Bill and Melinda Gates to divorce, but charitable foundation to remain

SEATTLE, United States - Billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of one of the world's largest private charitable foundations, filed for divorce on Monday after 27 years of marriage but pledged to continue their philanthropic work together.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has become one of the most powerful and influential forces in global public health, spending more than $50 billion over the past two decades to bring a business approach to combating poverty and disease.

The Gates have backed widely praised programs in malaria and polio eradication, child nutrition and vaccines. The foundation last year committed some $1.75 billion to COVID-19 relief.

In a joint petition for dissolution of marriage, the couple asserted their legal union was "irretrievably broken," but said they had reached agreement on how to divide their marital assets. No details of that accord were disclosed in the filing in King County Superior Court in Seattle.

Bill Gates, 65, who co-founded Microsoft Corp, and his spouse, Melinda French Gates, 56, met after she joined the software giant as a product manager, and they dated for a few years before marrying in January 1994 in Hawaii.

"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the two said in a joint statement posted on each of their individual Twitter accounts.

"We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life," they said.

The divorce petition, which states that the couple have no minor children, comes after the youngest of their three offspring recently turned 18.

Launched in 2000, the nonprofit Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ranks as the largest private philanthropic foundation in the United States and one of the world's biggest, with net assets of $43.3 billion at the end of 2019, according to the latest full-year financials shown on its website.

From 1994 through 2018, the couple gifted more than $36 billion to the Seattle-based foundation, the website said.

Last year, investor Warren Buffett reported donating more than $2 billion of stock from his Berkshire Hathaway Inc to the Gates Foundation as part of previously announced plans to give away his entire fortune before his death.

NO CHANGES TO THEIR ROLES

In their divorce petition, the couple asks the court "to dissolve our marriage" and to divide their communal property, business interests and liabilities "as set forth in our separation contract," though that accord was not made public.

Bill Gates is ranked No. 4 on the Forbes list of the world's wealthiest individuals, with an estimated $124 billion fortune.

In a separate statement, the Gates Foundation said the couple would remain as co-chairs and trustees of the organization.

"They will continue to work together to shape and approve foundation strategies, advocate for the foundation’s issues, and set the organization’s overall direction," the foundation's statement said.

The split comes two years after another leading Seattle-based billionaire and philanthropist, Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos, said that he and his then-wife, MacKenzie, were getting divorced.

At least one critic of billionaire benefactors cited the Gates' split as a cautionary tale in the wisdom of concentrating so much sway over global humanitarian issues under the control of super-wealthy individuals.

"The Gates divorce will do more than upend a family's life. It will ramify into the worlds of business, education, public health, civil society, philanthropy, and beyond," Anand Giridharadas, author of the book "Winners Take All" told Reuters.

"That is because our society has made the colossal error of allowing wealth to purchase the chance to make quasi-governmental decisions as a private citizen," he said.

Gates dropped out of Harvard University to start Microsoft with school chum Paul Allen in 1975. Gates owned 49 percent of Microsoft at its initial public offering in 1986, which made him an instant multimillionaire. With Microsoft's explosive growth, he soon became one of the world's wealthiest individuals.

After an executive tenure in which he helped transform the company into one of the world's leading technology firms, Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in 2000 to focus on philanthropy. He remained chairman until 2014 and left the company's board in March 2020.

Known in the technology industry as an acerbic and ruthless competitor, Gates drew the ire of rivals and eventually the U.S. government for Microsoft's business practices.

The software giant was convicted of antitrust violations in the late 1990s. But the verdict was overturned on appeal, and the company then settled the case out of court.

Gates' public persona softened into an avuncular elder statesman as he turned his attention to philanthropy, and he has largely steered clear of the many controversies currently roiling the technology business.

Melinda French Gates, who recently added her maiden name on most of her websites and social media, was raised in Dallas and studied computer science and economics at Duke University before joining Microsoft.

In 2015 she founded Pivotal Ventures, an investment company focused on women and families, and in 2019 published a book, "The Moment of Lift", centered on female empowerment. 

