Friday, March 12, 2010 2:36 PM/CST
Microsoft's share of the smartphone operating system market tumbled 4 percent in the three-month period ending January 2010, reports analytics company ComScore, casting into doubt the abilities of Windows Mobile 6.5, released in October 2009, to be the market-share retainer that Microsoft needs until Windows Phone 7 Series, its newest smartphone OS, is released near the end of 2010.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 5:09 PM/CST
Data from analysis company ComScore suggests that Microsoft Bing is incrementally gaining in the U.S. search engine market, along with Google, while Yahoo is falling. While that speaks positively of Bing's long-term prospects, it remains to be seen how well the search engine will fare once it expands more into international markets.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 3:12 PM/CST
Microsoft Research technical fellow Charles Thacker was named the winner of the 2009 A.M. Turing Award for his work designing the Alto, the first modern personal computer. Thacker developed the Alto at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) in 1973, and went on to contribute to the development the Ethernet, as well as multiprocessor workstations, snooping cache coherence protocols, and tablet PCs.
Monday, March 08, 2010 5:11 PM/CST
More video and photos have leaked of what's purportedly Microsoft's Courier tablet PC, a dual-screen device that not only allows Web surfing and e-reading, but also functions like a traditional paper notebook. However, given Microsoft's oft-stated desire to play in high-volume market arenas, the eventual release of a Courier device will likely be determined by whether tablet PCs succeed as a segment, something that may be determined by the upcoming Apple iPad and its competitors.
Thursday, March 04, 2010 3:48 PM/CST
Opera Software announced the launch of the Opera Mini 5 beta for Windows Mobile 5.x and 6.x smartphones on March 4, suggesting that this particular version of the mobile browser would run particularly fast on those operating systems. With Windows Phone 7 Series approaching by the end of the year, will third-party developers continue to build products for Windows Mobile?
Wednesday, March 03, 2010 4:50 PM/CST
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer seemed noncommittal at the Search Marketing Expo in Santa Clara, Calif., over whether his company would consider purchasing microblogging service Twitter, with which it has an agreement to incorporate results onto Bing. But as Microsoft's recent dealings with Yahoo have shown, sometimes a simple partnership with a company can extend at least some of the benefits of an acquisition without the drain on cash and energy.
Monday, March 01, 2010 1:22 PM/CST
Microsoft showed off the prototype for its first Windows Phone 7 Series device, manufactured by LG and featuring a sliding physical keyboard, at The Engadget Show on Feb. 27. The phone apparently includes a 5-megapixel camera with flash, a headphone...
Saturday, February 27, 2010 1:49 PM/CST
A group of technology journalists talked about Windows Phone 7 Series during a spot on the Fox News show "Gadgets and Games" on Feb. 26. Among the discussion points was how Microsoft is attempting to create a serious differentiator in the smartphone OS space, and the potential obstacles that Windows Phone 7 Series faces as it heads toward launch.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 4:34 PM/CST
Reports indicate that Windows Phone 7 Series could come in a limited number of form factors upon its release at the end of 2010, including one with a full touch screen, another with a sliding keyboard and a third with a "candy-bar"-style configuration. Limiting hardware configurations could help Microsoft with branding its new line of devices, which it hopes will allow it to regain market share in the smartphone OS arena.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 3:59 PM/CST
Microsoft announced a cross-licensing agreement with Amazon.com to open at least a percentage of their patent portfolios to each other. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, patents from Microsoft could potentially help Amazon.com build more robust e-readers, as both companies position themselves to compete against Apple's upcoming iPad tablet PC.
