Microsoft has altered its plans to keep a lock on the kernel of its upcoming Vista OS amid criticism that the move would prohibit security software vendors from developing compatible third-party products.

Apparently in response to pressure from the European Union, Microsoft has reversed its decision to lock up Vista from third-party security vendor access and now says it will make key components available to software firms such as Symantec and McAfee.

Anti-piracy tech shuts people out of their PCs if the OS is not activated soon after installation.
Microsoft of late said that it will build anti-piracy features into its upcoming Windows Vista operating system and Windows Longhorn server software.

Microsoft Corp. is giving its Web browser software its first major upgrade in years, amid signs that Internet Explorer's market share is eroding.
Enhanced security technologies, new experiences enable customers to browse the Web with confidence and ease.

Improvements and additions to Windows Live OneCare Beta 1.5 include tighter integration with Microsoft's Windows Defender anti-spyware software.

Microsoft recently announced a new beta version of Windows Live OneCare. OneCare Beta 1.5, which can be downloaded and used free of charge, is available in 17 localized editions for countries that include the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K. Earlier editions were for U.S. customers only.

In a bid to shore up its management line, Microsoft has announced the acquisition of privately held DesktopStandard, a developer of group policy-based enterprise desktop and server management tools, in a move designed to help customers leverage the value of policy-based management and their investments in Active Directory, the two companies said in a statement.

Giants to provide joint security architecture -- The result should be a breakthrough in integrated IT security when the whole package arrives in the second half of next year.

Cisco and Microsoft lately released closely held details about their two-year-old partnership to deliver integrated controls that prevent malware-infested computers from connecting into networks, which enable users of Windows Vista and the Longhorn server platform to stay secure when using Cisco networks...

Symantec moves beyond storage security include more of its technology in Juniper networking devices.

Juniper Networks, Inc. and Symantec Corp. lately announced that the two companies have entered into a broad strategic partnership focused on delivering best-in-class, integrated security solutions to enterprise customers.

The partnership is designed to bolster Juniper's security lineup while moving Symantec beyond security and storage and further into network technology. Symantec's move to forge closer ties between the security industry and system management providers and network players should also help it fend off Microsoft, which is venturing aggressively into security with Windows Vista...

The British Broadcasting Corporation and Microsoft have signed a "memorandum of understanding" for developing the next generation of the corporation's internet-based services for the world's biggest public broadcaster.

The BBC chief Mark Thompson met Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and the director of new media, Ashley Highfield, in Seattle to sign the non-exclusive memorandum of understanding and discuss the BBC's digital strategy.

A BBC statement said: "The memorandum of understanding will define the framework within which the companies can explore opportunities for the delivery and consumption of BBC content and the evolution of next-generation broadcasting.

Microsoft will provide China Telecom with a Web search in an attempt to help the nation's biggest Internet service provider improve its market share.

China Telecom, a leading fixed-line phone operator in China, has joined the country's fierce Internet search engine competition with Microsoft as its technical partner.

Microsoft will provide its “Live Search” service to China Telecom's 25 million broadband customers and more than 80 million Internet users, the two companies said at a briefing in Beijing. China Telecom will use Microsoft technology to expand the voice search service it currently provides customers through its Best Tone business.

Books will be digitized and searchable on Live Book Search
Microsoft has announced a deal with a digital scanning company Kirtas Technologies to produce digital books, nudging its way further into Google's territory.

Kirtas Technologies, a leading innovator and provider of digital scanning solutions, announced the signing of a digitization agreement with Microsoft Corp. to provide the highest quality digital books available in the world.

Microsoft is planning free web-based versions of its word processing and spreadsheet programs.

Microsoft Corp. said that it may offer a free, advertising-supported version of its basic word processing and spreadsheet software, in an apparent bid to fend off a nascent challenge from Google Inc. in the business software market, who bought web-word processor Writely in March, and began testing Google Spreadsheet in June.

A couple of weeks after Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker announced a partnership with Yahoo! to enhance the search capabilities for its smart-phones, the Finnish phone maker has reached a similar agreement with Microsoft to do essentially the same thing.

“In fact, Microsoft’s Live Search joins Yahoo! as part of Nokia’s Mobile Search Platform,” thus enabling consumers access to Live Search directly from their Nokia Nseries multimedia computers and other compatible Nokia S60 devices. Live Search will provide advanced web search results in 14 languages to enable on-the-go access to the information and content consumers want most.

Corel's new SnapFire digital photo-editing and -sharing platform aims to dethrone our longtime favorite, Google and Yahoo.

Corel Corp. got clobbered several years ago when it tried to beat Microsoft Corp. in the PC software market. Today, after being revamped top to bottom and recently re-listed as a public company, Corel faces an equally formidable competitor: Google Inc.

Corel is to take on Google with a new web-based audio and video management system supported by adverts.

"Soapbox," which made its beta debut lately, is a place for uploading home footage on MSN Video.

Microsoft's new Soapbox on MSN Video site takes on the popular site YouTube, which has become an online sensation for viral and homegrown user-generated video. Also crowding the online video market are Google Video, Yahoo Video and Revver.

The media player will come in black, white and brown and lets you share a song up to three times over three days.

Software giant Microsoft unveiled a "Zune" portable media player, and online store, hoping its ability to share music wirelessly can win over consumers despite its late entry five years to challenge Apple Computer's internationally popular “iPod-iTunes” personal entertainment duo.

Online search portal features a user interface designed to fetch more accurate Web search results.

Microsoft opened another chapter in the Web search wars, taking its Live Search platform out of the testing phase in 47 markets worldwide, including the United States.

Beta version of Office 2007 identifies hot spots worldwide

Microsoft has issued beta test software for a Wi-Fi management utility called Windows Live Connection Center WiFi to a limited group of Office 2007 beta testers.

According to the Techlog.org blog, Microsoft has invited a small number of Office 2007 Beta 2 testers to preview a forthcoming service called “Windows Live Connection Center Wi-Fi Beta,” yet another addition to the burgeoning list of the services Microsoft dubs "Windows Live," is expected to be available to business users by the end of the year, and consumers in early 2007.

Acquisition of iView Multimedia will strengthen assault on Adobe

British company iView Media Software has sold its "digital asset management" to software giant Microsoft, the founder of the British photo cataloging Software Company said on its Web site. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Microsoft will start selling a wireless digital music and video player to compete with Apple's iPod by Christmas, sources close to the matter reported.

Microsoft's interest in making its own hand-held music and video player, to challenge Apple Computer's iPod and expects to have it in stores in time for the holiday season, disclosed by entertainment industry executives lately, indicates that its old way of doing things is not working in its battle against Apple Computer's iPod.

Researchers at Microsoft have developed a tool to scrub search engines of major spam Web sites that pollute results.

The Redmond, Wash., software giant's Cybersecurity and Systems Management Research Group has taken the wraps off Strider Search Defender, an experimental project that automates the discovery of search spammers through non-content analysis.