Microsoft Corp. said its new Windows 7 operating system will be commercially available in late October, well ahead of its original schedule and in time for the holiday shopping season.
The milestone comes amid intense pressure on the world's largest software maker to reverse its perceived missteps with the current Windows version, Vista, and as evidence mounts that computer makers are increasingly considering alternatives to its ubiquitous operating system.
"We feel confident that we will deliver Windows 7 with our partners on Oct. 22," said Bill Veghte, senior vice president for Microsoft's Windows business. Microsoft originally planned to ship Windows 7 in early 2010, but recently suggested it would be ready this year.
While the release date confirms Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft will be able to get the latest version of its most important product onto retailer's shelves and into manufacturer's computers by the all-important holiday season, it also means the company will miss some opportunity to get the product into the hands of students going back to school in the fall.
Windows generated around one-third of Microsoft's $60 billion in 2008 sales and is on more than 90% of the world's personal computers. Microsoft has been under unusual pressure to deliver a smooth launch for Windows 7 to avoid some of the glitches which affected Windows Vista.
Vista's launch, in late 2007, was dogged by compatibility problems with other software applications and components, and many corporate customers avoided the product, saying it required costly hardware upgrades, preferring to rely on an earlier version of the operating system, Windows XP.
With Windows 7, Microsoft also needs to address another growing challenge, the growth of the so-called netbook computer. Sales of these small, low-cost laptops, designed for lightweight computing, have soared over the past two years, appealing to cash-strapped consumers, and now some computer manufacturers are exploring alternatives to Windows, such as versions of the Linux operating system and Google Inc.'s Android software.
from the washinton journal
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Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Microsoft and Sony take on Nintendo Wii
LOS ANGELES (AP) — This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo has been quite the moving experience.
During presentations at the video game industry trade show, both Microsoft and Sony debuted prototype motion-control devices for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 that could rival Nintendo's popular Wii, the first console to employ a motion-detecting controller when it debuted in 2006.
Nintendo said Wednesday they are flattered by the imitations.
"It's certainly nice for us to see other companies adopting the philosophy that Nintendo communicated back a few years ago," said Cammie Dunaway, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Nintendo of America. "For us, we're really pleased and excited to bring consumers the next advancement now with Wii MotionPlus."
Nintendo mostly used the show as an opportunity to showcase Wii MotionPlus, an attachment announced at last year's E3 that uses sensors to more precisely mimic gamers' hand movements on screen. The only new apparatus Nintendo debuted this year was the Wii Vitality Sensor, which can check a player's pulse. The doodad prompted some to wonder if Nintendo had run out of ideas.
"That sensor was slightly bizarre," said Paul Jackson, an analyst at Forrester. "But it plays into the success that Nintendo has had with 'Wii Fit' on the health and lifestyle front. I imagine that one does get a bit weary of new things that you can plug into your Wii. I just can't see the Wii Vitality Sensor having more than two or three applications."
Meanwhile, Microsoft unveiled a motion control device, codenamed "Project Natal," that combines a camera, depth sensor, microphone and processor to eliminate the need for any button-mashing input device. Microsoft said the gadget can track a players' full body movement, recognize their face and voice and respond to their physical and vocal commands.
The Xbox maker demonstrated "Project Natal" with three prototype programs: "Ricochet," a soccerlike game that requires players to use their entire bodies to bounce balls at targets; "Paint Party," an art-making program that uses a players' hands and arms as the brush; and "Milo," essentially a virtual boy who can communicate and interact with the player.
"The first two games Microsoft previewed were very polished, but 'Milo' showed where this stuff can go above and beyond in gaming," said Jackson. "I don't think people have seen anything like that outside of artificial intelligence labs in universities. It showed 'Natal' wasn't just about flaying around or responding to commands on a screen."
Sony's motion-control gizmo was decidedly less astonishing. The unnamed wand-shaped apparatus has a light-emitting sphere on the end that can be "seen" by a PlayStation Eye camera. It was demonstrated with software that transformed it on-screen into objects such as a sword, flashlight and gun with one-to-one motion control — much like Wii MotionPlus.
"If you look at the consumer that is playing 'God of War III' or playing 'Killzone 2,' they're not typically somebody who may be the biggest Wii consumer," said Jack Tretton, president at Sony Computer Entertainment America. "I think we have the opportunity to improve the experience for the casual gamer, but also address the hardcore gamer with the motion controller."
Sony promised it would conjure up the wand-shaped controller by next spring while Microsoft was mum on when "Natal" was due on store shelves. Neither company showcased any actual games for their flashy new devices, leaving many questions about the motion control technologies unanswered. Perhaps the most important one of all: Will they live up to the hype?
by the associated press
During presentations at the video game industry trade show, both Microsoft and Sony debuted prototype motion-control devices for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 that could rival Nintendo's popular Wii, the first console to employ a motion-detecting controller when it debuted in 2006.
Nintendo said Wednesday they are flattered by the imitations.
"It's certainly nice for us to see other companies adopting the philosophy that Nintendo communicated back a few years ago," said Cammie Dunaway, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Nintendo of America. "For us, we're really pleased and excited to bring consumers the next advancement now with Wii MotionPlus."
