Microsoft’s revenue rose to $17.41 billion

Microsoft said Thursday that its revenue rose 6 percent to $17.41 billion in the first quarter of 2012 due to stronger sales of Windows. 

The company’s net income fell to $5.11 billion, or $0.60 per share, from $5.23 billion, or $0.61 per share, a year ago. 

In 2011's fourth quarter, Windows revenue was down 6% compared to the year before. 

Most of Microsoft's businesses posted solid sales growth compared with last year: 14% for the server and tools division; 9% for the business sector, which includes Office; 6% for online services; and 4% for Windows. 

“We saw great demand from enterprises this quarter,” said Microsoft investor relations director Lisa Nelson. 

Apple Loses ITC Case Against Motorola

Apple continues to lose its legal battle against Android. After losing Germany, Australia, The Netherlands the company has now lost on the home turf. The United States ITC [International Trade Commission] issued a preliminary ruling on Friday stating that Motorola Mobility smartphones do not infringe three Apple patents.

"We are pleased with today’s favorable outcome for Motorola Mobility," said Scott Offer, senior vice president and general counsel of Motorola Mobility. "Motorola Mobility has worked hard over the years to develop technology and build an industry-leading intellectual property portfolio. We are proud to leverage this broad and deep portfolio to create differentiated innovations that enhance the user experience."

Anti-Android bloggers who have been trying to spread the FUD against Android that Google's Motorola acquisition won't help Android defend against Apple's attacks need to look at new ways to spin their stories against Android.

The defeat of Apple on legal grounds shows why Microsoft is using bogus methods to pretend as if they are making money from Android by signing cross licensing deals with Android players. I believe that Microsoft is very much aware of its extremely weak position in mobile patents that is the reason why it signs ...

Should Businesses Do Social Media or Social Media ...

What’s in a word?  A lot has happened in the Social Web and yet, one may have to consider: To do Social Media or Social Media Marketing?  The first term is for newbies and the latter, for businesses who are serious in using social media for their marketing.  Understand This: The impact of social media has made it easier for people to share information online and yet, it is one of the most overlooked marketing tool because of one thing: You must understand how to use it for your business needs, how your customers are interacting on it, and what goals you have to make your campaign truly effective.

 It’s simply a no-brainer!  Social Media is NOT About the Media, It’s About Building Relationships With People You Do Business With… and it doesn’t really matter if you’d like to call it ‘social media’ or ‘social media marketing’.

Relationships… are the ultimate key to understanding how people perceive your brand these days and it only makes sense to know how to manage these bonds better.  As our world has become more digital and in some ways, less personal, the importance of these relationships has increased.  With ...

Google Announces Chrome-Only Games

In another move to make Chrome the required and only browser that runs certain Web content, Google yesterday announced some new games that would run only in Chrome, using the browser's Native Client (NaCl) capability.

With Chrome 14, Google added a new Chrome-only feature that allows the browser to run applications programmed in hardcore languages like C and C++ as opposed to the simpler JavaScript Web programming language, which is also removed by a layer from the underlying machine through an interpreter. Programs written in C and C++ are compiled for use only on a specific platform, such as Windows or Mac OS X, so game developers have typically used these for maximum responsiveness and hardware compatibility.

Yesterday, Google announced on its Chromium blog that game developer partners Square Enix, Unity Technologies, and Bungie have begun developing for the technology. A Square Enix press release states that the company and Google "share a similar vision for bringing immersive applications to the Web within the browser." Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada said, "Native Client enables the same consumer experience in the browser as in a native application. With the power of this technology, Square Enix ...

Microsoft Black Friday Deals: Grab A Kinect For $9...

Now Microsoft starts  Black Friday deals by offering a $99 Kinect for the Xbox 360 as well as free Windows Phones.

Customers can buy the Kinect sensor for $99.99 in stores and to avail this amazing offer online they need to place the order between Nov. 25 and 28, though this offer is limited to three per person.

Buyers can also grab an Xbox 360 gaming bundle at only $394.94, therefore they can save a whole lot of money and it is around $200. The package includes a 250GB Xbox 360 console with the Kinect sensor, plus an Xbox Live three-month gold card, 1,600 Microsoft Points, the Raza Onza Tournament Edition gaming controller, a SanDisk 8GB USB Flash drive, and a game according to individual choice.

