonio Pierce
It’s not just Bill Gates who has a benevolent eye turned towards Africa, as Microsoft has launched the second stage of its 4Afrika initiative in Tanzania. Redmond has teamed up with local provider UhuruOne to roll out white space broadband to the University of Dar es Salaam and is working with banks to help students get loans to buy Windows 8 hardware. Microsoft will also employ some students as on-campus support staff, offering training and qualifications to help them in the future. While there’s no mention of the custom Huawei W1 the company is offering in Kenya, we assume it’ll also be available as part of this project, too.
[Original image credit: Alexander Landfair / Wikimedia Commons]
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
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Microsoft issuing takedown notices for third-party Windows Phone Facebook apps
Author: Natalie Wood
Windows Phone developers who have created third-party Facebook apps are receiving takedown notices from Microsoft, reports Windows Phone Central. The issue is trademark infringement, and Facebook has sent a letter to Microsoft detailing 41 different apps that it believes infringes on one of its various pieces of intellectual property, along with the details on those trademarks. The purpose of the letter is presumably so that Microsoft can issue takedown notices to those developers, which it reportedly has — apparently giving those developers one business day to remove their app from the store.
Although some of the apps are good-faith efforts from third-party developers to create an improved Facebook experience, many more just clutter…
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Tags: Apps, facebook, issuing, Microsoft, Notices, Phone, Takedown, ThirdParty, Windows | 
No Comments »Windows Blue: Microsoft promises changes based on feedback and a holiday release
Author: Tiffany Shoman
After acknowledging its Windows Blue codename publicly in March, Microsoft is getting closer to revealing all about the upcoming Windows 8 update. In an interview with The Verge this week, Microsoft’s Windows CFO Tami Reller provided some details on where the company is heading with its Blue project.
Although Windows 8.1 has been spotted in a number of leaked builds recently, Reller says Blue is simply an “internal name” and that the company isn’t yet discussing exact naming, pricing, and packaging details. All of those details will be revealed by the end of the month she says, well ahead of Microsoft’s Build developer conference in June. “Blue is an update,” says Reller. “That’s a good way to describe it, that’s a good way to think…
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Microsoft tops 100 million Windows 8 licenses sold, promises Windows Blue update in 2013
Author: Mark Jeffries
For many observers, the real story for Windows 8 was never going to be the 60 million licenses sold during the holiday rush — it was always about the long term. The first indications of its post-launch impact are here, and show mixed results. In an interview on the company blog, Microsoft CMO/CFO Tami Reller says that it “recently” sold its 100 millionth Windows 8 license since the OS launched in October. That’s a healthy figure, but sales of about 10 million units a month between its January stat update and today show adoption hasn’t picked up again since the initial dropoff. The usual post-holiday lull no doubt played a part, although estimates of a much steeper drop in PC sales than usual suggest more was afoot. Microsoft doesn’t see an immediate problem however, touting both brisk Windows Store adoption — downloads of both free and paid apps surged from 100 million in January to 250 million — and the pending arrival of more affordable convertible notebooks, touchscreen laptops and all-in-ones later this year.
Oh, and about that Windows Blue update everyone’s been talking about? It’s at last official. Microsoft isn’t mentioning details beyond the Windows Blue codename, but it does promise that the upgrade should be available before 2013 is over. We’re looking forward to that extra level of personalization already.
Filed under: Desktops, Tablets, Software, Microsoft
Source: Blogging Windows
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Microsoft IllumiRoom is a coffee table projector designed for the next …
Author: Tiffany Shoman
Microsoft IllumiRoom is a coffee table projector designed for the next …
"The LED is projecting for a frame and then turning it off and Kinect IR is reading those layovers," said Rudder. "Then the Kinect turns off for a frame and then the projector goes on and then Kinect will go back and forth." Rudder described the …
Read more on The Verge
Kinect with the Kids
Get the kids moving while playing video games. The Collins Hill Library is hosting an X-Box Kinect event. With the Kinect, you're child's body is the controller, so they'll get some exercise. And your kids can connect with new friends while playing the …
Read more on Patch.com
Former Xbox & Kinect teams allegedly working on Microsoft smart watch
The project is being worked on by Microsoft employees who were formerly members of the company's Xbox and Kinect teams, according to The Verge. The device is said to be in the prototype phase, with a 1.5-inch touch display attached to removable bands, …
Read more on Apple Insider
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Microsoft completes Hotmail to Outlook.com upgrade, SkyDrive integration rolling out
Author: Jack Schmidt
Microsoft announced on Thursday that it has now completed its Hotmail to Outlook.com upgrade. Over 400 million active accounts are now using the service, with Microsoft having migrated 150 petabytes of email data in just over six weeks. Alongside the milestone, Outlook.com is getting two new features: SMTP send and improved SkyDrive integration.
Improved SkyDrive integration and SMTP send
SMTP send allows Outlook.com accounts to send email directly through another email account’s SMTP server. In the past Outlook.com has supported this by using a “send on behalf” feature, but now email will send directly to recipients. “We knew this was a pain point for some people,” explains Microsoft’s Dick Craddock. “So now we’ve made it so that…
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Tags: Completes, Hotmail, Integration, Microsoft, Outlook.com, rolling, SkyDrive, Upgrade |
No Comments »Microsoft targets Android users with Switch to Windows Phone app
Author: Markus Smith
Microsoft has released an app in the Google Play store designed to get people to stop using said store and the Android phones that connect to it. Simply called “Switch to Windows Phone,” it scans your Android phone for all of your installed apps and then saves the results with your Microsoft ID. Then, using a companion app on Windows Phone itself, you can sign in and see all of the equivalent apps in Microsoft’s own store, tapping through to install them each one-by-one. It doesn’t show current Android users what those matched apps are, but it could be helpful to recent switchers.
It’s a clever idea, getting people over the concerns that apps won’t be available on Windows Phone, but the execution isn’t quite there yet. Scanning was…
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Microsoft says Illumiroom isn’t yet ready for next Xbox, but will get public demo in July (video)
Author: Jon Daniels
Since we saw Illumiroom at CES in January, the technology has come quite a ways. But while it’s still a spectacular technology display, don’t look for it to pop up in any Xbox announcements in the near future. In fact, Microsoft Research’s Hrvoje Benko and Brett Jones told us during a interview that while they have Illumiroom technology working well at this point, they’re not likely to even demo it to the public until July at Siggraph.
That’s not to say that you’re not going to want it. The researchers showed in detail exactly how it works: they use a Kinect to scan your living room, then project a series of “illusions” onto it with a wide-screen projector, getting the colors just right using a technique called “radiometric compensation.” The projector and Kinect can be mounted in any convenient spot in the room, like the ceiling or a table. While the technology can be used with other forms of entertainment, researchers concentrated on gaming, since they’re able to generate source material that works well with the effects. Some of those illusions include “focus,” which displays special effects around the images, “segmented focus,” to extend the display to portions of the living space (requiring extra material to be generated), and “appearance,” which can actually change the look of the living room by giving it a cartoon appearance, for instance. Despite the still-early phase of the research, it’s definitely whetting our appetite for more — and you can see a full video of the presentation after the break.
Filed under: Gaming, Science, Microsoft
