Patch Tuesday approaches quickly. That time of the month when Microsoft deems it appropriate to fix the myriad security flaws that rear their ugly heads during the preceding time frame. As is custom,the company gives advance notice of what to expect, but no details regarding actual flaws -- a nod to not allowing (more) hackers taking advantage of the issues discovered.
TechCrunch is reporting that Microsoft is mulling the idea of buying out the Nook Media venture in which Microsoft invested $300 million last year. TechCrunch claims it has obtained "internal documents" which indicate Microsoft may pay $1 billion for the assets of Nook Media.
Does this make any sense? Given I thought rumors of Microsoft buying Skype and Yammer (both of which Redmond ended up purchasing) were pretty ludicrous, I'd say I'm probably not the best one to judge.
Microsoft will make available to anyone who has Windows 8 a preview of Windows Blue in June.
That's according to Julie Larson-Green, the head of Windows engineering, who made those remarks during the Wired Business Conference on May 7.
The timing isn't a surprise, given that Microsoft's Build 2013 developer conference is slated for the last week of June. Larson-Green said that Windows Blue will be available at the end of June to anyone with Windows 8 via the Windows Store.
More than 100 million copies of Windows 8 have been sold in its first six months on the market, according to a Q&A with Windows division Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer Tami Reller.
The post confirms that the Windows Blue update will become available later in the year. Among other things, this serves as an opportunity for Microsoft to "respond to the customer feedback" that the company has no doubt been inundated with since Windows 8 was released.
A zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer 8 let hackers compromise a U.S. Department of Labor website linked to a database used by former Energy Department employees who had worked with nuclear weapons or uranium. That database was also used by Labor Department claims examiners.
Security firm Invincea, which reported the attack, has advanced the possibility that the hackers were compromising one U.S. government department in order to attack another.
Internet Explorer 8 is still the most-used version of Microsoft's web browser family, according to data from Net Applications. Late Friday, Microsoft posted word that it had discovered an exploit in the browser but noted the issue issue does not appear to affect any other versions.
Over the last six months, Apple earned $22 billion on revenues of over $98 billion, while selling 85 million iPhones and 42 million iPads globally. The profits Apple is now earning in mobile dwarf the best mobile profit performance records set by Nokia in 2008 by more than a factor of three. Why are Apple's competitors not beating back its advances?
By: Duncan Cumming for Password Resetter
Having created yourself a super-safe alpha-numeric password that few people could hack you may be confident. What do you then do if you realise you’ve forgot Windows password and locked yourself out?
INVESTMENT FIRM Value Act reportedly has taken a $2bn stake in Microsoft.
Microsoft's stagnant share price has made the firm unattractive to many investors looking to make a quick buck off volatility. However the firm has reportedly caught the eye of investment firm Value Act, which according to CNBC has made a $2bn investment in Microsoft stock.
Windows 8 is an OS that covers a lot of ground in the mobile space. It is typical Windows when used on desktop systems, yet it handles touch operation that is appearing on laptops, tablets, and hybrids. One such hybrid that I've been using since picking one up at a good price is the HP Envy x2.
The more I use the Envy x2, the more impressed I am with its versatility. I can use it as a full laptop with the additional benefit of a touchscreen, or I can use it as a touch tablet. It handles both duties equally well while delivering an impressive 14+ hours of battery life.
