Feb 26
On the official Skype blog today, Microsoft announced a new sign-up method for those who are new to the service: one’s Microsoft account. The new sign up method is being … Continue reading
Feb 26
The explosive growth of smartphones will slow over the next four years, IDC analysts predict, with Android dominating in bulk but iOS making the most money from each handset buyer. … Continue reading
Feb 26
Recently we picked up on a report claiming that Microsoft is mulling over the possibility of cutting Windows 8 licensing fees so as to get OEMs to develop relatively cheaper notebooks that hold up against the onslaught from Chromebooks. While a formal decision on that is yet to be made public, a new report has surfaced claiming that the company might cut Windows Phone licensing fees as well, apparently by as much as 70 percent. Microsoft is said to be considering this move so as to tackle cheap Androids.
Windows Phone Licensing Fees May Be Cut As Well original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Feb 26
Microsoft Could Slash Windows Phone Licensing Fees By Up To 70% To Take On Low-Cost Androids
Posted in: Today's ChiliMicrosoft partner and soon to be subsidiary Nokia introduced Android-powered devices at MWC this year in an apparent bid to go after the low end of the market, but there’s more and more reason to believe that experiment won’t continue once MS takes the reins of Nokia’s hardware division. A fresh report today suggests that Microsoft is mulling a licensing fee price cut of up to 70 percent compared… Read More
Feb 25
Rumors have always been around, and will continue to be around. After all, there is no smoke without any fire, right? It seems that the Windows Phone 8.1 update would arrive eventually with a spanking new feature thrown into the mix in order to make the Live Tiles to be part of the background image of the Start screen, as you can see in the leaked image on the right hand side. First of all, the feature, which has more often than not been referred to as “skinnery,” could very well split opinions right down the middle, so couples who want to preserve their domestic unity would find it more beneficial to talk about other subjects. As for those who prefer something more to the plain color themes of Live Tiles, the very act of making the tiles part of the picture itself looks appealing.
Start Screen Background Spotted On Windows Phone 8.1 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Feb 25
Xbox One Case Design Patent Granted
Posted in: Today's Chili
When Microsoft introduced the Xbox One alongside its case design in May last year, it did generate its fair bit of attention. Well, fast forward to today, Microsoft has finally received the patent for that particular case design from the good people over at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For those who are curious about all things numerology, the patent number from the USTPO happens to be D700,246 and is officially for an “ornamental design for an electronic housing”. The patent itself is meant to last for a good 14 years, and I am quite sure that there will be future console generations way before the 14 years are up. Joel B. Jacobs, Scott Dullmeyer, Carl J. Ledbetter, Jonathan R. Harris and John Kenichro Ikdea have been listed as its inventors.
Interestingly enough, Microsoft first applied for the patent in February 28, 2013. If my mental math is correct, this particular design was just submitted to the USTPO close to a quarter before the Xbox One was officially revealed to the masses, going to show how close some secrets can be squirreled away by a company if they have the heart and will to do so in this era where smartphone cameras and loose lips abound. You can read all about our Xbox One hands-on experience here.
Xbox One Case Design Patent Granted original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Feb 25
Microsoft has recently rolled out its first service pack for Office 2013, where you will be able to download it here in x86 as well as x64 versions. Of course, depending on which particular flavor that you decide to download it from, the file sizes would range from 643MB and goes all the way to 774 MB. Do bear in mind that this happens to be the first major update to the Office platform ever since it rolled out, and it should be more than welcome for those who happen to live and breathe Office 2013 every single day. With SP1 having been released, it remains to be seen whether additional IT stores will make the jump to this particular platform, as plenty of large corporations have picked up this unofficial policy of ‘wait until SP1’ prior to deployment.
Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 Released original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Feb 25
Windows Live Folders Amost Here!
Posted in: Today's ChiliThis article was written on May 12, 2007 by CyberNet.
