Microsoft has developed technology for people to pay by the hour to use a computer in their own homes, similar to the way many people use pre-paid cards for cellphones. The technology, called FlexGo, will be used as part of efforts to sell computers to lower-income consumers in developing countries.
When Microsoft researchers learned recently that a software flaw had been made public and could prompt internet attacks, the company ordered a team to fix the flaw and make the repair work with other products. But some security experts complained that the software company wouldn’t help people fast enough.
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/ 19 January 2006
Amazon.com plans to broadcast on its website an original show hosted by Bill Maher and featuring performers and authors touting new releases — which will be for sale at the online retailer. The webcast series is the first offering in what the company says is a plan to add more original programming to its website.
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/ 21 December 2005
America Online (AOL) has sealed a late deal with Google to deepen their relationship, while leaving Microsoft as the spurned suitor. The software titan’s failure to woo AOL away from Google in favour of its own search technology highlights the uphill battle Microsoft faces in the lucrative business of selling online ads.
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/ 22 November 2005
Anyone who snagged one of Microsoft’s new Xbox 360s at its Tuesday debut will likely see the new video-game console as just that — a medium for spending hours playing the likes of Halo II and Project Gotham Racing III. But executives at Microsoft see video games as just the beginning.
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/ 1 November 2005
Microsoft is widely expected to announce on Tuesday further forays into software and services that can be accessed over the internet — a growing competitive arena that some say could eventually threaten Microsoft’s biggest cash cows. The software behemoth is facing increasing competition from companies such as Google and Yahoo!.
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/ 2 September 2005
Machinists at Boeing voted overwhelmingly to strike, rejecting a three-year contract proposal their leaders had deemed ”insulting”. The strike by more than 18 000 assembly workers at 12.01am local time on Friday means Boeing will stop building commercial airplanes, and comes at a time when new orders had picked up in recent months.
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/ 3 February 2005
Amazon.com said on Wednesday that earnings for its all-important fourth quarter rose more than fourfold, but the internet retailing giant was helped by a big one-time tax benefit and missed Wall Street expectations. The results sent Amazon shares plunging 13%, or ,44.
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/ 3 September 2004
Though Microsoft’s new security update package is all about protecting systems from worms, viruses and spyware, it can’t do much about what’s already on computers — and that could pose a problem. The company is warning users of the Windows XP operating system to check for spyware before downloading the free massive security update, called Service Pack 2.
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/ 2 September 2004
On the face of things, Microsoft’s online music service looks a lot like the market leader, Apple Computer’s iTunes. When the service launches on Thursday, songs will cost 99 cents — the same as Apple. The catalogue will initially include about 500 000 songs, but the company plans to scale up to more than one million songs over the next few weeks