Microsoft [MSFT] has officially unveiled their Arc touch mouse that we told you about previously. The Microsoft Arc touch mouse is just 15mm thick and it runs off a pair of AAA batteries. The mouse features Microsoft’s Advanced Blue Track Technology for “maximum precision on virtually any surface” and be 2.4 GHz wireless via a nano receiver. After much anticipation, we are excited to announce the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse! You might have seen the teases we shared on Twitter –we were trying to get you thinking about things that were flat and when you see this mouse you’ll know why.  Some of the creative responses we got surprised us! You can find out more details about the new Microsoft Arc touch mouse over at the Microsoft Hardware Blog. The Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse is...

Yahoo! Japan selected Google as its search partner in Japan. It is suggested by commentators that this is contrary to how the parent company handled things. But let’s review: Microsoft won the Yahoo! search business only after: an attempted hostile takeover (though its arguable Microsoft was that serious about it as Yahoo!’s position as lead on a number of open source developments including PHP and Hadoop would raise anti-trust issues for Microsoft’s Windows, Server and Tools businesses) – this destablised Yahoo! causing a hemorrhaging of talent to Google and other players Microsoft then worked with shareholder activists (Carl Icahn) to unseat the board Microsoft also deployed lobbyists to have any potential Google deal declared an antitrust issue Microsoft gave...

The Microsoft Kinect has been listed on the Microsoft store with a price of $149.99 for some time now, finally Microsoft has confirmed that Microsoft Kinect will retail for $149.99 in the US. The Kinect will also be available with a new Xbox 360 slim and this will retail for $300 for the two together. Microsoft Kinect will go on sale in November and it will come with a free game. via PC......

Office 2010, from Microsoft, is a huge step in productivity over previous versions – there are many new features “under the hood” to help us become more productive and if you’re still considering the upgrade from previous version it’s well worth a look. In this article we’ve collected together some useful hints, tips, and how-tos to help you get the most out of this version of the office application suite. Microsoft Office 2010 Opening Downloaded Files In Microsoft Office 2010 A look at the Backstage View Working With Office Professional 2010 Learn Microsoft Office By Playing Games First impressions of Office 2010 Professional Microsoft Word 2010 Layout Filler Tip Sorting Simple Lists Dealing With File Open Issue Taking a look at Microsoft Word 2010 Microsoft Excel 2010...

We have seen many different phones out there on the market from all sorts of manufactures. Some of them were amazing while others were just mediocre. Speaking of mediocre phones, you might remember Microsoft Kin that was released several months ago. According to the latest news, Microsoft is planning to kill the Microsoft Kin phone and we’re here to find out why. As for the Microsoft Kin, Microsoft has released that phone in the middle of April. There were two models offered at Verizon’s network and both of those models were optimized for social network websites. Despite that, they both received bad reviews because they lacked key features. Users weren’t pleased with these phones and this is the main reason why Verizon has decided to drop the prices of these...

Microsoft [MSFT] has killed off the Microsoft Kin just a few weeks after it's launch. From what Engadget reports, it appears that Microsoft is rolling the Kin in to the Windows Phone 7 team. Product launches for Europe are not going ahead now although Microsoft will support Verizon [VZ] with the device in the US."We have made the decision to focus exclusively on Windows Phone 7 and we will not ship KIN in Europe this fall as planned. Additionally, we are integrating our KIN team with the Windows Phone 7 team, incorporating valuable ideas and technologies from KIN into future Windows Phone releases. We will continue to work with Verizon in the U.S. to sell current KIN phones."It's a shame how it ended so quick really but understandable if sales were a lot lower than expected. Some of...

Microsoft [MSFT] has killed off their Kin phones, just a few weeks after they went on sale, the reason for this is because of poor sales, and Microsoft has announced that they won’t be producing any more Kin phones. The Kin team responsible for the two phones will be integrated into the Windows Phone 7 team, and Microsoft will be focusing on Windows 7 Phone’s. There are a couple of reasons that the Microsoft Kin phones were unsuccessful, but the main reason was the price, for a phone that was designed to be used as a social networking phone and obviously aimed at the teenage market it was far too expensive. Microsoft will continue to offer support for the Kin phones that people have already purchased, but there are no details on whether they will receive any software updates...

Microsoft [MSFT] recently announced the pricing of Microsoft Kinect for the Xbox 360, it will retail for $149.99, but now it seems that Microsoft isn’t making any money on the Kinect, as it reportedly cost about $150 to manufacture. When you take into account marketing, software and everything else for Kinect, Microsoft could actually be making a loss on each one sold. Microsoft has previously sold hardware at a loss, in the hope they would make their money from software and accessories, but as Kinect is an accessory they may be looking to make their money on bundle deals. 1UP via Crunch......

