31/08/2007 by swordfish.

Speculation is mounting that Microsoft is interested in buying BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM).

This is not the first time Microsoft has been linked with the Canadian company, but Google’s long-rumoured entry into the mobile phone operating system could tempt Microsoft to act.

One potential stumbling block for a Microsoft takeover could be integrating the two companies’ product lines. Blackberrys run on RIM’s proprietary operating system, while Microsoft has its own Windows Mobile OS. Any attempt to build Windows Mobile Blackberrys could prove hugely unpopular with the RIM user base.

Microsoft is not the only name in the takeover hat, however, with Motorola also reported to be sniffing around the BlackBerry maker.

Source: PC Pro

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30/08/2007 by swordfish.

After months of silence, Microsoft finally coughed up details on Tuesday about its plans for the first update to Windows Vista, saying the service pack will arrive in the first quarter of next year.

In the next few weeks, Microsoft will start private testing of a beta of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Vista as well as a third service pack for Windows XP. The company plans initially to release the beta only to 10,000 pre-selected testers, though it may expand that release later. A small group of testers are already working with a “beta preview” version.

As for what’s in the Vista update, it’s mostly a collection of existing fixes and tweaks aimed at improving the stability and reliability of the operating system, which went on sale to consumers in January.

Source: ZDNET

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29/08/2007 by swordfish.

Google has announced that its toolkit for turning Java applications into web applications is no longer in beta.

As well as losing its beta status, Google Web Toolkit (GWT) 1.4 offers improved performance by reducing the amount of code generated for compiled web apps. Google notes that users are reporting that after a simple recompile with 1.4, their applications are up to 30% smaller and up to 50% faster.

And they get even faster the next time they’re launched, employing a caching technique to prevent applications from making unnecessary HTTP requests.

Other changes include new widgets and libraries, and easier deployment: adding GWT modules to an HTML page is as simple as adding a script tag.

Source: PC Pro

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28/08/2007 by swordfish.

When Acer agreed on Monday to purchase the American PC maker Gateway, it wasn’t a huge surprise, since more than a few pundits would say Gateway’s acquisition has been several years overdue.

But at a $710m (£354m) purchase price, it’s a comedown for a company that in 1997 was offered $7bn to become part of Compaq (which was eventually acquired by HP).

A string of bad quarters, a revolving door into the chief executive’s office and a problems with business strategy have all led to Gateway’s end as an independent company after 22 years in business.

Source: ZDNET

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24/08/2007 by swordfish.

Monster.com waited five days to tell its users about a security breach that resulted in the theft of confidential information from some 1.3 million job seekers, a company executive told Reuters on Thursday.

Hackers broke into the US online recruitment site’s password-protected CV library using credentials that Monster Worldwide said were stolen from its clients, in one of the biggest internet security breaches in recent memory.

Source: ZDNET

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23/08/2007 by swordfish.

Setting aside its handset rivalry with Nokia, Microsoft on Wednesday announced it has made a pact to put mobile versions of its Windows Live services onto handsets made by one of its chief competitors.

Under the deal, Nokia will start offering Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger on its most powerful Series 60 handsets this year. Later in the year or early next year, the services will be made available on Series 40 phones. The services will initially be free, though the two companies may later charge for them, splitting the revenue.

“We look at where the market is,” said Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of Microsoft’s online services business. “Nokia is the largest handset maker.”

Source: ZDNET

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