Microsoft

Surface tablet updates take aim at Wi-Fi issues

As part of Patch Tuesday, Microsoft is rolling out more firmware updates to its Surface RT and Surface Pro tablet/notebook hybrids today.

April's cumulative update for Surface RT focuses almost entirely on Wi-Fi, according to Microsoft's Surface RT Update History page.

The update:

Fixes certain "limited" connectivity issues Improves Wi-Fi to handle a wide range of access points Resolves system crashes caused by certain Wi-Fi issues

The April firmware update is the fifth Surface RT cumulative update the company has made since Microsoft launched the Surface RT in the U.S. and Canada in late … Read more

Microsoft to add dual-factor sign-on security 'soon': report

Microsoft will toughen up its products' security by adding dual-factor authentication "soon," according to a report today by Liveside.net.

Judging by details in the Microsoft-focused blog, the approach closely mirrors what Google did years ago: authorization requiring both a password (the first factor) and a special six-digit code retrieved from an authenticator app on a person's smartphone (the second factor). The smartphone code changes frequently so it can't be used for long.

Microsoft offered only this comment today: "Security and privacy is a priority for Microsoft, however we have nothing new to share at … Read more

Microsoft Surface dissed in China over warranty policy

First Apple, now Microsoft. China is again raising a ruckus over warranty policies on U.S. tech products, this time targeting the Surface tablet.

China National Radio, the government's mouthpiece, argued yesterday that the Surface tablet should follow national law by offering a one-year repair policy for the entire tablet and a two-year warranty for its major parts, Bloomberg reported. China National Radio claims that Microsoft offers a one-year warranty in China both on the device and its components.

Microsoft, however, contends that Surface is covered by a two-year warranty. A spokeswoman for the company sent CNET the following … Read more

Windows 8's rising security tide raises all antivirus boats

In one of the first independent tests of third-party security suites on Windows 8, nearly all antivirus and anti-malware software tested well. What may surprise you is that even without a third-party suite, Windows 8 is relatively resistant to modern threats like zero-day attacks, according to the report.

Independent German security suite evaluators AV-Test.org publish bimonthly tests that rate the effectiveness of the biggest Windows security suites out there and rated all 26 of the suites they tested on Windows 8 in January and February as "certified," including Windows 8 itself. This is because Windows 8 comes … Read more

Microsoft to sell Mediaroom IPTV business to Ericsson

Ericsson plans to buy Microsoft's Mediaroom IPTV platform business so that Microsoft can tune in on its Xbox gaming system.

The companies didn't disclose the purchase price, but a person familiar with the deal terms said the price was "just south of $200 million." The deal should close in the second half of the year.

One of the next big battlegrounds among industry players is video. Many companies, such as Amazon and Netflix, already provide content, but others are looking to provide a full package to consumers. Chip maker Intel is building an IPTV service and set-top box, … Read more

Microsoft may announce next generation of Xbox on May 21

Microsoft will spill the beans on its next-generation Xbox at an event on May 21, according to Windows blogger Paul Thurrott and a report from The Verge.

Originally scheduled for April, the event was pushed back to May, sources have told the Verge.

That echoes similar information from Supersite for Windows writer Paul Thurrott. In an interview with the video blog "What the Tech" on Friday, Thurrott said that Microsoft had planned to announce the new console on April 24 but then rescheduled the event for May 21. In the video clip of the show, Thurrott's comments about the next Xbox start at the 54:44 mark.… Read more

Meet the design guru trying to make Windows Phone relevant

You might not know who Albert Shum is, but it's a pretty good bet you know some of the products he helped design.

He was among the group of designers working in Nike's famed Innovation Kitchen that created the earliest prototypes that would ultimately become its Nike+ performance monitoring product line. When Microsoft hired him five years ago, he and a team cooked up the tile-based interface that was centerpiece of the company's Windows Phone debut.

Shum is a new breed of Microsoftie, a creative type that the company needs as it works to win over consumers … Read more

Daggers out for Windows 8, plaudits for the iPad

The war on Windows 8 continued this week. But there's probably something more to that than an unpopular operating system.

The week began with Dell -- ostensibly one of the biggest proponents of Window 8 -- making bleak predictions about the OS in an SEC filing.

Dell didn't stop there. It had a damning statement about the PC too. "The deteriorating outlook for the PC market [is] a result of, among other things, smartphones and tablets cannibalizing PC sales."

Which brings us to the market-devouring iPad, which, since its release this week, has passed the three-year mark. … Read more

Nokia brings Music app to Windows 8, RT

Nokia today launched its music app for Windows 8 and RT tablets and PCs, extending the Finnish handset maker's reach in the mobile market.

The free music streaming app, Nokia Music, first appeared on Nokia Lumia smartphones, and Nokia in January enhanced the service to include a premium version, dubbed Nokia Music+, for a monthly subscription fee of $3.99. With both, users are able to create their own mixes or stream from playlists curated by Nokia's team and artists. Mixes also can be saved for offline playback. The premium version gives users unlimited skips and unlimited downloads.… Read more