Microsoft [MSFT] are yet to release any official pricing information for their new motion sensing add on for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Kinect, but that hasn’t stopped a number of online retailers putting up a price on their website. Gamestop, Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy have all listed Microsoft Kinect for $149.99, and whilst these prices aren’t official it gives us a good indication of what Microsoft Kinect will retail for. We have already seen the New Xbox 360 from Microsoft this week, which is now on sale for $299, so we wonder how much Xbox 360 bundles will cost, possibly $399? In comparison, Sony’s new PlayStation Move controller cost just $49.99, lets hop that the official Microsoft pricing for Microsoft Kinect is cheaper than the $149.99 that the retailers have it...

Microsoft have officially released Office 2010 to the world! But what is new in this latest version? What can they do to keep improving it and make it worthwhile upgrading to? Microsoft sure made the prospect of a new version seem exciting with their Office 2010 movie trailer! However, to get a real idea of some of the new features, take a look at our previous Microsoft Office 2010 Preview article. You could previously try out this software as the free Office 2010 public beta download, however now it’s been officially released, the new office suite is available to buy in three main versions. Having to make a choice on which version to buy can be a task in itself, but it is probably a good thing, it means you don’t end up paying for certain professional software applications...

Look around you — people with gadgets. Many of them sporting an Apple logo. If you owned a Microsoft gadget, would you even know, or even care? And therein lines the digital divide between Apple and Microsoft — the former is all about people and latter is all about numbers… Technology pundits come in two flavours; those who have some clue and those that don’t. It’s 2010 and we still have comments like: “Apple’s iPad is sure to face stiff competition from the soon-to-hit onslaught of Android-based tablets…” Yes, in exactly the same way the entire PC industry is hot on the on the slow heals of that expensive boutique PC company Apple. That wasn’t even true when Apple really only did PCs, but now they’re a consumer electronics company. In essence,...

Microsoft aims to pave the way of software’s future with the worldwide availability of Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint 2010, not to mention the availability of Microsoft Visio 2010 and Microsoft Project 2010 that will target business customers worldwide. With over 90 million businesses being able to deploy the 2010 suite of products, Microsoft hopes that their customers will be able to check out significant productivity gains alongside greater return on their software investments. If you happen to own a business, how about considering an upgrade? Of course, it will cost you some assuming you run a rather large company, but check out the benefits after a jump and let us know of your decision in the comments afterwards. Apparently, a commissioned study conducted by...

HTC has signed a patent deal with Microsoft [MSFT] for patents relating to smartphones it produces that runs Google’s Android OS. Google’s Android OS is a free open source mobile phone operating system, that a number of manufacturers are using on their smartphones. There are no details as to which patents the deal relates to, but it must have something to do with Google’s Android OS, as the press release clearly states that it relates to ‘Microsoft’s patent portfolio for HTC’s mobile phones running the Android mobile platform’. This is slightly strange to say the least, could we see other manufacturers who produce Android powered smartphones signing a deal with Microsoft, or is this something that is specific to HTC, could it have something to do with...

I like concept technology as much as the next guy, and I love to see renderings of what could be the next “game-changing” gadget. The problem is when the source for this gadget is a website with nothing but renderings of neat stuff. The supposed All-in-one from Microsoft. You know, it is one thing when you make a rendering of a product, and it is another game when you put someone else’s corporate logo on it. Then again, this all in one is suppose to be some sort of Microsoft Surface, then an architect’s drafting board, then some sort of presentation slab of some type. I have included a video of it after the jump so you can see it and possibly be amazed. I suppose that since Surface is Microsoft technology, then you might have to put the Microsoft label on...

Microsoft [MSFT] has released details on its Windows Phone 7 applications, specifically information for developers and how their developer program will work. It looks like Microsoft is going down the same route as Apple, all applications for Windows Phone 7 must be approved by Microsoft and they will only be sold though Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Developers will be able to use Silverlight and XNA to write the applications for Windows Phone 7, and Microsoft has now released the SDK for developers which is available as a free download. Applications for the Windows Marketplace for mobile most conform to Microsoft’s standards, similar to the way Apple approves each and every application before it is available to download. Developers will have to pay $99 a year for membership to...

