Consumer software and hardware

Bummed out because the Xbox One requires an Internet connection? Microsoft has some advice for you: stick with an Xbox 360.

In an interview with Spike TV at the E3 show Tuesday, Xbox executive Don Mattrick responded to the complaints about the Xbox One's demand for an Internet connection. Mattrick described the $499 Xbox One, coming in November, as "a future-proof choice," saying that a console designed to be used online offers certain advantages, such as the ability to link games and entertainment.

And for those people without Internet access?

"Fortunately we have a product for … Read more

We've still got about five months before the new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launch in North America, and already blood has been spilled.

From Microsoft gathering an arguably more impressive stable of exclusive games, to Sony revealing the lack of restrictions on PS4 games and a $100 lower price -- effectively, not only kicking the Microsoft brand when its down, but also knocking out a few teeth.

This next console launch may be one of the most exciting and brutal yet, and I can't wait to comfortably watch from the sidelines, praising Thor I'm not in either of their shoes.… Read more

Some Windows OEMs showed off coming small form-factor Windows 8 tablets as part of Computex this week.

Microsoft didn't take the wraps off its rumored 8-inch Surface at the show. But the company did share a few more tidbits about some of the changes it's making to Windows 8 with the 8.1 "Blue" release that will potentially make these smaller devices more usable.

Among the new small-screen devices that Microsoft's partners showed this week were the 8-inch Acer Iconia W3 (with the outsized keyboard); the Lenovo MiiX 8, an 8-inch tablet with a stylus … Read more

Microsoft's strategy for its Xbox One console might rely on help from broadcasters, according to a new report.

Microsoft has been in talks with satellite TV broadcaster Sky in the U.K. to bring its Xbox One to the company's customers, MCVUK reported on Thursday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the deal. It's possible that the Xbox One will be a companion set-top box that sits atop Sky's service, those sources said. The Xbox One could be sold at a heavily reduced cost, according to the site's sources.

However, a Sky representative … Read more

Microsoft is offering people a peek at Windows 8.1 in action courtesy of a new video.

Posted Wednesday on YouTube, and embedded into a Microsoft blog, the tour conducted by Jensen Harris, Microsoft's director of program management for Windows User Experience, shows off key enhancements to the Start screen, the All Apps screen, and the search tool.

The video kicks off with a glimpse of the new lock screen, which can now display a collage of photos gathered from your PC and your SkyDrive account. The tour then segues to the Start screen where you can now shrink … Read more

The famous Halo game series is making its first assault onto Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 in July.

Known as Halo: Spartan Assault, the $6.99 app is the latest in the Halo franchise, but was designed exclusively for Microsoft's PC and mobile operating systems. As such, people can play the game on a touch-screen device by tapping and swiping their fingers or on a computer by using a traditional mouse and keyboard.

"With Halo: Spartan Assault, we wanted to take Halo out of the living room and create a brand new experience that was built specifically … Read more

Windows 8.1 will have a couple of tricks up its sleeve for people who use fingerprint readers.

One of Monday's sessions at Microsoft's TechEd conference highlighted the support that Windows 8.1 will offer for fingerprint recognition, as described by The Verge. Prior versions of Windows handled fingerprint readers through third-party software. But Windows 8.1 will be the first edition of Windows to natively support the technology.

Users will be able to log into their PCs via a Microsoft Account, purchase apps, and open different programs with a swipe of the finger. They'll even be … Read more

Microsoft's Windows Phone will account for 12.7 percent of all global smartphone shipments in another four years, Canalys said in a forecast released Tuesday.

The growth from just 2.4 percent in 2012 means that Windows Phone will capture third place among all smartphone platforms in 2017, just behind Apple's iOS. To obtain that growth, Microsoft will require an assist not just from Nokia but from Chinese vendors such as Lenovo, Huawei, and ZTE, according to Canalys.

"Nokia is the most active vendor in the Microsoft camp and it continues to make steady progress with its … Read more

Microsoft's Windows Phone continues to gain traction in the competitive smartphone arena.

For the three months ending April 13, Windows Phone captured 5.6 percent of all U.S. smartphone sales, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reported Monday. That figure proved a healthy gain from the 3.8 percent share of sales for the same period in 2012.

Windows Phone is even winning former Android users, according to Kantar. Among people who bought a Windows Phone in the last year, 23 percent jumped ship from Android, while 25 percent upgraded from another Windows Phone and 42 percent moved up from a … Read more