-reuters

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates leaves board

Microsoft on Friday announced that co-founder Bill Gates has left its board of directors to devote more time to philanthropy.

The 64-year-old stopped being involved in day-to-day operations at the firm more than a decade ago, turning his attention to the foundation he launched with his wife, Melinda.

Gates served as chairman of Microsoft's board of directors until early in 2014 and has now stepped away entirely, according to the Redmond-based technology giant.

"It's been a tremendous honor and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years," Microsoft chief executive and company veteran Satya Nadella said in a release.

"Bill founded our company with a belief in the democratizing force of software and a passion to solve society's most pressing challenges; and Microsoft and the world are better for it."

Nadella said Microsoft would continue to benefit from Gates' "technical passion and advice" in his continuing role as a technical advisor.

"I am grateful for Bill's friendship and look forward to continuing to work alongside him," Nadella said.

- Computing and compassion -

Gates left his CEO position in 2000, handing the company reins to Steve Ballmer to devote more time to his charitable foundation.

He gave up the role of chairman at the same time Nadella became Microsoft's third CEO in 2014.

Regularly listed among the world's richest people, William H. Gates was a geeky-looking young man when he and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft in 1975.

Gates grew up in Seattle with two sisters. His father William was an attorney and his late mother Mary was a schoolteacher and chairwoman of United Way International.

He began programming computers as a 13-year-old student, and fell in love with the machines.

Among the tales told about Gates is that while working on school computers, he tinkered with programming to put himself in classes made up mostly of girls.

With his parents' blessing, Gates dropped out of Harvard to start "Micro-soft" with his late childhood friend Allen.

A key move was to focus on licensing software to computer makers in numerous "partnerships" that resulted in affordable machines being available to the masses.

As the personal computer market grew, Microsoft became the world's top software company. Its virtual monopoly led to a much-publicized antitrust trial, in which the company managed to avert a break-up but had to endure years of government monitoring.

Gates went on to turn his attention from software to fighting disease and other humanitarian challenges with his wife, under the auspices of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"This move is not surprising to the Street as Gates has continued to focus more on his myriad of philanthropies across the globe over the past decade," Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said in a note to investors.

"Gates is a historic figure in the technology world and his legacy at Microsoft will be felt in Redmond for decades to come."

Agence France-Presse

Google Hired Human Contractors to Listen to Your Conversations

Google is restarting a practice in which human contractors listen to and transcribe some voice commands people give to the company’s artificial intelligence system, Assistant.

But this time Google is taking steps to make sure people know what they are agreeing to.

The company suspended its transcription practices after more than 1,000 Dutch-language recordings were leaked to the media in Belgium this summer.

Google required users to opt-in to the service before audio transcriptions were recorded.

But critics have said people didn’t fully understand they were agreeing to allow human transcribers to listen in because the company’s language was unclear.

Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook have all used similar practices.

The companies say it helps make their AI systems more accurate.

Now Google will require users to agree again to voice transcription and make it clear human transcribers might listen to recordings.

People don’t have to opt-in to the service, but certain Assistant features won’t be available if they don’t.

The company also said it will delete most recordings after a few months, and people can review their recordings and delete them manually at any time.

source: usa.inquirer.net

Microsoft to reportedly launch dual-screen surface device this year

The latest update about Microsoft’s alleged upcoming dual-screen Surface device comes from The Verge who spoke with insiders that confirmed a prototype of the new form factor has been officially revealed to employees.

In December, Windows Central reported that Microsoft is working with Intel to create a dual-screen Surface device with a form factor that allows it to shift from a laptop to a tablet to an even larger laptop.

On Monday, June 3, The Verge confirmed that Microsoft has begun to demonstrate a prototype of the device within the company. According to the technology company’s sources, “Employees even formed long lines to get a closer glimpse at this new Surface device.”

This laptop-tablet hybrid seems to have been in the works for about two years at this point and would serve as both companies’ answer to evolving mobile tech form factors. Reports from 2018 said that Microsoft was working on a dual-screen smartphone called Andromeda, a project that was temporarily halted in favor of developing Centaurus.

