Microsoft

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop may have his sights set on Apple's iPad once Windows 8 launches next year--but he's going to need a fair share of luck to succeed where so many others have failed.

Whether or not Nokia could buck the trend of non-Android vendors failing in the tablet space remains to be seen. But Elop appears to believe that the unique mix of Windows 8 and a hardware setup similar to that of his company's new line of Lumia Windows Phone 7-based handsets might make the difference for Nokia in the tablet space.… Read more

The video game industry just can't seem to turn things around.

Research firm NPD announced yesterday that total industry sales on hardware, software, and accessories hit $1.16 billion last month, representing a 6 percent drop compared to September 2010 when industry sales reached $1.23 billion.

Although September's performance was somewhat disappointing for the industry, it was far better than August. NPD reported last month that industrywide sales in August hit just $669.9 million, representing a 23 percent decline compared to the $873.8 million the industry generated in August 2010.

On the hardware side last … Read more

Casio has signed a patent-licensing deal with Microsoft that will allow the company to continue to sell devices running Linux.

Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Casio has agreed to pay Microsoft licensing fees for certain patents related to the use of Linux in its products. The products included in the deal were not disclosed.

Microsoft and Casio have had a business relationship for quite some time. According to Microsoft, Casio currently uses Microsoft software in its industrial handheld terminals and business information systems.

Since 2003, Microsoft has inked deals with a host of companies through … Read more

Microsoft is in talks with the world's largest cable provider, Comcast, to bolster its upcoming live TV service on the Xbox 360, according to a new report.

The blog Digiday, citing anonymous sources, reported today that Microsoft is nearing a deal with Comcast that would allow Xbox 360 owners to sign up for the cable provider's service, and watch its programming from the game console. Digiday says that Microsoft is also in talks with Verizon Fios to form a similar deal with that company.

Microsoft unveiled its live television service at the E3 gaming expo in June. Although the company provided few details on the service at the time, Microsoft said that it would "partner with TV providers" for its offering. The software giant promised that local channels, news, sports, and all the other content available from television providers would come to the game console.

Microsoft is expected to make its live TV service available this fall.

Microsoft's decision to rely on Comcast and Verizon Fios rather than try to go it alone in the television space has much more to do with simplicity than anything else, Digiday reported. The blog's sources said that Microsoft simply doesn't want to "pick a fight with cable."… Read more

Microsoft's glossy-black Xbox 360 has been discontinued in favor of a matte finish, the company has confirmed.

"We are actively transitioning all our Xbox 360 S consoles to a matte finish," Larry Hryb, Microsoft's director of programming for Xbox Live, wrote on his blog Friday.

Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 360 S last year at the E3 gaming expo. The company currently sells the glossy 250GB version for $299. The 4GB model, which retails for $199.99, already boasts a black matte finish that, Hryb says, the 250GB offering will also get.

Opinions vary over the value of a glossy device. Some like the sleek look, while others can't stand its tendency to show fingerprints and smudges. Prior to the launch of the Xbox 360 S, Microsoft offered white and black matte finishes on its console.

By transitioning to a matte finish, Microsoft is following a move Sony has already made. That company's first-generation PlayStation 3 featured a glossy finish that attracted fingerprints. However, the company's slim-line version, which it launched a couple of years ago, dropped the glossy finish to avoid that problem.… Read more

Baidu has offered up a beta version of its first-ever browser, and at first glance, it looks quite similar to Google's Chrome.

The browser, which was made available for download earlier this week on Baidu's site, includes a single bar at the top, allowing users to either input addresses or search the Web. In addition, the browser's home page offers access to an application marketplace, similar to the Chrome Web Store, featuring thousands of programs users can access. When users choose an application, including the Youku video service or Sina's Weibo microblog offering, it's added … Read more

Microsoft has taken aim at another company in its bid to generate revenue off Android handsets.

This time around, Microsoft has demanded that Samsung pay it $15 for every Android-based smartphone it sells, South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper is reporting today, citing anonymous industry officials.

Microsoft started targeting Android handset makers last year. At the time, Microsoft claimed that Android's user interface and functionality infringed its patents. In a statement to CNET last year, Microsoft said it planned to ensure that "competitors do not free ride on our innovations."

In addition to those patent-infringement claims, Microsoft … Read more

Microsoft's mobile-app marketplace might now feature more than 25,000 applications, one report claims.

According to Windows Phone App List, a Windows Phone 7 Marketplace app tracker, Microsoft's store currently has 25,076 applications available to users. However, another Windows Phone 7 Marketplace tracker, WP7applist, claims the store has 24,878 applications. What's more, WP7applist claims 4,044 of those programs are currently "inactive."

Either way, it's worth nothing that neither Windows Phone App List nor WP7applist offer the official stats on available applications in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace--that is reserved for Microsoft.… Read more

Microsoft's Kinect motion-gaming peripheral is now more accurate than it was at launch, according to Xbox senior product manager David Dennis.

"I think like we showed at E3, like Kudo [Tsunoda, creative director for Kinect] showed with Kinect Fun Labs--a lot of that tech is the advancements we've made in the accuracy, the tracking...being able to show finger tracking in the Sparkles demo he did," Dennis told Eurogamer in an interview published yesterday. He went on to cite Ubisoft's upcoming shooter Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, which allows people to take shots using their hands … Read more