“Microsoft today announced its Office Insider preview program now accepts Mac users of Office 365 Home, Personal and University, following up on the the same beta offer to Windows customers in November.”
Microsoft planning to automatically offer Windows 10 to existing PCs
“Microsoft launched Windows 10 earlier this year with a reservation system designed to tempt Windows 7 and Windows 8 users to upgrade for free.”
Microsoft Corporation reportedly plans to acquire BlackBerry Limited
“Canadian telecommunications company BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ: BBRY) has once again made their ways into the news with lot of gossiping taking place about its acquisition, and this time there’s Microsoft at the other end of the story.”
The Ambassador who worked from a Nairobi bathroom to avoid State Dept. IT
“The current scandal roiling over the use of a private e-mail server by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is just the latest in a series of scandals surrounding government e-mails.”
Review: Microsoft Office Online vs. Apple iWork for iCloud vs. Google Drive
“Over the past few weeks I’ve regaled you with detailed reviews of the three major online office productivity suites: Microsoft Office Online with Word Online, Excel Online, and PowerPoint Online; Apple’s iWork for iCloud with Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for iCloud; and Google Drive (aka Google App”
Google extends Windows Phone support for Exchange ActiveSync until July 31st
Google originally announced its plans to cutoff Exchange ActiveSync support for new users today, January 30th, but the company has revealed to The Verge that it plans to extend this to July 31st. In a statement issued to us, a spokesperson says the company will “start rolling out this change as planned across all platforms but will continue to support Google Sync for Windows Phone until July 31, 2013.”
The change of heart follows Microsoft’s requests for Google to extend its Exchange ActiveSync support for six months. It appears that Google has honored Microsoft’s requests, allowing Windows Phone users to continue using Google Sync until July 31st. According to our own sources, Microsoft is preparing an update for Windows Phone to support CardDav and CalDAV protocols. We are reaching out to Google to confirm whether the extension will also apply to Windows 8, which is affected by the removal — we’ll update you accordingly.
Update: Google has confirmed this extension is only for Windows Phone. A workaround for Windows 8 and Windows RT users is available, but there is no solution for calendar support just yet.
via Google extends Windows Phone support for Exchange ActiveSync until July 31st | The Verge.
Windows Blue is Microsoft’s future low-cost OS with yearly updates
icrosoft is busy preparing its next-generation Windows client, shortly after shipping Windows 8 in October. The Verge has learned from several sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans that the company is planning to standardize on an approach, codenamed Blue, across Windows and Windows Phone in an effort to provide more regular updates to consumers.
Originally unveiled by ZDNet, the update on the Windows side, due in mid-2013, will include UI changes and alterations to the entire platform and pricing. We’re told that Microsoft is aiming to make Windows Blue the next OS that everyone installs. The approach is simple, Microsoft will price its next Windows release at a low cost or even free to ensure users upgrade. Once Windows Blue is released, the Windows SDK will be updated to support the new release and Microsoft will stop accepting apps that are built specifically for Windows 8, pushing developers to create apps for Blue. Windows 8 apps will continue to run on Blue despite the planned SDK changes.
YEARLY UPGRADES WILL BE THE NORM FOR WINDOWS SOON
We understand that you will need a genuine copy of Windows to upgrade to Windows Blue. Built-in apps and the Windows Store will cease functioning if a copy is upgraded that is pirated. Sources tell us that Microsoft will likely keep the Windows 8 name for the foreseeable future, despite the Windows Blue update. A big part of Windows Blue is the push towards yearly updates for Microsoft’s OS. Microsoft will kick off an annual upgrade cycle for Windows that is designed to make it more competitive against rival platforms from Apple and Google.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/28/3693368/windows-blue-update-low-cost
Bill Gates says he has no more personal use for money
Bill Gates is, without a doubt, a very wealthy man. The co-founder and Chairman of Microsoft is currently the richest man in the US and the second richest man in the world, with an approximate net worth of $63.4 billion. However, in a new interview Gates says that all that money doesn’t mean much to him on a personal level.
In a chat with the Telegraph website, Gates says bluntly:
I’m certainly well taken care of in terms of food and clothes. Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point. Its utility is entirely in building an organization and getting the resources out to the poorest in the world.
That organization is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has used its resources to help fund efforts to stop deadly diseases in third world countries along with efforts to improve education in the US. So far, the group has given out a whopping $28 billion. Gates says that 95 percent of his wealth will go towards the foundation and that the money will all be spent within 20 years of his and his wife’ death.
Gates says there is no specific religious reason for wanting to help others with his vast wealth, saying, “… it’s about human dignity and equality. The golden rule that all lives have equal value and we should treat people as we would like to be treated.”
Microsoft gets antitrust okay for Skype purchase, readies shockingly large wire transfer
Microsoft to pay $8.5 billion, yes billion dollars for Skype! Everything is ready and approved now what? – http://pulse.me/s/fQZm