If Centaurus does launch, it will likely be a Windows Lite device, a category that is expected to eventually be composed of lightweight Chromebook competitors.

If indeed the device was widely shown and demonstrated within Microsoft, it suggests that the prototype is close to being a production model, the commercial launch could even take place this year. HM/NVG

source: technology.inquirer.net

Microsoft Surface desktop PC could be unveiled in late October

There have been rumors of a Microsoft surface desktop PC before, but few concrete details. However, the latest talks point to a late October event that will finally put the rumors to rest.

ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley claimed before that Microsoft was on the drawing board for an all-in-one Surface PC that would be designed for the living room. TechRadar adds to this with its report on the Surface PC being modular.

Additional rumors indicate that the Surface PC is to be made available in three screen sizes—21-, 24- and 27-inch formats.

Microsoft previously created the Surface Hub, which is a TV-sized tablet for the professional world. It cost $21,999, so it didn’t make a particularly attractive acquisition for regular consumers. The Surface PC could end up being the consumer version of the Surface Hub.

With zero confirmations coming from Microsoft, the rest of the world can only speculate as to what they have in store. Not even planning information has been leaked with regards to the October event.

Other than the Surface PC, Foley is expecting the Surface tablet and laptop lines will get a minor refresh, what with the Intel Kaby Lake processors already ready to be released later this year.  Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

HoloLens headset comes at a hefty price

There’s just one catch. With a price tag of $3,000, the HoloLens headset costs more than the Vive, PSVR and Rift combined, TechRadar reported.

Augmented reality (AR) is fundamentally different from virtual reality. Instead of immersing the user in an artificially created world, AR inserts virtual elements into real world space in the same manner that users see Pokémon on their smartphone’s screen.

HoloLens itself utilizes specialized AR technology developed by Microsoft to map out the environment and allow users to interact with digital objects via gestures. The technology is so specialized that Microsoft created an entirely separate operating system for it, called Windows Holographic. The headset also has spatial audio functionality for added immersion.

Much like the initial Oculus Rift developer kit, the developer version of the HoloLens is not yet the final retail version and will still have a few bugs to iron out.

And while the HoloLens will technically be available for purchase by anyone, Microsoft is marketing the device more among developers and business clients rather than consumers at the moment. Prospective buyers must also reside in either the US or Canada.  Alfred Bayle

source: technology.inquirer.net

Microsoft gets stingy with free online storage

NEW YORK, United States — Microsoft is getting stingy with online storage.

The company just cut the free space it offers through its OneDrive service by two-thirds, making it the second major company to retreat from a consumer cloud-storage boom that tempted users with price cuts and ever-larger free offers.

Starting next year, Microsoft will cut its free option to 5 gigabytes, down from 15 gigabytes now. Microsoft says the new allotment is enough for about 6,600 Office documents or 1,600 photos.

Earlier this year, Amazon eliminated a free 5 gigabyte storage plan, although it still offers that amount to those who pay for its Prime loyalty program.

Microsoft is also effectively doubling prices for some storage plans. It will charge $2 a month for 50 gigabytes of storage, including the free allotment, rather than the 100 gigabytes it currently offers at that price. The company is eliminating a $4-a-month, 200 gigabyte plan.

Subscribers to Microsoft’s Office 365, which offers word processing, spreadsheet and other apps starting at $7 a month, will now be limited to 1 terabyte, or 1,000 gigabytes, of storage. The company is killing off an “unlimited” option that it said a “small number of users” had abused by backing up numerous personal computers and storing entire movie collections.

As with similar services from Google, Dropbox and others, OneDrive can store just about any type of files. Apps can automatically sync what you store on a device.

Under CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has emphasized mobile and online services such as OneDrive over traditional sales of Windows and Office software for personal computers. The company has offered services for free as a way to hook people into using other services, such as Microsoft’s ad-supported Bing search engine and the Office 365 subscription.