Nintendo mostly used the show as an opportunity to showcase Wii MotionPlus, an attachment announced at last year's E3 that uses sensors to more precisely mimic gamers' hand movements on screen. The only new apparatus Nintendo debuted this year was the Wii Vitality Sensor, which can check a player's pulse. The doodad prompted some to wonder if Nintendo had run out of ideas.
"That sensor was slightly bizarre," said Paul Jackson, an analyst at Forrester. "But it plays into the success that Nintendo has had with 'Wii Fit' on the health and lifestyle front. I imagine that one does get a bit weary of new things that you can plug into your Wii. I just can't see the Wii Vitality Sensor having more than two or three applications."
Meanwhile, Microsoft unveiled a motion control device, codenamed "Project Natal," that combines a camera, depth sensor, microphone and processor to eliminate the need for any button-mashing input device. Microsoft said the gadget can track a players' full body movement, recognize their face and voice and respond to their physical and vocal commands.
The Xbox maker demonstrated "Project Natal" with three prototype programs: "Ricochet," a soccerlike game that requires players to use their entire bodies to bounce balls at targets; "Paint Party," an art-making program that uses a players' hands and arms as the brush; and "Milo," essentially a virtual boy who can communicate and interact with the player.
"The first two games Microsoft previewed were very polished, but 'Milo' showed where this stuff can go above and beyond in gaming," said Jackson. "I don't think people have seen anything like that outside of artificial intelligence labs in universities. It showed 'Natal' wasn't just about flaying around or responding to commands on a screen."
Sony's motion-control gizmo was decidedly less astonishing. The unnamed wand-shaped apparatus has a light-emitting sphere on the end that can be "seen" by a PlayStation Eye camera. It was demonstrated with software that transformed it on-screen into objects such as a sword, flashlight and gun with one-to-one motion control — much like Wii MotionPlus.
"If you look at the consumer that is playing 'God of War III' or playing 'Killzone 2,' they're not typically somebody who may be the biggest Wii consumer," said Jack Tretton, president at Sony Computer Entertainment America. "I think we have the opportunity to improve the experience for the casual gamer, but also address the hardcore gamer with the motion controller."
Sony promised it would conjure up the wand-shaped controller by next spring while Microsoft was mum on when "Natal" was due on store shelves. Neither company showcased any actual games for their flashy new devices, leaving many questions about the motion control technologies unanswered. Perhaps the most important one of all: Will they live up to the hype?
by the associated press
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Windows 7 ready for holiday season PCs
SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that Windows 7, the next version of its computer operating software, will go on sale Oct. 22, in time to possibly give the slumping PC industry a lift in the holiday season.
Windows 7, which will replace the much-complained-about Windows Vista, will be available then on new PCs. Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, will also sell versions that people can install on existing PCs.
PC makers and resellers will offer free upgrades to Windows 7 for people who buy a new computer running the Home Premium, Business or Ultimate version of Windows Vista shortly before Windows 7 arrives. However, Microsoft did not say whether the upgrade program will begin in time for back-to-school shopping, another crucial period for the PC industry.
Industry analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies said it's reasonable to think Microsoft would offer upgrades two months in advance of Windows 7's launch — late August, in other words.
"The industry must be careful not to kill sales leading up to the introduction, and back-to-school is the first possibility of some relief in this market," Kay said.
Shares of Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft closed unchanged at $21.40.
by the associated press
Windows 7, which will replace the much-complained-about Windows Vista, will be available then on new PCs. Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, will also sell versions that people can install on existing PCs.
PC makers and resellers will offer free upgrades to Windows 7 for people who buy a new computer running the Home Premium, Business or Ultimate version of Windows Vista shortly before Windows 7 arrives. However, Microsoft did not say whether the upgrade program will begin in time for back-to-school shopping, another crucial period for the PC industry.
Industry analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies said it's reasonable to think Microsoft would offer upgrades two months in advance of Windows 7's launch — late August, in other words.
"The industry must be careful not to kill sales leading up to the introduction, and back-to-school is the first possibility of some relief in this market," Kay said.
Shares of Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft closed unchanged at $21.40.
by the associated press
Thursday, May 21, 2009
$200M , Micosoft must pay
A federal jury in Tyler, Texas, has ordered Microsoft Corp. to pay $200 million for infringing on a Canadian technology company’s patent. The decision was announced in U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on Wednesday, Microsoft said. Last March, Toronto-based i4i LLP sued the world’s largest software maker over the way Word 2003 and Word 2007 customize "extensible markup language,” which is used in encoding and displaying information.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Microsoft settles Dispute
Microsoft Corp , the worlds largest software maker , Monday said it settled a patent dispute over car navigation technology with Tom Tom NV for an undisclosed amount.
Under the terms of five-year settlement, Microsoft said Tom Tom will pay the software maker for use of eight patents.
Microsoft will get coverage for four Tom Tom patents with out paying anything to the Netherlands -based company.
from wire reports
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