Microsoft

Microsoft announced late Monday that it is buying the majority of Nokia’s cellphone unit for 3.79 billion euros ($5 billion), and spending another 1.65 billion euros ($2.18 billion) to license Nokia’s patent portfolio, for a total of 5.44 billion euros ($7.17 billion). Once the deal is done, a number of Nokia executives will join Microsoft, Continue Reading →

The highlight is what makes sports come alive, and Microsoft knows that. With the Xbox 360’s ESPN app, which debuted in November 2010 and was expanded two years later to include the sports giant’s full slate of live programming, Microsoft demonstrated a strong focus on delivering sports through the console. Now the company is moving Continue Reading →

Microsoft and Google are to sue the US government to win the right to reveal more information about official requests for user data. The companies announced the lawsuit on Friday, escalating a legal battle over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), the mechanism used by the National Security Agency (NSA) and other US government agencies Continue Reading →

Microsoft has already delayed the launch of the Xbox One in numerous markets over localization and language support issues, but it’s been revealed on Thursday that the console’s voice commands will only be available in five markets at launch. As spotted by Videogamer, the small print at the bottom of Microsoft’s ‘Get the Facts’ page Continue Reading →

A senior executive at Skype has confirmed to BBC News that the company is developing 3D video calls, though he warned it could be many years before the technology is widely available for consumers. Microsoft’s corporate vice-president for Skype, Mark Gillett, told the BBC that Skype has carried out work in the labs related to Continue Reading →

Xbox 360-owning Time Warner Cable subscribers will be able to access live cable television channels through a new app that launched on Tuesday on Xbox Live, Microsoft and Time Warner announced. The companies originally announced their collaboration on the app in June. It is available only to U.S.-based Xbox Live Gold members. The TWC TV Continue Reading →

The Xbox One might a little harder to find than expected when it launches later this year. China’s Economic Daily News reports that Microsoft is having yield issues with Xbox One components and that it may cut its initial planned shipments of the console from 7 million to 6.2 million. We already know that Microsoft Continue Reading →

Microsoft officially did away with Microsoft Points on Monday through an Xbox 360 software update, available now in the U.S., that converts the alternate currency into real money. The update process took about five minutes on Polygon’s office Xbox 360, and afterward we could detect no change in the appearance of the console’s Dashboard — Continue Reading →

Microsoft has announced that Steve Ballmer will retire as CEO within the next 12 months. The company issued the statement this morning, adding that Ballmer will remain in post through its “transformation to a devices and services company that empowers people for the activities they value most.” Ballmer says: “There is never a perfect time Continue Reading →

If the last thing standing between you and a brand new Xbox One this fall was a fear that you’d be watched by the government, you’re in luck. Last week, Microsoft pulled yet another one-eighty for its upcoming console, announcing that the Xbox One no longer requires the Kinect camera plugged in for the system Continue Reading →