Microsoft decided to end its unlimited cloud storage offering, saying a small number of users abused the system, a report from Agence France-Presse said.

“Since we started to roll out unlimited cloud storage to Office 365 consumer subscribers, a small number of users backed up numerous PCs and stored entire movie collections and DVR recordings,” Microsoft said in a statement on Monday.

In some cases, Microsoft said users stored more than 75 terabytes “or 14,000 times the average” for its consumer cloud service called OneDrive.

Microsoft says it will give people time — up to a year in some cases — to remove files that exceed its new limits.

Here’s a look at some of the alternatives:

DROPBOX: People get only 2 gigabytes for free, but can earn bonuses by getting friends to sign up or by uploading photos automatically from phones. After that, it’s $10 a month for a terabyte of space. Business plans with unlimited storage cost $15 a month per person, with a minimum of five people.

GOOGLE DRIVE: It’s 15 gigabytes of free storage to start, but that includes Gmail messages on the account. Photos of up to 16 megapixels, which covers most phones, won’t count toward the limit. For more storage, prices range from $2 a month for 100 gigabytes to $300 for 30 terabytes.

APPLE’S ICLOUD: Free storage starts at 5 gigabytes, which includes what’s needed for iPhone backups. Those needing more can pay $1 a month for 50 gigabytes, $3 for 200 gigabytes or $10 for 1 terabyte. iCloud storage works best with Apple devices.

AMAZON CLOUD DRIVE: Amazon offers unlimited photo storage and 5 gigabytes for video and other files for $12 a year, or $1 a month. For unlimited storage of all files, it’s $60 a year, or $5 a month. Members of Amazon’s $99-a-year Prime loyalty program get the lower option for free. Amazon eliminated its 5-gigabyte free plan in March.

YAHOO: Although Yahoo doesn’t have a general file-storage service, it offers a generous 1 terabyte for e-mail and an additional 1 terabyte for photos and video through Flickr.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Windows 10 entices millions in first day

WASHINGTON—Some 14 million people installed the Windows 10 operating system in the first 24 hours following its release, Microsoft said, calling the response “overwhelmingly positive.”

The company said its new operating system aimed at computers, mobile devices and other gadgets got off to a strong start toward its goal of reaching one billion devices.

“We’re humbled and grateful to see the response to Windows 10,” corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post late Thursday.

“We have seen unprecedented demand for Windows 10, with reviews and customer feedback overwhelmingly positive around the globe.”

The stakes are high for Microsoft as it pushes out the new operating system for both traditional computers and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.

The company is hoping the new system can help it gain traction in mobile, where it lags behind Google Android and Apple iOS, and in emerging technologies for computing.

Windows 10 — Microsoft skipped directly from Windows 8, which got a lackluster response — is being offered as a free upgrade for most devices, making it possible to be available quickly on billions of devices.

It will allow for voice, pen and gesture input, and in some cases biometric identification for improved security.

Mehdi said the company is rolling out the software in phases to make the transition easier.

“Our top priority has been ensuring that everyone has a great upgrade experience, so, we are carefully rolling out Windows 10 in phases, delivering Windows 10 first to our Windows Insiders,” he said.

“While we now have more than 14 million devices running Windows 10, we still have many more upgrades to go before we catch up to each of you that reserved your upgrade.”

In one sour note, the chief executive of Mozilla, which makes the Firefox Web browser, complained that Windows 10 imposes the new Edge browser as the default option, overriding choices made by users.

“The update experience appears to have been designed to throw away the choice your customers have made about the Internet experience they want, and replace it with the Internet experience Microsoft wants them to have,” Mozilla CEO Chris Beard said in an open letter to his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella.

Beard said the new operating system makes it more complicated to choose a competing browser such as Firefox.

“It now takes more than twice the number of mouse clicks, scrolling through content and some technical sophistication for people to reassert the choices they had previously made in earlier versions of Windows,” Beard said.

“It’s confusing, hard to navigate and easy to get lost.”

