Microsoft

A tale of two Windows installs

This weekend, I loaded fresh copies of Windows onto two PCs.

Like many people, I downloaded the Windows 7 Beta and installed it. But that wasn't the only PC task I had over the weekend.

I had an old PC I used for my early Vista testing that my partner was complaining had begun to gather dust. So, I offered the machine to a friend of mine that had only a very old PC. I gave her the option of XP or Vista and she quickly proclaimed, "Oh, XP, definitely."

And, of course, therein lies Microsoft's … Read more

Tech giants team on education push

Microsoft, Intel, and Cisco plan to announce Tuesday that they are working together to help ensure that proper standards are created for measuring digital literacy.

The three companies aren't coming up with the assessment criteria themselves, but rather bringing together a group of education leaders and academics to identify the characteristics that should form the basis of global standards.

While such standards have emerged for math and science, they are also needed for other kinds of 21st century skills, Microsoft Vice President Anoop Gupta said in an interview last week.

To head the effort, the troika has tapped professor … Read more

Microsoft lands IPTV deal in China

Microsoft said on Monday that its Mediaroom software is being used by a Chinese TV provider to offer Internet Protocol television over a traditional cable network.

The deal, with Guangzhou Digital Media Group marks two first for the company--its first IPTV deal in China as well as the first time its software has been used to power TV over a cable network.

"We had always intended it to go to many different types of operators," said Ben Huang. "Now you are starting to see the fruits of that labor."

Until now, its software had been used … Read more

Microsoft invests in ads, multitouch

A rough economy isn't stopping Microsoft from spending in key areas. The software maker on Monday announced a new ad campaign aimed at wresting spending from cash-strapped companies as well as the company's own investment into a start-up focused on multitouch.

In the latter area, Microsoft is part of a $24 million financing round for N-trig, a Kfar Saba, Israel-based company that provides technology for sensing pen and touch input. The size of Microsoft's stake was not disclosed.

N-trig's technology is used in current multitouch computers from companies such as Dell and HP, a category Microsoft … Read more

Microsoft lifts download limit for Windows 7 beta

Acknowledging that its release of Windows 7 public beta (download) "was not ideal," Microsoft said it will suspend the software's 2.5 million download limit for a couple of weeks.

Windows communications manager Brandon LeBlanc announced the move in a company blog Saturday:

Due to an enormous surge in demand, the download experience was not ideal so we listened and took the necessary steps to ensure a good experience. We have clearly heard that many of you want to check out the Windows 7 Beta and, as a result, we have decided remove the initial 2.5 … Read more

Windows 7 beta now available

This post was updated at 12:19 p.m. PST with more details.

Microsoft has apparently decided that it has enough server capacity and has made the code available for the Windows 7 beta.

I don't see a posting on the Windows 7 blog, but when I went to the Windows 7 page Saturday morning, I found the following message and was directed to this site to get the code.

"The Windows 7 Beta is now available for download," Microsoft said on its Web site. "Thanks for your interest and help with the beta."

The … Read more

Microsoft's Live Mesh top innovation at the Crunchies

Last night I attended the Crunchies award ceremony, where Facebook took top honors as the best overall start-up (See the full list of Crunchies award winners). The awards are based on a popularity contest via votes cast through the Crunchies Web site and with input from the Crunchies Committee, consisting of co-hosts GigaOm, Silicon Alley Insider, TechCrunch, VentureBeat and advisors.

The most surprising winner for the evening was in the Microsoft's Live Mesh, which won in the category best technology innovation/achievement. The competition included Facebook Connect (the runner-up), Google Friend Connect, Google Chrome, Swype and Yahoo BOSS.

Given … Read more

Where's Windows 7 beta? Microsoft posts, then pulls the download

Microsoft has been in the software game long enough to know that when you're announcing a release as big as an operating system to millions of itchy-fingered techies, you release it when you say you will and you have the foresight to get your servers in a row.

Yet, the general release of the much-anticipated Windows 7 beta is overdue by hours, Microsoft having first posted the files late, and then pulled them when servers buckled under the traffic. What's left now is a sort-of apologetic, but mostly noncommittal notice that there's no estimated arrival time for … Read more

Microsoft holding off on Windows 7 public beta

Microsoft has postponed, at least for a short time, making the beta of Windows 7 publicly available.

The move comes as Microsoft has struggled to keep its Windows 7 Web site up on Friday.

"Due to very heavy traffic we're seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta," Microsoft said in a blog posting, which was itself hard to get to as of 1:20 p.m. PST. "We want to ensure customers have the … Read more