Microsoft lets slip that it’s launching a Wi-Fi app June 3, 2015 Microsoft is launching a new Wi-Fi app that will give access to nearby internet connections. The tech company let slip that the new service is on its way when it accidentally put live a website called microsoftwifi.com. Though details have now been removed – the website says simply "coming soon" – it outlined a service [...]
Windows 10 release date: Free update launches 29 July to suceed Windows 8 June 1, 2015 Microsoft will release the latest incarnation of its operating system (OS) at the end of July, it revealed today. Windows 10 (not Windows 9, despite it following Windows 8, the current version), will be available from 29 July as a free upgrade. The OS will be free to anyone currently using Windows 7 onwards, and [...]
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has released his summer reading list – it includes Richard Dawkins’ latest, and the XKCD book May 19, 2015 Now in its third year, Bill Gates' summer reading list has become something of a tradition for Gates-watchers. While last year's was hardly a laugh a minute (it featured Tim Geithner's Stress Test and Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction. Festive), this year Gates is clearly in a breezier mood – 2015's list even features an anthology of [...]
Salesforce.com share price climbs on Microsoft takeover reports May 5, 2015 Shares in Salesforce.com jumped 6.2 per cent yesterday, after it was reported that Microsoft is considering a bid for the cloud software provider. Salesforce shares rose from $71.4 to $75.82 after which trading was temporarily halted. Microsoft is evaluating a bid after Salesforce was approached by another potential buyer, Bloomberg reported, citing people with [...]
How old do the UK’s party leaders look? Microsoft’s #HowOldRobot turns political May 1, 2015 Microsoft's latest facial recognition software is proving a hit with millions of people whiling away their day checking whether the snazzy new software can correctly guess their age (Check out #HowOldRobot on Twitter). The new tool provides great opportunity for much-desired flattery or bruised egos. As we approach the end of a long General Election [...]
How old do you look? Microsoft’s new face detection software guesses age, but how well does #HowOldRobot know top CEOs? May 1, 2015 Microsoft has created new facial recognition software which claims to be able to identify people's age and gender based solely on a single photo. Forget the bold leap into the future this technology brings, the website has caused a viral sensation as millions of people check out how they fare and whether a robot can [...]
Microsoft Band review: The ultimate fitness tracker or another “wearable” damp squib? April 29, 2015 Back in the dark ages of the mid 2000s, the “quantified self” movement barely existed. Disparate groups of fitness and data geeks had just begun to measure every aspect of their lives, entering the results into creaking spreadsheets in the hope of gleaning some insight into the mysteries of the human body and soul. [...]
Microsoft trump expectations thanks to sky-high cloud revenue April 23, 2015 The figures Microsoft's profit and revenue came in above analysts' expectations for the third quarter of 2015, causing the company's stock to rise in after-hours trading. The software and technology giant posted earnings of $0.61 per share – trumping the forecast $0.51 per share – but also significantly falling from the $0.68 per share posted [...]
These tech companies offer the best junior salaries: Linkedin, Amazon, Microsoft April 9, 2015 Career starters with a head for stats, a passion for code, and a burning desire to take home a hefty pay cheque should consider roles at companies like LinkedIn and Amazon over their trendier rivals such as Google. Research by salary benchmarking site Emolument.com shows software and internet-focused companies offer young employees higher salaries, with hardware firm [...]
Data deluge: Microsoft boss Dave Coplin on how SMEs can best harness technology March 29, 2015 What if, instead of making us smarter, the technology we surround ourselves with was actually making us less efficient? This perhaps unpalatable suggestion becomes even more surprising when made by a man entitled “chief envisioning officer” of one of the world’s largest technology companies. But Microsoft’s Dave Coplin made just this point when speaking at [...]