Beard urged Microsoft to “respect people’s right to choice and control of their online experience by making it easier, more obvious and intuitive for people to maintain the choices they have already made through the upgrade experience.”

source: technology.inquirer.net

Microsoft debuts hologram goggles

REDMOND, United States–Microsoft unveiled headgear on Wednesday that overlays holograms on the real world, in what it touted as the next generation of computing.

The US technology titan debuted its HoloLens capabilities built into its coming Windows 10 operating system and showed off goggles that let wearers use their hands to interact with virtual objects.

“Until now, we’ve immersed ourselves in the world of technology,” Microsoft’s Alex Kipman said introducing HoloLens at a press event at the firm’s Washington state headquarters.

“But, what if we could take technology and immerse it in our world?”

Windows Holographic creates three-dimensional images in the real world, then lets people wearing the headgear reach out and manipulate virtual objects.

Kipman said he invited virtual reality innovators, including Facebook-owned Oculus VR, to explore adapting different applications for the goggles.

“Holograms can become part of our everyday life,” he said.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella touted HoloLens and Windows 10 as a “mind-blowing” experience that will open a new type of computing.

“Today is a big day for Windows,” Nadella said as Microsoft provided a look at its latest operating system at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

“We want to move from people needing Windows, to choosing Windows, to loving Windows; that is our bold goal for Windows.”

Industry tracker Forrester predicts that what it refers to as mixed-reality computing will catch on by the year 2020, and include Internet giants Apple and Google weighing in with holographic offerings.

Millions of people will likely buy HoloLens by the end of next year, especially if Microsoft targets entertainment and particularly games who are proven early-adapters of technology, according to Forrester.

“If successful, HoloLens will ultimately expand the way people interact with machines just as the mouse-based interface did in the 1990s, and touch interfaces did after the introduction of the iPhone in 2007,” said Forrester analyst James McQuivey.

HoloLens also has the potential to radically improve how firm’s operate when it comes to collaborating from afar, training employees, and tending to work outside offices, according to Forrester analyst J.P. Gownder.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Microsoft skips Windows 9 to stress advances

SAN FRANCISCO — The next version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system will be called Windows 10, as the company skips version 9 to emphasize advances it is making toward a world centered on mobile devices and Internet services.

The current version, Windows 8, has been widely derided for forcing radical behavioral changes. Microsoft is restoring some of the more traditional ways of doing things and promises that Windows 10 will be familiar for users regardless of which version of Windows they are now using.

For instance, the start menu in Windows 10 will appear similar to what’s found in Windows 7, but tiles opening to the side will resemble what’s found in Windows 8.

Joe Belfiore, a Microsoft executive who oversees Windows design and evolution, said Windows 10 will offer “the familiarity of Windows 7 with some of the benefits that exist in Windows 8″ to help business users make the transition.

Microsoft offered a glimpse of its vision for Windows at a San Francisco event Tuesday aimed at business customers. Microsoft is making a technical preview version available to selected users starting Wednesday. It plans to unveil details about consumer features early next year, with a formal release in mid-2015.

Analysts consider the success of the new Windows crucial for Microsoft and new CEO Satya Nadella, who must show that Microsoft can embrace mobile devices without sacrificing the traditional computing experience.

The new software represents an attempt to step back from the radical redesign that alienated many PC users when Windows 8 was introduced two years ago. But it’s not a complete retreat from Microsoft’s goal of bridging the gap between PCs and mobile devices: It still has touch-screen functions and strives to create a familiar experience for Windows users who switch between desktop computers, tablets and smartphones.

Microsoft executive Terry Myerson said Windows 10 will be “a whole new generation” and, as expected, will work across a variety of devices — from phones to gaming consoles.

Microsoft currently has three main systems — Windows 8 for traditional computers and tablets, Windows Phone 8 for cellphones and Xbox for its gaming console. By unifying the underlying systems, software developers will be able to create apps for the various devices more easily. Consumers will also be able to switch devices more easily and avoid having to buy the same apps multiple times.