Microsoft [MSFT] has launched its first mobile application on Google’s [GOOG] Android platform, called Microsoft Tag Reader. The Microsoft Tag reader application for Android is similar to other versions on other platforms. It works by using your mobile phones camera to scan bar-codes which are found on various products, the application then provides you with information, videos, promotions and exclusive offers for that particular product directly to your Google Android handset. This is probably the first of many applications from Microsoft for Google’s Android platform, we will probably see a Bing application next, which the currently have available on the Apple iPhone. The Microsoft Tag reader Android App is available as a free download from the  Android Marketplace. via...

Microsoft [MSFT] has announced that its latest operating system Window 7, has sold over 90 million copies since it was launched on the 22nd of October 2009, and according to Microsoft this is the fastest selling operating system in the history of the PC industry. The announcement was made by Microsoft’s CFO Peter Klein, at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecoms conference in San Francisco. Although Microsoft had a ready market of customers waiting for Windows 7, which included the millions of users who had struggled with Microsoft’s last OS Windows Vista, who were no doubt eager to upgrade to a new OS. Microsoft have discounted Windows 7 since launch with the average retail price being about £70 which would mean that Microsoft has made about £7.2 billion since...

Whilst Microsoft [MSFT] Surface Computer looks very interesting and certainly would be a lot of fun to use, there is one major drawback with it, it’s expensive. Now it looks like Microsoft is working in a new version of the technology which may put it within the reach of the average user, Microsoft Mobile Surface. Microsoft Mobile Surface links a mobile phone to a camera and a projector, the screen is then projected onto a flat surface and the user can then interact with the Mobile Surface. As you can see from the video it certainly looks very interesting, quite similar though to some concepts we have seen before. Obviously the equipment featured in the video is quite large, no doubt when the technology is developed further-the camera and the projector will be integrated into the...

T3 managed to speak to Microsoft [MSFT] about the possibility of releasing Microsoft Office for iPad. Although Microsoft didn’t confirm if this was the case, what they did say is that they are looking in to creating an application allowing Office to be used on the Apple [AAPL] device.The conversation was held at a private preview of the Office for Mac 2011 suite…“Yeah, it’s something that we’re looking at,” said Microsoft Senior Product manager Mike Tedesco. “Obviously the announcement (of the iPad) is really fresh and there’s nothing to announce or nothing that I can talk to you about today.If Microsoft and Apple could get Office for iPad working on the tablet device it would be a nice leap in the right direction as a number of people still...

Microsoft has cut the price of its Zune HD portable media player, although it is not clear whether this is permanent price drop or just part of a promotion. Microsoft has said that price drop may be temporary. The 16GB Zune HD is now available for $200 from the Microsoft store, whilst the 32GB model is now available for $270. A number of other retails have also dropped the price of the Zune HD, with the cheapest being Amazon, the 16GB Zune HD is available for $190 whilst the 32GB Zune HD is available for $250. We have no idea how long the price drop will last, but it is an obvious attempt by Microsoft to increase sales of their Zune HD player, or could it be a permanent price drop ahead the launch of the rumored Microsoft Zune Phone. via Slippery Brick This is a post from Geeky Gadgets,...

Last week a Zune software update hinted at the possible existence of a Microsoft [MSFT] Zune Phone, now a Spanish website, MuyComputer is claiming that Microsoft are set to unveil the Zune Phone at the MWC. They are also claiming that the Microsoft Zune phone will be based on NVIDIA’s Tegra platform which Microsoft currently use in their Zune HD media player. The Zune Phone will most likely run Windows Mobile 7, which is expected to launch at the MWC, so this could tie in with the possible launch of a Microsoft branded mobile phone. The Spanish website has also speculated that the Zune phone will come with a 272 x 480 touchscreen display, and will have video out and built in WiFi. I guess we will just have to wait until the MWC, to see if Microsoft launch a Zune Phone. If they do...

Microsoft has added a new gaming keyboard to their line up, the Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard, which according to Microsoft features the most advanced anti ghosting technology. The Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard allows you to press up to 26 keys at once, and the keyboard detects each key press correctly, no matter how many other keys are being pressed at the same time. “We’re always looking for new and novel ways to enhance people’s interactions with their PCs,” said Steven Bathiche, research manager of the Applied Sciences Group at Microsoft. “We know that ghosting can be a problem for gamers, so we wanted to develop a way to eliminate this issue and improve the overall gaming experience, and we’ve succeeded with the new anti-ghosting technology...

