Tag archive: software giant microsoft

Relations between the open source movement—particularly the communities behind various distributions of Linux—and software giant Microsoft have always been contentious. On one hand, Microsoft claims to be embracing open source development efforts and working to integrate and support open source tools in its own commercial products and applications…on the other hand, for years Microsoft has claimed Linux infringes on… Read More

Software giant Microsoft is already in the video distribution business with its Xbox Live service, but today the company announced a new partnership with UK-based retailer Tesco to offer DVD-quality downloadable movies to customers in the United Kingdom, leveraging Microsoft's Silverlight technology. Although the companies didn't offer many details of the forthcoming service, they claim it will offer a “virtual DVD”… Read More

Over the years relations between software giant Microsoft and the open source Linux operating system have been testy (to say the least), with most of the tension in the last couple years coming at Microsoft's insistence that elements of the Linux operating system violate Microsoft patents. The Linux community has repeatedly challenged Microsoft to identify any specific instance where Linux infringes on its patents and Microsoft has… Read More

Redmond software giant Microsoft may just be getting started with spending up to $100 million promoting its new Bing search engine, but if the first month of operation is anything to go by, Microsoft may eventually be able to whittle away from of Google's enormous market share advantage in Internet search. According to media analysis firm StatCounter, Bing has managed to elevate Microsoft's share of the U.S. Internet search… Read More

In a slightly unusual move for the Redmond software giant, Microsoft has introduced a beta of a new free service called Microsoft Hohm, designed to help educate consumers about their power and electricity use and provide recommendations to help them save money on their power and utility costs. The beta service is free to anyone in the U.S.—but to gain access, users must surrender their email addresses, follow Microsoft Hohm on… Read More

It's no secret that Internet titan Google makes most of its money from advertising; now, the company wants to expand its promotional empire via the acquisition of in-game advertising firm Adscape Media. Precise terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but media reports in Red Herring and elsewhere put the value of the deal near $23 million. Google's move into in-game advertising is hardly surprising: the video game market is… Read More

Computer software giant Microsoft said today they were acquiring Tellme Networks, a provider of voice services for various functions such as nationwide directory assistance, enterprise customer service and voice-enabled mobile search. Financial terms of the deal were not announced, though it had been reported by the Wall Street Journal the deal could be worth upwards of $800 million. Microsoft said in a press release they could see using… Read More

The European Commission has warned American software giant Microsoft that it may face further fines in its long-running antitrust displute, this time for over-charging software developers for technical data needed to interoperate with Microsoft's systems. As part of an antitrust ruling in 2004, Microsoft was found to have abused its monopoly position in the operating system market, and was required to disclose “complete and… Read More

Redmond software giant Microsoft Corporation has announed three new Windows Live services for mobile phones: category-based local searching, a mapping and directions service, and a real-time traffic service covering 25 major U.S. metropolitan areas. “People want to stay connected and informed wherever they are, and our aim is to deliver easy-to-use, familiar mobile services that keep people connected to the people and information they… Read More

“U.S. software giant Microsoft is aiming to get its audio and video software into mobile phones before it is beaten to the 650-million-handsets-a-year market by rivals like Apple. “We've been hush-hush about it, so far. But we understand this is a major market opportunity,” Erik Huggers, director of Windows Digital Media division, told Reuters in an interview on the fringes of the annual International Broadcasting… Read More

Sega, famous for Sonic the Hedgehog, had been in negotiations with pinball machine maker Sammy Corp. about integrating their operations since February. But Tokyo-based Sega called off the talks Thursday after concluding that the merger would not bring benefits initially anticipated. Another possible suitor, videogame rival Namco, announced Thursday it had withdrawn its offer to combine operations with Sega after Sega failed to provide an… Read More