That doesn’t mean the apps will look the same on the various devices. Developers will still be able to adapt apps for the various screen sizes, but won’t have to start from the beginning for each version.

User interfaces on the various devices may also differ, even as they share underlying technologies. For now, Microsoft plans to keep the current Xbox interface on the game console.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Bills Gates stays atop Forbes list of America’s richest

NEW YORK — Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates is still America’s richest man, taking the top spot in the Forbes 400 list for the 20th straight year with a net worth of $72 billion.

Investor Warren Buffett, the head of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., remains in second place with $58.5 billion, while Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison stays third with $41 billion.

Brothers Charles and David Koch, co-owners of Koch Industries Inc., stay tied for fourth with $36 billion each.

Forbes says America’s super rich continued to increase their wealth over the past year, with the 400 people on the list posting a combined net worth of $2 trillion, up from $1.7 trillion a year ago.

That marks their highest combined value ever.

Forbes attributed the growth to strong stock and real estate markets.

source: business.inquirer.net

Windows Phone 8 app packs Skype in HD

Users of Skype on smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 are in for a pleasant surprise: crisp, high-definition (HD) video calls.

In a blog post, Microsoft's Derek Snyder said Skype for WP8 Preview's version 2.4 takes advantage of the phone's hardware acceleration.


"[T]his is our first smartphone app to enable free face-to-face video calls in crisp, clear and beautifully lifelike HD. We have significantly improved video calling quality for all users, offering VGA video on lower end handsets and 720P HD on higher-end devices including the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and Samsung Ativ S," said Snyder, head of mobile marketing for Skype. 


Even better, he said the app "intelligently" determines the best video quality available given the speed of one's Internet connection.

Another feature that allows switching between front and back cameras lets a user "chat in the most comfortable way possible," Snyder said.

Skype contacts will be listed in WP8's People Hub, allowing them to start Skype conversations without having to fire up the app first.

But a separate article on “PC World” said there may still be some known issues to iron out before the Preview app graduates to a final version.


“PC World” cited a problem where picture-in-picture conversations may not work in all video calls. (http://www.pcworld.com/article/2031254/skype-preview-for-windows-phone-8-gets-hd-video.html


"Microsoft isn't saying when a final version of the application is expected to arrive, but the improved preview can now be downloaded from Windows Phone Store," it added. – KDM, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Microsoft Returns to Digital Music With XBox Service

In an effort to challenge's Apple's iTunes, Spotify and other platforms, Microsoft is launching their own digital music service today, The New York Times reports. XBox Music users will be able to listen to a catalog of 30 million songs for free through Microsoft's XBox gaming console and on computers and tablets running Windows 8, the latest version of the software giant's operating system, which is set to begin shipping October 26th. There will be no initial limit for how much music can be streamed, though that may change in the future.

The new service is part of Microsoft's efforts to catch up with competitors, including Apple and Google, after previous attempts to establish itself in the digital music realm fizzled when products like the Zune music player and service failed to catch on with consumers. XBox Music seeks to combine elements of other music services, offering users the option to purchase music, to listen to Pandora-like channels built around songs or musical styles and to stream music on demand. There's even a $10-a-month ad-free service for Xbox Music that resembles Spotify's enhanced package.

Whether the new service succeeds depends in part on how well XBox Music works with gadgets including mobile phones: so far, the Windows Phone lags in popularity behind Apple's iPhone and phones that run Google's Android operating systems. To combat this, Microsoft plans on taking Xbox Music to Apple's iOS and Android next year.

Microsoft also plans to bundle XBox Music with Windows 8, which analysts could catch the eyes of wary antitrust regulators concerned that the company is using Windows to push its digital music service, though bundling XBox Music with Windows doesn't seem vastly different from Google or Apple including software for accessing their music services on their mobile devices.

article source: rollingstone.com

AOL to sell 800 patents to Microsoft for $1 bil

NEW YORK — AOL announced plans Monday to sell more than 800 patents to Microsoft in a $1.056 billion deal giving the struggling Internet pioneer a needed cash injection as it seeks to fend off pressure from shareholders.