We have heard on a weekly basis about Apple [AAPL] building a tablet device probably to be called the Apple iSlate. What we haven’t heard much about is Microsoft [MSFT] creating a tablet other than a couple of mentions of the Microsoft Courier a few months ago that’s more of a split screen booklet rather than a tablet. What we hear today though is that Steve Ballmer will be unveiling a tablet at CES during his keynote speech. If this happens it will come weeks before a rumoured unveiling of Apple’s iSlate which could either be a good or a bad thing. If done right then it wont be another “me-too” type device and hopefully this is the case. The NYT reported that Microsoft and HP are working together on the device but it is currently unknown how much involvement...

There has been so much speculation about the rumored Apple Tablet over the last few months, something we didn’t expect to hear is that Microsoft will today unveil their own web tablet. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will announce the Microsoft Tablet later today during his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Microsoft Tablet is rumored to be made by HP and it will come with a range of functions which include multitouch, and e-reader functions. It is not clear whether the Microsoft Tablet will run Windows 7, but this is more than likely, we will update you later with full details on the Microsoft Tablet as soon as the announcement is made. via PC World This is a post from Geeky Gadgets, who bring you the latest cool Gadgets.Microsoft To Unveil Web Tablet Today?...

Microsoft has just released information of its new muscle control interface technology which allows you to control devices using your muscles. Which opens up a whole new dimension in possible game and real world controllers for devices. The new technology uses “electromyography”, or EMG which records the electrical activity of muscles and translate those signals into instructions. Check out the video after the jump. As computing and displays begin to integrate more seamlessly into our environment and are used in situations where the user is not always focused on the computing task, it is important to consider mechanisms for acquiring human input that may not necessarily require direct manipulation of a physical implement. We explore the feasibility of muscle-computer...

Surfing the web today, I came across a very interesting interview on SeattlePi with Don Dodge, who was Microsoft’s Director of Business Development for the Emerging Business Team until getting laid off last month. During the interview, he revealed his opinions on Microsoft, their current situation and where they’re heading. He also revealed that he thinks “Microsoft is a lot like IBM was in 1985”, going on to say that “after 20 years they are losing the innovation edge.” This got me thinking; has Microsoft lost the ability to innovate after being the most dominative force in computing since the late 1980’s? And if so, why? I think a key to the solution is the sheer amount of things Microsoft does. When you think of the number of markets Microsoft compete in, you can...

Back in August we ran the story stating Microsoft had been forced to stop selling one of the most popular software packages in the world – Microsoft Word – after a court ruled it had infringed a patent owned by Canadian company i4i. It looked like one of the stories we make up on a quiet news day (incidentally, our favourite of 2009 was “Thousands scammed by bearded horse”) but it was entirely true. And now to compound the improbability, Microsoft has failed in its attempt to dismiss the original ruling. The failure of their appeal means Microsoft have to pay i4i damages of £182 million and comply with an injunction ending the sales of some versions of Word, due to come into effect on 11 January. i4i claimed they created the method and architecture for reading XML...

Microsoft [MSFT], yesterday lost its appeal in a Federal Court, in the patent case brought against Microsoft by i41 Ltd of Canada, regarding the use of their XML related patents what were used in Microsoft Word 2007. From the 11th of January 2010, Microsoft will have to stop selling Microsoft Word, which basically means Microsoft Office, unless they agree some out of court settlement with i4i before that date. This injunction applies only to copies of Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007 sold in the U.S. on or after the injunction date of January 11, 2010.  Copies of these products sold before this date are not affected. With respect to Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007, we have been preparing for this possibility since the District Court issued its injunction in...

I was reading an interview with Don Dodge, the former Microsoft start-up evangelist recently made redundant and snapped up by Google. Its a great interview and I would recommend that you take the time to read it in full but three bits popped out at me when I read it. I have quoted them in the order that is cogent to the point I want to get over, rather than the order that they appear; but I will try and keep their context clear: It’s a longtime company with a great tradition and still very profitable, but it’s not the leader. Microsoft is not making the innovative leaps and coming out with the new stuff. People used to fear IBM and they don’t anymore. More recently, startups and competitors feared Microsoft, and I think over the past five or 10 years since that consent decree, I...

Microsoft [MSFT] have now released the Microsoft Surface Software Development Kit (SDK) for all who want it. The download is 144.2MB in size and can be downloaded right now. The SDK comes with no price tag and allows anybody with the skill and interest to create applications for Microsoft Surface computers. If you do not have a surface handy (which probably includes 99.9% of the people who read here) then you can use a PC-based simulator to test your applications out. Over the last year Microsoft has gone from having just 60 MS Surface partners moving now to more than 250 partners. As of now, the SDK has already been downloaded over 5000 times. It probably will never reach amazing numbers though considering the few amount of surfaces around the globe compared to desktop PC’s. Via:...