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Microsoft
Microsoft
No, Microsoft Techs Are Not Proactively Calling You About Your Error Messages
By Chris Morran on May 22, 2012 12:45 PM
46 Comments
Software crashes. And sometimes when it does, you get the option of sending an error report to the developer. You'll never hear back, because that's not the purpose of the report. But that hasn't stopped scammers from pretending they are Microsoft techs responding to your crash reports. More »
Microsoft Confirms $99 Xbox 360 For Those Who Love Pricey Monthly Subscriptions
By Chris Morran on May 7, 2012 1:37 PM
58 Comments
Last week, it was rumored that Microsoft would be slashing the price on its Xbox 360 game console to a mere $99 with the asterisk that you also sign up for two years of its Xbox Live Gold online service. The company officially announced the offer today, and confirmed just how huge that asterisk is. More »
Microsoft: The Person Using Your Stolen Xbox Totally Didn't Commit Any Fraud
By Laura Northrup on May 1, 2012 9:00 AM
63 Comments
Ashlee's house was robbed last Thanksgiving, and the culprits were never caught. They replaced the stolen items, and life went on. Until her Xbox Live account signed on using another console. The same console that had been stolen, whereabouts now unknown. Maybe the identity or location of the person now using Ashlee's Xbox could provide valuable insights into who robbed their house five months ago. Microsoft wasn't interested in helping, and determined that the new owner's use of her account and attempt to use it to buy points weren't fraudulent. Well, that's good to hear! More »
(dooley)
Alleged Thief Picked Billionaire Microsoft Co-Founder To Defraud
By Mary Beth Quirk on March 27, 2012 10:30 AM
20 Comments
Maybe stealing from someone super rich seemed like a good idea at the time, but using the credit card of the co-founder of Microsoft? Someone's bound to notice that. The FBI says a U.S. soldier changed the address on a bank account belonging to Paul Allen and then had a debit card sent to his home. More »
Microsoft Tells Man He Didn't Win Windows Phone Challenge "Just Because"
By Chris Morran on March 26, 2012 8:45 AM
82 Comments
UPDATE: After hearing about this story, Microsoft's Ben Rudolph reached out to the non-winning winner, Tweeting "I want to make things right. So I've got a laptop & phone (& apology) for you. Email me!" More »
Microsoft Patents System That Would Let You Pay To Skip Commercials
By Chris Morran on March 20, 2012 1:15 PM
44 Comments
It used to be that streaming a show online meant you had to deal with a minimum number of ads. But those online ad breaks are now growing longer and longer, and you usually don't have a method for fast-forwarding past them. That's why Microsoft has patented a system that would allow you to skip ads — for a price. More »
(iPablosu)
Xbox Live Bans User For Getting Hacked
By Laura Northrup on February 2, 2012 4:31 PM
54 Comments
After his Xbox Live account was stolen, Josh had to file a Better Business Bureau complaint in order to make MIcrosoft pay attention to him and restore his account access. After three months, he was delighted to log back in to his account, but surprised to learn that he had been banned for a "code of conduct violation." What did his account do to get banned? It was trying to steal other accounts. Imagine that. More »
Microsoft Ad Attacks Google For Only Caring About Money
By Chris Morran on February 1, 2012 2:15 PM
41 Comments
Once upon a time, a lot of people viewed Microsoft as the epitome of corporate omnipresence, as many of us wrote our 11-part fantasy series in Word, checked our Hotmail accounts while surfing the web on Internet Explorer, probably on a computer running Windows. But now we have Google Docs, Gmail, and Chrome, and Microsoft is taking out full-page ads warning consumers of how this other company is the one to be reviled. More »
Kinect For Windows Doesn't Mean You'll Be Playing Dance Central 2 On Your PC
By Chris Morran on January 12, 2012 8:02 PM
12 Comments
When Microsoft announced earlier this week that it would be selling Kinect for Windows starting in February, a number of people envisioned a near future where they would be moving the cells around on their Excel spreadsheet by waving their hands, or finally getting quality motion controls for PC games that have never been ported to the Xbox 360. But neither of these situations is really what Kinect for Windows is about. More »
Bing Beats Out Yahoo To Claim Distant No. 2 Search Engine Spot Behind Google
By Mary Beth Quirk on January 12, 2012 10:00 AM
42 Comments
When you're trudging up a mountain with not even a glimpse of the summit, and all you know is that you're really, really far behind the guy in the lead, it might be nice to know that hey, at least you're in second. Bing can claim that status now in the search engine world, as it has surpassed Yahoo to sit a distant second to Google. More »
