Nicholas Kolakowski

Microsoft announced new functionality for its search engine, Bing, on Nov. 11, including augmented search results and an expanded video page. “Expanded” may actually be something of an understatement, as Microsoft seems to want to turn Bing’s video page into a robust destination that can compete with Google’s YouTube. In fact, YouTube will be one […]

NEW YORK – A million strangers could benefit a company more than a handful of highly trained employees, at least if you subscribe to the concept of crowdsourcing. In the case of Amazon.com and its Mechanical Turk, the online retailer’s vice president Sharon Chiarella told the audience at the Global Sourcing Forum and Expo here, […]

Microsoft‘s version of Windows 7 for netbooks may disappoint some users, according to a new survey released by online electronics marketplace Retrevo. Retrevo’s survey found that 79 percent of the 1100 respondents surveyed were not planning on purchasing a netbook this year. Of the remaining 21 percent, 54 percent knew that Windows 7 came in […]

Apple released its newest operating system update, Mac OS X v10.6.2, on Nov. 9. In addition to fixing a number of underlying and user-facing aspects of Snow Leopard, the update reportedly also prevents netbooks from using Apple’s operating system. Those netbooks running Snow Leopard, referred to as “hackintoshes,” largely use Intel’s Atom processor; Apple’s update […]

A report by statistics company Net Applications suggests that Windows 7’s share of the overall PC market continues to rise at a steady clip, having passed 4 percent by Nov. 9. At this rate, Windows 7’s rate of adoption is outpacing that of Windows Vista, Microsoft‘s much-maligned previous operating system, which took months to reach […]

Microsoft yanked its Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT) from the online Microsoft Store on Nov. 10, allegedly because the program incorporated code from the GPLv2-licensed ImageMaster project. Microsoft originally introduced the USB/DVD Download Tool as a method for netbook users, some of whom lack DVD drives on their devices, to install Windows 7 on […]

12 Key Features of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 by Nicholas Kolakowski No Title Exchange 2010 allows IT administrators to control the security, encryption, applications and network settings of devices connected to their network—some 45 policies in total—through Mobile Management Policies. No Title Exchange 2010 can e-mail a voicemail preview, with the first few lines transcribed […]

Amazon.com has released its Kindle for PC application in Beta, allowing users to download over 360,000 volumes onto PCs running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, Windows Vista, or Windows 7. A Mac version is coming soon, according to Amazon.com’s download page. Microsoft and Amazon.com originally announced Kindle for PC during the Oct. 22 […]

Microsoft announced the worldwide launch of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, the next version of its messaging and collaboration platform for businesses, on Nov. 9 at the opening day of the TechEd Europe conference in Berlin. Attempting to address businesses’ concerns over slashed IT budgets, Microsoft is emphasizing the cost savings and increased efficiency of the […]

Barnes & Noble suggested that demand for its new Nook e-reader would push back the shipping date for some pre-orders from November into the second week of December. Blogs such as Brighthand also reported that no in-store Nook units would be available for sale until at least December, and perhaps next year. An integral part […]

At least we know one thing, numerically speaking: Windows 7 isn’t Vista. Microsoft received a bit of good news this week when a report by NPD Group suggested that early sales of Redmond’s new operating system had exceeded those of Vista during the same timeframe-by a fairly impressive 234 percent. That was likely due to […]

Verizon must have booked its Times Square promotion of the Droid smartphone well before the Yankees won the World Series, or it might have chosen a different venue: The majority of people crowding into arguably the world’s most famous intersection were dressed in baseball uniforms, and there to watch the victors’ parade on the big […]