News


Exchange 12 Begins Community Tech Preview

Microsoft began shipping the first community technology preview (CTP) of Exchange 12 on Wednesday, marking the beginning of its first widespread testing.

Microsoft Research Steps It Up

Do you have one of those wildly popular Dance Dance Revolution dance pads at home? Ever think of using it to do e-mail? That could happen if a technology demonstration at Microsoft on Tuesday escapes into the wild.

AOL Sues Groups Under Anti-Phishing Law

America Online is taking advantage of a first-of-its-kind anti-"phishing" law in Virginia to sue three international groups that allegedly stole information from unsuspecting AOL users by sending e-mail that appeared to be legitimate messages from the company.

Gateway Pays To Settle HP Patent Suits

Gateway Inc. has agreed to pay $47 million to rival computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. to settle a series of lawsuits over patents.

Survey: VoIP Triples in 2005

Last year was a breakout time for Internet telephone services, with the number of U.S. subscribers more than tripling to 4.5 million and industry revenue surpassing $1 billion.

Microsoft Updates Web Search Offering

Microsoft Corp. unveiled several new online technologies Tuesday, including early versions of an Internet classified service and a local search function that provides extremely detailed pictures of local streets.

Apple Unveils New Intel Mac Mini; Microsoft Readies Origami

Reaching further into living rooms, Apple Computer Inc. on Tuesday introduced a revamped Mac Mini computer that will let users access music, video and photos across their home networks.

New Buyers of Small Business Server to Get R2 Upgrade

A Microsoft promotion to give customers who buy Windows Small Business Server 2003 a free upgrade to the Release 2 version kicks off on Wednesday.

Windows Servers Catching Up with Unix

Windows servers are beginning to make their move to take the lead in the worldwide server sales race, according to researcher IDC. But while Unix has been slipping lately, Linux is also making a strong move to come from behind, according to the researcher's latest Quarterly Server Tracker, which presents the firm's analysis of calendar fourth quarter 2005 factory revenues.

Microsoft Opens Bosnia Office

Microsoft announced Tuesday the opening of an office in Bosnia in order to promote its software on the Bosnian market.

Microsoft Reveals Vista Packaging

A week after inadvertently telling the world prematurely, Microsoft Monday officially revealed its packaging plans for Windows Vista when the desktop OS family rolls out toward the end of the year.

Future of the Internet: Toll Booths or More Lanes?

On the Internet, the traffic cops are blind: They don't look at the data they're directing, and they don't give preferential treatment. That's something operators of the Internet highway, the major U.S. phone companies, want to change by effectively adding a toll lane -- they want to be able to give priority treatment to those who pay to get through faster.

Rural Broadband Users Close Gap with Cities

The use of high-speed Internet services is growing fast in rural America, partly closing the gap between country and city, a survey shows.

IDC: Itanium 2 Poised for Takeoff

Despite a lackluster showing in its first decade, Intel’s Itanium 2 line of true 64-bit CPUs may be set to come into its own with strong growth likely in the next three years, according to a new report from market researchers at IDC.

Updated Build Out to 'Longhorn' Testers

Microsoft has confirmed that a new build of the current beta of "Longhorn" server is shipping to some participants in the current Windows Vista technology preview.

IT Weekly Roundup, Feb. 24

From the business wires this week: an application deployer, a password recovery solution, Web content filter for Active Directory, more.

Microsoft Posts Defense Against EU Antitrust Charges Online

Microsoft Corp. took the unusual step Thursday of making public its formal response to European Union charges that it was failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust ruling.

Oracle Ships Plug-Ins for MS Servers

Oracle announced it is shipping seven new plug-ins that lets Microsoft servers to be monitored and managed by Oracle's Grid Control system monitoring package.

Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Acxiom Data Theft

A Florida man was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison in a computer theft case involving more than 1 billion records that Acxiom Corp., a data-management company, collected in its work for large corporations.

Microsoft Taking 'Careful Approach' to Xbox 360 in China

Microsoft Corp. is is no hurry as it evaluates China for a possible launch of the Xbox 360, the company official in charge of the game console for the region said Thursday.