microsoft

Microsoft moves to match Amazon Web Services

Microsoft wants the world to know it is ready to go head-to-head with Amazon Web Services on both features and price.

As expected, Microsoft today announced that its Linux and Windows Server virtual machines (VMs) on Windows Azure are now generally available and ready for deployment. These are the persistent VMs that Microsoft publicly unveiled last June, and which provide users with a way to run existing Linux and Windows Server apps in the Azure cloud without having to completely rewrite them.

Microsoft announced last year that these persistent VMs will allow users to run Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows … Read more

Microsoft exec: We don't need to build a Microsoft phone

NEW YORK -- Microsoft sees no need to build its own smartphone to help kick-start sales of devices running its Windows Phone operating system, a company executive said today.

Terry Myerson, a vice president at Microsoft working on the Windows Phone team, told All Things D reporter Ina Fried at the Dive into Mobile conference here this morning, that the company feels its device partners Nokia and HTC are doing just fine when it comes to building smartphones using the Windows Phone operating system.

The precedent for moving directly into phone hardware lies in Microsoft having built its own tablet, … Read more

Windows 8, take 2? Let's see Start button, boot to desktop

What if Microsoft relented and granted users who are lukewarm about Windows 8 two of their biggest requests: Allow those who want to boot straight to the desktop, and bring back the Start button with Windows Blue, a.k.a. Windows 8.1?

Though supposedly not part of the original plan for Blue, these two UI options are looking more likely.

Reports from a couple of different forums from this past weekend raised the possibility that Microsoft might be moving toward allowing users to skip booting into the Metro-Style Start menu and instead start their PCs in desktop mode. (Winbeta.org noted the thread about this … Read more

Facebook in talks to bring Home to iPhone, Windows Phone

Facebook is reportedly in talks with Apple and Microsoft about the possibility of creating versions of its Home launcher for the iPhone and Windows Phone.

The social network is in negotiations with the companies about expanding the platform to their smartphones, Adam Mosseri, Facebook's director of product, told Bloomberg, noting that talks are ongoing and nothing has been finalized.

"We've shown them what we've built, and we're just in an ongoing conversation," Mosseri said.

Mosseri said the skin could arrive on Apple's platform with a different name and appearance than the one that'… Read more

How Dish's deal could improve Sprint

CNET Update dishes the details:

Dish has made a $25.5 billion unsolicited bid to merge with Sprint. Today's video explains what this deal means for consumers and how it might improve Sprint's network.

Also in this tech roundup:

- Microsoft reportedly is considering making a smartwatch

- Windows 8 apps for news and maps get updates

- Electronic Arts will shut down Sims games on Facebook

- This 55-inch Panasonic plasma is the first television to get a 5-star rating from CNET

Watch CNET Update in the video above, and subscribe to the podcast via the links … Read more

Windows RT demand is weaker than hoped, Dell exec says

Microsoft had grand ambitions for its Windows RT operating system, but more signs are pointing to trouble.

A Dell executive today said demand for the company's first Windows RT device, the XPS 10, has been weaker than hoped, largely because consumers still don't really know what the operating system is or what it can do.

"Demand is not where I would like it to be at this point in time," Neil Hand, head of Dell's tablet and high-end PC business, told CNET. "The amount of market information about it is not good enough, and … Read more

Microsoft updates Windows 8 News, Maps, other apps

Microsoft has updated its various Bing apps for Windows 8 in a move designed to make them quicker to use and easier to customize.

The News app now lets you manage the different news categories that appear in the app. You can add or remove categories for world news, technology, politics, business, and entertainment, and sort the order in which they appear. You can also add a particular news source or RSS feed to your featured sources and to the Windows Start screen so that you can more quickly access their stories.

The News app's app bar has also … Read more

As PC sales tank, what's Microsoft's Plan B?

When market analyst IDC last week noted the sharp 13.9 percent quarterly drop in worldwide PC sales, it placed much of the blame on the "radical" user interface changes of Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system.

"Microsoft will have to make some very tough decisions moving forward if it wants to help reinvigorate the PC market," Bob O'Donnell, IDC's program vice president for clients and displays, said in a statement.

Therein lies a core challenge for Microsoft. The software giant doesn't really have a plan B.

Microsoft can't undo the … Read more

Microsoft reportedly considering selling a smartwatch of its own

Microsoft is reportedly exploring the idea of joining what promises to be a crowded smartwatch market.

The tech titan has asked suppliers in Asia to ship components for a potential touch-enabled watch device, executives at the suppliers told The Wall Street Journal. One executive told the Journal that he had met with Microsoft's research and development team in Redmond, Wash., but it's unclear whether Microsoft will commit to producing such a device.

CNET has contacted Microsoft for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

Microsoft has dabbled in the sector before, marketing devices running its … Read more