Pedro Hernandez

What Minecraft lacks in finesse, it more than makes up in popularity. According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is in advanced talks to acquire privately held Mojang, the Swedish maker of the multiplatform game, for more than $2 billion drawn from the company’s overseas war chest Eschewing cutting-edge graphics for […]

Cortana is already one of Windows Phone 8.1’s standout features, but an experiment in China may add a conversational twist to the company’s Bing-powered answer to Siri. In July, a social assistant called XiaoIce (little ice) was unleashed on Chinese social networks, including Touchpal and the 700-million-user microblogging site Weibo, according to Stefan Weitz, senior […]

Following up the Xbox One’s August update, which came loaded with social features, Microsoft is making it easier for users that have purchased the Kinect-less version of the console to explore its multitasking capabilities. In a late Sept. 8 Xbox Wire post, Larry Hryb (Major Nelson), director of programming for Xbox Live, said that September […]

Six months after previewing its personalized, collaboration-enhancing Office Delve app, formerly known as “Oslo,” Microsoft began rolling out the technology to Office 365 business customers on Sept. 8, announced Julia White, general manager, Office 365 technical product management. “Office Delve is a new way to discover relevant information and connections from across your work life,” […]

The Web portal wars may have taken a backseat to social media, the mobile Internet and the cloud, but MSN still matters to Microsoft. The Redmond, Wash.-based software company is readying a customizable MSN.com homepage, currently viewable at preview.msn.com, announced Brian MacDonald, corporate vice president of Information and Content Experiences at Microsoft, in a Sept. […]

Microsoft is making it easier for iPad users to subscribe to its Office 365 productivity suite. The company has enabled in-app subscription purchasing on its Office for iPad apps (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). “As we continue to bring Microsoft Office to all platforms and devices, it’s important for customers to manage their Office 365 subscription—easily […]

Microsoft has kicked off a limited preview of its Migration Accelerator for Azure tool, the company announced. The tool is based on technology the company acquired from this summer’s InMage buy, a provider of cloud-enabled backup and recovery software that supports both physical and virtual servers. Microsoft predicted that the deal would help accelerate its […]

Apple is once again under fire for poor working conditions at one of its parts suppliers’ factories in China. Arriving just days before the iPhone 6 launch, which is rumored to include an appearance by the long-awaited iWatch, a report (PDF) from two nonprofit organizations, China Labor Watch (CLW) and Green America, alleges that a […]

Combating the notion that low prices and high-end design aren’t mutually exclusive, Microsoft today unveiled the Nokia Lumia 830 at the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Germany. Billed as an “affordable flagship” by the company, the Lumia 830 will go on sale later this month for 330 euros, or rough $427 U.S., at current […]

Once a lowly office workhorse, the printer is fast becoming a hacker’s best friend. To close that often-overlooked gap in network security, HP has revamped its approach to enterprise printing and document management. Like PCs and servers, printers make a tempting target for hackers, according to Michael Howard, worldwide security practice lead for HP LaserJet […]