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Windows 8 isn't New Coke, says top Microsoft exec; it's Diet Coke

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Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft's head of corporate communications, defended his company's Windows information disclosure strategy, denying that Microsoft has adopted Apple's "cone of silence" approach to imparting news. "We know we're not Apple," he said. "We would love to have control all along the stack, as Apple does. But that's not the business we're in."

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  • Ms. Smith Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Is Microsoft power-snooping on Skype conversations? by Ms Smith

    First there were reports that made it sound as if a kindergartener could easily social engineer Skype Support to hijack accounts. Now, holy wowza, a German publisher is claiming that Microsoft is power-snooping on Skype conversations. Other security experts have suggested that we can put away our tin foil hats, since the automated scanning of links dropped in Skype is to weed out scams, spam and phishing attempts.Heise Online warned that "Anyone who uses Skype has consented to the company...

  • Microsoft Explorer

    Why aren't Microsoft's competitors joining in on the Windows 8 jokes? by Andy Patrizio

    Motley Fool made a great point late last week: Where are the Windows 8 attack ads? They have their suspicions, and I have mine.Windows Vista was a stinker and everyone knew it, and along came the "I'm a Mac" ads. These ads were devastating in some ways, but as other, cooler heads noted, they also backfired. "PC" came off as a sympathetic character (played so brilliantly by John Hodgman) while "Mac" came off as a dislikable prick.The ads disappeared in 2009 when Windows 7 hit and all of Apple's...

  • Ms. Smith Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Microsoft patches Pwn2Own & IE8 'nuke' critical holes by Ms Smith

    Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines, but be ready to reboot as Microsoft released 10 security bulletins to patch 33 vulnerabilities that are listed as critical or important. That may make your eye twitch, such as if you were trapped in a boot loop last month due to a bad Microsoft patch, so get ready to find some "extra" time to test the patches on corporate machines before deploying. "In light of the reboot loop problems resulting from the Microsoft patches issued in April, businesses...

  • Ms. Smith Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Comedian Rob Schneider stars as Google Docs in Microsoft Office 365 videos by Ms Smith

    Microsoft showed that it does have a sense of humor.After Boston dumped Microsoft Exchange for Google Apps, the city claimed that saving money was a big part of the decision. Boston will pay out about $800,000 to move the government's system to Google Apps, but said that "by dropping some Microsoft products, the city government will save at least $280,000 a year." Microsoft said, "We believe the citizens of Boston deserve cloud productivity tools that protect their security and privacy....

  • Ms. Smith Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Privacy and Security Fanatic

    U.S. government is 'biggest buyer' of zero-day vulnerabilities, report claims by Ms Smith

    When it comes to exploiting zero-days for cyberweapons and cyber-spying, China's not the only "devil"...we are too, according to a Reuters report that claimed the U.S. government is the "biggest buyer in a burgeoning gray market where hackers and security firms sell tools for breaking into computers." For the first time, the Pentagon's annual report to Congress [pdf] accused the Chinese government and military of targeting U.S. government and defense networks as well as using cyber espionage to...

  • Microsoft Explorer

    iTunes: Still slowing down Windows PCs after all these years by Andy Patrizio

    Over the years we've had to deal with antivirus programs bringing PCs to a screeching halt as they perform a "background" scan. At my last job, it was a morning tradition to plug in the laptop, boot it and go for a walk while McAfee did the daily scan that reduced my laptop to the speed of a 386.It's one reason why I use ESET's NOD32. The program is written in assembly and runs incredibly fast. I can perform a full, in-depth virus scan while playing 'Call of Duty' and neither the game nor the...

  • Microsoft Explorer

    Windows 8: 100 million licenses sold, but how many in use? by Andy Patrizio

    Windows 8 has passed the 100 million mark. That's the word from Tami Reller, the CFO of the Windows division at Microsoft. In a Q&A conducted by another Microsoft employee and posted to the Windows blog (that's some hard hittin' journalism, there), Reller discussed the facts and figures of Windows 8 at the six-month mark.Windows 8 has not passed 100 million licenses sold on PCs and tablets, and there are more than 2,400 Windows 8 and RT certified devices on the market. More than 250 million...

  • Ms. Smith Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Microsoft: What are people really asking for when they ask for a Start button? by Ms Smith

    Microsoft sold more than 100 million licenses for Windows 8, keeping up with Windows 7 sales at the six-month mark. In June, people who have Windows 8 will be able to preview Windows Blue. "We recently surpassed the 100 million licenses sold mark for Windows 8," stated Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer Tami Reller. "This number includes Windows licenses that ship on a new tablet or PC, as well as upgrades to Windows 8. This is up from the 60 million license number we...

  • Ms. Smith Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Google's patent for email snooping? Microsoft offers your boss email spying powers now by Ms Smith

    Filing for a patent does not always mean a company will follow through and make that product a reality, but it is still interesting to see what patents are filed. Such is the case regarding Google's patent for a "Policy Violation Checker," or as Slashdot termed it, "Google seeks do-no-discoverable-evil patent." The abstracts states: Methods and systems for identifying problematic phrases in an electronic document, such as an e-mail, are disclosed. A context of an electronic document may be...

  • Ms. Smith Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Privacy and Security Fanatic

    Microsoft confirms zero-day vulnerability exploiting IE8 by Ms Smith

    After reports of a zero-day vulnerability exploiting IE8 for watering hole attacks, Microsoft confirmed the flaw and released Security Advisory 2847140. Microsoft Security Response Center wrote, "Internet Explorer 6, 7, 9 and 10 are not affected by the vulnerability. This issue allows remote code execution if users browse to a malicious website with an affected browser. This would typically occur by an attacker convincing someone to click a link in an email or instant message." That, links in...

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