microsoft

Ballmer sees 'unprecedented opportunity' for Microsoft

You need a thick skin to be a CEO -- and an especially thick skin when you're the chief executive of a legendary software company whose stock has been flat for a decade.

But bolstered by strong early returns from Black Friday sales, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer nonetheless struck a confident theme today as he addressed shareholders, sketching out a picture of a company in the midst of a once-in-a-generation transformation.

"It's been a tremendously big year for us," said Ballmer, speaking at the company's annual shareholder meeting in Bellevue, Wash. He was clearly on … Read more

Skype updates iOS app to let you log in with a Microsoft account

Skype has updated its iOS app to give it some of the same features as its full client software.

Released today, the latest version lets you log into Skype with your Microsoft account and chat with contacts on Messenger, Hotmail, or Outlook.com.

Users new to Skype can create an account directly from the app. You can now tap and hold down an instant message to edit it. You can also edit your saved phone numbers directly from the dial pad.

Those of you who like to spruce up your instant messages with emoticons can choose one when typing a … Read more

Windows 8 off to an awkward start, Nomura says

The Windows 8 debut is off to an "awkward" start, Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund says, and that doesn't bode well for Microsoft's financial results.

Microsoft last month launched the newest version of its operating system, which incorporates more tablet-like features such as touch capabilities. The company is making a big bet with the new OS, counting on the software to help fend off competition from the iPad and other mobile devices. But there have been worries that Windows 8 demand is sluggish, with consumers instead opting for tablets.

Sherlund noted that PC vendors have been slow … Read more

Microsoft plans to fix rebooting Windows Phones next month

Microsoft said today it has determined what is causing some Windows Phone 8 devices to spontaneously reboot and said it plans to issue a fix next month.

"We're continuing to investigate some reports of phones rebooting and have identified a cause with our partners," Microsoft said in a statement. "We are working to get an over-the-air update out in December."

However, the company declined to identify the cause of the reboots.

The issue materialized earlier this month when some users of Windows 8 devices complained of spontaneous reboots and e-mail sync issues. ZDNet's Mary … Read more

Xbox 360 sells 750,000 units during Black Friday week

Xbox 360 had a blowout Thanksgiving week, selling 750,000 consoles in the U.S. between November 18 and Black Friday, according to Microsoft Xbox staffer Larry Hryb.

That's more Xbox units than Microsoft usually sells in a month.

The numbers exceeded internal forecasts, according to Hryb -- better known as Major Nelson -- who oversees programing for Xbox Live. Additionally, three-month subscription sales for network during the week nearly doubled last year's sales for the same time frame.

"We saw incredible activity on Xbox over the weekend," Hryb wrote in his blog. "For example, … Read more

Xbox update fixes SmartGlass and Xbox Music issues

Xbox 360 owners will be greeted with an update from Microsoft the next time they fire up their consoles.

Released earlier today, the system update fixes a few issues, including an incorrect playlist name displayed when using Xbox SmartGlass, an error with Xbox Video closed-captioning, and a bug with Xbox Music that affected some users.

Upon powering up your Xbox 360, the following message pops up:

A system update is available from Xbox Live. If you decline, you won't be able to connect to Xbox Live until you take the update. Visit www.xbox.com/update for more info. … Read more

Bing's top searches reveal iPhone 5 as No. 1 news story

Believe it or not but the No. 1 most searched for news story on Bing this year has been the launch of Apple's iPhone 5. In fact, the debut of this device beat out the 2012 presidential election, the Olympics, and Superstorm Sandy, which followed respectively for the next top searches. The Honey Boo Boo reality TV show came in at No. 5.

Microsoft released its data on the top searched terms for 2012 today. The lists include information on travel destinations, fashion labels, celebrities, consumer electronics, fast food chains, and more. The tallies of the data are based … Read more

Windows Phone 7.8 rumored to launch this week

Microsoft will be launching its Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade on Wednesday, if rumors reported by Tonis Tech Blog today are correct.

The blog cited unnamed sources "near the subject." Meanwhile, WPCentral found some Finnish promotional materials that revealed there will be another update after the 7.8 update.

The materials also appear to shed some light on new features. The operating system will have a new start screen and more color themes to chose from, according to the translation posted to WPCentral.

CNET has contacted Microsoft for a comment and will update when we hear back, but … Read more

Windows 8 moves to BIOS-based product keys

Windows 8 PCs now embed their product keys in the BIOS, a move that offers both pros and cons.

In the past, a new Windows PC would display its product key on a sticker, usually on the side of a desktop and on the base or the bottom of the battery compartment on a laptop. But with Windows 8, Microsoft has switched gears and now stores and encrypts the key in the BIOS instead.

A response to a question on Microsoft's Answers Web site confirmed the details earlier this month:

One of the improvements Microsoft is making to Activation … Read more