Microsoft

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Melinda Keen on iPhone; Bill Says No

Apple's wares illegal in Gates household

(Newser) - Apple products are banned in the Gates home, the New York Post reports—but Melinda “wouldn’t mind” picking up an iPhone, she told Vogue. There isn’t much “on the banned list in our household. But iPods and iPhones are two things we don't get for our...

Microsoft U-Turns on Severance Clawback

Company tells laid-off workers they can keep severance overpayments after all

(Newser) - Microsoft is moving to stem a flood of bad publicity by letting laid-off workers who accidentally got too much severance pay keep the extra cash, TechCrunch reports. The workers, who lost their jobs last month in Microsoft's first-ever mass layoffs, contacted news media after receiving letters from the company asking...

Microsoft Muscles Into Cell Market With New OS

Firm will offer Windows Mobile on 50 smartphones

(Newser) - Microsoft is pushing deeper into the cellphone market with a deal to put a new operating system on 50 LG smartphones, the New York Times reports. The company unveiled a more user-friendly OS—"We were dinged for not having a friendly consumer interface," an exec says—and...

Guess Who's Taking On the Apple Store?

Microsoft hires Wal-Mart guru for new retail effort

(Newser) - Microsoft has hired a former Wal-Mart exec to help the company open a chain of retail stores—a new strategy in its battle with Apple. The move is the latest sign of upheaval at Redmond, reports the Financial Times, and represents a change in approach. "To open their own...

Microsoft Offers $250K to Catch Worm Creators

(Newser) - Microsoft has offered a $250,000 bounty for the creators of the dreaded Conficker worm, which has infected 10 million computers worldwide, PC Magazine reports. The software giant is working with security firms and domain name administrator ICANN to find the culprits, whose virus exploits a vulnerability in Windows. Microsoft...

Gates Lets Mosquitoes Fly at Audience

Stunt underscores malaria threat shouldn't be for 'only poor people'

(Newser) - Bill Gates had the audience buzzing yesterday as he released a jar of mosquitoes at the TED2009 conference in California during a presentation on eradicating malaria, reports MSNBC. The bugs were not carrying the disease. "Not only poor people should experience this," Gates explained, according to a witness...

Zune Sales Plummeting
 Zune Sales Plummeting 
Jan 24, 2009 11:05 AM CST

Zune Sales Plummeting

Is mp3 gizmo doomed?

(Newser) - Is the Zune on its last legs? Buried in Microsoft’s terrible earnings report yesterday was news that revenue from the MP3 player plummeted $100 million compared to last year, or 54%, “reflecting a decrease in device sales.” Microsoft can’t just blame the economy, either; sales of...

New Virus' Worst Punch May Be Yet to Come

(Newser) - The devious worm that has infected up to 9 million personal computers worldwide may be just the first stage of a malicious attack, the New York Times reports. The so-called Conficker or Downadup virus, which exploits a Microsoft Windows vulnerability, pulls infected computers into systems called botnets that can be...

Google's Profit Drops, But Still Beats Forecasts

$382M is off 68% from Q4 of '07; search giants looks to have restrained spending

(Newser) - Quarterly profit at Google fell for the first time, although the performance was better than analysts anticipated. Google made $382 million, or $1.21 per share, in the three months ending in December—a 68% drop from the same period in 2007. The results indicated the company was able to...

Windows 7: Finally, an End to Vista Misery
 Windows 7: 
 Finally, an End 
 to Vista Misery 


PRODUCT REVIEW
Jan 22, 2009 9:53 AM CST

Windows 7: Finally, an End to Vista Misery

'New' Microsoft OS is major improvement, say critics

(Newser) - Microsoft is rolling out a successor to Vista, its universally reviled operating system, with Windows 7 now available in a relatively bug-free beta download. Early users report that the new edition is a marked improvement. David Pogue, in the New York Times, says Windows 7 ends “a big part...