After Microsoft’s last slip-up we knew that Windows Live Folders would probably be coming soon, and the service was available for a short period of time earlier today. Luckily Chris over at LiveSide managed to sneak in fast enough to snap some screenshots of what the service is going to offer.
The Windows Live Folders service obviously focuses on making it easy to share your documents with others, or keep them private so that you’re the only one who has access to them. Chris also provided a nice summary of the different types of folder sharing:
Personal
- Use personal folders to back up important files that are only for you.
- Get to your files from any computer with Internet access by signing in with your Windows Live ID.
Shared
- Shared folders make it easy to collaborate with coworkers or classmates.
- You decide how much control each person has over each shared folder. Some can just read what’s there: others can add and delete files.
- Everyone who is sharing uses their own Windows Live ID.
Public
- With public folders, anyone on the Internet can view your files, but they can’t change them.
- Want to show your public files to others? Just send them a link! Each folder and file has its own web address.
I haven’t been able to tinker with the service myself because it was pulled down so fast, but looking at the screenshots that Chris provides I would say that the service is fairly intuitive. Take a look at how you do some things on Windows Live Folders:
Note: Click any of the screenshots to make them bigger.
Creating a folder is just a click away:
Mange who has access to each of the folders:
Do a lot more with the folders:
As of right now the service is only showing 250MB of storage, but when it is officially launched to the public it is supposed to offer 500MB. I was expecting to see the storage hit at least 1GB, but more like 2GB to 5GB. So the quota is a little disappointing, and they even limit filesizes to about 50MB each. I think most geeks will be holding out for a service with larger amounts of storage since Box.net offers 1GB and AOL’s Xdrive offers 5GB for free.
Does this look like something you would use? Both Internet Explorer and Firefox are supported in case that will influence your decision.
This will be the homepage of Windows Live Folders
See more screenshots over at LiveSide
Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com
Feb 25
Xbox One Price Chopped in UK
Posted in: Today's ChiliI think we all knew that eventually the Xbox One would see its price cut to closer match the cost of the PS4. That was especially clear when developers started saying that the PS4 was the better console on top of the fact that it was $100 cheaper here in the U.S. Microsoft has now cut the price of the Xbox One in the UK, where it started out costing £80 (~$133 USD) more than the PS4.
Effective this week, Microsoft has cut the price of the console to £399.99 from £429.99 (or about $50 USD). Gamers can even wait a bit and get a bundle with the anticipated game Titanfall for the same price once the game is released in March. Even at the new price, The Xbox One is still quite a bit more expensive than the Xbox One sells for in the U.S., with the U.S. dollar equivalent being about $668 at the time of this posting. In contrast, the PS4 sells for £349.99 in the UK, or about $584 (USD).
Microsoft wants us to believe that the price cut doesn’t mean the system wasn’t selling well. I don’t know who they are trying to fool, all the numbers have the PS4 outselling the Xbox One. No business slashes prices on products when the products are selling well at the higher price. The price cut came only 94 days into the Xbox One’s life.
[via GameSpot]
Feb 25
Dailymotion Majority Shareholder Confirms Talks With Microsoft On A Possible Deal
Posted in: Today's Chili
There are a lot of online video streaming sites but no one comes close to YouTube, which Google picked up for almost a billion dollars back in 2006. Since then, YouTube has grown to be the behemoth it is today, and even though Dailymotion and Vimeo are some of the better known competitors, YouTube is in a league of its own. Last year there were rumors floating about that Yahoo was interested in taking up a stake in Dailymotion, but apparently talks fell through. Last week it was rumored that Microsoft is mulling over the exact same possibility, and now French telco Orange’s CEO Stephane Richard has told The Wall Street Journal that talks with Microsoft are indeed a go, though not necessarily for a stake alone. Orange has a majority stake in the video streaming website.
Dailymotion Majority Shareholder Confirms Talks With Microsoft On A Possible Deal original content from Ubergizmo. 
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