The deal also provides Microsoft with licenses to more than 300 additional patents and patent applications, AOL said in a statement.

AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong said the deal “unlocks current dollar value for our shareholders and enables AOL to continue to aggressively execute on our strategy to create long-term shareholder value.”

Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said in the statement that the software giant is getting “a valuable portfolio that we have been following for years and analyzing in detail for several months.”

He said Microsoft “was able to achieve our two primary goals: obtaining a durable license to the full AOL portfolio and ownership of certain patents that complement our existing portfolio.”

AOL said that after the deal is complete, it will continue to hold “a significant patent portfolio of over 300 patents and patent applications spanning core and strategic technologies, including advertising, search, content generation/management, social networking, mapping, multimedia/streaming, and security among others.”

AOL also received a license to the patents being sold to Microsoft.

The patent sale includes stock in an AOL subsidiary on which AOL expects to record a loss for tax purposes and as a result, AOL will offset most taxes in the deal.

The company said it intends “to return a significant portion of the sale proceeds to shareholders and will determine the most efficient and effective method to do so prior to the closing of the transaction.”

Earlier this year, a U.S. hedge fund with a large stake in AOL sought five seats on the board of directors and criticized the strategy of the current management for failing to deliver for shareholders.

AOL has been losing money since the collapse of its leadership as an Internet subscription service, and has been seeking to become a more diversified web firm.

The company fused with news and entertainment giant Time Warner in 2001 at the height of the dotcom boom in what is seen as one of the most disastrous mergers ever. It was spun off by Time Warner in December 2009 into an independent company.

Under Armstrong, hired three years ago, the company formerly known as America online has invested heavily in online content, purchasing The Huffington Post and TechCrunch websites and putting money in local news network Patch.

The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2012, the companies said.

source: japantoday.com

Microsoft Employees and U.S. Marshals Raid Offices, Seize Zeus Botnet Servers

Last Friday, Microsoft employees, along with some U.S. Marshals, raided office buildings in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Lombard, Illinois and seized servers thought to be used by botnets for identity theft. The botnet in question is related to Zeus malware, which utilizes keyloggers to snag users’ financial information and is thought to be responsible for around 13 million infections across the globe. That’s part of the reason Microsoft took the initiative to handle things personally; the other part was trademark infringement.

Seizing botnet servers seems like the sort of thing that should be law enforcement territory, but Microsoft’s own Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) got clearance to get their hands dirty after filing a civil suit regarding trademark violations, at which point they were given permission to take a stab at the botnet’s command and control structures with the help of some Marshals. Microsoft claims that Zeus software, which allows its user to wield the botnet, is sold for anywhere between $700 and $15,000 and utilizes many of the seized servers to carry out its dirty work.

Considering the Zeus botnet is comprised of many, many computers, the server seizure isn’t going to take down the whole network. In fact, given the way the botnet is structured, a complete takedown may be practically impossible. Even so, Microsoft maintains that the seizure of these servers should make botnet operation at least a little bit harder and should help stem the tide of Zeus infections for the time being. In the meantime, Microsoft is taking the opportunity to take a very hands-on approach to dealing with botnet identity theft and cyber-crime on the whole. Despair ye, Internet criminals; Microsoft-man is gunning for you.

source: http://www.geekosystem.com/microsoft-dcu-botnet-seizure/

Microsoft launches ‘reimagined’ Windows

BARCELONA—IT giant Microsoft on Wednesday delivered its answer to Google and Apple, through a new-generation Windows operating system designed to run seamlessly on computers and portable tablet devices.


“Windows 8 is a generational change in the Windows operating system,” said Windows president Steven Sinofsky.

“It’s Windows reimagined,” he added, launching the consumer preview of the operating system at the world’s biggest mobile fair in Barcelona.

The operating system is Microsoft’s riposte to Google’s Android platform and Apple, which has dominated the tablet market it ignited with the release of the iPad.

Like its two competitors, Microsoft is adopting the “app” style in its reinvented operating system.

