Beyond Binary

Angry Birds miffed over Microsoft miscue

The folks behind Angry Birds are a bit, well, angry.

It seems Microsoft was a bit hasty in posting a Web site that indicated that the popular game was among those headed for Windows Phone.

The folks at enthusiast site WMPoweruser spotted the icon among those of apps that are coming to the phone operating system, which is set to be unveiled tomorrow in New York.

In a Twitter post, however, Angry Birds creator Rovio Mobile said that Microsoft had overstepped its bounds

"We have NOT committed to doing a Windows Phone 7 version. Microsoft put the Angry Birds icon more

Microsoft axes Live Labs; Gary Flake resigns

Microsoft has decided to reorganize its once highly touted Live Labs--a nearly five-year-old development effort headed by former Yahoo executive Gary Flake, who now plans to leave the company.

The company noted the changes in a posting on the Live Labs Web site, while Flake tweeted about his departure earlier today.

"After nearly five years as a lab within Microsoft, the Live Labs team is transitioning to Bing, where we'll play a more direct role in future Bing innovations," the team wrote in the post. "We're looking forward to contributing our Web UX and data visualization know-how more

Microsoft workers to pay part of health care in 2013

Microsoft held a meeting with employees today, letting them know that the company plans to make changes to its health care plan, requiring workers to eventually start paying a portion of the insurance costs.

The software maker will continue to pay the full costs for worker health insurance for the next two years, before making workers start to contribute in 2013.

"We can confirm that Microsoft has begun to evolve its employee health care benefit," Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos said in a statement. "There will be no changes for the next two years, but in 2013, employees will contribute to more

Can tech make us healthier?

SAN LEANDRO, Calif.--While it's unlikely that we can tweet our way out of the obesity epidemic, social media does offer some opportunities to shift some of the factors that have led to our society's expanding waistlines.

Already there are plenty of services aimed at creating online communities for dieters or for people to post their workout successes online. And it's clear that Twitter and Facebook offer opportunities for positive reinforcement, online community and peer pressure to encourage healthier choices. But, despite a lot of innovation, just how to best harness social media is still a tricky more

Report: Adobe, Microsoft chiefs meet to talk Apple

For a while, it seemed like Adobe and Microsoft were destined to be pure rivals. Microsoft seemed to be going after Adobe at every front, from Silverlight taking on Flash to Redmond's planned rival format to PDF.

These days, though, it seems like the two may be drawn to each other, thanks to the common enemy known as Apple.

Apparently the two companies think so too, at least according to a report today in The New York Times which says that Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer met for an hour recently with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, with Apple a more

Medicare, veterans to get downloadable health info

SAN LEANDRO, Calif.--The U.S. government is adding a new "blue button" to the Medicare and Veterans Affairs Web sites that will allow veterans and seniors on Medicare to download their health records onto their own computers. The program, though live already, is set to be formally unveiled by the White House tomorrow, CNET has learned.

For some time, the government has allowed both Medicare recipients and veterans to view their medical records or claims history, but is only now adding the download option, Health and Human Services department CTO Todd Park said in an interview today at the more

Windows tablets for holidays won't rival iPad

Speaking in London today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer again mentioned that there would be Windows 7-based tablet computers in time for the holidays. However, there's a big difference between a tablet running Windows 7 and something that truly can rival Apple's iPad.

There will be a lot of Windows 7 PCs this holiday, including some in new shapes and sizes. But, Ballmer has been saying that for months now.

What makes the iPad unique isn't its shape or small size. Microsoft has had tablets for nearly a decade, including some that are pretty small and light.

And Steve Ballmer knows that, which explains why he has been careful in his comments. Addressing the topic at July's financial analyst meeting this summer, he said that Microsoft has work to do on the software front and some of that effort will take time to bear fruit.

"They'll be shipping as soon as they are ready," Ballmer said at that gathering, offering few details on the products, which he said will come from partners, not Microsoft itself. "It is job one urgency. No one is sleeping at the switch."

Microsoft said today that popular European music service Spotify will be coming to Windows Phone 7, as well as Microsoft's older Windows Mobile 6 generation phones.

The move gives Microsoft another music partner as it prepares to launch Windows Phone 7. Start-up Soundtrackr also is readying a Windows Phone 7 application, but, as first reported by CNET, Pandora won't have a Windows Phone 7 app at launch, despite a full-court press from Microsoft's top executives.

"Spotify is a great example of software innovation emanating from Sweden and Europe," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement. "We'more

A look at Microsoft's latest surface computer

Not content with turning all manner of surfaces into computers, Microsoft's researchers are working to turn an entire room into one giant computing surface.

Andy Wilson and his team had already turned a table top, a globe-sized sphere, and a walk-in dome into surface computers. Microsoft also has its Surface, a tabletop computer that it sells for use in places like hotels and restaurants. But with LightSpace--the latest research project--Wilson has turned an entire 10-foot-by-8-foot room into a surface computer. The floor, table, and a wall are all interactive in this latest project, with users able to do things more

Apple found liable in Cover Flow patent case

A jury last week found Apple guilty of infringing on three patents held by a small Texas company and ordered the company to pay as much as $600 million in damages, according to Bloomberg news service.

Bloomberg reported that Apple was ordered to pay Mirror Worlds $208 million in damages for infringing on each of the three patents. The patents relate to how documents are displayed on a computer screen and are related to Apple's Cover Flow technology, which it uses in the Mac OS, on iPods, and in the iOS operating system used on the iPhone and iPad. more