Pedro Hernandez

Microsoft is looking to cash in on the booming market for small tablets by revamping its Surface tablet portfolio. Currently, the Surface product family includes just basic two models: the ARM processor-based Surface RT and the Intel i5-powered Surface Pro. According to The Wall Street Journal, a “mini” version of the Surface is in the […]

One of the major recurring themes during the Yammer on Tour event in New York City on April 9 was disruption. It’s not a term that’s typically associated with Microsoft, but since the software titan acquired Yammer in June 2012 for a whopping $1.28 billion, it is beginning to define the direction of its entire […]

On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will end support for its venerable Windows XP desktop operating system, along with Office 2003. In a year, users will face the choice of upgrading to more recent versions or risk running software that will no longer be patched to counter newly unearthed vulnerabilities and the security threats that inevitably […]

Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson announced on April 8 that it is in the process of acquiring Mediaroom, Microsoft’s Internet protocol television (IPTV) division. While the companies have yet to officially disclose Mediaroom’s price tag, Ericsson Vice President Ove Anebygd did give Reuters some clues as to the deal’s worth. Anebygd told the news organization, […]

Windows RT may have stumbled a little bit out of the gate, but Microsoft seems intent not let it fade further into obscurity by preparing a version of its Outlook email client for the tablet OS. Since its launch Oct. 26, sales of Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet have languished and other makers of Windows RT […]

In what should come as no surprise to anyone witnessing the effect of the bring your own device trend on the IT industry, the tablet market is poised to make huge gains within the next few years, according to a new forecast from research firm Gartner. That’s giving Microsoft’s rivals—Google and Apple, for the most […]

Microsoft released some statistics that provide further insight into why the software titan forked over $8.5 billion for Skype in 2011. It’s a lesson in how the right investment—and a heaping pile of cash—can help a company nab a treasure trove of consumer engagement. Collectively, Skype’s user base spends 2 billion minutes each day connecting […]

Two months after launching its development and testing resource site, dubbed modern.IE, Microsoft floated a quickly sold-out special offer in an attempt to recruit Web developers that live by the “Made on a Mac” credo. The software giant announced on April 2 that with the help of Swish, an e-commerce platform for inventors and startups, […]

Five months after its official launch, Windows 8 now accounts for more than 3 percent of the desktop operating system market, according to Web traffic analytics firm Net Applications. In March, Windows 8 powered 3.17 percent of the PCs online, or 3.31 percent if Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets are also taken into account. […]

A smaller Surface tablet may be in the works. That is, if Microsoft decides to exploit new Windows 8 certification changes that the company itself quietly issued earlier this month. ZDNet’s Ed Bott spied the updates in the Microsoft’s Windows Certification Newsletter for March 12. The changes, while seemingly minor, could have a major impact […]

Windows 8 users won’t have to wait for the forthcoming Blue update to experience improvements to some of the operating system’s most prominent core apps. In past Windows releases, default programs typically lingered unchanged—and unloved, some would argue—for years, with the exception of a few apps like Internet Explorer. Amid the buzz surrounding the Windows […]

Microsoft has finally broken its silence about Blue, a code name that not only refers to a Windows 8 operating system update, but also encompasses a large swath of the software giant’s product and services portfolio. Apart from some fleeting job ads or casual mentions like the ones in a TechFest 2013 presentation featuring an […]