Joe Wilcox

Microsofts new Surface product and technology platform surfaced May 30. Introduced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the D Conference, in Carlsbad, Calif., Surface has been a long time coming. The first product, a 30-inch display table, is designed for commercial use. The product uses cameras and software to detect human gestures, objects and devices […]

The April 25 release of a feature-complete Windows Server “Longhorn” beta is a monumental milestone for Microsoft, perhaps more important than the launch of Windows Vista. As the nucleus of Microsofts enterprise product strategy, Longhorn will likely pull deployments of other products, including Vista. However, uncertainty about the release of the first Vista service pack […]

With its impending purchase of voice-search platform provider Tellme Networks, Microsoft took a key step in its broad-ranging effort to use voice technology as an interface for accessing information and services. The move, announced March 14, could foreshadow similar purchases as the Redmond, Wash., company pushes its software-plus-services concept. “We see voice and speech recognition […]

On Feb. 22, a San Diego jury delivered a stunning blow to Microsoft—a $1.52 billion patent judgment in favor of Alcatel-Lucent. The judgment was about one-third of what Alcatel-Lucent had asked for. The judgment, the largest patent award in history, came one day after Microsoft presented oral arguments before the Supreme Court, in a separate […]

Microsoft announced Feb. 20 new tools for easing Windows Vista deployments. The tools come about two-and-a-half months after Microsoft released the new operating system to businesses. The tools—immediately available—let businesses assess hardware and software compatibility with Vista, better manage product licensing activation, and virtualize older Windows versions during Vista testing, deployment and transition processes. The […]

Symantec has uncovered malicious code that could exploit Microsofts newest zero-day vulnerability. Today on Security Response Weblog, Symantec revealed the exploit, which could drop a back-door Trojan onto an infected system. The exploit “may enable an attacker to gain remote access to your computer,” wrote Amado Hidalgo in the blog post. /zimages/4/28571.gifFor more on the […]

Microsoft zero-day vulnerabilities are increasingly so commonplace, the risk is lost with the message. On Feb. 2, Microsoft issued another security alert, this one for Excel, that largely went unnoticed. In its security bulletin, Microsoft warned that “other Office applications are potentially vulnerable” to the zero-day flaw. Zero-day refers to a flaw for which there […]

The wait is over. Late on Nov. 16, Microsoft posted Windows Vista to its developer Web site. The software is immediately available to MSDN subscribers. Microsoft also posted Office 2007 earlier this week. The products availability to developers —less than two weeks before the official business launch—is essential for partners getting out applications updates or […]