Microsoft

Apple and others face questioning over stolen smartphone ‘epidemic’

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

First Apple and Samsung were sent an angry letter by New York's Attorney General over efforts to curb growing thefts of smartphones.

Now the state's top prosecutor wants a face-to-face meeting next week with representatives from Apple, Samsung, Google and Microsoft, saying they must find a way to solve what's being described as an "epidemic".

"It's time for manufacturers to be as innovative in solving this problem as they have been in designing devices that have reshaped how we live," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Wednesday. But can handset makers really create such an effective kill-switch that would disable phones and cut thefts?

Another Microsoft ad disses iPad’s specs, multitasking, AirPrint and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 23, 2013

Wow, that was quick. Following on yesterday's Windows 8 commercial which uses Apple's Siri to highlight the iPad's perceived flaws - such as its $499 price point versus an Asus VivoTab Smart and lack of Office (go figure), the Redmond-based software giant today release another ad along the same lines.

Suggestively titled 'Comparison: iPad vs. Windows 8 Tablet', the commercial pits an iPad 4 against an Asus Vivo Tab RT, which is based on the same ARM CPU technology like Apple's tablet. However, the software maker has been caught cheating...

Microsoft uses Siri to highlight iPad flaws in new Windows 8 ad

Cody Lee ∙ May 22, 2013

It's not unusual to see Microsoft and Apple products pitted against each other in a TV ad. Back in the early 2000s, Apple had success with its 'I'm a Mac' spots. And just recently, MS took on both Apple and Samsung in its 'Don't Fight' commercial.

But this new Windows 8 tablet ad takes the rivalry thing to a whole new level. Using the voice of Siri, Microsoft highlights a number of things that the iPad can't do, that a tablet running its latest OS can. As always, we have the video for you after the fold...

Xbox One unveiled: Apple should be worried

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Today's the new Xbox day. After Sony on February 20 revealed its PlayStation 4 without actually showing anything in way of the hardware, the Windows giant during a special event at its Redmond headquarters announced a next-generation Xbox console dubbed the Xbox One. The system is billed as an "all-in-one entertainment system" which promises to “put you at the center of a new generation of the living room.”

Key features include a built-in Blu-ray drive, Skype, voice input and live TV functionality, the new gamepad and an enhanced Kinect camera sensor with 1080p resolution. On the surface, the device appears to pack in more advanced features than Sony's PS4 while sporting useful set-top box functionality.

Digging deeper, the One wants to replace your Apple TV, Roku, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation and any similar box by becoming the only box your TV set really needs. And yes, it indeed has what it takes to become the center of your living room. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Samsung’s $800,000 competition lures devs to write exclusive Galaxy apps

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Samsung wants more developers writing apps that require features exclusively found on its own devices, such as the Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone - and is willing to pay. In an $800,000 competition, the South Korean conglomerate is seeking entries which highlight its own sharing service and proprietary software development kit.

The first-prize winner takes home $200,000, three second-place finalists receive $100,000 each, while six third-place finishers get $50,000 each, according to the Wall Street Journal. The competition's goal is to improve Samsung's standing against Apple's iPhone...

Turkish PM visits Apple, Google and Microsoft ahead of tablet tender

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 20, 2013

After Apple back in January flew its vice president for education John Couch to Turkey who meet with the country's president Abdullah Gül to discuss Turkey's $4.5 billion modernization program in which textbooks will be replaced by tablets and chalkboards by electronic whiteboards, a report Monday notes that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan has now visited Apple, along with Google and Microsoft, in order to explore options ahead of the country's impending decision to purchase 10.6 million tablets for education...

IDC: Apple, Android own 92% smartphone volume, Windows Phone beats BlackBerry

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 16, 2013

Just days after rival research firm Gartner released quarterly sales for iOS and Android, rival IDC today announced similar numbers for shipments of smartphones. Combined, iOS and Android maintained their stranglehold on the smartphone market, accounting for more than an astounding 92 percent of shipments during the first quarter of 2013.

In a surprising move, shipments of the Windows Phone smartphone operating system surpassed the BlackBerry OS, putting Microsoft in third place behind Android and iOS. I bet you didn't see that one coming...

Microsoft can’t convince Apple to update iTunes for Windows 8 Metro devices

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

Remember all the back-and-forth between Apple and Microsoft before tablets? We heard echoes of that earlier this week when the software giant announced Apple's iTunes app won't be available for Windows 8 Metro tablet users any time soon. Although iTunes continues to be available as a Windows 8 Desktop mode app, the lack of a Metro edition leaves owners of Windows tablets in the cold. Even worse is that owners of the Surface RT tablet - which by the way runs only Microsoft apps - will be stuck with just Redmond's Music app...

Bill Gates: you’re frustrated because your iPad lacks real keyboard and real Office

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates thinks Apple’s iPad is "frustrating" to use because it lacks a physical keyboard and doesn't run Office. The Surface, he says, brings the "portability of the tablet but the richness of the PC" to mobile productivity.

Being a Google Apps fan, I'm obviously biased and not exactly the right guy to comment on the Office part of Bill's comment.

Now, I'm underestimating the real world outside the Apple bubble and obviously there are heavy Office users out there who agree with Gates on Office for iPad. Regardless, you'd think Microsoft's co-founder should know that any Bluetooth keyboard works with iPads.

On top of that, a bunch of iPad cases incorporate physical keys like NIBIQÜ's and Logitech's Surface-like iPad cases, the latter featuring physical keys seamlessly fused into its interior fabric. Go past the fold for the full quote and video evidence...

Trust Twitter and Google, not Apple, to protect you from government data demands

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 1, 2013

Well, this is certainly noteworthy. According to the third annual report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) titled "Who Has Your Back?", gadget giant Apple along with carriers AT&T and Verizon, Google's rival Yahoo and the forgotten social network MySpace all are very likely to give in to Uncle Sam's data demands.

Specifically, Apple and Yahoo scored one out of six possible stars, with Verizon and Yahoo rather ingloriously earning zero stars each. These companies' weak safeguard implementation does little to circumvent data demands and protect your private information from the government's prying eyes.

Whereas Apple and Yahoo only fight for users' privacy rights in Congress, companies like Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft and Dropbox go to great lengths to ensure privacy of your data, earning four out of six stars each...

WSJ: Microsoft to respond to Apple, Google with smartwatch, smartphone, mini Surface

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

As Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn recently began hiring workers for assembly of a next-gen iPhone and possibly a rumored budget iPhone, our friends over at Redmond are thought to be busy developing own branded smartwatch, smartphone and seven-inch Surface tablet. Both gadgets are viewed as direct responses to Apple's rumored iWatch project, its wildly successful smartphone and the iPad mini tablet, respectively.

The smartwatch project is purportedly beyond the prototyping phase as Microsoft is said to have started aligning parts suppliers in Asia earlier this year, allegedly sourcing 1.5-inch screens. However, folks who apparently saw the prototypes warn it's "unclear whether Microsoft will opt to move ahead with the watch" at this stage...

New report claims Microsoft Office landing on iOS next fall

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 2, 2017

Over the last several months, there's been a lot of talk regarding the potential for an iOS version of MS Office. Folks particularly want to see it land on the iPad, as research shows the move could be worth some $2.5 billion to Microsoft.

But despite all of the chatter, we have yet to see any indication that Office is on its way to Apple's mobile platform. And it doesn't look like we're going to anytime soon. A new report suggests the app suite won't land on iOS until next fall...