There are always patent lawsuits and challenges happening around the country. But the new trend in patent suits — from major, established drug companies to fly-by-night outfits alike — seems to be an attempt to get a leg up by using tribal sovereignty to avoid certain parts of the process. [More]
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Microsoft Killing Off “Groove Music Pass,” The Zune Streaming Successor You Never Knew Existed
By 10.2.17
While Microsoft stopped making Zune devices back in 2011, the brand name limped along for a few years as a streaming service which in turn was folded into the company’s “Groove Music” in 2015. Now it sounds like Microsoft is giving up on offering its own music platforms, announcing that it’s killing off Groove Music Pass in favor of expanding a Spotify partnership. [More]
Apple Switching From Bing To Google Search Results For Siri, Spotlight Queries
By 9.25.17
The next time you ask Siri a question or look for something using Apple’s Spotlight feature, the web results you see will be from Google search, instead of Bing. [More]
Google Assistant Begins Takeover Of Home Appliances; Alexa & Cortana Make Friends
By 8.30.17
It was a big day in news for connected-home devices, with Google announcing plans to put its Home technology on a slew of new appliances, while two competing digital assistants — Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana — began to make nice with each other. [More]
Microsoft: Don’t Worry, We’re Keeping MS Paint Because Nostalgia
By 7.25.17
When is the last time you used Microsoft Paint? It doesn’t really matter whether or not you actually want to, because you probably feel all warm and fuzzy when you think about using it to make (often crappy) drawings. That sense of nostalgia has worked its magic on Microsoft, which has announced it isn’t killing off the old program anytime soon. [More]
Microsoft May Soon Kill Off Paint Program After 32 Years Of Pixelated Art
By 7.24.17
Anyone who used a PC in the ’80s or ’90s surely knows the feeling of triumph that came with creating art using Microsoft Paint. Though, of course, calling it “art” when you doodle your brother’s face and scrawl the words “poop 4 brains” on it is somewhat debatable. Prepare then, to feel the sting of loss over the news that Microsoft will likely be killing off Paint after 32 years. [More]
Microsoft Announces Updated XBox, Backwards Compatibility For Some Old Games
By 6.12.17
Ah, yes, June: Schools are out, the days are getting long and hot, and the sweet sound of marketing wafts our way from southern California, where E3 — the annual video game exposition that in theory is still at least kinda, sorta an industry trade show — is finally underway. [More]
Apple Adding iTunes To Windows Store
By 5.11.17
If you’re a Windows user but prefer to stick with iTunes for all your music needs, you’ll soon be able to jam out to your favorite songs on your computer: The iTunes desktop app will be coming to the Windows Store soon. [More]
How To Make Sure Your PC Is Safe From Windows Defender Vulnerability
By 5.9.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Not sure whether or not your PC has been updated with a patch to fix a recently discovered Windows Defender vulnerability? Here’s what you should do. [More]
Microsoft Issues Fix For Massive Malware Vulnerability That Affects Most PCs
By 5.9.17 — Updated: 5.11.17
A few days after security researchers discovered a massive flaw in Microsoft’s malware protection engine Windows Defender — which is used in almost every recent version of Windows — the company has issued a fix that it believes will keep attackers out. [More]
Microsoft Testing Refund System For Xbox And Windows Games, Apps
By 4.13.17
In a move to be more consumer friendly — or, at least, less consumer-hostile in the digital goods space — Microsoft is now testing a refund system to make it easier for customers to return Xboxvideo games and apps from the Windows Store. [More]
Reminder: Today Is The Last Day Microsoft Will Offer Windows Vista Support
By 4.11.17 — Updated: 5.5.17
Just in case there are any Windows Vista users out there still clinging to the outdated operating system, we’re here to remind you that it’s time to finally let it go, or get used to the idea of Microsoft ignoring you and your software. [More]
Why Are So Many Tech & Telecom Companies Bad At Respecting Your Privacy?
By and 3.23.17
The 21st century world is all about data: who has it, how they use it, when they share it, and how much they make from selling it. Despite the proliferation of terms of service and privacy policies, the companies responsible for handling our data are largely doing a poor job of telling us what they do with it. [More]
Several Microsoft Services — Including Xbox Live, Outlook — Suffering Outages
By 3.21.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Consumers looking to use Microsoft’s Xbox Live, Outlook, and other services are likely having a difficult time this afternoon, as the company is currently suffering an outage. [More]
Windows Vista Still Exists, But Will No Longer Have Microsoft Support April 11
By 3.16.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Are you out there, Windows Vista users? If so, prepare yourself for the end: Microsoft will be pulling support for the operating system on April 11, sending it to wherever poorly received software goes when it dies. [More]
Xbox Launching $10 Monthly Subscription To Library Of 100+ Downloadable Games
By 2.28.17
Times used to be, a video game player’s library might have been limited to as many piles of cartridges or discs as they could fit at home. But as consumers turn to digital libraries for everything from movies and TV to music, it only makes sense that the gaming industry would follow a similar path. That’s why Microsoft is launching a new monthly subscription service that gives users access to more than 100 downloadable games from its legacy catalog. [More]
Video Of Real-World ‘Portal’ Shows Off Possibilities For Microsoft HoloLens
By 2.6.17
If you have doubt about the entertainment potential for augmented reality headsets like Microsoft’s HoloLens, this video from developer who recreated the mechanics of the popular Portal video games in AR may give you something to believe in. [More]
Court Declines To Rehear Appeal, Agrees Microsoft Can’t Be Forced To Turn Over Email Stored Overseas
By 1.24.17
Back in July, a federal appeals court took Microsoft’s side in a case over a contentious question: if you’re a U.S. company, storing a customer’s data on a server in another country, are you obligated to turn over all that data as part of a search warrant? Microsoft said no, and many years later, it appears that at the end of the appeals process, the court once and for all agrees. [More]