How Not Having Home Internet Access Makes Xbox Live Problematic
By Laura Northrup on January 12, 2012 9:00 AM
68 Comments
It's difficult to imagine such a rustic, primitive existence, but Dustin doesn't have broadband Internet access at home. He seems to manage, though. Except when it comes to his Xbox 360. When he downloaded a game expansion, a Microsoft representative gave him bad advice, instructing him to put his hard drive in the console of a friend who does have broadband at home. The representative left out a step, and the game expansion license now belongs to Dustin's friend's account. No one at Microsoft is able to help him get the content back under his own gamertag so he can use the content he paid for. More »
(julian-)
Microsoft Spreads The Holiday Spirit By Telling Me To Donate Extra Xbox At Their Expense
By Mary Beth Quirk on December 21, 2011 3:00 PM
45 Comments
Timothy wasn't sure what to do when an extra Xbox360 landed on his doorstep, along with the one he had ordered for his girlfriend for Christmas. He figured Microsoft would recognize their mistake soon enough and send a packing slip for its return. But instead, he says he's amazed at their response. More »
Microsoft Thinks You Stole $67.50 From Your Own Xbox Account
By Laura Northrup on December 15, 2011 12:30 PM
45 Comments
In recent weeks, we've heard from quite a few Xbox Gold customers who report that points have been stolen from their accounts, but Microsoft doesn't seem terribly concerned about it, or about stopping the account breaches. Today's example: reader Jesse, who loaded several cards on his account before a move, for some reason assuming that the points would be safer in his account (in the cloud!) than packed for his move. Not so. Someone spent those points on content that Jesse never downloaded, and Microsoft isn't giving him those points back. More »
Microsoft Wants To Soothe 5 Traumatized Android Users With Free Windows Phones
By Mary Beth Quirk on December 15, 2011 11:00 AM
44 Comments
Do reports of malware on your Android phone have you in a cold sweat? Are dreams of scary phone viruses dancing in your head? Microsoft is taking advantage of those fears and using recent bumps in the road for Android to offer free Windows phones to five Android users with the worst malware horror stories. More »
(Kotaku)
Here's A Way To Block Ads On The New Xbox Dashboard
By Chris Morran on December 9, 2011 4:15 PM
80 Comments
Earlier this week, Microsoft rolled out its rootin'-tootin' motion-sensin' new dashboard interface for the Xbox 360. And along with the host of new features came a most unwanted companion — ads. Luckily, for those willing to tinker a bit, there may be a way to stop Chuck Norris from showing up on your Xbox dashboard. More »
Will Xbox TV's Voice & Motion Controls Actually Revolutionize TV Watching?
By Chris Morran on December 5, 2011 1:30 PM
47 Comments
Starting tomorrow, an update to the Xbox 360's dashboard will integrate its Kinect motion/voice-detection system and Microsoft's Bing search engine in the hopes of creating a truly hands-free entertainment experience. But does it work? More »
I Watched In Real Time As ID Thieves Spent My Money On Xbox Live
By Chris Morran on October 13, 2011 3:30 PM
122 Comments
It's bad enough to find out you've been the victim of identity theft. It's even worse to sit and watch as the thieves spend the money they acquired with your credit card information. More »
Microsoft Zombie-Bills Expired Credit Card For Xbox Live
By Laura Northrup on October 6, 2011 10:30 AM
32 Comments
Earlier this year, we posted a handy tip to avoid zombie billing: for a service that you plan to stop using after your contract is up, use a credit or debit card with an expiration date shortly after the end of the contract. The idea behind this plan is that an expired card can't be billed. This didn't work so well for Rob, whose expired credit card was zombie-billed by Microsoft for his Xbox Live subscription. More »
Xbox 360 Finally Getting More Live & On-Demand TV
By Chris Morran on October 5, 2011 3:30 PM
39 Comments
It's been reported for quite some time that Xbox 360 users would eventually get access to more streaming video options. Earlier today, Microsoft announced that it has partnered with a number of content providers to bring content from HBO, SyFy and even more for Comcast and Verizon FiOS subscribers. More »
Microsoft's New Blue Screen Of Death Feels Your Pain, Expresses It With Frowny Face
By Chris Morran on September 21, 2011 2:00 PM
120 Comments
Anyone who has ever suddenly come face to face with the Windows Blue Screen of Death has probably never grinned at the realization that something might be terribly wrong with your computer. After many, many iterations of the the BSoD, Microsoft has decided to mirror your displeasure by adding a huge sad face emoticon to its latest version. More »
