Pedro Hernandez

Top 10 Microsoft Moments of 2013 by Pedro Hernandez Ballmer Announces His Retirement In a surprise move this past summer, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that he was retiring within 12 months. After 13 years at the helm of the software empire, Ballmer is making room for new leadership. “There is never a perfect time […]

Microsoft has released an updated version of its OneNote app for Android (version 15.0.2416.2300) that simplifies the process of gathering notes from other applications and, in essence, helps users get “more things done in less time,” according to the software giant. The app is available now on Google Play for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) […]

Microsoft’s Midori project, the company’s rumored stab at a non-Windows operating system, appears to be inching toward commercialization. On Dec. 29, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley reported on new developments affecting the project. Her sources suggest that the technology, or at least some parts of it, is potentially making its way toward release. Foley wrote, “I […]

New challenges and opportunities await the IT industry in 2014, according to Susan Hauser, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Worldwide Enterprise and Partner Group. And in her interactions with customers, she has identified some areas the company expects to have a big impact on how enterprises devote IT resources in the coming year. Enterprise social […]

Nokia officials believe Apple’s latest stab at mobile operating systems and the Finnish company’s own Here Maps application do not add up to a good navigation experience. Nokia has pulled its Here Maps app from the Apple App Store. Here Maps, while eclipsed by Google Maps and several iOS mapping applications in terms of popularity, […]

Rockstar Consortium, the patent-holding group that rose from the ashes of bankrupt Nortel Networks, may be shedding some of the intellectual property that it bought for $4.5 billion in 2011. Insiders claim that Rockstar “is holding discussions to sell a portion of those patents,” reported Bloomberg on Dec. 24. The group may already be lining […]

In yet another sign that Microsoft is serious about the cloud, the company has been identified as the buyer of a 200-acre site in Quincy, Wash., that will become home to a new data center. The Port of Quincy announced in a statement that it was selling 60 acres that it owns to Microsoft and […]

Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission has levied a $667,000 fine, which amounts to 20 million New Taiwan dollars, against Apple due to company’s iPhone pricing policies in that country. Apple is allowed to appeal the ruling but must “stop interfering with mobile service providers and handset distributors’ pricing,” Jenny W. Hsu of the Wall Street Journal […]

Google has filed suit in California against the Rockstar patent-holding group on Dec. 23, asking the court to issue a declaratory judgment of non-infringement on seven U.S. patents held by the group that relate to the Android mobile operating system. The move comes after Rockstar recently filed lawsuits targeting Android device makers, including ASUS, HTC […]

Apple acquired two technology firms, BroadMap and Catch, earlier this year in the company’s typically secretive manner, according to reports. BroadMap is a digital mapping company and a provider of geographic information system (GIS) tools for businesses. “BroadMap provides government, nonprofit and commercial business partners with custom-fit Geographic Information System (GIS) solutions,” states the company’s […]