The standalone 4GB Xbox 360 console, in the meantime, is available at $149.99, with a $50 discount; the 4GB Xbox 360 plus Kinect can be obtained for only $199.99, with a $100 price cut.

Microsoft collects license fees on 50% of Android ...

Google’s complaints about patent-based attacks against Android don’t seem to be doing the company any good. We all know Steve Jobs pledged to destroy Android, claiming it stole its ideas from Apple’s iOS. Yet what is likely an even bigger threat comes from Microsoft, which now claims that more than half of all Android devices are now subject to patent licensing agreements. What does that mean?

Android Started At Apple As Much As iPad Started A...

Apple which lost its case against Android in Europe seems to be getting desperate. Anti-Android propaganda machine now wants the press to believe that Android started at Apple. Why? Just because Andy Rubin, Android creator, once worked at Apple.

The claim is laughable as Andy was a low-level engineer at Apple between 1989-1992, with seemingly no access to the core projects. That was the time when Apple did not even have a clear future, let alone having any concept of the iPhone or the iPad.

It's sounds more ludicrous because even if there is remotest of the remote possibility that Apple was even thinking of any such device in 1989 it would be extremely secretive about it and someone as low as Andy would never have access to it.

Big companies don't work the way these propagandists want us to think. Do you think ever engineer at Microsoft gets access to the entire code of Windows 7? No. They get to see only one or two unrelated parts of it. It's like working at Boeing and all you get to see is a nut. You can't get inspiration of 747 from a nut, or can you?

Apple was in ruins when Andy worked there
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How To Sync Microsoft Office With Google Docs

Google Inc. has launched a plug-in that resolves sync conflicts between Microsoft Office and Google Docs. The plugin is called Cloud Connect and it will available for free of charge. When you edit a document in Microsoft Word, it will automatically sync it to Google Docs every time you hit Save. The cloud is known as the future of productivity and this real-time collaboration prove that. This plugin will work for Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 and 2010 versions. 

New free plugin for Microsoft Office called Cloud Connect, which will join Google Docs directly into the ubiquitous productivity suite. When you editing a document in MS Word, it’ll automatically sync to your Google Docs account each time you hit ‘Save’. Its very helpful when you want to share a preview of your document without worrying about what file format your coworkers can open. You need to just send them a link to the Google Docs file. 

The plugin will support Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Once you’ve installed it, you’ll notice a new ribbon toward the top of the Office UI, which gives you a Google Docs link for the document you’re currently working on, as well as a notification to let you know when it’s been synced with Google’s servers. You and other people can edit the same document and have their changes synced with each save. Even Microsoft also integrating online collaboration ...

ONLINE BUSINESSES YOU CAN START TODAY, PART ONE – ...

I’d venture to say that most of you aspire to live a lifestyle that seems incredibly out of reach. You want to work at home or work on the road or start a business or become an author or whatever else. When you’re starting out, the path isn’t clear at all. In fact, it doesn’t even really exist. It’s a little like diverging from a main highway and driving straight into the forest. You only have the vaguest idea of where you’re going, but you can’t see too much further ahead.

When I started freelancing two years ago, I was in that exact situation. I felt like there was something different for me, that I had somehow been set apart to live a life devoid of mediocrity and filled with joy and contentment and meaningful work. The problem was that I didn’t know how to get there. I didn’t know what would give me joy and contentment. I didn’t know what meaningful work was, I just knew what it wasn’t.

The deeper you go into lifestyle design, the more you’ll see the many options people have to live life on their own terms. There are many paths to freedom, but some are ...

Microsoft Solutions To Virus Issues

Microsoft Security Essentials is my preferred free anti virus solution which I have written about before.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Now if you have a badly infected computer , what should you do?

If you are that badly infected and do not want to format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system ( which should be your first choice) then Microsoft have released the Microsoft Safety Scanner

If you can , go to this page and it will enable you to download and make a boot disc which will check your computer for virus infection.

The boot disc is a disc which you put into your computer then restart and it will check your computer for virus infections.

Remember you may have to make the discs from a good computer that is not infected.

Microsoft also have the Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper which will scan your system for rootkits which are not always visible to virus scanning.