Microsoft to Ax 5K Jobs
 Microsoft to Ax 5K Jobs 
Jan 22, 2009 9:20 AM CST

Microsoft to Ax 5K Jobs

(Newser) - Microsoft surprised the street today by releasing its earnings early, and they weren’t pretty. The software giant’s revenues inched up only 2%, below earlier guidance, and its net income dropped 11%. More alarming, the company said it was slashing 5,000 jobs, starting with 1,400 today, which...

Job, Housing Woes Sink Stocks
 Job, Housing Woes Sink Stocks 
MARKET Open
Jan 22, 2009 8:53 AM CST

Job, Housing Woes Sink Stocks

(Newser) - Stocks headed south this morning, following worse-than-expected housing and job data. Jobless claims rose by 62,000 last week, and housing starts slid 15.5%, to their slowest pace on record. The Dow sunk 144 points, accompanied by an 18-point decline in the S&P. A strong quarter from Apple...

Tricky Virus Hits 8.9M Computers Worldwide

'Conficker' travels via networks, USB sticks; situation 'getting worse'

(Newser) - A Windows worm that emerged in October is “skyrocketing” worldwide, with some 8.9 million computers now infected, says an antivirus firm. The program, known as Conficker, Downadup, or Kido, can zoom through low-security networks, memory sticks, and any PC that hasn’t downloaded current security updates, the BBC...

Why This Recession Won't Be Another Dot-Com Bust

Despite layoffs, companies are better prepared

(Newser) - The tech industry is going through tough times, including widespread layoffs, but it's not going to be another dot-com bust, predicts the Economist, laying out the differences between 2001 and 2009. In 2000, technology companies grew nearly 16%, only to contract by 6% a year later. “The IT industry...

Years of Search and Destroy Get Microsoft Back to Yahoo

New Yahoo CEO opens door for search deal, another shot to catch Google

(Newser) - A new CEO at Yahoo has many speculating Microsoft will renew its bid for Yahoo’s Web-search unit, the Wall Street Journal reports. But Microsoft’s quest isn’t a mere attempt to better compete with Google in the $12.3 billion paid-search market; it’s the rectification of years...

Madoff Fund Made No Trades
 Madoff Fund Made No Trades 
Jan 16, 2009 2:35 AM CST

Madoff Fund Made No Trades

Records of trades don't match stock prices

(Newser) - The fund run by Wall Street swindler Bernie Madoff apparently did not execute a single trade the entire time it was raking in billions of dollars in investment cash from unsuspecting clients, reports Reuters. Monthly statements of trades from Madoff were pure fiction that kept up appearances in the $50...

Even Microsoft Is Weighing Layoffs

Need to trim costs in weak economy has software firm looking at rare cuts

(Newser) - Microsoft could be considering the first large-scale layoff in its history, as it looks for ways to trim costs, reports the Wall Street Journal. Up to 15,000 positions are rumored to be at risk—6% of its workforce—but insiders say the cuts, across all divisions, are likely to...

High Traffic Delays Windows 7 Beta Rollout

Company's site crumbles under demand

(Newser) - After promising the world Windows 7 Beta on Wednesday, Microsoft had to pull the plug on its download site due to cripplingly high traffic, CNET reports today. “We are adding some additional infrastructure support,” Microsoft said, “before we post the public beta.” Microsoft hopes to have...

Stocks Mixed on Retail News
 Stocks Mixed on Retail News 
MARKETS
Jan 8, 2009 3:32 PM CST

Stocks Mixed on Retail News

Wal-Mart falters, but Sears posts strong forecast

(Newser) - Stocks ended mixed today amid largely negative retail news and nervousness on unemployment, MarketWatch reports. Investors were shaken by poor December earnings and a reduced quarterly forecast posted by Wal-Mart, which managed to perform well through 2008. The Dow fell 27.24 to close at 8,742.46. The Nasdaq,...

Ballmer Opens Up Windows 7 Beta

Beta version of Vista successor available to the public starting tomorrow

(Newser) - Windows 7 Beta will be launched to the public tomorrow, Steve Ballmer told the Consumer Electronics Show yesterday. The Microsoft chief, filling the keynote slot held by Bill Gates in the previous 11 years, told the audience that the operating system would be a return to the "special sauce"...

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