At VMworld 2007, a major obstacle in virtual machine sharing apparently has been overcome…

“The two companies have agreed to standardize their technologies for delivering Windows desktops and applications to thin clients on Microsoft’s Virtual Hard Disk format.”

San Francisco -- At VMworld 2007, Microsoft Corp. and Citrix Systems Inc. on Tuesday announced strengthening their longtime integration alliance in the desktop and application to use Microsoft’s Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) format as a common standard for virtualization machine storage.

Microsoft’s suite includes the first public beta of Windows Live Photo Gallery…

Seattle -- Microsoft Corp introduced on Wednesday a suite of “Windows Live” online services bundled into a single download in its latest effort to compete with Google Inc’s growing array of applications delivered over the Web, including the global betas of several of its desktop products.

“Among the suite of applications included in the first public beta are Windows Live Photo Gallery, as well as Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger 8.5, the Windows Live Writer blogging tool, Windows Live OneCare Family Safety, and the Windows Live Toolbar.”

Operating System conjurer Microsoft has officially delivered the first release of Silverlight, its answer to Flash, AJAX and friends…

Redmond works with Novell to port “Flash killer”

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday announced the commercial release of Silverlight 1.0 “Flash killer” -- a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering richer user experiences on the web, and the company also will participate in Novell’s porting of Silverlight to Linux via the Moonlight project.

New York -- Microsoft Corp. said on Tuesday its Office Live will use search advertising tools from Ask.com to help small businesses reach consumers on the Internet.

Microsoft Office Live is Internet-based software that allows small businesses to create Web sites, e-mail accounts and other applications.

“Small businesses that buy ads from Microsoft Office Live will see their search listings appear on Web sites operated by Ask.com and its partners, in addition to Microsoft's Windows Live and MSN.com sites.”

The upgrade is expected to improve on the first version, which did not stack up to rivals in antivirus protection…

In a bid to help consumers and small businesses stay better protected from viruses, malware and spyware, Microsoft has introduced beta 1 of Windows Live OneCare 2.0.

With Windows Live OneCare 2.0 -- the software maker’s all-in-one toolset for PC security and maintenance, Microsoft aims to help consumers better manage their home environment.

The software maker says the time has come to offer business software in versions that are both hosted and not hosted.

Denver -- Microsoft is sharpening its blades for battle in the CRM Software as a Service space, going after Salesforce.com with a highly competitive subscription price schedule.

Microsoft has been busy readying its online plans lately, shaking up its Windows Live and search teams and tipping its hand at plans for Microsoft-hosted versions of many of its enterprise products.

Microsoft is launching a test program to sell AMD-powered personal computers in India, marking the company's first venture in PC sales.

New Delhi -- A day after NIIT announced a multi-core training program for software developers in partnership with Intel, Microsoft India in association with chipmaker AMD launched a Rs. 21,000 personal computer for school going children from kindergarten to class 12.

To increase IT access amongst masses, Microsoft India, has entered in to partnership with Zenith and AMD and other companies to test-market Microsoft-branded personal computers in India...

The common theme for the Windows Live suite is that all of its apps combine a rich Windows client application with Internet services that add power to those apps.

Seattle -- Microsoft Tuesday announced plans to integrate disparate Windows Live products for instant messaging, e-mail, blog authoring and photo sharing into a single downloadable suite for consumers this year to beef up its Internet strategy. Though for now the services will be limited to a few thousand pre-selected testers.

Seattle -- Microsoft Corp. launched a redesigned MSN portal optimized for mobile phones on Sunday, stepping up its offering at a time when more powerful devices increase the demand for richer content on handsets.

The new MSN Mobile service available in the US right now at http://mobile.msn.com and offers all sorts of stuff like news, sports information, local movie listings and access to services like e-mail, search, maps and instant messaging all on one page.

Microsoft has dropped the “IPTV” moniker from its Internet protocol television middleware, revamping the system “Microsoft Mediaroom.”

Microsoft has updated and revamped its IPTV software platform offering with the newly launched Microsoft Mediaroom.

Microsoft takes small stake in Chinese TV maker as part of Internet venture

Shanghai -- Microsoft Corp. has agreed to pay 94 million yuan ($12.3 million) for a stake in Sichuan Changhong Electric Co. and will form a cooperative alliance with the TV and electrical appliance maker, joining a race to profit from the Web's growing status as a channel to distribute movies and other programs, the Chinese company said on Monday.

With $6 million buy of Aquantive, Redmond's chief advertising strategist says company does not need to acquire more assets to succeed.

Microsoft Corp., after agreeing last week to pay $6 billion US for aQuantive Inc., to gain a strong foothold in the online advertising business dominated by its rivals Google and Yahoo.

Microsoft, long known for catering to the geekiest of programmers, recently unveiled the alpha version of Popfly Creator, its new platform aimed at building rich Internet applications and social networking software for nonprogrammers.

Popfly Creator, which combines a set of visual tools online for building web pages and mashups, along with Popfly Creator, Microsoft has also launched Popfly Space, an online social networking community of creators that lets you host, share, rate, comment and even remix creations from other Popfly designers.

New York - Microsoft took a deep plunge to broaden its digital online advertising horizons, paying $6 billion in cash and a massive 85 percent premium to snap up one of the last major players in the sector, a Quantive Inc.

Microsoft moved forward to get a better foothold in the red-hot online advertising market, agreed to pay $6 billion to buy Internet marketing firm aQuantive Inc. in an effort to capture a bigger role in the nascent Web video market and increases pressure on competitors to make acquisitions of their own.

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.

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.

Group Policy lets administrators control desktops and servers throughout a network by assigning policies according to user groups. The ease with which Group Policy can be administered can have positive effects upon an enterprise's bottom line.

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.