Unlike previous generations of Windows, which has a taskbar pulling up a list of software, the latest version has a selection of applications or “apps” tiled on the start page.

For devices with touchscreens, apps are selected or moved around in the same way as on a smartphone — by hand, swiping to switch between pages or screens, pinching to enlarge or shrink and tapping to select.

For those without touchscreens, the same could be done using the drag and drop functions, or clicks of a mouse.

“Apps bring to life the operating system. The more apps you have, the better your experience,” said Sinofsky.

For those who have several devices, they will be connected through a “cloud”, a resource that pools a user’s data online rather than on a user’s computer disc.

“This connection through cloud is very important in how we thought of Windows 8 in the beginning,” said Sinofsky.

It enabled what is seen on the screen of a tablet device to be replicated on a regular computer if the user signs in with a Windows ID.

Microsoft also announced on Wednesday the test opening of its Windows Store, where users can buy apps online.

Although it is a heavyweight in the computer market, Microsoft has lagged behind in getting a share of the smartphone and tablet pie.

Windows has teamed up with Finnish giant Nokia to make smartphones to try to win back a share.

On Monday, Nokia announced that Windows phones have now been made compatible with Chinese mobile operating networks, allowing it to bring its smartphones to that massive market.

It could also challenge the dominance of Blackberry in the corporate market, as companies may opt to go with Windows as their computers are already running on that operating system.

“We have a wild card on this subject because we are very active in enterprises’ IT systems” and companies “realise that it would provide better integration and a better experience,” Microsoft’s mobility division director Laurent Schloesser told AFP.

“The enterprise market will take up Windows Phone,” he added.

Gartner research analyst Roberta Cozza said that it remained unclear how Windows 8 would be integrated with the Windows phone.

“But it will definitely make the user interface (UI) that we have seen today more familiar with consumers.

“The tiled UI is new but if it gets adopted on PCs and tablets, it will resonate more and become more familiar to users, and this could in turn help the Windows phone,” she added.

The Windows 8 preview is available for download at preview.windows.com.

During the preview period, apps on the Windows Store will be available to users to test for free.


source: http://technology.inquirer.net/8787/microsoft-launches-reimagined-windows

iPhone more searched than Kardashian on Yahoo in 2011

The iPhone topped every celebrity, every natural disaster, every political upheaval to earn the top spot at the most searched term on Yahoo in 2011.

The Yahoo Year In Review list, now in its 10th year, has only once before had a tech gadget come in at No. 1. And that happened in the first year of the review, when Sony's PlayStation 2 topped the chart.

Subsequent years have seen Britney Spears come in first. She actually landed the top spot every year from 2005 to 2008. Michael Jackson took the top spot in 2009. And last year, the BP oil spill was the most searched phrase.

The iPod's ascension came in a year with much speculation about what the newest version of the iPhone would look like and when Apple would released it. The company ultimately unveiled the iPhone 4S in October. Interest in the device no doubt increased as Apple chief executive and co-founder Steve Jobs stepped down from the company in August and passed away in October.

The results differ from data collected by Microsoft regarding the most widely searched terms on Bing in 2011. Microsoft compiled the data slightly differently than Yahoo, not listing an overall top search word or phrase. Instead, Microsoft grouped searches in specific categories. In the most searched consumer electronics device, the "iPhone 5" (a rumored model that has yet to launch) came in fourth, behind Xbox, Playstation, and Kindle. That may be because Microsoft separated iPhone searches by models, even though it didn't do that for the Xbox.

As for the Yahoo list, six of the seven phrases that followed iPhone are all tabloid fodder--Casey Anthony, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Lindsay Lohan, and Jennifer Aniston. American Idol, Japan earthquake, and Osama bin Laden round out the top 10.

The iPhone 5 was the most popular mobile search on Yahoo, followed by Powerball and MLB. As for news searches, the Casey Anthony trial topped the list, followed by the royal wedding, and the death of bin Laden.

source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57334350-93/iphone-more-searched-than-kardashian-on-yahoo-in-2011/?tag=mncol