News


Microsoft To Release Kinect 2 for Windows in Summer

The next iteration of Microsoft's Kinect camera is on pace to arrive for Windows this summer, confirmed a Microsoft executive at last week's National Retail Federation show in New York.

Microsoft Releases Windows Azure Hyper-V Recovery Manager Service

Microsoft's Windows Azure Hyper-V Recovery Manager (HRM) disaster recovery service is now generally available.

Microsoft Gives Windows XP Security Reprieve Until 2015

Microsoft will continue to provide some form of anti-malware support for Windows XP even after the OS hits the end of its product lifecycle on April 8, 2014, the company said this week.

Windows 8.1 Preview Expires on Wednesday

Microsoft will begin to phase out the preview version of its Windows 8.1 operating system starting on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Microsoft, GoDaddy Partner on Office 365 for Small Biz

Hosting service provider GoDaddy and Microsoft have entered a deal to offer Microsoft's Office 365-branded hosted e-mail services to small businesses, the two companies announced Monday.

Report: 'Threshold' Is Windows 9, Will Have April 2015 Release

Microsoft's rumored "Threshold" update for Windows will be called "Windows 9" and appear in April 2015, according to a report by Supersite for Windows' Paul Thurrott.

Microsoft Outlines New Retail Features in Dynamics AX 2012 R3

Microsoft outlined several new features coming in Dynamics for Retail on Monday at the National Retail Federation's Annual Convention & Expo, taking place this week in New York.

Analysts: 2013 Marked 'Record Drop' in Global PC Shipments

Worldwide PC shipments in 2013 were down by 10 percent from 2012 -- a "record drop" for the market, according to preliminary data released on Thursday by IDC.

Microsoft Tries To Ease XP-to-Windows 8.1 Migrations for Orgs

For organizations contemplating a jump from Windows XP to Windows 8.1, Microsoft is offering a configuration "workaround" to its latest deployment toolkit.

Microsoft Acquires Parature, Sets Stage for Dynamics CRM Integration

Microsoft is acquiring Parature, a provider of cloud-based customer service solutions for organizations, for an undisclosed amount.

Microsoft Releases Power BI Pricing Info; Availability Expected Early 2014

Microsoft recently posted the pricing details for Power BI, its suite of solutions designed make it easy for Excel users to create visualizations from collections of data.

Microsoft Details New MPSA Licensing Scheme

Microsoft recently gave more details about its emerging Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA) licensing plan, which it briefly described in November.

Analysis: SQL Server 2012 Licensing Pitfalls and Strategies

A licensing expert recently gave advice on Microsoft's new SQL Server 2012 licensing, which can come with some costly pitfalls.

Microsoft Promotes Jim DuBois to CIO Position

Microsoft has named Jim DuBois its new chief information officer (CIO), the company announced on Friday.

Microsoft Enables Office 365 Plan Switching Across Product Families

It is now possible to switch Office 365 plans across "product family" offerings, Microsoft announced Thursday.

Microsoft: New CEO Will Not Be Named Until 2014

Microsoft's search for a successor to outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer is not likely to conclude before the new year, the company said this week.

Microsoft To Discontinue Forefront UAG Sales Next Summer

Microsoft will stop selling its Forefront Unified Access Gateway (UAG) product on July 1, 2014, the company said in a blog post Tuesday.

Report: Windows Phone 8.1 Coming April with 'Cortana' Voice Assistant

Microsoft will unveil the next major update to its Windows Phone 8 smartphone platform next April, according to a report from The Verge on Monday.

Microsoft Exec Tapped To Oversee HealthCare.gov Project

Microsoft's Kurt DelBene has been appointed to take over the much-maligned HealthCare.gov Web site, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday.

Motorola Loses Appeal Against Microsoft over Android

An appeal by Motorola Mobility LLC over an intellectual property dispute with Microsoft over the Android operating system was struck down on Monday by a three-judge U.S. federal appeals court.