Microsoft on Wednesday announced how its upcoming online mobile storefront, Windows Marketplace for Mobile, will operate. Microsoft had previously announced the store, along with Windows Mobile 6.5 and the My Phone synchronization service, last month. "Microsoft's decades-long relationship with developers has led to some of the most exciting innovations the industry has seen," Microsoft senior vice president Andy Lees said. "We'll continue our successful collaboration with developers through Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which will provide a broad reach to customers.

via windowsitpro.com

Software makers SAP AG and Sybase Inc have teamed up to make it easier for businesses to run SAP's business management software on mobile devices including Apple Inc's iPhone. SAP, the world's biggest maker of business management software, is already working with Research in Motion Ltd to develop programs for its BlackBerry devices. This is the first time the German software company has announced plans to customize its software for other devices.

via reuters.com

Back in November 2008 when everyone was still speculating about what Windows 7 editions were coming down the pipeline, one morsel of information that we found was a mention of a "Windows 7 for Small Business (future)" in a job posting for a marketing manager.
Once the six Windows 7 SKUs were revealed last month, it was clear that there was nothing named Business, let alone Small Business. However, CRN now has a story on Microsoft quietly unveiling the Windows 7 Small Business Ignite Program last week, which is probably what the previous tidbit was referring to.

via arstechnica.com

NEW YORK - Microsoft Corp is developing a feature in its new operating system that allows users to turn off Internet Explorer and other key Microsoft programs. The new feature is a major step for the world's largest software company, which has been accused by competitors and regulators of forcing consumers to run its own software, squeezing rivals' offerings out of the marketplace. "In addition to the features that were already available to turn on or off in Windows Vista, we've added the following features.

via abs-cbnnews.com

Microsoft Corp. stunned Wall Street with disappointing results that included plans to slash up to 5,000 jobs and a warning that profit and revenue will almost certainly drop over the next two quarters. The news from the world's largest software maker, which had not been expected to report results until after the close of trading on Thursday, sent shock waves across financial markets, pulling down the Nasdaq and the U.S. dollar, and sending U.S. Treasury debt prices higher as investors sought safer assets.

via canada.com

According to Apple Insider, Net Application's February data shows the iPhone commanding much of the mobile internet browsing among smartphones, with Windows Mobile in a distant second, followed by Symbian and Android tied for the next spot, Palm, and RIM trailing behind. The report puts the iPhone with nearly 2/3 of web traffic and Windows Mobile capturing almost 7%, which is quite a sizable spread between the two. Although there are attractive browsing alternatives on the Windows Mobile platform, including Opera Mobile, which has come pre-loaded on many current HTC devices, and Skyfire.

via pocketnow.com

Microsoft overpaid severance packages for an unknown number of the 1400 employees that it laid off last month, and now the software giant is asking for some of that money back. The layoffs came in the wake of the company's first-ever year-over-year fall in revenue for its desktop business software, which includes Windows and the Office productivity suite. In a letter to these ex-employees that was first published on the TechCrunch Web site, Microsoft admits to an accounting error that led to the overpayment. "An inadvertent administrative error occurred that resulted in an overpayment in severance pay by Microsoft," the letter reads.

via windowsitpro.com

Just days after alerting laid off employees that it had overpaid on their severances and would require a refund, Microsoft reversed course and told them to simply keep the money. It's amazing what a little bad press can do.
"I got wind of this a couple of days ago and said 'I'm not sure this makes sense,'" Microsoft senior vice president for human resources Lisa Brummel said. "I consider this a unique time and circumstance, and I believe this is not a case where we should ask employees to repay an overpayment."

via windowsitpro.com

Oh, the humanity: Windows 7's draconian DRM?. Once again, we see fanciful claims about ludicrous DRM schemes in the new Windows operating system, but a closer look suggests that Windows isn't to blame after all. Most users, in fact, won't even notice Windows 7's DRM. Windows Mobile 6.5 UI a big improvement; more work needed. At the Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona, Microsoft announced Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft My Phone, and Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Ars runs down all of the day's announcements and explains why Windows Mobile 6.5 may not be enough for Microsoft.

via arstechnica.com

Taking a page from a successful 20-year partnership in application and desktop virtualization, Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS) today announced "Project Encore," extending its collaboration with Microsoft into the adjacent server virtualization market. As part of this strategic alliance, Citrix unveiled the availability of a new solution called Citrix Essentials" for Microsoft® Hyper-V", offering advanced virtualization management capabilities for Microsoft®

via pr-inside.com

One of the most talked about new features in Windows Server 2008 is the new type of domain controller called a read-only domain controller (RODC) in Active Directory Domain Services. RODCs provide organizations with the ability to deploy domain controllers in locations where physical security cannot be guaranteed. In addition to an improvement in security, RODCs provide improved logon times for branch users and more efficient access to network resources. This article takes a closer look at read-only domain controllers in Windows Server 2008.

via enterpriseitplanet.com

Don't call them Windows Mobile phones anymore. In announcing the latest revision of Microsoft's OS for handsets at Mobile World Congress today, MIcrosoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that henceforth, the devices will be known as Windows phones. "It's a mouthful to say, 'You want a Windows Mobile phone?'" Ballmer said when asked about the decision to once again re-brand the OS, which has over the years been known as Windows CE and Pocket PC.

via pcworld.com

The second advertisement in Microsoft's "Rookies" series features seven-year-old Alexa, who uses Windows Live Photo Gallery to stitch many small photos into one larger one. Video inside. Microsoft keeps reminding us that this $300 million ad campaign is nowhere near done, as it is split into many stages. The third (and current) stage is called "Rookies," and it features cute little kids using Windows Live programs.

via keznews.com

t's been one of those weeks. After discovering that the tires on my wife's car needed to be replaced immediately to the tune of $1000, my daughter dropped a bottle in the cellar, soaking the concrete floor with milk, and during the cleanup we discovered that our hot water heater was leaking: Another $1000 fix. Then the tub upstairs and sink in the kitchen both backed up at about the same time, and amazingly the events were unrelated. Fixing the two cost $500, but the day of the fix, the hose from the dishwasher sprung a leak as well, filling the cabinet under the sink with water.

via windowsitpro.com

A new build version of the Windows 7 beta has been available on several torrent sites as Microsoft ended the distribution of an earlier version, according to a report. Computerworld noticed that Windows 7 Build 7022 has been available on sites like The Pirate Bay for download this week, the last days in which Windows users were able to download the beta before Microsoft pulled the plug Thursday. Several versions are still there as of this writing, which includes a Release Candidate version of Internet Explorer 8 for Windows 7 that was missing from the original beta release.

via news.cnet.com