Microsoft is updating its Hotmail service to make it ready for tablets and Windows 8, at the same time emphasising that, unlike Google, it doesn’t sell information to advertisers.
Windows 8
Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 will be released on October 26th, describing the update as the most important redesign of its interface in more than a decade. Windows 8 includes a touch-controlled interface known as Metro as well as the more traditional desktop and will be released in a version that runs on ARM-based chips as well as versions …
Microsoft buys Yammer
Microsoft has has bought the office social network site Yammer for $1.2b billion. Yammer, which has five million users, operates on a similar basis to Facebook but for communication within companies. Last year it bought the communications business Skype and is busy integrating it into its products, including its Office software which contributed 60% of its profits last year.
Record price for Apple 1
A rare functioning Apple 1 computer, the company’s first product, has been sold at an auction for $374,500 , more than double Sotheby’s estimate.
Sharing porn
In March, Ben Dover Productions won a court order in the UK forcing O2 to pass on details of the owners of 9,124 IP addresses linked to illegal downloads and O2 customers suspected of illegally sharing pornographic films made by Ben Dover Productions will soon begin receiving letters from the film-maker.
Facebook testing ‘Pay to Promote’
Facebook is currently testing a ‘pay to promote’ system in New Zealand, allowing users to make the posts they make on the social network more conspicuous to their friends on the site.
Samsung rise to the top
Samsung Electronics has overtaken Nokia to become the world’s largest single maker of mobile phones, shipping 93 million units in the first quarter of 2012 compared to almost 83m by Nokia.
India moves to the top in spam
India has risen rapidly through the ranks in the past year to become the top spam-spewing nation on the planet, according to a report by security firm Sophos. Almost 10% of all junk mail sent across the web is either from or passed through computers in India.
YouTube loses court case in Germany
YouTube is facing a potentially huge bill for royalties after it lost a court battle in Germany over music videos, a court in Hamburg ruling that YouTube is responsible for the content that users post to the video sharing site.
Facebook to buy Instagram
Facebook has announced it is to buy Instagram, the popular photo-sharing smartphone app, for $1bn in cash and stock.