The battle between Microsoft and Google has extended into nearly every realm, encompassing a variety of services, especially their smartphone operating systems. Heating the fight up even more is Google’s decision to stop supporting Microsoft’s Exchange standard for Gmail on Windows Phone 8, calling for the usage of the more universal CardDAV and CalDAV protocols […]
Archive | Windows
Symantec Turns Enterprise Backup Into Crippled Pig With Lipstick
Like many people with jobs in corporate IT departments, I’ve encountered various revisions of Backup Exec over the years, serving as the cornerstone of a company’s backup routine. In fact, few software packages in regular use today have such a long history. My first experience with the software dates back to 1993, when Conner Peripherals […]
Oracle Gives Java Quick Fix, But Don’t Relax Yet
In case you missed it over the weekend, an exploit was found in Oracle’s JDK7 version of Java that was so bad that it led the United States government to issue a statement suggesting users turn Java off ASAP. That’s a pretty big deal. Oracle rushed a patch out the door, but security experts are […]
Adobe Tries To Close Barn Door After CS2 Runs Loose
I’m friends with quite a few graphic designers, so I got to watch the excitement as my Facebook feed filled with people excitedly saying you can now get Adobe Creative Suite 2 (CS2) for free. This was a puzzling but welcome move. I decided not to write about it because it seemed to good to be true. […]
Revisited Review: Lenovo IdeaCentre A720 Gets The Windows 8 Treatment
Back in August, I reviewed Lenovo’s IdeaCentre A720, an all-in-one touchscreen PC running Windows 7 bundled with several Lenovo applications focused on the touch interface. Since then, Microsoft has released Windows 8 and as promised, Lenovo now includes it as the default for the A720. The company kindly provided me a test machine for a […]
Microsoft Security Essentials Scores Failing Grade
With all the malware and virus threats primarily targeting the Microsoft Windows platform, it’s almost a requirement to install some type of anti-virus software. Microsoft even goes so far as to offer a free download of its own product, Microsoft Security Essentials, if the Microsoft Update service detects another product hasn’t been installed first. Unfortunately, […]
Microsoft Plans Annual Updates For Windows 8
According to The Verge, Microsoft’s codename “Blue” is more than a secret name for Windows 9. The OS upgrade, anticipated in a mid-2013 release for Windows and Windows Phone, will include major user interface changes and a new SDK for developers, along with pricing changes. An initial release will be a free or inexpensive upgrade […]
Microsoft’s Office 365, More Companion Than Replacement For MS Office
This past August, Microsoft opened a new retail store in Boston to go along with its one other store in Massachusetts, and several holiday stores have popped up in local malls. Microsoft built a small presentation space into its Boston store with a giant 80-inch touch screen monitor and has been hosting small events open […]
On the Cheap: Crazy Eights For Windows Phone App Developers
Windows Phone 8 is here and for the first time in a long time, the general public seems interested in a Windows smartphone. Microsoft has heard the complaints from Windows Phone 7 users who wanted more apps. The previous attempt at a mobile OS lacked such stalwarts as Pandora and, curiously as Microsoft owns it, […]
Olde Tyme Techcitement: Introducing Windows 95, With Jennifer Aniston And Matthew Perry!
Time for Olde Tyme Techcitement, where we take a look back at technology relics. It’s basically your grampa talking about the good old days, but sooner and totally more reasonable than dumb boring stories about how all this used to be farmland. Everybody’s excited about the Microsoft Windows 8 launch, so I thought this would […]