Microsoft

Google agrees with Mozilla's Windows RT browser concerns

Google has joined Mozilla in its attempt to push Microsoft to permit full-fledged browsers other than Internet Explorer on Windows RT, its operating system geared for devices running ARM processors.

Mozilla objects to Microsoft decisions that, it says, prevent it from bringing a competitive version of Firefox to Windows RT. Other browsers don't get access to the same operating system abilities that IE10 gets, recalling browser battles from earlier years that ultimately triggered government antitrust actions in the United States and Europe.

Now Google, maker of the Chrome browser, has weighed in:

We share the concerns Mozilla has raised more

Microsoft bans Firefox on ARM-based Windows, Mozilla says

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Microsoft muscles aside other browsers and cements the dominance of Internet Explorer. The browser market, deprived of competition, stagnates.

That, of course, is what happened during the first browser war of the 1990s and beyond, on personal computers. Today, Mozilla's top lawyer warned that Microsoft's behavior threatens a repeat of history, because it's telling Mozilla that it's barring Firefox from forthcoming Windows 8 machines that use ARM processors.

"They're trying to make a new version of their operating system which denies their users choice, competition, and more

Internet Explorer 9

With Internet Explorer 9, you can pin websites to your Windows 7 Taskbar so they are one-click away. Just drag the tab down to the taskbar to pin

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Microsoft sees augmented reality in tablets, phones, laptops

In 2002, Hollywood imagined that we'd have the cool 3D computer systems Tom Cruise used in "Minority Report" by the year 2054. Now it's only 10 years later and a patent application from Microsoft reveals it has not only invented the foundation of such technology, it's gone a step further and made it portable.

The recently published application for a device with a transparent display was detailed by Patent Bolt and looks to be the portable version of a desktop with a transparent 3D display seen from Microsoft in February. The demos for that system focused on the use of 3D gestures and head-tracking to navigate through files and applications a la "Minority Report."

Many users not keen on latest Microsoft Bing search test

Microsoft's Bing team is experimenting again with changes to the Bing search experience. And the latest test seems to be confusing and failing to win over many users -- at least based on Twitter feedback I'm seeing.

Update: The negative feedback seems to have resonated with the Bing team. A spokeswoman just sent this statement (around 2:15 p.m. ET on May 9): "We heard the feedback, and we're disabling the feature now."

Sometime over the past couple of days, Microsoft began testing a new way to display Bing results. Those who are part of the test subset are seeing the results of their Bing.com search open in either a separate tab (as happens with Chrome) or an entirely new window (happening with Safari, according to some).

Microsoft officials said the change is just a test and that it is limited to the U.S. But Bing users I'm hearing from say the test is not limited to the U.S. and is happening in many other countries as well.

HP ultrabook prices sink, widening gap with MacBook Air

Best Buy has kicked Hewlett-Packard's Folio ultrabook down to a new low of $798. This is happening as HP announces new competitively priced ultrabooks and as rumors about a $799 MacBook Air swirl.

The HP Folio 13 (model 13-1035nr) is now priced at $797.77 at Best Buy. That includes a "Sandy Bridge" 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor; a 13.3-inch display, 4GB of memory, and a 128GB solid state drive. (More specs here.)

Internet Explorer 9

With Internet Explorer 9, you can pin websites to your Windows 7 Taskbar so they are one-click away. Just drag the tab down to the taskbar to pin

Get to your favorite sites faster

Microsoft: 50,000+ iPhones, Androids smoked since CES

Please, toss away your i-feminate iPhones. Dump those dumpy Androids in the garbage. The numbers are in, and they are entirely conclusive: Windows Phones quite simply crush the competition.

Please don't argue. I have the figures in front of me, and they cannot tell a lie. Phones running Microsoft's mobile operating system defeated the competition in 98 percent of all "Smoked By Windows Phone" challenges.

Who says so? Why, Microsoft.

Its very fine Windows Phone evangelist, Ben Rudolph, revealed these startling numbers on the Windows Phone blog.

Thus far, 51,313 owners of non-Windows phones have come to more

Nokia to offer more mobile apps for Lumia phones

Nokia has cooked up deals with a host of developers to lure more apps to the Windows Phone Marketplace for Lumia smartphone owners.

Announced at CTIA Wireless 2012 today, the new partnerships with several leading app developers are aimed at offering more relevant apps for Lumia users.

Games are hot on the list, with Angry Birds Space soaring onto Lumia phones. Though no launch date was revealed, Nokia said it's working with Angry Birds creator Rovio to design games specifically for Lumia devices. Electronic Arts is also joining the Windows Phone party, slated to offer such games as FIFA, more

Microsoft SoundWave: It's like Kinect, but skips the cameras

Microsoft has already come up with a neat way to interpret motion by way of a camera. Now it's using sound to accomplish the same goal.

The SoundWave technology recently unveiled by Microsoft Research allows users to control the software on their computers with only the movement of their hands. However, unlike the company's Kinect, which uses cameras to achieve that functionality, SoundWave is able to pick up motion based on sound.

According to Microsoft, SoundWave relies on a speaker and microphone to work. The technology emits an inaudible tone from the speakers that is interrupted when people more

Microsoft, Motorola patent showdown in Seattle court

Microsoft and Motorola are arguing before a federal judge in Seattle today whether the telecommunications company is unfairly seeking excessive royalty payments for a patent that the software giant uses in several products.

While the case delves into technical minutia over industry standards and royalty fees, it pits Microsoft against a company that's soon to be part of its archrival, Google. The Web giant agreed to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion last August, and is only awaiting approval from Chinese regulators to conclude the deal.

Microsoft is arguing that Motorola is seeking unreasonable fees for technology that more

Want a new Xbox 360 for $99? Pay for Xbox Live for two years

It turns out the rumors suggesting Microsoft would reduce the price of its Xbox 360 and change how it charges for its console were true.

The software giant today announced that customers can now buy the Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect for $99. However, in order to get the $100 savings, they'll need to sign up for a two-year Xbox Live Gold membership, costing $14.99 per month.

The Verge first reported last week on Microsoft's plans to offer a special-price Xbox 360 bundle, saying that the deal would be available exclusively in Microsoft's U.S. retail stores. According to Microsoft's Web site, customers will be able to redeem the offer by bringing a code to a Microsoft Store, seeming to corroborate The Verge's claims.